Chapter Three

More Confessions and a Letter

We were the last ones to get into the Mess Hall, and when we walked in everyone's eyes were on us. I kept my chin up and ignored their stares, quickly leading my girls to the line. After waiting what seemed like forever, we finally got to the food. But once they put the mush on my plate, I suddenly wasn't so hungry anymore.

There were beans, beans, more beans, and something green I assumed must be spinach, or possibly kale. Then there was what appeared to be watery jello, except it was yellow. Last but not least, a slice of bread and a juice box.

"Nice," I muttered to myself.

This is what they call food?

Oh, now I am really going to hate this place.

I waited for my girls to exit the line and then the three of us looked around for a place to sit.

"Yo! G-Tent! Over here!"

I looked up to see X-Ray waving us over to his table and then turned to my girls, questioningly.

Mace nodded, "Come on, Nox, it might not be so bad here if we have them on our side."

"Yeah," Ash agreed as she looked around the room. "Besides, there aren't any empty tables and at least they seem like somewhat decent guys. Some of these other creeps are little sketchy…"

Looking around, I realized she was probably right.

I sighed and began walking over to where X-Ray was waving from.

Might as well make the best of it, I figured.

The guys quickly made room for the three of us and we sat down, side by side.

X-Ray was at the head of the table. Armpit was on his right across from us, next to Magnet, and then two other boys we hadn't yet met. I sat on the left of X-Ray, thanks to Mace who took the seat I wanted. Mace sat next to me with Ash on her left. Next to Ash was Squid with Zigzag on the other side of him.

"Do you guys seriously call this food?" I asked, poking at the mush on my plate.

"Yep," X-Ray said. "And you better eat it, too. Tomorrow's going to be your first day digging and you're going to need all the energy you can get."

I groaned, annoyed, and decided to start with my bread.

"So, you guys know about us. Now, it's your turn to spill. What did you do to get sent here?" Mace spoke up, looking at the boys curiously.

The boys looked around at each other anxiously while we waited for someone start.

"Squid, why don't you start?" X-Ray finally declared.

Squid looked up at him and then nodded; the three of us looked down the bench at him.

"Well, I got caught for stealing from houses in one of the rich neighborhoods not far from where I lived," he answered, refusing to look at any of us.

Seemed like a reasonable excuse.

"I burnt down my school," Zigzag continued the confessing.

Another reasonable offense, almost as bad as Ash's; except burning down a school probably wasn't considered as bad as blowing one up in the eyes of a judge.

"I almost killed a guy beating him up," Armpit admitted across from me.

Well, at least he uses one of the few resources he's got, I figured as the three of us had quickly turned to look at him and then Magnet next to him.

"I got caught stealing a puppy from a pet store," Magnet stated.

"Why would you steal a puppy?" I asked, grinning.

Suddenly, a determined look crossed his face, "Because it's criminal the way they keep them locked up in cages!"

I put my hands up, surrendering, "Okay, point taken. I didn't mean to offend you, I was just curious. I mean, it seems kind of stupid that they sent you here just because you tried to steal a puppy, I bet they didn't take into account that you were just an animal lover wanting to give a dog a better life."

He thought about my words and then nodded; I figured it would work in calming him down.

"What about those two?" I asked a moment later, pointing to the two unknown boys next to Magnet with my fork.

"I stole Clyde Livingston's shoes," the first one spoke. He was an average looking kid with curly brown hair and boring brown eyes.

I didn't really know who Clyde Livingston was, but I was pretty sure he was some famous sport player.

I looked then at the last one, a little black boy with a mop of frizzy, black hair who could only have been maybe twelve or thirteen.

"Zero doesn't talk," X-Ray finally cut in.

"Why not?" Mace asked, confused.

X-Ray shrugged, "He just doesn't."

"Yeah, he only talks to Caveman," Armpit added.

"Caveman?" I asked, confused.

"That's me," the boring brown-haired boy answered.

I looked at him a little more curiously then.

Why would Zero only talk to him? Had they known each other before they came here? And if they did, Caveman didn't seem to have a problem with talking to the group.

I shook off the thought and looked at X-Ray.

He still hadn't told us why he was sent here.

"What about you?" I asked curiously, resting my elbow on the table with my chin in my hand as I waited patiently for him to answer.

He looked annoyed when I asked that, like he was hoping he might have gotten away without having to tell us.

He looked down at his plate. "I… I got caught for selling marijuana," he stated, sounding regretful.

"But?" Mace egged him to go on; I assumed she must have thought he wasn't telling us everything.

"But it wasn't really marijuana," Armpit laughed.

I looked to him now, "What?"

"X-Ray wasn't selling real marijuana, he was crushing up herbs and saying it was marijuana," Armpit answered.

I couldn't help but snort as I looked toward X-Ray, "Seriously? You were selling fake weed? What would you have done if your customers had found out what they were smoking wasn't weed and decided to come after you?" I asked, shocked that he had actually tried to sell fake drugs.

I knew drugs; inside and out. They would have known the moment they smoked it that it wasn't real, unless they'd never smoked it before.

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing I got caught before they could notice it," he spoke, obviously agitated by my laughter.

"Seriously!" I agreed, still laughing, practically falling off the bench.

"Well, I'm sorry my record isn't as amazing as yours!" He yelled, furious, and then stormed out of the building.

I stopped laughing the moment he started walking away.

"Way to go," Mace whispered in my ear, clearly unhappy that I was blowing it with the leader of the only tent that probably wasn't thinking about groping us right now.

The boys didn't know what to do after their leader was gone, but they definitely were not going to follow him when he was angry.

A moment later, I picked up what I had assumed was jello. "What is this?" I asked, bringing it up my nose to sniff it.

"It's banana jello," Squid answered.

"Ewww!" I said, immediately putting it back down.

Ash laughed, turning to Squid to explain, "Nox hates anything artificially flavored banana."

"Real bananas are okay, but artificial banana is absolutely disgusting!" I told him, honestly.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it," Zigzag offered.

I looked him over carefully, and then handed my jello over to him, "Help yourself."

He grinned as he took it, "Thanks."

"No problem," I nodded, deciding to eat some of the beans and kale.

It was disgusting, but X-Ray was probably right; I was going to need my strength and energy tomorrow.

I suddenly wondered if X-Ray hated me now. I mean, I didn't like him and I didn't want to be with him, even if Mace and Ash really do think he's my type. Sure, he was pretty hot, and probably even better looking without his glasses, but I couldn't let myself go there again. I couldn't let myself care about a boy after the way the last one had treated me, even after everything we had been through together.

How dare he?

Did he have any brains at all?

I could have him killed for fooling me like that and making me think he loved me.

I should do something about this.

Suddenly, the perfect idea came to mind.

Quickly I got up, leaving my tray on the table, and hurried off back to the tent.

"Nox, where are you going?" Mace called out, confused.

"I need to write a letter," I called back without bothering to look back at her.

I needed to write this letter. I was going to let Bane know that he couldn't just dump me and think that was it!

I can't believe I never thought of this before!

*

"Uh oh," Ash said out loud, still at the table with the six boys and Mace.

"Uh oh?" Squid asked, looking at her, confused.

Ash ignored him and looked to her friend.

"She's scheming," Mace declared quietly.

Ash nodded, "But against who?"

"Considering the angry look on her face just moments ago, the same look she gets every time she thinks about Bane… there's only one possibility," Mace pointed out.

"But what good is a letter?" Ash asked, puzzled about the whole thing.

Mace shrugged, "Like I said earlier, we don't know everything about Nox. All we know is the basics of her drug and gang history along with the murders. Who knows what connections she may have?"

"Are you guys serious?" Caveman suddenly decided to butt in, looking scared. "That girl's murdered before?"

"She never goes into detail, but at the least she was an accessory to the crime," Mace answered him directly.

"But we think she was a lot deeper into the gang and drug stuff than she'll admit," Ash added.

"Damn," Squid said, looking surprised. "So, she's like a full blown criminal?"

Ash nodded.

"How can you know for sure though?" Armpit questioned, looking very confused.

"The cops were way more excited than usual when they first brought her into the Ward," Ash answered.

"Apparently they had been trying to catch her for a couple years," Mace piped in.

"And they barely even gave her a trial; according to Nox, it was like the sentence had already been set before she even entered the courtroom," Ash divulged.

"And how do you two know this?" Squid asked, suspiciously; wondering if these girls were just yanking their chains with this story to make Nox seem tough.

"There were three girls to a room. We were the only ones at the time without a third roommate. When we heard a new girl had arrived, we had to check it out for ourselves," Ash stated as if it were obvious.

"So, that's how the three of you met? You were roommates?" Armpit asked.

Mace and Ash nodded.

"When you're in a place like that, you have to become friends with your roommates because if they won't stand up for you then no one will," Mace explained.

"Mace, I think we should go check on her," Ash finally decided.

"You're probably right," Mace said.

And then they both stood up with their trays, Mace taking Nox's tray as well, and dumped them with the rest. They walked slowly back to G-Tent, still discussing their friend's sudden urge to write a letter.

*

Bane,

Who the hell do you think you are dumping me like I'm just another one of your conquests? Have you forgotten who I am? Who my father is? I could have you murdered in your sleep if I wanted to. Nobody dumps me without paying the consequences.

Better watch your back, baby.

N.

I smirked at my neat cursive handwriting.

The letter was the epitome of perfection.

There was no way he could read this and not get a little bit scared.

I pulled an envelope out of my box of stationary and quickly filled out the front, licked a stamp, and sealed it.

Now, I just wish I could see his face when he reads this.

"Nox?"

I looked up to see Ash and Mace standing in the entrance.

"Who are you writing a letter to?" Ash asked, coming closer and sitting opposite me on my no-longer cluttered bed.

"Bane," I answered, looking back down at the envelope in my hand.

"About what?" Mace asked, standing next to Ash.

"Him being a jerk," I said nonchalantly, looking down at the envelope in my hands.

Now, I just had to send it out.

I quickly stood up and exited the tent to find Mr. Pendanski without looking at either of them.

"Mr. Pendanski!" I called out loudly once I saw him walking into one of the buildings.

He stopped abruptly, looking shocked.

"Can I help you with something, Noelle?" He asked once I had made my way to him.

"Where can I mail this letter?" I asked, flashing the envelope in his face.

"There's a box on the wall in the Rec Room; you can put it in there and it will be mailed out at the end of the week," he explained, eyeing me cautiously to see if I would yell at him or call him a fool again.

"Thanks," I said and then quickly hurried off to the Rec Room.

When I reached the door, I saw that someone had scratched out 'Rec' and replaced it with "Wreck."

"Sounds promising," I mumbled, not quite sure what to expect when I opened the door.

Once inside, I quickly understood why they changed the sign. Just about everything was broken; everything except for the pool tables leaned, but then again the pool tables had been scratched up so badly there was hardly any green felt left.

The room was empty thanks to the fact that everyone was at dinner.

Scanning the walls, I quickly spotted the large wooden box on the wall with "Mail" written on it.

I hurried over to it and stuck my letter inside and then immediately left.

I went back to the tent to find Ash and Mace now sitting on their own respectable cots while they waited for me to return.

"You guys should see the Wreck Room!" I exclaimed. "It's a complete mess."

"Why did you go to the Wreck Room?" Ash asked.

"That's where the box for mail is," I answered, going over to my own cot and lying down.

"Do you think Bane will write back?" Mace asked unexpectedly.

I looked over at her cautiously, and then blew it off, "Sure he will… begging for mercy!" I chuckled at the thought.

The two of them exchanged glances, but they didn't say anything.

They didn't understand, but they knew it was best not to ask. They didn't know my history.

***

Well, that's that, I guess. I wonder what will happen next? Hope you guys liked it! Please remember to leave a review before you go!

InAnotherLife11