Criminal High

Why are you here?

The government is watching me. Not your normal run of the mill “we’re going to spy on our citizens” watching, but watching like “you’re one of the world’s top criminals” watching. But don’t worry, it’s only because I get some pretty dangerous blackouts, so I’m forced to get 24-hour surveillance. Let me start over.
I’m Kim. I used to go to Iowa Maple High school. Then I did some pretty bad things that I don't remember for some pretty valid reasons that I’m trying to forget. I’m explaining this all wrong. Why don’t I just start from the week my life changed. Forever. Again.
Our cell is the first cell when you walk into the prison. Most people don’t notice us ‘cause we’re the only people who don’t stand at our door and yell when new people arrive. We live in a big square, with a bed on opposite ends of the room and a dresser with a mirror at the bottom of each bed. At the far wall is a door that leads to a bathroom. Kind of like a college dorm. Or so I’m told.
“Knock, knock. Kim, it’s time to get everyone up. You’re late.” 
The Warden is a white man in his 40s. He has black hair with streaks of gray and tired green eyes that always made you feel terrible about yourself if you disobeyed him. His real name is Oscar Jones but no one calls him that. How are you gonna inspire fear with a name like Oscar Jones?
“No, we’ve discussed this. When we’re behind schedule in the morning, it’s because you woke up late and then I’m woken up late and so forth until we’re all behind schedule with classes.” I roll over and try to fall back asleep. Next thing I know, a shirt hits me in the back of the head.
“No, this time it’s your fault. I woke you up 20 minutes ago and you went back to sleep. Now you and Red get up and get the girls ready for classes or else breakfast will be cancelled again.” I flip over and open my eyes enough just to see him get off the wall and walk down the hall, buttoning up his shirt.
“Ugh! Come on Red, get up!” I throw a pillow at her face and she wakes up swinging a knife.
“Get away from me! Get off of me!” She swings the knife around. Usually in cases like this we’re supposed to call for the guard assigned to us, but most people know their roommates enough to stop it. I go up behind her and pin her arms behind her head, very weary of the knife still in her hands.
“Red, breathe. It’s me, Kim. You’re in criminal high, no one’s going to hurt you.” She slowly calms down and opens her eyes.
 Nobody except the warden and the people who were at her trial know why she’s here. Rumor has it, when she first got here she was 13 and was only supposed to stay a year. But a guard ignored the extreme secrecy policy and told his wife who in turn told her friends about what happened to her. When Red found out, she went crazy and killed them all in another blackout moment and was sent back here till she graduates high school. After that, she’ll get thrust into the real world and if she can’t keep calm… lets just say graduates are too harmful to keep alive if they can’t control themselves. 
“Kim? Sorry, it was just another nightmare” she drops the knife into my hands and takes a deep breath. Red tends to get nightmares about her past. I never ask what it’s about because I know her past is a really touchy subject for her. So I usually just help her when she wakes up and we get ready for school. On her nightmare days, she’s more irritable so I tend to stick close to her, making sure everyone backs up a bit.
I nod and throw her knife into the hall. One of the guards will pick it up, clean it, and give it back after her next evaluation.
.     .     .
“Alright losers you know the drill. Single file line by rank. Freshmeat, you’re in the back” I take my place in the front, grab my breakfast, and sit in the center of the room so I can see everyone.
“Sorry about your pillow” Red mumbles as she sits and shovels eggs in her mouth. That’s the 5th pillow this month that she’s slashed to pieces from nightmares.
“It’s cool. You know the ward will get me a new one. What’s up with you though? You’ve had 8 nightmares this month. Is everything alright?”
“I’m fine”
“Is it your past?” I ask after a small pause. 
“I said I’m fine!” She slams her knife into the table. Instantly, Alice and Anissa flank her. I wave for them to sit down and grab her hand. She looks up at me and I see she’s beginning to black out.
Basically Red has a lot of trust and anger issues. Even I try not to bug her about her past cause I don’t want to end up dead. The one time I did, she ended up with a permanent scar on her cheek from another blackout and I ended up with the blood from my arm in her collection (I have a huge scar from my shoulder to my elbow now.) 
That’s why she’s called Red. She collects blood from her victims and hides it. Nobody has ever found her stash. After that incident I had to be rushed to the hospital. Red came along with me and was apologizing the whole time. I guess she really liked me because she never apologizes for anything. My mom wanted her to go to REAL jail but I told her I was fine. I just laughed it off. They sewed me up and I went back to that same cell with just me and Red.
I felt like I understood her so the fact that she still wanted to be around me after I bugged her really set well with me.
“Breathe. Eat your breakfast” I pull her knife out of the table and pass it to the table next to us. One of the girls grabs it and takes it to the kitchen. Red shoves her bacon in her mouth and sighs, her eyes clearing up.
“Eight? Red you know if you have two more you’ll be considered Nightlocking and be forced into isolation” Anissa spins her knife in her hand dropping it several times trying to master it. She Nightlocked twice when she got here and from what I heard it’s terrible. They force you to watch My Little Pony for 24 hours straight with no food or sleep. You’ll be so exhausted, you won’t have nightmares OR dreams.
“I know, ok? I don’t need your input wissa!” Red stands and this time Alice and I force her to sit down. Alice is tougher than her sister, and super protective but her sister hits harder. They came here after they saw that their father had murdered their mom. So they blacked out and hacked him to pieces.  They’re known as The Slasher Sisters around here.
“Red, stop or I’ll send you to GT.” GT is guard training for new guards. If we cause trouble, we have to show them how to handle us which is soooo boring. She looks at me snarling. Her eyes are almost completely red so I know I have to get her out of there or Anissa will have another scar. 
I pull Red away and drag her back to our room.
“Alice and Anissa are in charge. Listen or you’ve got GT, got it?” Everyone nods and I drag Red up the stairs.