Floating Prison

Old Friend and New Friend

I watched as they brought the new group of prisoners in lining them against the wall of the small corridors. I counted 25 of them. Every person in the line was under the age of 18 and most likely would never make it to 18.
The whites of quiet a few of the boys and girls could clearly been seen in the dimly light hallways as the Warden walked in front of each new inmate inspecting them. Some he would leave here in my cell block. Others he would take to the lower decks, (yes you heard me correctly we are on a prison ship) to become workers, or worse fighters.
My cell block was where the trainers are kept. See there are 4 levels of decks inside this ship that inmates are aloud to go. The very first deck is where my cell block is, the second deck is the canteen and "yard". The third deck is where the workers are kept. And then the fourth deck where they keep the fighters.
There is one more deck but only a few trainers and fighters ever go to and even fewer come back from.
I watch as the Warden stops in front of a pretty girl, with hair cropped short and dyed red, about my age and height. Her build, athletic like mine, her brown eyes wide in fear and defiance. He nodded his head towards the girl and two guards stepped up grabbing hold of her arms.
They push her forwards up against the bars of my cell as the Warden continues down the line of new inmates. The Warden passes by the last girl in the group and stops by the first boy.
The boy had dark brown hair to the point where it's almost black and is at least a good head talker then me. He looked like a runner and not much of a worker or fighter.
They quickly grab the boy and also pushed him up against my cell. "Great guys, really," I say sarcastically as the Warden continues down the line finishing quickly and only choosing three more new inmates, all three of which ended up in the cell four down from mine.
The guards laugh at the look I'm giving my two new bunk mates. As the 20 new inmates who where left, shuffle off to the left through the door leading down to the next deck below.
"Fuck off," I flip them the bird as I shove off the door of my cell and climb to the top bunk. The guards yell the cell numbers into their radios which open shortly after. I hear an huff sound as my two new cell mates are shoved unceremoniously into my cell.
Sighing, I fold my hands behind my head as I stretch out on top of my blankets. I hear the cell doors rumble close again behind them as the silence resumes as the whole cell block waits for the last of the guards to leave us in peace.
The sound of a water tight door closing and locking is soon followed by the sounds of a squabble in the cell four down from mine, and the laughter and goading of the other inmates. Sighing I decide to let the fight continue, knowing that Duke wouldn't have any intentions of helping me.
I close my eyes and stay stiff and still waiting for similar sounds to come from below me. The clearing of a throat causes me to peek open one eye and turn my head towards the two below me.
"My name is Sam," the boy steps forward holding his hand out for me to shake. I just stare at him, having no intention of shaking his hand. He slowly realizes this and lets his hand drop back to his side.
"No fighting, boy gets bottom bunk and red shorty middle, you listen to every word I say and follow my instructions to the T and maybe you'll survive a few weeks in this place."
I stare at the two of them, then satisfied that they would listen I close my eyes and turn my head back facing the ceiling. A throat clearing a second time but higher pitched as though from the girl pulls a impatiens sigh from my lips.
I sit up and arch my eyebrow as I swing my legs over the edge of the bunk. "What?" I ask, annoyance clear in my voice.
The girl roles her eyes at me, as she puts her arms out as though to give me a hug, "Don't you recognize me Rach?" She questions me. I narrow my eyes at her trying to place her extremely familiar voice, "Have you been on the inside so long you forgot what your best friend looks like?" And it soddenly clicks who she is.
"OH MY GOD SOPHIA!!!!" I practically yell as i jump off the edge of the bunk and bear hug my best friend since 7th grade. She chuckled at how exited I had soddenly become. But I soon realize something and step back out of our hug, "Wait, what the hell are you doing here? I took the fall for you, you should be home free?!" I was extremely confused.
"I... Um well you see Rach.... I kinda might have...." Buzz the sound of the alarms signing lunch went off interrupting Sophia.
"We'll talk about this later. For now just do what I say." I step up to the door cell with Sophia and Sam right beside me as the doors slowly slide open. Well here goes nothing I think as I step out followed quickly by my two cell mates.