The girl thanked him as they traded their garments, and Alexander quickly donned the shirt.
"I like your hair. I wasn't allowed to color my hair." Alexander grabbed at a tuft of his bangs, pulling at it a bit. The red tinged strands came into view, and he began twirling his index finger through it.
"Ah, yeah. It used to all be black, but I guess the pigmentation stopped when my powers came to me. I started seeing white roots, and it never went back to black. Eventually I shaved it all, and then I started dying it a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to anymore though..." Alexander's mind came back to his present situation, in which he was trapped in a place which most likely didn't have any cosmetic products.
"Rough day?" Margaret's voice called out. It wasn't until she gestured toward a boy that Alexander knew who she was talking to. As he examined the one she was now attempting to converse with, a sense of loneliness cascaded over him. It originated from the boy, curled in the corner of his bunk. Alexander knew Margaret wanted him to join in conversing with this boy, though he couldn't think of anything to say.
The two of them began talking on their own, and at that point Alexander didn't want to interrupt. He leaned back against the beams supporting the bunk above him, exhaling in a sigh.
She'll probably be able to help him more than I can right now anyway. Seems like she has a knack for it. His attention shifted to the door of their cell as Alexander heard it creak open, and he noted another boy being pushed in.
The train ride was less than eventful. People attempted to avoid confrontation with the armed guards, ready to terminate any unruly passengers. Their heads hung low, most stayed silent, some sobbed softly. Others either slept or passed out, unable to handle the reality before them. Drei's mother had told him many times before of what went on in facilities like the one he was off to. He knew what to expect, and was prepared for it.
The train slowed as they approached their final stop, wheels squealing loudly. Drei felt the cart lurch forward as the train came to a halt. The doors opened, bright lights flooding the metal box in which they were seated. More armed escorts entered the train, yelling for everyone to move. Drei lazily stood from his seat, making his way calmly off the locomotive.
Everyone was directed to a large arena, where they were to stand in wait of of their orientation speech. Many were pushed to the ground and trampled as people made their fearful way forward. Drei attempted to stick to the side of the crowd, until he was shoved by one of the guards controlling the flow of the crowd.
This motherfucker... alright, guess I'd better get ready. Two nitrogen atoms, one oxygen. Two bonds for each. Multiply that a bit...Drei began to laugh as nitrous oxide filled his lungs, and with a lunge gave the guard a shoved in return. To no surprise of his own, Drei was quickly introduced to the man's fist. The punch nearly knocked him down as the gas had made him slightly delirious, though he barely felt it at all. Drei was about to take a swing of his own, when the ground came rushing toward his face.
The guard who had bashed his rifle butt into Drei's back pressed his heel into Drei's temple, pinning his head to the ground. Still unable to feel, Drei simply laughed harder and struggled to stand. One of the men grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him, dragging Drei toward the arena. Once inside, the guard shoved Drei's cheek against a wall.
"Listen carefully," he spoke as he pointed up to a man beginning his speech.
At this point Drei was too out of it, unable to understand much of anything. The speech ended quickly, and while all the little Malfunctions were herded to their cells, Drei remained forced against the wall. After everyone had been cleared, he was thrown to the ground, a group of guards surrounding him. Drei tried to stand and was swiftly met with a kick to the ribs, followed by stomps and more kicks. He wasn't sure how long it went on for, and didn't care much. The gas had been doing its job and numbing his body, all he could do was lay there and laugh.
By the time he came to, Drei was being dragged through the hall. Blood droplets dripped from his mouth and nose, a new wound over his cheekbone letting out a steady stream. One of the guards opened the door to a cell, and Drei was thrown in. He stumbled forward, regaining his balance just before falling to the floor. A chuckle escaped his lips as he walked forward toward a bunk with an empty top bed. The boy on the bottom bunk was busy talking to a girl on top of another bed, though Drei interrupted their conversation without hesitation as made his way up up to the open top bunk.
"'Sup, friendo? Looks like we're bunkmates. Try not to snore too loud down there alright?"