My mind raced back to reality as I became aware of the cold water running down my back. The sound of running water and the echoes of voices rushed towards me, reminding me of where I was. Shaking my head, I reached out and turned the faucet, it squeaked as the water slowed down.
"Jeez! Finally! It's not just your shower, princess." Groaned a girl standing behind me, I turned to see Hale with a murderous glare in her eyes. I ducked around her tall, menacing frame, folding my arms in an attempt to fight off the cold. "If they cut off the water before I'm done, you're dead!" She yelled after me, some girls turned and looked at me as though this brought them immense satisfaction. Hale was one of the top dogs here, purely due to her lack of fear to stir up trouble. She didn't care to end up in solitary confinement if it meant she got to punch someone.
"Sorry." I mumbled, practically jogging back towards the lockers. I quickly dried off and threw on my clothes, heat slowly crawling back into my frozen limbs. Taking a deep breath I walked out of the locker rooms and into the hallway, clutching my damp towel and sleep overalls as though my life depended on it. It was a lot quieter, some girls with dripping wet hair were walking towards their rooms, or heading towards the dining hall. I kept my head down, keeping a relaxed pace as I made my way towards my room. I quickly slung my towel over one of the bars of my window and folded up my sleep overalls, gently placing it under my pillow.
Taking a deep breath, I turned towards the door. "Let's get this day over with."
A few hours later, I found myself in the large, brightly lit Recreation room. Sitting down on the floor, underneath a large, barred window. The light was best for reading, the sunlight not as harsh as the bright, fluorescent lights in the room. I absentmindedly rubbed my neck as the feeling of the thick, sticky oatmeal lingered in my throat. I look up from my book, too distracted by the rumble of voices to pay much attention to the troubles of the characters. The room was pretty full today, I could feel the buzz of nerves and anticipation as the time ticked by. A group of girls were sitting in front of the only T.V we had, though it primarily showed reruns of propaganda against people like us.
"Register your Abnormal child today and ensure a safe future for all." A deep voice was saying as pictures of a smiling family were shown. The youngest child, a girl of about 10 with a pink dress comes up and proudly shows her arm, revealing an IDtag.
"Now I don't have to be afraid anymore, I know I can't hurt anyone and can now be just like my family" She beamed, turning around to play with her other siblings.
I looked away from the T.V, focusing my attention on some of the guards in the room. There seem to be more this morning, as with most visitation days. On this day we didn't have any classes, which only took up about two hours of our afternoon. This meant that most, if not all, of those living here, had nowhere to go but their rooms or the common area. The guards seemed cleaner today, freshly shaved, holding their large semi-automatic weapons with pride as they watched the room full of teenagers with disgust. Their black, Kevlar vests blended well with their black shirts and dark pants. I always thought it was ridiculous how they armed themselves so well, besides the occasional fight, no one was dumb enough to use their powers to try and escape or seriously hurt someone. That was a one-way ticket to one of the Containment Facilities, a place plucked directly from our nightmares.
My gaze landed on Ms. Hester, a short, lumpy sort of woman, standing in the furthest corner of the room. Her stern, wrinkled face was stretched out into a tight smile. She was engrossed in conversation with a tall, wiry-looking stranger. His hair was smoothed down with an obscene amount of gel and he had a certain air around him, one of authority and privilege. I wonder who he is, though his pristine, stark white lab coat does give a few hints.
My attention was once again stolen by the arrival of a familiar face. Olive confidently strode towards me, flashing me a bright smile and slumping down to sit next to me.
"Morning, sunshine." She beamed.
"Hey." I replied, returning her smile, though it was probably a lot smaller.
"Have a good shower? I'm still freezing." She said, dramatically wrapping her arms around herself and shivering as though the room had suddenly been filled with ice. I simply nodded, returning my attention to the people around me. Ms.Hester was walking towards the center of the room, stopping only to switch the T.V off. Not one of the girls who had been watching it dared to object, though they didn't seem to like her actions at all.
"Great." Olive moaned sarcastically. "Another announcement. Wonder what it will be this time. Do you think the parents are here already? No, it's too early. Maybe our outside time is being moved to today? I can feel it's going to be another scorcher, so I hope not. Oh, maybe it has something to do with that new guy I saw when I came in! I think he's a doctor. Then again he looks more like a scientist."
I gave a small smile as Olive rambled on, asking questions only to answer them herself. I figured this was why we were friends or at least hung out together, seeing as I was the only one here who seemed to tolerate her lack of control over how much she talked. Me being as quiet as I was didn't mind it one bit, as it meant I didn't have to add much to the conversation.
"Shhhh, she's about to talk." Olive whispered, her voice heavy with anticipation.
"Attention! Attention, children!" Ms. Hester's loud, authoritative voice echoed through the room. Silence fell immediately, no one daring to talk over her. Ms. Hester had that effect on people, she ruled over this place with an iron fist. Her punishments often left lasting marks, generally being both mental and physical. Thus, we kept in line.
"I have some very exciting news!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together and folding them in her lap. "But before I get to that, I have some announcements. Due to the utter lack of consideration regarding the use of water, further restrictions will now be enforced." Ms. Hester looked around the room, scowling at each of us as a few girls groaned. "Do not be angry at me, children! This is your own doing."
"Doubt that." Olive quickly whispered as Ms. Hester paused for dramatic effect. "I can feel there's a drought, there's probably a water restriction for the whole city. She just wants to blame us for it."
"As such." Ms. Hester continued. "You will now only receive 5 minutes of shower time per person, adding to up to 15 minutes per group. Moving on, as you all know today is Visitation day and as such, I expect you all to be on your best behaviour, anyone who deviates from the rules will be subject to severe punishment." Almost everyone listening winced, the thick, ragged scars on my back suddenly ached. During my first week here I was quite reluctant to listen to her, though it was more out of confusion and not actually knowing the rules than it was out of rebellion. Ms.Hester, however, did not see it like that and aimed to make an example out of me. So one evening, after 3 days of me forgetting to do my chores and arriving late for class, she had her ladies hold me down. They pushed me face down onto a table, pushing up my shirt as Ms. Hester was given a short, thin whip. I was lucky, as I heard later because she only gave me two lashings. It's usually a lot more.
"So, now that we've gone through that, back to the exciting news" She chimed, giving her usual, tight smile. "Doctor Miller, could you join me please." As the man I saw earlier walked towards Ms. Hester, the room filled with hushed, curious voices. Some of the younger kids even stood up to get a better look. "Doctor Miller will be starting here as of today, he is a licensed psychologist and here to help everyone cope with their...afflictions. He focuses mainly on helping you understand what is wrong with you, children. I believe it will be such a great learning experience, not to mention it might help with some of your behavioral issues." With those words, the excitement and curiosity in the room deflated.
"If I may?" Doctor Miller questioned, looking to Ms. Hester. She didn't seem too pleased about the interruption but nodded for him to continue. He stepped forward, his hands clasped together. Smiling more broadly than I thought was actually possible, he took a deep breath. "It is so wonderful to meet all of you! I am so excited to get started and personally get to know each and every one of you. As Ms. Hester said I am a psychologist focusing on the Abnormal, though I imagine myself as so much more than that. I want to be a friend. A confidant. Someone you would trust enough to open up to and talk about everything that might be causing you any discomfort." As he talked, he moved around, gesturing with his hands as though he was trying to paint his words in the air. His smile never wavered. "Please do not ever hesitate to come to me, should you have any issues or problems bothering you. I am here to help you cope with your abilities, yes, but I am also here to help you be the very best version of you."
"So, children." Ms.Hester stepped forward, glancing at Doctor Miller as though he had said too much. "Individual sessions will begin this afternoon, the schedule will be placed onto the bulletin board after visitation hours have concluded. For now, that is all."
"He's kinda cute, don't you think?" Olive whispered, as Ms. Hester and the doctor were making their way towards the exit.
"He's kinda old." I replied, noticing the silver hair by his ears and the crows feet next to his eyes.
"Well, duh! I meant it in a "hot dad" kind of way. Not the "I want him" kind of way." Olive retorted, looking at me as though it had been obvious.
"Okay." I answered, keeping my thoughts to myself. I didn't like him. Something about him didn't seem quite right. Though I couldn't put my finger on it, I just didn't trust him one bit.
"You're parents coming today?"
"I guess."
"My mom said she'll smuggle in another book for you and some cookies for me. I'm pretty excited. She said her and my dad are still talking to the lawyers, trying to get me out of here. They said I might have to wait for my trial, but things were definitely leaning in my favour." Unlike a lot of us, Olive wasn't placed here by her parents.
She also discovered her powers at a young age, but instead of being afraid or ashamed of them her family accepted her. Due to the hate and discrimination against those with abilities, her family taught her how to control her powers, which was easy seeing as they were connected to the weather. Blaming global warming and unpredictable weather patterns worked really well until she had a bit of a run-in with a teacher at her school. She made a thick cloud appear right over the teacher's head, drenching in her in a torrent of rain. The Abnormal Containment Unit, ACU for short, was called in immediately. Though it took them some time to catch her, they eventually did and threw her in a holding cell. She was charged with the unlawful use of powers, but as she was a minor the judge sent her to Ms. Hester's house until she turns 19. She honestly got off easy.
The rest of the afternoon went by very slowly, but finally, at exactly 12:00, the bell rang. This one longer than the morning bell, signaling the arrival of our parents. The recreation room was now almost completely filled, excitement and anticipation thick in the air. Lady Tess walked out, her dark hair pulled up in its usual tight bun. Her thin lips pulled together as she looked down at the clipboard in her hands.
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