Inconsolable » Squid [Holes]

1: Reunited and it Feels So Wrong

If someone wanted to play a game of 'I Spy' with Mickey, the game would end after two turns. The only thing that could be 'spied' was dirt, dirt, and more dirt. Dirt coated the windows, it trailed behind the bus in cloud form; even the road they were traversing was made of dirt. It was a boring sight to have to stare at for three hours.

Three hours on the way to Camp Green Lake, Some correctional facility deep in the heart of Texas. She had been facing jail time originally. She was prepared to get her fingerprints taken down and her number assigned. It couldn't have come at a better time that her court-assigned lawyer found out about an opening that was available at Camp Green Lake. It saved her from having to be put behind bars but then it robbed her of visitation from her family. If only they hadn't been so desperate.

Never has a double-edged sword hurt so much.

Sweat beaded on her forehead and rolled down her back. Whoever said sweating was the body's way of cooling down was a liar. She did not feel cool at all. She would've wiped the sweat away if her hands weren't handcuffed to the seat in front of her. She didn't expect to die so soon on her way to Hell.
Heck, Mickey Mason didn't expect to ever find herself going against the law either.

The bumpy ride finally came to an end as the stuffy bus pulled up next to a small, wooden office building. One sign on the wall read YOU ARE NOW ENTERING CAMP GREEN LAKE JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. She grimaced at the next sign that read: It is a violation of the Texas Penal Code to bring guns, explosives, weapons, drugs, or alcohol onto the premises. Despite the ominous signs she sighed in relief, finally able to pull her sweaty back off of the hot plastic bus seat. She rubbed her wrists once the handcuffs were removed, wiping the sweat rings off on her shirt. With shaky legs, she followed the guard off the bus and into the building.

A fan spun overhead but it didn't provide the break from the heat in the stuffy room as she had hoped. The humidity was enough to make her feel as if her throat was closing. But it seemed to work properly when she gulped at the mere sight of the scary looking man in the chair.

His already beady eyes narrowed as he peered at Mickey. His teeth gnawed on sunflower seeds. The chewing and popping between his teeth slowed as he got a good look at Mickey. She shifted beneath his gaze, her blue eyes dropping down to her scuffed up shoes. He was looking at her as if he had never seen a girl before.

That couldn't be good.

"What is this?" he demanded.

"New camper," the guard replied.

The man grunted. "This here's a girl," he stated. Mickey's head lifted at his statement. Something about the way he said that made her uneasy. "Aint no girls at Camp Green Lake."

That's why.

Mickey's ears perked up at this. "Wait," she said. Her voice sounded small in the room. "But this is a youth correctional facility. Right?"

"It's a juvenile detention facility for boys," the man said. "You aint no boy."

Mickey kept herself from making a snarky comment. The guy looked as if he could kill her with his pinkie finger alone. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two men as they looked at one another. Finally the scary man picked up a walkie talkie and then muttered something into it. She didn't catch what he said.

"Sit down," he ordered. Mickey caught that. She dropped into the seat on the other side of the desk without hesitation. She messed with the hem of her t-shirt ad licked her dry lips. Only when the saliva dried up a second later did she regret it. Boy did she wish she had a glass of lemonade right now.