Iris Giorgianni is no ordinary girl. She's living a double life: a neglected daughter at home, but a fighter on the streets. As the leader of The Sangue - one of the most wanted and well-known gangs in London - Iris has a reputation to uphold. Only...
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"I am a violent man who has learned not to be violent and regrets his violence."
- John Lennon
"WE DON'T tolerate violence here at Camp Juvy. That is our number one policy. Violence forms nothing but isolation. You are jeopardizing the ability to return home, and therefore forcing us to keep you here for longer than intended."
Iris watched Lisa reprimand her and Ember as they sat at a desk in the main office, the sounds of shrieks and laugher heard from outside. Her brain wasn't really taking in anything that Lisa was saying. She felt numb inside; the anger that was in her body had been dulled to an emotionless, empty feeling that she couldn't quite comprehend. Her face was in a state, as expected. A yellow bruise was beginning to dot the right side of her face, dried blood crusting on her lip that swelled and enlarged as the seconds ticked by.
Not that she was anything compared to Ember, however. Ember looked less like a person and more like some kind of deformed alien – her hair in a half-ponytail, strands falling into her purple eyes as she squinted at Lisa, blood stains on her chin and a split wound on her cheekbone. It wasn't the worst that Iris had seen, but then again, it was probably the worst she'd inflicted on someone herself.
But she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty. Ember had irritated her at the wrong moment, and so she was paying the consequences. Iris couldn't take all the blame, anyway; hence why both girls were in the office.
"Can one of you please tell me what happened?" Lisa shouted, her eyebrows furrowed over her eyes. She was clearly angry – and it was strange for Iris to see her in this way. When Iris had first met her, Lisa had seemed incapable of feeling any emotion except happiness: she was a squealing bubble of electrified joy and excitement. That bubble now, however, was long gone. Popped and deflated, squeezed into a disappointed mess.
Ember shrugged. "I said I didn't want to be friends and she said she didn't find me intimidating, so I twisted her wrist and then she attacked me. We fought, you broke us up. It really isn't that hard to understand."
"Really, I can't put the blame on either of you then, can I?" Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing exasperatedly. "I have to blame both of you."
Neither girl spoke. They were both too exhausted to argue.
Lisa rubbed her eyes, and leant back in her chair, observing the girls with a sad look. "Due our points system – you have both been given 300 minus points for violent behaviour. To try and deduct these negative points, you're both going to have to attend weekly therapy sessions, as well as attending some form of fitness training instead of team-based problem solving that we run every week day. This should help exhaust your aggression into something worthwhile. Oh, and you will not be allowed any electrical communication devices – therefore meaning you need to hand me back any phones or computers that you have. We will be checking, and taking them during inspection tonight."
