Gakushu's Pov
"take off your shirt"
I blinked and looked at him. Take off my shirt? No, I'd rather throw hands, kill someone, or die trying than let this man touch me.
I back off, and glare at him
"Excuse me?"
He looks annoyed, rolls his eyes and says
"You heard me, take it off"
"Sir, i don't think the authorities would be too happy to know that--"
He shook his head aggresively and shot back "number 11, calm down. I just want to check if you're hiding a phone, or something else that violates the guidelines, inside your shirt. What do you take me for?"
I think twice before warily unbuttoning and putting my shirt away for him to check for something "violating".
He looks at me up and down and then shakes off my shirt. A tiny packet of gum fell, I must've forgotten to take it out.
"Smuggling candy is not allowed, since it is your first time I'll let you off with a warning" he handed the shirt back to me.
I quickly put it on, embarassed from this whole experience.
"I'll take you to your room, lights go out at 10:30, you better not be up after that. There's room searches at random hours, if somebody finds you sneaking around doing something you're not supposed to, you'll be give a discipline " Alejandro walks to the staircase, and leads me upstairs. The hall is squeaky clean, atleast it's hygienic..
Theres a huge cross on the door of each room, they look to be the size of a living room. I'm ushered into room FR3, where there are 6 beds all cramped together. There's two mirrors on each side of the room, one tiny desk between each table, a wooden closet in the middle, but it was barely a closet, for space inside it was minimal.
I expected him to introduce me to the children inside, but he never did. He simply told me to go through the rules and ask me the following day if any doubts needed to be cleared, and then he left.
I looked at my room mates, none of them spoke a word, they looked odd. I see a brown haired male in the corner and he slightly smiles at me, but looks away before I can. A black haired child sits on his bed, writing inside a notebook. Maybe he's doing homework? I sat on the bed beside his , and peeked in.
"I will show more growth in the bible study henceforth"
"I will show more growth in the bible study henceforth"
"I will show more growth in the bible study henceforth"
"I will show more growth in the bible study henceforth"
.........
And that's what it said.
All the pages.
Ink stained his white fingers, he looked pained.
"What are you d-" i began.
"Shh." He shushed, without looking. I looked over at the blondie reading study material in the bed beside the black haired guy whos bed had number '13' written on it. Blondie was number 6.
Another bed was occupied by a blue haired figure, who seemed to be asleep, with number '20'.
So far there's brunette, number 14
Blondie, number 6
Black haired dude, 14
And sleeping guy 20.
One bed remained.
It had 25 written on it. It was beside mine.
The bed wasn't made, the desk wasn't organised.
I decided the best course of action would be to use the restroom and try to fall asleep. I couldn't. I'm too far from home, I'm too far from my school, my life, everything I've known. I see the cross and miss my mother, i miss her. I curse my father, for bringing me here. The silence is usually precious, but today it's sickening, it's ringing.
I asked number 6 where the lavatory is. He nervously responds with "outside, to the right"
This is improvement.
Atleast he spoke.
I look at these people and fear stains their eyes like a shadow that won't leave.
I am anxious outside, I'm all alone, the bathroom is a few feet away. The other doors are all locked, the lights are off. It's 10:19. 11 minutes more till we're off to bed.
I'm inside the bathroom, the lights are off. I turn them on, and there's a guy, standing wet, his red hair sticks to his face, he splashes more water over himself. I remember him, he was painting.
I ignore him and slip inside a cubicle. He seems to ignore me too, almost like he doesn't even realise my presence. He suddenly crashes to the floor.
As soon as I'm done, i press the flush and go to check.
He's on the floor, but he's conscious. He looks exhausted.
With caution, I ask "are you alright?"
"What's it to you?" He says, giving a cocky smile.
"You collapsed"
"Sat down"
"Crashed"
"I sat down, at my own will"
It was like talking to the wall he was painting.
"Are you unwell?"
"No, I'm doing just fine" he closes his eyes and breathes audibly.
"Do you need water?" It's unlike me to be so nice, but this is the longest most normal conversation I've had so far.
"No, unless that water is mixed with vodka or wine" he laughs.
That was a bad joke, he must be used to making bad jokes, because he was laughing on his own.
"Won't you go to your room?"
"Don't want to"
"Why?"
"Their dead personalities dulls my sparkle" his eyes are still closed, and his smile is loosening now. I wonder if he feels tired.
"Is everyone here like that?"
"You're new?"
"Maybe" i look away as he pulls up his sleeves since they're all wet and stained with paint.
"Ahh, what're you in for peachface?"
Peachface? Who does he think he is? His hair looks like pomegranate juice.
"Id rather not say"
"Too bad"
"Hm.."
"I killed someone" he opens his eyes, much to my demise because when he stared with those amber orbs, I felt my blood run cold.
Maybe it wasn't the eyes,
But the confession.
"Nah, I'm just kidding" he smiles and gets up.
Why would he joke about that?
"I'll...get going.." i say hesitantly. I enjoyed speaking to someone for a few minutes, but he seems like someone who could get me in trouble. I don't want it. It would extend my stay. I want to be out as soon as possible.
"I wish I did though" he says, in respect to his previous statement.
No, this is definitely not the type of person I want to be around. I need to get better, not worse.
I ignore him and walk out, there's 2 minutes left till 10:30. I slip into bed, and turn the lights off after making sure everyone else is already tucked in. Number 13 is awake, he stares at the cieling, the redhead was right. Everyone here is dead already, but I can't let it happen to me. I shut my eyes and try to sleep.
Suddenly the door opens, and the redhead from before walks in.
This guy, is everywhere-
Wait, he couldn't be the infamous number 25 now could he?
It made perfect sense, no wonder. He was outside on punishment, he's tardy, untidy and unhinged. No wonder Alejandro warned me about him.
He sat on the bed, which was the sticking the wall, and placed beside mine. He let himself go.
Wait he's sleeping in wet clothes?
"Hey! Hey you! Get up please, you're sleeping in wet!" I whisper trying not to gain attention from the other inhabitants of the room.
But he doesn't respond, he's off in his dreams.
I notice something on his neck as he has his collars out. Is it a lovemark?
Does he have a secret lover?
The balls of this boy.
He comes to a reform school , and fools around with another student?
And they let him off with just one punishment?
I can't comprehend how hard it will be for me to adjust to such insolence.
What if he brings his lover here? And they start to do- their obscene things in here?
No surely the other students would protest.
Or has it happened,did they see it? Did they not tell? Is that why they're all so silent now? Were they punished?
But it's none of my buisness is it? I'll ignore these people, tattle on them if I have to, climb the ranks and then leave.
These people don't matter to me
They don't exist to me.
But number 25's hair sticks out in the darkness.
His face is twisted into a smile. His legs sprangled somehow onto the matress of an unmade bed. His hair sticks to the pillow, it looks like a crime scene. But he looks like he's in heaven, over him a poster of the lord is stuck as he lies at the feet of god.
A/N:- hope you enjoyed this update with the introduction of our strawberryhead karmaaa‼️if there's anything you'd like added to the story, any characters, ideas or genres, I'll gladly try to consider and add them in! Have a nice day as always and I'll see you again for the next chapter ~ that's where the story takes off!!!
Preview for lesson 3:- Gakushu struggles to cooperate with Karma, who tries his best to find out the cause of the peachhead ending up there🍑🍓