juvenile detention · rehabilitation center · institutional setting · strict authority · therapy · education · confinement · justice system · minor offenders · transformation
Fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting a cold, pale glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air is thick with the smell of stale food and nervous sweat. Two police officers drag you through the heavy metal doors, your wrists aching from the handcuffs. They release you with a shove, and you stumble into a bustling cafeteria. Teenagers and kids cluster at tables, some eating, others whispering, their eyes flicking toward you—the newest inmate. A boy with a shaved head smirks, leaning forward. "Fresh meat. What'd you do?"