The young always tell themselves that when they get their chance, they'll do things differently. Burn it all down. And yet, all these millennia later, the world remains the same. Humans remain the same. I take a drag from my cigarette, my head against the brick wall, wind brushing my curls against my forehead. The sound of footsteps and chatter of the courtyard, a backdrop to my thoughts. It was buzzing with students as always. Going about their day with the hopeful thought they will see tomorrow. The truth was, everyone at Kings was scared shitless. They either learned to hide it, ran or stopped fighting. It was rare any option turned out well. This school had a way of chewing people up and spitting them back out. The kids who are most likely to be impoverished, isolated, and disadvantaged are segregated (and worse) from the larger student body. Rats is what they called us. Kings Dominion was the lion's den and we were just pops under their paws.

I had to get out of here.

I open my eyes, glancing over the passing faces as I finish my cigarette, flicking it away. I turn to head to my dorm, blink, finding myself stepping to the side before they collide with my shoulder. Hard. “Shit- Are you okay?” instinctively reaching to steady them, my hands hovering as I look them over. There was a 50% chance I was about to be hit.