Disposable Teens

3

THEN

The bell woke Harley from her first deep sleep in years. Cursing it to hell, she got up and pulled on her grey drab jumpsuit that was the uniform. The jumpsuit was much too big as they had never had a girl as young as Harley at the Institute. She consequently had to roll up the sleeves and legs, putting on the issued slippers and tightening the waist as far as possible.

"Breakfast! Get up! Get up! Breakfast!" A male voice screamed from down the hall. She could also hear the sound of a nightstick running along the barred windows in the doors. Harley yawned and slumped backwards onto her bed. The sounds of other inmates shuffling along the corridor was heard, everyone not wanting to be late to breakfast.

"Everybody up! Up up up!" The yelling continued so Harley wiped a hand down her face and sat back up.

Pushing open her door, she joined the last few stragglers and followed them to the mess hall. As she entered, she was greeted with many strange noises. There was grunting, yelling, swearing, whispering and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, everyone looked at her and froze.

"What's the kid doing here?" Someone yelled and nobody answered. Warden Steel stepped out from the shadows and cleared her voice.

"Everyone, this is Harley Jack. She will be joining us for the next nine years. Make her feel...welcome." She snickered quietly at the end. The whole room erupted into noise again.

"Yo girly! I got a spot saved for you!"

"Sit with us! Plenty of room!"

"Walk my way, princess!"

Harley basked in the attention she was receiving and sent everyone a smirk. There was hardly anyone else under 18 here; that she could tell. And just by looking at the fellow inmates, she could hypothesise what they were in here for.

Anorexia, sociopath, satanist, chronic masturbator, pedophile...

Harley sauntered past them, the room holding its breath as the child psychopath moved with grace. As she neared the back wall where trays of food lay, a hand shot out and grabbed her. She stopped mid-step and slowly turned her head to look at the offender.

The young man could not stop twitching his left eye, like a clock that ticked with the seconds. His eyes were crazed and wide, his weak jaw and lanky body covered in sores and scabs he seemed he could not stop scratching.

"What did you do?" He asked. Harley smiled cheekily.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She winked and shifted her hand to grab his finger, bending it until she could hear a satisfying snap. He didn't make a move to stop her, nor a sound when is finger promptly snapped. In fact, he smiled and admired his distorted finger.

"Congenital analgesia." He smirked. "Couldn't feel a thing." He sounded proud. Harley smiled widely, flashing her missing teeth.

"I like you." She came to a conclusion about the young man. "Let's be friends." She demanded. His crazed green eyes widened.

"Sorry, I don't feel like playing my little ponies." He laughed. Half the cafeteria who was apparently listening in laughed with him. Harley's smile didn't falter.