Welcome To The: BUNK

23

              Dark, it was dark only a few dimmly covered lights shinned over upraises large tiles near the center of the large open room. The upraised tiles were covered in a tatteres ragged blue mat it looked like a bunk bed mat just a couple hundred times bigger and thinner. I moved away from the door and let it slowly slide close leaving my finguer tips.

"sit down on the bleachers dont talk, dont make eye contact"

   Maggies warning rang in my ears while my eyes search the dum light room for the so called bleachers. Moving away from the doors i looked to the right following the sound of very hushed voice and heavy breathing to see the right wall covered with the white bunk inmates sitting on something silver?  Somewhat shinny catching the dim light from above. The shinny stacked seats must be the bleachers Maggie talked about. Again her words rang in my ears as i pushed out any other noise. I entrusted my feet to guide me towards the bleachers, barley light by the shadow of the pools of singular light shinning on the raised concret mats. Scaling up the dim loght steps of the stiar like seats i could make out shapes and outlines of other inmates sitting closely packed among the spaces. It was difficult to see there face or where their limbs were as i scalled past and found a space near the middle of the end of the stack of bleachers between two outlines of inmates whos faces i couldn't see.

"Hey. . .hey you" i sat down and looked over my shoulder to see a dark unknown speaker or whisper trying to get my attention. I secretly wanted to turn around grip the speaker by his or her ears and demand even scream how do they now my name!? Could they be a whitebunk inmate trying to talk to me? Maybe a bunk kid that disappeared a long time ago, but still has memory of my face? If so how could they see in the very dim lighting?

"Shut up!" the inmate beside me snapped under thier breath at the other unknown speaker behind me.

"Be quite! What are you trying to do get us all killed!?" another voice hissed out joining into the racket a few dark seats away from me on the same row. I wanted to shrink down and hide away from the gleaming reflection of glaring eyes from all around.  Silence quickly spreaded thru the dark rows cutting off any conversation as if on a unsees order. With a deep uneasy feeling hanging over my back with the first unknown speaker i turned to face the cause of the silence to find something unexpected. The loud startling sound of clicks and heavy steps sounded from the dark before us, glimces of walking beings were barley seen in the dim light.

"close your eyes" the same undressed speaker behind whispered into my ear. I turned to questain the speaker or see if there was any threat. When all i saw was white!  I screwed my eyes shut blinking warm tears and stars away as i realized the lights from where evere where turned on. I blinked the stars away rapidly and turned back around towards the once dark floor to a brightly lit large room.

"Children, welcome back to your first or fourth year in training in the benefit to serve for your country!" my eyes snapped to the speaker only to silently gag on my intake of breath. There on a concret grey floor in a bright white dress stood Jane in all her unspocken glory smiling and pacing back and forth infront of the bleachers. A line a adults i had never seen before stood behind her of four women and five men all in the same grey shirt black pants and boots with blank expressions. All silently giving off a wave of authority, just like Jane's invisible wave. I felt the familiar jolt of panic stab my heart, as my hands clamped around the edge of the cold metal seat.

"We again this year have many new face among us. For the next thirteen months all and every single one of you will train to ensure your countrys safety, to ensure your birthrights land and freedom! Behind me stand your new instructors for this training course, you will be called and separated by our choice, good luck" she smiled widely, toothly possiably even stretching her lower jaw a few more inches. Then started turning her head from shoulder to shoulder looking over us. She then turned on her tall white clicking shoes and loudly marched towards the the oppsite wall we were seated apon. .Further ahead i counted four other elevator doors shinning brightly gleaming with glee and fear. So these are what instructors are? Teachers, adults. New instructors, what does that mean new? What happened to the old instructors? I tore my gaze away from her retreating white covered shoulders to glance to the side to see a long, long line of older kids in colored clothing sitting quietly faces all blank.   I desperately wanted to look over my shoulder to see the once attention seeking speaker but reframed from drawing attention to my self. Instead i turned my attention back to the so called imitating instructors, one of the shaved head men stepped forward and started spouting out names.

"Justin Mcbrian, Tori Gomez, Sarah Williams, David Smoe, Sasha King, Farrah Grayson..." I clutched my throbbing gut, are they calling last names or first names, both? Would they call my name, Nickles, or Clarina maybe even Tip? I would have to respond if they did call one if my names better not to draw attention just maybe it would be better to hide in the back? Looking back down near the now lit floor with the instructors and raised blue mats, the first instructor had inmates pooled around him in a large group, and gathering his group he left leading them towards one of the silver elevators waiting.  Another insctor stepped forward this time a girl, with ear length short cut black hair and a narrow face. She then started to bark names and inmates trickled down the bleachers quietly and quickly.

As the names continued the inmate next to me got up and slowly made his way down his shoulders slumped forward his head down. I then glanced over to my left where the inmate just was to see a new familiar face. The new sitter had very dark skin a tall scrawny build and long thin limbs, his head was shaved but you could still see the dark stubble growing in.  A worn pair of spectacles were preached on the wide bridge of his button nose, his eyes wide when staring at me and im sure i gave him the same reaction of pure shock, horror, and surprise. Mickey sat behind me leaning forward, his chin almost touching my shoulder.  I wanted to jump up grip his shoulders and scream so many unanswered questains that now rattled my brain. I searched his eyes for the gleam most carried with them here, only to fail happily in my search, but i found the same gleam i saw when i stared at my reflection.

"This is a nice change of scenery" Mickey chirped, trying to lighten the mood and failing miserably.

"Its a large dark cell, with adults and guards"

"I was being sarcastic"

"What the drag are you doing here, Mickey" i hissed keeping my voice barley above a whisper. Mickey would of been my second choice of leader ship if i had not tacken bloom under my wing...bloom...bunk...group... your fault.

"Oh shank, its you, its really you, i want to hug you" he breathed as his eye lids fluttered in deep relief.

"No. Hugs would make a sence, distraction. What are you doing here?" Mickey arms fell back to his sides slowly.

"Same as you, we're both a couple of oranges" he whispered back his voice held a sad edge.

"Mickey this is no time for jokes," I hissed. He took a deep quite breath

"After you were dragged off, we were all apprehended and restricted of any moment until given orders. . .it was horriable Nick, some stayed on the floor not moving. . ." He trailed off. His dark eyes become dazed and clouded with menory. I waved my hand in front of his face to awaken him from his self dream coma. Mickey shook his head to clear it and leaned closer even more.

". . . They marched everyone to there cells, some went to the shoe. The guards had us stay in there all day. Light went out as the day ended, I fell asleep in the bunk but. . .I woke up some where else. In a new compound above this one" I turned my head from keeping myself from assaulting him with questains not knowing if we would see each other after this. Another group leader stepped forward and barkes out names as the short black haired instructor left into the elevator with her group. Mickeys words buzzed in my ears.

"we're both a couple of oranges" I looked over past Mickey to see a good portion of inmates were gone from the silver bleachers backed up against the wall. I looked over the reamining inmates and looked to a watching face turned towards me.  A wide shouldered muscled body with a round head, the hair ontop of the head spicked and uneven, Alex Voss, once again Mickeys words rattled my brain. Alex was alive.

"we're both a couple of oranges" I started scanning the crowed for any other micral faces or sides of heads i once called my friend or foe, i felt my hand clamp around Mickeys arm afraid my new hope would disappear. Then once hope flooded thru my sore limbs it was shattered like glass being thrown to the floor.

"....Megan oaks, Mark Masters, Edward Mcgrill, Ace jock, Dax Miller, Michael Jones, Vincent Carter...."

"...Clarina Nickles..." i heard from a distant a instructor bark. I felt my hand leave Mickeys touch and my body turn to see the instructor waiting staring up. Was he staring at me? Did this adult stranger now who i am? I stood up not looking to Mickey or Voss in fear i might draw attention to them and stepped down the bleachers to the concert floor where other inmates stood waiting staring at the stone cold floor. I felt the knowingly weight of heavy stares pulling on my shoulders, as i didnt dare turn around.