Young Writers Society

Nick Brown

The Priest walked off to another table. It was pretty clear from his attitude that he thought he could beat me in a fight and that he as just generally better than me in every way. Typical Catholic, saying they would burn in hell for their sins to each other yet showing a naive feeling of self worth to others, Ironicly this feeling of self worth and importance would be the thing that one day dammed them for all eternity. Pride. The tensions was building on the table.

"Joking" I said.

"Christ, don't take stuff so seriously" I said.

*sorry for the short post I just felt that Ben's charecter was taking a jab at mine that deserved a comeback of sorts. I'm sort of assuming that it's your character that's being the douche bag and your just portraying him truthfully. If not then well .I.

Kisa

There was nothing that Kisa hated more than her roommate Aiden Omi. It wasn't really the weird looks, how she bragged about her chicken pox scar, the fact that her girlfriend visits her every weekend - though I think she wishes that she wouldn't, because she hits on other chicks a lot - or how she chewed with her mouth open. It was the fact that she was in here for nothing. We have drug dealers in here, gang members, murderers, and she is in here for breaking into a house? Stealing what? Probably a couple of pieces of fine china.

I watched her in the dining hall, staring off into space, as she gnawed on the slop with those big teeth of hers. In fact, that was probably what I focused on every morning, how the girls ate their food. They had no manners whatsoever. They all chewed with their mouths wide open, as if they had given up. They deserve to die.

But something else was more interesting that morning, or at least something else had caught and held my attention. It was in the boys section of course, since I liked boys a whole lot better than girls (I had no problem holding acquaintances in that part of the jail).

Three of the boys were having an exchange - one being the new kid. I wished at that moment I was a boy and could walk right up and punch them all in the faces - stupid girls would cry. Actually, the boys would probably cry, too. Prison had softened them all up. They couldn't even come up with good come-backs anymore. But anyways, I saw the one with the curly hair walk away first, leaving the greasy one left talking to the new one. But when he left, I saw neither a snicker nor a pout. On all of their faces were blank expressions. I wondered, at that moment, if things were going to change. I wondered if a thing called respect could still exist in this place.

But then I remembered Aiden and they girl's eating habits and reconsidered my theory.

Aiden Omi--8:40--Girl's Breakfast Hall

I looked around, but it was only some nameless person passing by. Already distracted from the food I didn't want to eat, I watched the other girls. It was then that I noticed Kisa staring, or rather glaring, at me. She didn't like me much. I wasn't entirely sure why to be honest, but I think it had something to do with my 'crime'. I had the feeling that she didn't think it was serious enough to warrant juvie. I wish the judge had thought that too.

I tried a nervous smile, I got the bird. Nice. Then again, I suppose I sort of deserved it. She was one of the girls I always found myself staring at, and she'd made it real clear before that she didn't appreciate it.

I pushed my plate away, I really couldn't eat any more. And anyway, some sort of commotion I could hear from the boy's hall had piqued my interest.

TIGERSPRITE

Mahrissa Matherson. 08:51. Girls breakfast hall.

The tick-tock of the clock on the wall behind me was the only thing keeping me currently sane. Both Gabriella and I were doing all we could to drown out the constant rambling of Carrie; flicking her blonde hair over her shoulders between talking with her mouth full and blurting out as much of the repetitive gossip as she could. Gabriella seemed intensly focused on her left over frozen wafle as she fingered it before slamming her fist down on the plate. All the girls around the room seemed to glare at her before she mouthed a faint "sorry".

I looked around the room; Andi was slipping a very nervous looking Lisa something, all the while shaking her head at the expression of panic and relief washing over the poor girls face.
Andi was known to be able to get the girls in here just about anything they needed. She liked to call it her 'black market supplies' but i knew she was really getting them off Leighton; our well trained guard.
I wasnt always proud of the things i had to do to get what i wanted in Darkmoor, but a girls got to survive...right?

Carrie's rambling was slowly going to drive me into an insane asylum if i didnt shut her up fast, but i knew if i tryed anything i would have rumours flying. So for the moment i kept my cool and kept Carrie slightly within my tollerence.
Gabby was cracking her knuckles under the table and i knew she would have been thinking roughly the same thing as me. With that one motion it gave me enough confidence to blew out a sigh before holding my palm up in Carrie's face.
"Shut up." I yelled at her and threw my arms in the air. "Just, shut up, you obnoxious little freak!"
Carrie gasped as i dived over the table sending her flying onto the floor, sinking my fists into her face as i straddled her chest. The rooms attention swarmed to us as they all started chanting "Fight, fight!"

I felt a familiar electric shock course through my body; causing me to fall to the ground, my arms convulsing around me and jerking at my sides, shaking as the shocks continued.
Not again. I thought as i looked down at the wrist band responsible for the electric currents coursing through my small body.
The expression over Gabriella's face was one of absolute shock and worry, obviously she hadn't seem one of the hard-cases with the wrist bands throw a punch only to be stopped by another force.
"Are you okay?" Gabby whispered to me as she slid in under my body; stopping me from thrashing against the ground.
"Terrific," I muttered. "Scared ya, did i? Aw, that's sweet. Dont worry, the shocks wont kill me, they only make me stronger. Anyway, it was worth it to give that cow a black eye, ya know?"
"All right, break it up. Break it up." The warden boomed, standing red faced in the doorway. "The three of you report for detention, tomorrow morning. Cemetery. Crack of dawn."

One of the guards hauled me up and gripped my convolsing body under my shoulders. "Lets go turn you off," he said to me as he hauled me towards the door.
"Everyone to classes, NOW." The warden boomed across the breakfast hall, pulling everyone out of their dazed states.

Mr. Peter Reynolds

As far as Peter was concerned, you couldn't teach jack all to the loser kids that got sent to Juvy. That made his job pretty easy though. He just had to turn up and make it look like he was teaching them. What a farce. Bunch of no gooders living off of society's money. Peter was a tax payer and it made him feel sick, it sure did, to see that money being put to such deplorable use.

The students started filing in. They all had assigned desks, one of the Warden's rather clever ideas that did away with the register nonsense. All Peter had to do was run his eyes along the classroom and he could immediately see if anyone was absent and send a message along. Not that they got many absentees. It wasn't easy to give the guards the slip. All the inmates attended classes together and the gender segregation was relaxed. Not that it made a whole lot of difference. They all had their own desk anyhow so what did it matter if the person sitting at the desk behind you just so happened to be of the opposite sex?

"Good morning class," Peter said rather stiffly. "We're doing Romeo and Juliet today, you'll find the texts on your tables. Can anyone tell me anything about the play?" There was a lot of shuffling and an awkward pause until finally someone raised their hand.

"Yes Livingston?" If there had been anyone else, anyone at all, Peter would have called on them but it seemed that miss hyper was the only one eager to answer. The way she was fidgeting about he wondered if she was going to ask to use the bathroom instead.

"It's about these two families which are fighting with each other and this boy from one falls in love with a girl from the other. I've seen a film for it where Romeo - that's the boy - is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He's dead good him, I've seen him in Titanic too-"

"Very good," Peter cut in before the girl could go any more off on a tangent. "I'm going to read you the first Act now, unless anyone else would like to volunteer?" Like that was going to happen. It was hard enough to interest normal children in education but criminal brats? Well they really just didn't care.

Vivian; 8:55a.m.

Vivian had finished his breakfast and even placed the tray where it should be. He was looking at people. To be specific, he was observing Nick Brown. The new kid who will be sharing a cell with him. He couldn't figure out the tall, brown haired kid. He wondered why he was in juvy? The wardens never spoke of the crimes the kids had committed ad if that was a crime on itself.

He didn't realize that, mechanically, he had walked to the classrooms and had seated himself in his allotted place. He didn't realize when Mr.Reynolds had started talking. He glanced at Kisa, sitting to his left as she always did. She was staring at the booklet. Definitely bored, he ticked off, in his head. Mr. Reynold's voice dragged on with a drizzle of Sampson and Gregory. All he knew was it was some tragic tale. He couldn't care. And he was sure, Mr. Reynolds thought so too.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mr.Reynolds stopped. not just to draw his breath, but he actually stopped reading for at least the time being.

Andi-8:58AM-Classroom

Andi slipped Lisa a hand rolled cigarette, she could tell she was feind'n for one, before getting up to watch the girl flail on the ground. "I'm Andi" She told Lisa as she did the hand off. "Need anything, come find me." She said, making her supplies known. Andi hated those damn bracelets, she felt for Mahrissa. They were a bitch."Class Now!" The warden bellowed and Andi headed to the classroom before the rest of the group had recovered from the fight. Fight, it wasn't even a fight, more like a chin check...That failed.
She took her seat, between The Priest and Kisa. She was good with Reggie but Kisa, she wanted to beat her face in. She wouldn't make the first move though, no matter how bad she wanted to. She would finish fights, not start them....Usually. There were extenuating circumstances with her mother.
Andi listened to Reynolds drone on about Romeo and Juliet, speaking like they were all six. She probably knew more about this play than half the people in here. She took up refuge in a library for a few months when she was 14, she found a love for reading then.
"Line up!" The sound of Reynolds going off script pulled her out of her thoughts. She stood and went to her side of the room. 'Catch a pair,' she muttered to the passing inmates, 'line up'.

(Catch a Pair means to line up. She wasn't saying it again but stating what the phrase meant.)

Nick Brown: Classroom

Mr Reynolds started to drone on, not that I minded, it was easy to get a bit of sleep with his monotone voice in the background. I shut my eyes and in a couple of minutes I was asleep , it was pretty easy considering I'd only got a couple hours sleep in my 'bed'.

It was a sunny day but the clouds were rolling in. Hal walked over to me and gave me a gun.
"you know Eddy C" He said.
"Yep what about him" I answered.
"Some motherfucker just shot him and Joe outside the youth centre" Hal said suddenly he had my full attension.
"Shit, who shot him?" I asked
"Some fucking youth ,thinks he's big, that's not the problem though the problem who's got him to kill Eddy and Joe " Hal said.
"The Russian?," I asked pissed off and worried.
",You think he knows we've been doing business with Gok behind his back?"
"Why the fuck do you think he'd kill Joe and Eddy if he didn't" Hal said some of the people gambling in the back looked around worried and a couple even left.
"Dam, he's gonna be pissed if he finds out how much we've been making" I said stashing the gun in my shoulder bag.
"What are we going to do if we can't this?" Hal said
" Same thing we did when Big tried to screw us, Kill him" I said.
"I guess, meet me at Gok's shop tomorrow morning and we'l..

My Dream was interupted by Mr Reynolds shouting at us to line up for physical training. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and went over to line up by a girl who's name might of been Mahrissa. Tobias and Reggie walked past me I grabbed Tobias shoulder and Reggie stopped.

"Sorry for being a dick" I said looking at both of them.

Aiden Omi--8:57 am--Classroom

I was sat near some boy with curly hair, I couldn't remember his name. Mr Reynold's voice was gradually making me fall asleep, I tried to people-watch to keep myself awake. It wasn't my thing, really, Alice was the one always watching people.

I must have been people-watching Kisa a tad too long, because when Mr Reynolds wasn't looking she chucked a rubber at the back of my head. Annoyed, I mouthed an insult, she mouthed a better one back.

I think the curly-haired boy was watching us, because I heard a low chuckle escape from his mouth.

'Aren't you two cellmates?' he said to me.

'Sometimes,' I replied quietly, 'you wouldn't believe it.'

Lisa Miller | 8:58 AM | The Classroom

After a grueling hour of breakfast, class was finally called. Lisa and the girl hadn't talked much, instead simply gazing up at each other for the occasional stare and beginning of a failed conversation starter. Lisa wasn't surprised that this wasn't turning out well. Although the girl wasn't teasing her, they definitely weren't on the path to becoming friends. But then she gave her a cigarette. And Lisa felt like she could hug her. How had she come across them? Well, Lisa didn't care. She had a cigarette.

"I'm Andi. If you need anything, come find me," the girl said.

"Thanks so much," Lisa said, slipping the cigarette in her pants pocket. She'd have it later tonight, after lights out and the guards weren't minding to what she was doing.

When the girls and boys entered the classroom, she took her assigned seat just behind Kisa and Vivian. She wasn't listening to Mr. Reynolds--she never did--but instead staring at Andi and wishing that they would be able to pick partners for activities like they did in regular school, because she knew she wouldn't be the last one without a partner.

Tobias LaBelle

Toby gave the girl - Aiden he thought her name was, though a strange name for a girl - a long and thoughtful look. He didn't know any of the girls very well, just their basics, just what you heard on the grapevine. Like her roomate, the one called Kisa, that one was supposedly a tough nut to crack and not one to get on the bad side of. "I'm sure there's a reason for it," Toby said, thinking hard about how the two girls could fix one another up. Aiden was clearly a more friendly creature, while Kisa was satisfyingly realistic but dark and overly hurtful. In Toby's opinion, each girl would benefit from a healthy dose of the other.

"Come again?" Aiden said. She looked perplexed but Toby only smiled. He didn't judge it a good time to be sharing his logic, not when any minute now, Mr. Reynolds would start paying attention to them again. "It can only end in one of us killing the other, where's the reason in that?" Aiden joked.

"At least then you'd have a different room-mate," Tobias commented. Aiden was stopped from replying by the loud voice of Mr. Reynolds calling for them to line up. Ah, physical exertion time. That was one lesson Tobias enjoyed. Rising from his seat, he gave Aiden a small smirk. "Excuse me," he said before heading to the line. On his other side, Reggie joined him and Chance started making room with a glare at the inmates standing near him. Tobias felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and turned, raising a questioning brow at Nick.

"Sorry for being a dick-head," he said. After a pause, Reggie gave one of his supreme nods and then carried on walking to take his place in the line-up. There was enough room next to him for one broad shouldered, tufty haired boy but Tobias hesitated. He gave Nick a solid, appraising stare that seemed to neither approve nor disapporve. He just stared and thought. Then he nodded and with a slow smile he took a step forward. Vivian, who really should exchange names with Aiden come to think of it, was standing on one side of Nick.

"It would be good of you to move up," Tobias said as Mr. Reynolds shouted that this was a 'slovenly, disorderly line' and ordered them to clean it up. Vivian seemed to give this some thought and then shuffled along to make room. Tobias nodded his thanks. He wondered if they were going to have another incident like last week with the supply teacher who thought it was a good idea to let disturbed children play dodgeball. Toby was mildly ashamed to admit that it had been funny as hell when the teacher's head failed to dodge the ball.

"I'm splitting you into two teams for football and you should be very grateful that you're not running laps still." Mr. Reynolds looked as though if he'd had his way they still would be. Tobias was both grateful and surprised. Since the incident, they hadn't been allowed any form of ball and laps had been the daily exercise. The inmates responded with a loud cheer.

"Be quiet before I change my mind!" Mr. Reynolds roared. He unlocked the supply closet, grabbed a ball and half the guards proceeded us to the court-yard. It was no different from any other school court-yard except of course for the large electric fence surrounding it. Lines had been chalked across the ground in red and two battered goals were set up wither end. Mr. Reynolds had picked up a whistle and a chalk board from somewhere.

"The teams are as follows. Team one. Jada Livingston, Mahrissa Matherson, Leslie Moore, Gabriella Wakefield, Aiden Omi, Tobias LaBelle and Nick Brown. Team Two. Alisandra Koren, Kisa Vandaguard, Vivian Joseph, Annaleigh Marshal, Lisa Miller, Reginald Carter, Katrina Gill and Carrie Craimer."

Reginald "Reggie/The Priest" Carter

The teams were shouted out by Mr Reynolds as if we couldn't here him because some imaginative soundproof wall was slopped in the way or something. It sicked me when that old bloke shouted, it was as though he thought himself authorative. I knew deep down that I had a sinking idea of my dad's image through Mr Reynold's complex emotional stance. The way his hands grasped his hips as his dad would do before dinner time. Then the flash of the shoot out and the drive-by and I was quickly snapped back up to the real world once more.

"We need a team leader!" Vivian cried out.

I raised an eyebrow at his sudden lease of emotional enthusiasm. However it concerned me little as, in the end, I wasn't here to play football. Everyone knew that, of course they did. Except of course the new people - they didn't know anything. None the wiser. Even Mr. Reynolds knew what I did during football, but he couldn't care less. Probably because he'd lost all hope for me, rather than he had a genuine bent aspect about his character.

No. Like usual, when everyone else had a kick around of football, I'd pick people out and Chance - sometimes even Tobias - would pull them to the edge of the pitch and then return to the game. It annoyed them a bit, but they understood why it needed to be done. Of course, it was so I could tell them of christian values, elaborate on their sense of purpose and ultimately to trust no inmate more than myself, but the art of persuasion would only work in the right context. Thus, I'd been experienced in waiting just long enough for their frustration of being pulled from the game to stand face-to-face with me in the cold and talk about religion, a concept which most would find absurd. I had to pull them away when I knew their underlying sense of hope was frail. Almost non-existent.

I nodded to Chance and Tobias. They played the ball down the wing to be in careful ear-shot of me. As the two of them rushed past with foulmouthed encouragement from their team members, I caught Tobias' eye first. I mouthed the word "Lisa" and he nodded in accordance. Almost straight after, Chance caught my eye too, trotting back down the pitch for a tackle. He looked at me deeply, almost with urgency. Again, I mouthed the word "Lisa" and was complimented with a small nod once more.

Soon enough, Lisa would be face-to-face talking to me. In the cold. About religion. Mr Reynolds would simply have his suspicions, but ultimately just classed me as a social dillema case and get on with yelling at the foul-mouthed Quarter-backs.

Aiden Omi
I passed the ball to Jada, my heart thumped in my chest and I was freezing from the cold. I looked around, and I saw Tobias dragging Lisa across the pitch to where The Priest was standing. Her turn, obviously.

Nick was nearby me, and I heard him say, "Not again."

I turned to him. "You had one of his sermons?" He looked at me.

"Sermons?" I laughed.

"Haven't had one yet? Had mine in the first week, talking to me about homosexuality and all that. Like my mum didn't do that enough. Don't worry, you'll have one of your own soon." I ran off before he said anything else, football was one of the few things I enjoyed about juvie.

TIGERSPRITE

*I think Vivians a guy Frank*

Nick Brown: Football pitch

I ran past Vivain who had the ball and jumped in front of his shot. It hit me in the back and I got up with tear in my eyes from the shot. The ball deflected up and bounced harmlessly outside the box only be kicked pass are non exsitent goal keeper, dam Tobias, by Kisa.

"Were's the defence huh" I shouted at my team who was shuffling back into their places.

"Could of kicked any harder" I said to Viv in a friendly voice rubbing my back.

"Nah put my back into it" He said before jogging back to his side of the pitch. Reggie was talking to Lisa at the side of the pitch Tobias was jogging back over.

"Your a bit late" I said and he shrugged his shoulders.

"it's just a game mate" Tobias said getting back into goal. I ran up the field. I danced and shoved past the defence before passing it Aiden who drived it home. It was preety easy with three of their players in the corner talking.

"What dose the bible say about sex before marriage" Viv shouted over to Reggie. Who ignored him. Viv shook his head.

Gabby | Football Pitch:

I stood to the side, hopefully out of the way. I wasn't sure about what my team wanted me to do. They all seemed to be busy anyway, and Lisa was over near Reggie the Priest. They were talking. I just didn't know what it was about, and didn't want to know either.

Frowning, I bit my lip as someone from the other team rushed past me. What was I supposed to do? This was..different to what I was used to, but also the same. Here, I was invisible again. Well, sort of. I glanced towards My. Reynolds, who was scowling someone for something. I hadn't been listening.

Suddenly someone ran past again, closely followed by someone on the other team. The boy on the other team bumped into me, knocking me over. Someone was shouting: Mr. Reynolds again. I looked up at the boy; he was staring at me as if he hadn't noticed me until now.

"Ouch," I muttered, getting to my feet. "Watch where you're running, huh?"