Welcome To The: BUNK

49

          The food before me didnt look as any more appetizing then it ever did the other hundred times is sat before me shinning with unpleasurable disgust. The dinner item that had the most attention at the last meal of the day, almost at every table in the cafeteria was the bottled brown bags. I had learned that the bottles were infact from the supply storage room, stacked in the boxes left forgotten until the white bunk inmates got a hold of them. Now Bruce and a few mothers raction out the amoung every two days, thats how long the bottles are spouse to last.  The white bunk smelled so strongly of harsh chemicals and matelic rust it swam in my brain. It seemed like the once drowding air of desperation, fear, and guilt wasnt as suffocating as it had been a few days before, but it still lingered around like a bunk winter infecting sickness.  There had been whispers around a short boy that disappeared, but only a few my self included new what really happened. The boy was beat by that female instructor and ordered to his awaiting death of chemical, laboratory testing. If your not in the 'program' or seen as 'functional' you were thrown to your death' those words swirled in my brain.

"Sitting alone again, I see?" Looking up I saw the dark skinned face of Ronnie. She sat down besides me on the empty blue stool. I noted the dark tee-shirt she wore had a large dark wet spot on the right shoulder sleeve. Her hair shinned under the harsh lights, pulled to the top of her head, curled loose whisps falling around her heart shaped face. Heavy bags hung under her dark pale cold eyes. Her eye libs half hooded over her eyes, she looked beyond tried, like everyone else here did. everyone was tried with a deep feeling of fear. i also noted how her left jaw was swollen, and dark with a forming bruise, she must of pissed off a inmate or instructor.

"No, stupidity is sitting here, degradation is over there along with humiliation and integrity went to get a tray"

"Cute." she snorted rolling her eyes. "I didnt even know you knew big words?"

"Your sitting on stupidity Ronnie, your begining to sound like'em"

"Shut up," she snapped. "So you are sitting alone?"

"Guess so. " I answered.

"really? I figured ignorance would be around here somewhere " she raised a cut brow. i didn't bother giving her the stratification of a reply.

" I've figured something out, it's quite ingenious, if i do say so my self." she stated the smug attitude reminding me with a pang of sadness of bond haired, narrowed like features, short stubby nose, Mast. Mast, mast, mast bunk mate, cold, cold. i forced the memories away, a trembling shiverpassed over my spin. I turned my attention back to the food i swolled threatening to stick to the inside of my throat and chock me, forcing it down.

"did Travis help you out?" i coughed,  blinking away the sharp, warm feeling of tears, and forced my food down. Ronnie scent my trembling form a chilling glare, her jaw clenched then quickly released as a dark hand went up to rub her sore, tender jaw.

"No. . .and you know Tippy, Travis is not the smartest kid around, just the one that talks alot maybe even to much" she snapped.

"Hmmm. You sound jealous" maybe if i riled her up enough, she would leave me in peace. her prestnces reminded me so much of. . .Mast, it was almost sickening how my mind wanted to play tricks with me. Ronnie clentched her jaw again, teach squeaking to only imdenmty soften her features back into a tried expression and rub her jaw. she released a eye rill of a scuff anyway, instead of some snappy witting remarks, she was to predictable, but still dangroues, like any other inmate here now.

"whatever, do you want to hear what i got to say or not? i've been thiking' bout it for a while now" she retorted her shoulders sagged a little in tried yet seen defeat. it was no use, she was here to stay, is this was loyalty was like, sticking around? not loyalty, friendship, yabe yet i wasn't boomed to be a outcast among theses colored unformed strangers im still getitng to know.