Chapter 1:

Introducing Kinara

Kinara, a short girl of about 4'8, was sitting on a rusty old bus with her hands cuffed in front of her. She was the only passenger on the bus, other than the driver and the guard. She sighed and looked out the window. She never thought that she would be on her way to a Correctional Facility for protecting her own, the way she was taught. She looked into the sky. About five minutes later, the bus pulled to a stop. The guard unlocked her handcuffs while she stared out the window. She rubbed her wrists and grabbed her backpack as the bus doors opened.

Kinara stepped off the bus and looked around at all the boys. She had caramel colored skin, dark brown almond shaped eyes, and long black and brown hair, hanging past her shoulders. She was wearing a black open hoodie with a black wife beater underneath and baggy blue capris. She had her hood on, but you could still see the white earphones from her mp3 player in her ears. A few boys whistled at her. She glanced at them and rolled her eyes. The guard from the bus grabbed Kinara's arm and dragged her into the office. She snatched her arm out of his grip and looked around her. Inside the dingy, make-shift office there was a creepy old man with the weirdest sideburns she had ever seen. He had that kind of grimace that was permanently etched on his face. He took one look at Kinara and glared. The guard handed him a file and left.

"Sit down," the man said.

Kinara did as she was told. The man opened the file and began slowly reading through it. Kinara put her hand in her hoodie pocket and turned up her music. Finally he set the folder down.

"Kinara Jones, my name is Mr. Sir. Whenever you speak to me you will call me by my name, is that clear?"

"Yes Mr. Sir," Kinara replied, in a barely audible voice.

"Great another quiet kid," Mr. Sir muttered.

Kinara gave at him a questioning look. Mr. Sir led her to a small building lined with orange jumpsuits. He handed her two of them and began explaining the rules of laundry and other random camp things. As Mr. Sir was finishing, a short bouncy man entered the room excitedly.

"Kinara Jones?"

Kinara turned around to the direction the voice came from.

"I just want you to know that you may have done some bad things, but that does not make you a bad kid," the man said. "I respect you, Kinara. Welcome to Camp Green Lake. I'm Dr. Pendanski, your counselor."

He reached his hand out to shake hers. Kinara looked down at his hand, then back at him. Mr. Sir walked out the door muttering something about touchy-feely crap. Dr. Pendanski told Kinara to follow him. They walked out, after getting a few extra things for her and letting her change in one of the cabins. She kept her hoodie on and tied the sleeves of the jumpsuit around her waist.

"You'll be in D-tent," Dr. Pendanski said, as they walked towards a group of tents. "D stands for diligence! That's the Rec Room, that's the Mess Hall, and those are the showers. And that's the Warden's cabin over there. Camp Green Lakes' number one rule: Do not upset the Warden."

Kinara just looked at him. Dr. Pendanski led Kinara to her tent. On the way they came up to three boys. She looked at them and turned her music up a notch. The boys looked at her.

"Hey, Mom," a boy wearing glasses said. "Who's the chick?"

"This is Kinara," Dr. Pendanski said. "Kinara, this is Rex, Alan, and Theodore."

"Yo, my name's X-ray," Rex said. "That's Squid and he's Armpit."

"And him," Squid said, gnawing on a toothpick and nodding towards Dr. Pendanski. "He's Mom."

"They all have their little nicknames," Dr. Pendanski said. "But I prefer to use the ones their parent's gave them. Why don't you boys show Kinara her cot?"

They all walked into a tent, where a few boys were already lounging. X-ray sat on his cot and kicked the one in front of him.

"That's where you sleep," he said.

Kinara sat her backpack on the bed. Dr. Pendanski stood in the front of the tent entrance. Two boys walked over to her cot. One was Mexican and the other was white.

"Hey I'm Magnet. That's Zigzag," the Mexican boy said. "Over there is Caveman."

"And this is Zero," Dr. Pendanski said, walking over to a short boy with curly black hair who was laying on his cot. "Say hello to Kinara, Zero. Do you wanna know why they call him Zero? 'Cause there's nothing going on in his stupid little head."

Dr. Pendanski ruffled Zero's curls. Zigzag looked at Kinara, who was spreading her Tweety Bird blanket across her bed, then at Dr. Pendanski.

"Did you tell her about the lizards?" he asked.

"Ricky, let's not scare Kinara," Dr. Pendanski said.

"Man, his name's not Ricky," X-ray said. "It's Zigzag a'ight?"

"Kinara, if you have any questions just ask the boys," Dr. Pendanski said. "They're your new family now. Got that, fellas?"

"Yeah, man. Whatever, dude," was heard throughout the tent.

"I'm counting on you, boys," Dr. Pendanski said. "It should be no labor to be nice to your neighbor."

Kinara glanced at Zero and he rolled over on his cot, his back to everyone. Dr. Pendanski walked out the tent as Kinara finished unpacking. She sat on her cot, which was in between Magnet and Zigzag. She took her mp3 player out her pocket, turned it off, and took off her hoodie. Magnet glanced at her and spotted the paper towel taped to her shoulder.

"What's with the coverage, chica?" he asked.

Kinara glared at him, but didn't answer.

"Looks like we got another Zero on our hands," Armpit said.

Kinara rolled her eyes and took off the paper towel. She looked at her shoulder touching it gently. Squid looked at her.

"Dog, she got a tattoo!" he said.

"You serious?" X-ray asked, standing up.

X-ray walked over to her and looked at the tattoo. It was a picture of Tweety Bird wearing a black bandanna, black shirt, baggy black pants, and shoes. He had his arms crossed. About an inch below it said, 'Get Lyke Me!' Around the tattoo her light skin was tinged red. X-ray smirked as a thought came to mind.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Kinara shook her head. X-ray smacked her shoulder and took a couple steps back. Kinara inhaled sharply. Some of the boys smirked.

"How 'bout now?" he grinned.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Kinara yelled, holding onto her shoulder as she stood.

"Oh, so you do talk," X-ray smirked.

"Don't go to sleep tonight," Kinara said.

"Why?" X-ray quizzed.

"'Cause you ain't gon' wake up tomorrow," she said, pushing past him to get her A&D ointment out her crate.

"Is that a threat?" X-ray asked.

"No, baby that's a promise," Kinara said, turning to look at him after putting her ointment away. "Let's get somethin' straight you don't know me, so don't get on my bad side."

"Baby, I'm in charge around here, so don't get on my bad side," X-ray said, and then grinned. "And I wouldn't mind getting' to know you."

Kinara grinned.

"Ooh, chica's feisty," Magnet said.

"I suggest you don't call me that ever," Kinara said.

"Why, chica?" smirked.

"'Cuz that sure as hell ain't on my birth certificate," Kinara cringed at the name.

"Uh, chica," Magnet grinned.

Kinara cracked her knuckles. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Kinara lunged at Magnet. X-ray grabbed her around the waist and picked her up off the ground.

"Don't get in a fight on your first day," Squid said.

"Yeah, the Warden's got this place rigged," X-ray said.

"He started it," Kinara said. "Now let me down!"

X-ray put her back on the ground. A bell rang and the boys all stood up and started exiting the tent. Kinara walked out the tent after the boys. She got in line and grabbed a tray. She watched as the cafeteria workers splattered gunks of food onto her tray. There was no way she was gonna eat this. After she got her food, she walked over to the D-tent table. She sat down in between Zigzag and Magnet, in front of Zero.

"Ay, you didn't dig today," X-ray smirked. "So, you wouldn't mind givin' your bread to somebody who did, now would you?"

"Are you crazy!?" Kinara demanded. "It's the only edible thing on my tray. No way in hell am I gonna give it to you."

X-ray reached for her bread anyway. Kinara closed her eyes.

"Touch my bread and I'll make sure you never have children," she said.

X-ray pulled his hand back. Kinara smirked. The number one threat many boys took to heart. Kinara had used it so many times and not only that, she followed through with that threat as well.

"What they get you for?" Squid asked Kinara.

"I killed a guy," Kinara said quietly, her smile fading as she began peeling the ends off her bread.

"Killed a guy?" Armpit repeated. Kinara nodded.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she said.

"It can't be all that bad," Squid said. "What was it an accident?"

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" Kinara said, her voice rising.

"Does it connect with why you're quiet?" Zero asked, his fork inches from his tray.

"Whoa!" Squid said. "You got Zero to talk! Only Caveman can do that!" Squid said.

"Yo, seriously man," Armpit said. "What else can you do?"

Zero gave them a quick glance and went back to staring at Kinara. Kinara stared at him. She was just as shocked as anybody else.

"Yeah," Kinara said, quietly looking down at her tray. "There's a connection."

Zero went back to poking at his food. Kinara looked at him for a few more seconds before taking a bite of her bread. After dinner, they all went back to their tent for bed. Kinara lay awake on her cot. She couldn't sleep. She had way too much on her mind. She sighed and closed her eyes. Trying to empty her mind, only to remember the one thing she was trying to forget.

Flashback/Dream

Kinara was laying on her bed watching the news. Her sister had been missing for a few weeks now. Ever since she disappeared Kinara had changed. She started hanging with a different crowd and now she's a gang member. She propped up on her elbows and tilted her head when Monica Hewitt, the newswoman came on screen.

"The body of a seventeen year old girl, matching the description of Kanisha Jones, was found at the lake earlier today. She was raped and beaten to death. The police have no leads," she said. "God bless this child's family."

Kinara stared at the TV, unmoving. She was dead. Her sister was dead. No matter how hard she tried to hold them in, the tears started cascading down her cheeks. Her only sister was gone. The only person who understood her and could keep her in check was never coming back. She ran downstairs and into the living room, looking for her mother.

"Mom!" she called.

"I know, honey," her mom said, pulling her into a hug as the tears ran down her face. "Who would do such a thing?"

Kinara had a perfect idea of who it was. Her sister told her everything, so she had to know.

"Mom," she whispered. "I know who did it."

"What?" her mother asked.

"Yo sabo quien violar y asesinato mi hermana," Kinara looked up at her mother, face streaked with tears. (I know who raped and murdered my sister.)

Her mother didn't say anything. She just stared at her daughter.

"It was Jonathon," Kinara said.

"Jonathan," her mom repeated. "No, sweetheart, he loved your sister."

"But Mom-" Kinara started.

"I don't want to hear anymore," her mom said, pulling out of the hug.

Kinara looked at the floor and shook her head, her fist clenched by her side. Her mother didn't believe her. No one ever believed her. She ran out the house slamming the door behind her. She heard her mother calling her, but she just kept going. She didn't stop running until she was at her best friend's house, where she stayed the rest of the night.

The next evening she found Jonathan, walking home from the movie theatre by himself. He had put on a show for the camera-he was Kanisha's boyfriend after all- but Kinara knew it was all fake. Kinara just watched him. As he got closer, all the horrible things that her sister told her about him flooded her mind. She took out her blade and stabbed him to death. She was dragging his body to the lake to dump it, when her neighbor's kid appeared. The little girl shrieked and ran off. Kinara was arrested the next day.

End Flashback/Dream

Kinara sat up, her face wet with tears. She quickly wiped them away. No way was she gonna let those boys see her cry. She laid back and tried to go back to sleep.