Priar's stomach grumbled at the smell of mashed potatoes and strange meats. It'd wafted through the air as if beckoning him to solve the mystery, but he would not be getting a plate that night. In Bright's words, he hadn't deserved one.
He slapped his wet mop on the nauseating cobblestone floor and picked up a spool of webs along with another animal's droppings spun into it. Holding back a gag, he dipped the mop into his bucket where several other solid brown pieces resurfaced in the murky water.
The rest of team 12 had been doing the same. Jolie struggled the most due to her injury, but she'd always been a hard worker and cleaning was something she enjoyed. If she hadn't been cleaning D-Hall, perhaps she would've even enjoyed it now.
Lance helped the team at first. He wore a tight cloth around his mouth and focused on cleaning everything out of view. He was a perfectionist and in a time like this he needed anything to distract him. Bright called him to dinner before he got into it though. As he was walking away, Priar noticed a dull red growing at the corners of his eyes. He thought it must've just been Lance's allergies, giving it no other thought.
To no one's surprise, Esme complained as she worked; although a lot of what she said had been iterations of "Eww" and "what the hell is that?!" Priar had found her disgust more amusing than annoying. He and Slug wagered over what she'd say next. He'd even left her a surprise rat carcass just to get a reaction.
"This is so disgusting!" Esme cried. Priar looked to Slug with a smirk, to which he begrudgingly passed Priar a chocolate bar.
"Don't ask where I kept that" Slug added, Priar looked over the bar and with a grimace he slowly handed it back.
Bright had told Rudolph to taunt them with a meal he'd gotten from the cafeteria and he did just that, making sure to smack his lips together after each bite. Slug asked for a piece of ham but Rudolph rejected him because he'd not been ordered to do it.
This continued until the later hours of the night. Most of the trainees had found their way to their dorms after dinner. Bright stood by his office listening to the continuous slaps of their mops at the end of the hall. He shouted at the team "If I bump into anything, I'll bury your smooth asses in cement!" Rudolph rushed to clear his path taking his words literally. They'd only spent a couple of hours cleaning the hall, but Priar looked back to how much they'd done and groaned. It felt like it had been days of repeating the same strenuous motion, the rest of the team felt the same. The hall; although still cluttered, had a shine to it again. The cracks in the tiling, which was once filled with rat droppings and dead insects, were mostly cleared. With the help of everyone else it was a lot easier, but the pain in Priar's back protested otherwise.
As Bright passed between them, Jolie spoke up. "Permission to speak, Sir?"
Bright stopped, tilting his head in consideration. "Granted"
"May my team eat as well?" Jolie questioned. Slug looked up with a new found hope twinkling in his eyes.
Bright smiled, "Well, I don't see why not. You've all done a fine job, go ahead to the classroom and get yourselves a plate. We had one specially made for you."
The team quickly dropped their mops and ran back to the class. Priar had been so hungry he didn't care if it was mush they'd serve in juvie. He didn't even care if it was spoiled. He hadn't eaten all day and at that point he'd take just about anything.
Team 12 bursted through the room, only to find at each of their desks was a tray covered in the leftovers of their classmates. While the other trainees ate, Bright had instructed them to use their empty trays as scrap bins. Half eaten chicken legs, bread crusts, and empty soup bowls all laid atop their desks, waiting patiently for them to lick clean and put away.
Esme simply turned around and walked back to her dorm. She had no problem starving tonight if her meal was essentially a trash can. Rudolph wasn't sure if he still needed to eat so he stood on standby. Slug picked through it all looking for the pieces left mostly untouched and ate without a second thought. Jolie sighed and waited outside of the classroom.
Priar crept up to the mound of trash on his desk with a solemn expression. He'd done so much just for the scraps of a meal. It had to have been abuse- neglect- anything. He searched the corners of his mind for something to accuse this man of- no, this demon. At the end of every thought his fist curled tighter into a ball, but he released it with a sigh. He'd been too tired to make a fuss about it.
"Something the matter with your meal, Witt?" Bright asked, from the front of the classroom..
"What-uh-no sir, not at all." Priar replied, straightening his back.
"Good, then I'll leave you to it. Clean up when you're done." he demanded. Priar hung his head at the idea of more work. This school seemed like one elaborate hostage situation to him, but if he didn't comply, he'd just receive "special treatment". He needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Tomorrow he'll make a plan. Tomorrow…
The hours of the night felt shorter than usual. He'd dreaded waking up again but that didn't stop him from crashing to his bed. His first day had been a long journey. A morning of fear, an evening of pain, and a night tired of it all. Slug had gotten to bed before him, snoring loudly in the bunk above, Rudolph stayed awake cleaning dishes in the bathroom since they didn't have access to the kitchen upstairs anymore. Priar fell into a deep slumber, the sound of trays clanking together like a penetrating white noise. He almost couldn't hear the sobs from beside his bed.
Lance's small shape shivered under his blanket, Priar had thought Lance asleep until he heard a silent groan into the pillow. Through the darkness he could see Seth's silhouette rise from the top bunk. He looked down to Priar, a questioning look. Priar shrugged his shoulders and tossed himself over. It had not been his problem to begin with, so why would he make it one? It seemed cold, but he'd already been weighed down with one mistake. The last thing he needed was another pound or two to yank him down further; although it was hard to hear Lance suffer.