The Lion Game

Chapter one

I lie in bed listening to the sirens, and watching the red and blue lights flash on the walls of my faded pink room. When I hear three loud knocks on the door. 

They awaken Hazel, my 2 year old sister lying five feet away from me. I hear a muffled voice that is hard to make out, and I see two pairs of feet approaching through the crack under the door. I pretend to be asleep when my grandmother opens the door and Hazel starts to cry, so I have to open my eyes. I see standing behind my grandmother a tall, bald, muscular man wearing a Detroit police uniform.

When I walk over I can see my grandmother wants to cry, but she is trying to hold back her tears. I have only seen her do this once and that was when she was told my parents went missing 1 year ago. When I get close enough to the man  I see his deep frown lines that look permanently embedded in his skin. He says "Come with me," in the deepest voice I have ever heard and grabs my hand in a firm grip. I read his badge and it says SMITH.

"Mr. Smith where are you taking me," I say trying to hold back tears. But all he says is to get in the car. I obey him like anyone being held in a tight grip by a police officer would, but I keep asking questions. Once I stop questioning the officer, finally starts the car. I look out the back window to see my grandmother and sister crying while my twin brother had one of his devilish smiles across his face you see only when he thinks he got away with something.

I can't take my eyes off my family until we turn the corner and they are no longer in view. About two hours later we arrive at a group of grey buildings surrounded by a giant barbed wire fence that stands at least 10 feet tall. When we arrive at the fence, the officer scans his card, and the fence parts directly down the middle just wide enough to let the car through. Once inside I see a sign with Lion Gate Behavior Correction Facility in bold black letters.