The woman nodded, her eyes remaining downward, as if searching for answers in the patterns of the cold, hard floor. There was a stillness about her that seemed almost unnatural, a calm that belied the tension rippling through the air. Helena knelt down beside her, gently lifting the hem of the woman’s prison-issued dress to examine her feet, where signs of impending labor might begin to show.
It was then that Helena noticed something unusual. At first glance, it appeared to be just a tattoo on the arch of the woman’s right foot. Common enough in prison, where tattoos often held deep, personal significance. But as Helena peered closer, she realized this was no ordinary marking. A series of intricate symbols and numbers formed a pattern that seemed almost… deliberate.
