Lina sat on her hard, cold bed that was probably infested with lice. The whole room was plain, unadorned and a sickly green color. She sighed. Stupid sparkly obession. Maybe she should have taken meds, or gone to therapy or something. If she had, maybe she would be a normal teenager and not a locked-up delinquent in a school for homicidal maniacs.
Because that was the title. Academy for Homicidal Maniacs.
Charming.
It was one o'clock in the morning, but Lina wasn't tired. Even after being kidnapped from her parents by the authorities, shoved in a big truck with mesh windows and being carried to her room, she still wasn't tired. She liked the night: it was the only time she was calm.
Lina lay on her back and looked at the ceiling, sighing. She didn't have any pajamas. The school had a sort of uniform, but she didn't know what. She had only been here for an hour, after all.
She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander, letting the calm invade her.
But her room wasn't calm for long.
« HEY LOOK! NEW MEAT! »
Lina almost screamed and stood upright on her bed.
« WHAT THE HELL WHO ARE YOU? »
The girl turned on the lights to reveal herself as a short, bespectacled girl surrounded by a mane of orange hair. Her eyes were as green as the dress she was wearing.
« YES THANK GOD, A GIRL! I was so sick of all these annoying guys cracking vulgar jokes. I am so happy you're a girl! What's your name? »
« What the hell are you doing up at one in the morning? »
The girl's smile faded.
« Why aren't you just the nicest thing on the planet. I just thought it would be good for someone to greet the new kid but...nope! Eat alone in the bathroom, see if I give a fuck. »
« No...That's not what I meant. I'm just tired, and I just got here and...Gosh... » Lina sighed. « We got off on the wrong foot. My name's Lina. You? »
« Nice to meet you. My name is Pam. My full name is Pamela, but if you ever call me that I'll rip out your spine, grind it up and use it as part of my experiments. »
there was a silence, then Pam added,
« Let's be friends. »
« Um...Sure, » said Lina, taken aback by this girl's sudden mood swings. « Random question...why aren't you wearing pajamas? »
« Well, the school makes about twenty copies of what you're wearing now. I've been wearing the same dress for about a year now. »
« A YEAR? »
« Yeah, fucking sucks. I feel like wearing purple or blue sometimes but...nope! Green. Green green green, more fucking green. »
« You've been here for a year? » Asked Lina, completely disregarding Pam's comment.
« Oh yeah. Came here for poisoning my ex. But that isn't the worst. Ozzy's been here for a year and a half, because of his damn umbrella...Victor's been here for two years, for stalking, and Eddy for five...I can't remember what. »
Lina stared at her in scared awe.
« The record is thirteen years. Some guy named Joe got sent here when he was seven for blowing up his school or some shit like that... »
« You've spent a year without your family? »
« Well...yeah. That sucks. But it's even harder for the people who don,t even have a family...Like Waylon, or even Ozzy. He's so obnoxious and ugly, even his own family hates him. »
Lina bit her lip.
« Well, I'll let you sleep, you have a big day tomorrow. You need to be in top shape if you want to survive. »
« Hehe...Please tell me that's a joke. »
« Of course it isn't. Where do you think you are, Care bear land? Girl, you're in Gotham Academy for Homicidal Maniacs. Scary shit happens here all the time...Oh and a little tip: Avoid pissing off the math teacher. Fine, I'll let you sleep now. »
And with that, she closed the door.
Lina lay back on her bed and tried to sleep.
But how was Lina supposed to sleep now?
