I was kicking myself for having agreed to such a stupid bet. How could I outdrink a person who’d been dubbed the hardest person in the prison ? Would I actually survive her target practice ? How good of a marksman was she ? Was she as good of a shot as she had announced ? What if I ended up puking out my guts ?

These were all of the questions that raced through my mind as I waited for Friday. The only thought that gave me some comfort was the idea that I had at least redeemed myself in some way with one of the most judgemental people in the prison : Katana Cloverfield.

As for Victoria Steel, I knew very little about her. All I seemed to know for sure was that she was a bounty hunter who used to work around Gorudo City. However, it felt as though she wasn’t truly from that region despite her accent. I paced about my cell and started wondering if I could escape this situation. It’s been five years since I had alcohol, and I had no idea how tolerant I was to the stuff. For all I knew, I had lost all of my tolerance. Finally, I decided to go out into the yard hoping to ease my mind with a cigarette.

It was March at this point. Time flew by like a bat out of hell in this prison. The air was warmer, but the wind continued to be unforgiving. It bit through my clothes as if it were some kind of omen. As I walked around the yard, I noticed some aspiring Pit fighters brawling in the football field. They were lanky, tattooed from head to toe. One of them was fighting with a wooden stick as if struggling to remember his techniques. His opponent was a woman who seemed to easily put him on his ass.

"That bad huh". I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. Fortunately, they didn’t hear me. I noticed Hector pumping weights in one area of the park, but I didn’t want to bother him with my worries. I decided to keep on walking, and ponder to myself on the situation at hand.

Later in the cafeteria, I decided to eat alone, hoping to turn my mind away from the upcoming events with a book by the late great Aris Morian, a philosopher from Highern. His philosophy was something rather interesting as it dealt with the idea of forgiveness, and how bearing grudges concerning your own life and experiences can only lead to further suffering. That negative experiences are rarly the cause by one individual, and that they should not hate themselves as a result. I started to feel like that I had only myself to blame for my situation. I felt like I needed a new perspective on what I had done. I did previously try to see the prison’s councillor concerning my anxieties, but the woman made me feel like garbage, stating that what had happened to me was indeed my fault, and that I had only myself to blame. I couldn’t help but feel that such an assessment was wrong and decided to expand my mind on a philosophical stand point.

As I kept reading and eating, I hardly noticed the cafeteria empty out. A very nervous looking man walked up to me, his hands in his pockets and gestured for me to follow him.

“Did Victoria send you ?”

I asked. The man seemed to wince at the mention of her name, but nodded in silence. I closed my book and got up from my seat, carrying my tray over to the counter and thanked Jenkins, the cafeteria lady, in the process. I was still dreading what was to come. With what I had read, whatever the outcome, I knew that this was my fault and that if the outcome were to be in her favour, I had only myself to blame.

As I walked through the corridors, I made sure that no one was following close behind. Fortunately, my fellow prisoners were simply lollygagging in the hallways, talking and being friendly to one another. I thought I saw a support group convened in one of the recreation rooms, but as it wasn’t my destination, I simply kept note of where it was located.