Adam and Evan

part 2- C7

Boys. Lots of them. Twelve on my left, twelve on my right. We stood staring at the man pacing past us back and forth.

I fought my tears back.

Unfortunately others weren't doing so well. The boy next to me, thirteen at the most, stood there bawling his eyes out.

His face was small, with freckles and ginger hair. Like a fox.

"Welcome to the refuge program! You can not be born a homosexual! Its a lie! It's a choice!" The man screams.

I kept my face ahead as he walked past me.

He stopped at a boy about sixteen and threw him to the floor, ripping his shirt collar.

He pulled out a bible and hit him in the back with it.

We all stepped back as he fell to the ground.

"That is where homosexuality gets you!" He yells. His eyes caught my gaze and he charged towards me.

"Aw! You must be the preachers boy." He says sternly.

Yes.. Sir.

______________

I leaned against the light beam watching the other boys/teens playing basketball.

I had no interest. I longed for home and Evan.

"Hey. Your new right?" A boy asks.

I turned to face him. He had curly black hair and pale skin.

Yeah.

I explored his arms with my eyes.

Several welts all side my side.
How long have you been here?

He glanced down and scratched his chin.

"About six months." He explains.

Do you have any advice?

"Yeah. Tell them what they want to hear. Trust me. The longer your 'sick' the longer you'll stay here."

"Also, don't speak unless your spoken too. Don't laugh, don't smile, don't even breath loudly." He says quietly.

Thanks. I'm Adam.

I reached out my hand to his.

He pulled back scaredly and looked left and right.

"They restrict touching." He whispers.

Oh. I'm sorry.

"Its okay. I'm David." He says blankly.

A large siren echoed through the field.
What's that?

"Lights out. Come on, your in bunk C." He exclaims, grabbing my arm.

_____________

I woke up to someone shaking me.
It took me a while to realize sirens were once again blaring.

What's going on?

"You don't want to know." My bunkmate says.

I climbed down and followed the rest of them outside to the courtyard.

I cut through the crowd to see the same boy from before. Fox. He hung by his arms above a large ditch like thing.

I found David and approached him nervously.

What's going to happen?

"He's being punished." He says subtly.

For what?

"Smuggling a picture in." Another boy replies.

Oh my gosh. Mr Craig ran to him and began yelling straight in his left ear. The boy winced as he did so.

"God will not love you the way you are!"

"Now cleanse!"

He pulled a string and the boy plunged into the abyss below him.

What's below?

"Ice water." He says.

What? That's cruel!

"Yeah it is, but according to Mr Craig so is being gay.