Author's Note

.｡｡*ﾟi hope you're staying safe and being kind to yourself! .｡｡*ﾟ

Love youuu 💗

HOUSE OF REFUGE 1897

That evening, a quiet snow fell outside, blanketing the prison in a white dust.

"Four more days until Christmas," Z noted absently, staring out the window.

"What's the point of counting?" Lion asked from his bunk. "It'll just be like any other day."

Calico sat in bed, dangling a shoelace in front of the rabbit as it tried to nibble at fabric. He laughed hoarsely, beginning to cough again.

Jack emerged from the washroom, his face and hair freshly washed. He collapsed on his bed, watching Calico play with the rabbit.

"I'm so happy I ain't spending another night in that cell," Jack said, reclining back. "How ya feeling, Calico?"

Calico shrugged, trying to muffle his coughs. "I'm fine."

"Grim told me about Muggs," Jack continued. "Doc's a real saint, huh?"

"Pretty much."

As if on cue, Grim dropped by between the two bunk beds, crouching down beside the rabbit. He smiled, giving it a few light pets. "Hey. I heard one of the girls tried to escape last night, too," he said to Jack. "She's in worse condition than you. Broke her legs trying to jump from the second floor."

"What, did she think she would fly?" Muggs laughed as he walked by. "Didn't realize Snyder took in maniacs."

"This place creates maniacs, Muggs," Grim corrected him with an eye roll.

"Duane Street ain't no better," Muggs said, nodding over to Jack in disgust. "It's his fault we gotta starve this week." Then his expression contorted as the pain in his tooth and jaw set in, making him recoil. "I ain't doing no more hard labor because of him or anyone else."

"You're just mad because the kid had the guts to do what you couldn't," Grim said firmly.

"You wanna say that again, you fuckin' Yid?" Muggs growled, meeting Grim's eyes.

Grim slowly rose to his feet, staring Muggs in the face with a cold scowl.

Tide placed a hand on Grim's shoulder, nudging him away. "Ignore him," Tide whispered, pulling Grim from the looming confrontation before it escalated. "Snyder will triple both your sentences if there's another fight."

A piercing whistle rang through the dormitory as Whalen and a guard stormed in. "Okay, fall in line. Roll call."

Calico quickly hid the rabbit under his blanket and joined the others.

As the boys rattled off names, Whalen strolled down the line, baton in hand. Muggs was glaring at Grim, and then at Jack, and then finally at Calico's bed. Keeping a close eye on Whalen's back, Muggs reached over and furtively tugged the blanket back, allowing the rabbit to crawl out and hop onto the floor.

The rabbit hopped to the middle of the line, clucking happily at its newfound freedom. Whalen froze, turning around and searching for the sound.

"What in God's name was that?" Whalen barked, scanning the dormitory – his eyes landing on the rabbit.

The color drained from Calico's face as he panicked, looking from his blanket to the rabbit. "Dolly!" he cried out, hurrying to pick her up just as Whalen stomped over.

He backed up slowly, the rabbit in his hands.

"Give it here, boy," Whalen said, holding out his arm. "I'm giving you one chance. You know the rules."

"No," Calico begged, shaking his head. "No!"

Whalen immediately gave chase, prompting Calico to run through the sea of boys, stumbling over beds and strewn clothing.

"Give me that rabbit!" Whalen yelled, raising his baton to strike Calico. "Now!"

He laid a blow with the baton to Calico's right arm, making him drop the rabbit onto one of the beds. It hopped away swiftly, as if sensing the danger.

The others shouted in protest, trying to stand in Whalen's way as he hurried after it. The rabbit dashed under one of the bunks, huddling in a corner, shaking like a leaf. It had frozen in fear.

Whalen bent down and kicked it out from under the bed. Then he grabbed it by the back of its neck, holding it up as the boys gave a collective gasp. No one moved. No one said anything.

Calico, thinking Whalen had wrung its neck, fainted, hitting the floor next to Jack and Cards.

The rabbit hadn't died, but it was struggling in Whalen's grasp.

Doc and Grim bent down next to Calico, trying to rouse him.

"Who the hell defied me and brought that rodent into my dormitory?" Whalen seethed through his teeth – his face turning a deep shade of crimson. "I know it was more than one of you."

Silence.

Whalen slammed his baton against a bed post, eliciting a few flinches. "Answer me! Who did it?"

Again, there was silence.

"Fine, so be it," Whalen said, looking around. "If those boys don't come forward by ten o'clock tomorrow morning, I will have no choice but to punish all of you."

He turned to the guard by the door. "Take this creature, and let it loose outside," he said, handing off the frightened rabbit to the guard. "There are enough animals in here already."