Chapter Text
Chapter one
This all started with a good intention, like most things do. The scientists were just trying to help, to see if it was attainable to reduce crime if signs of possible criminality were detected in early childhood. People liked the idea of security it brought. And with time, newborns were categorized depending on the future Science foresaw for them.
A lot of families were at a loss of what to do with their predicted criminals and in only a few months a massive wave of abandonments was recorded.
Alarmed, the scientists were quick to remind the parents that the environment in which kids grew up had a lot to do with who they would become and the choices they would make.
But many parents felt unable to care correctly for future criminals and so the Reforming Centers were born.
Factually, those centers were a mix between a school and a prison. The ones that existed for very young kids weren’t as bad, very encouraging and a lot of what society soon started to call “imperfects” ended up being able to join the real world and their families after age ten. Then, from eleven to eighteen, the centers became more closed off and stricter. The young teenagers had to go through a lot of morality and civil classes. Then again, some of them were free after this experience.
Once a child became eighteen, however, the odds were not looking good for them, even if they were not categorised as a lost cause just yet.
Closely monitored, behavior and work results would be analyzed each year and a group of juries, consisting mainly of therapists and possible employers would determine if the juveniles were fit to join society or not.
The ones that failed those exams would slowly lose hope of ever leaving their center, and tried to make a living out of the menial jobs they could find on the inside. Some of them helped the younger ones, offering advice and support despite the circumstances.
Clarence was not one of those imperfects that stayed to help. He was considered a perfect and his family had been a little disappointed when he decided to work as a head supervisor for a Reforming Center. It was not the safest job and, according to them, he could have done so much better.
But Clarence had sympathy for the young adults that were stuck in those centers, without ever knowing what it was like on the outside. He was patient and calm, understanding of the frustration that oozed out of many imperfects.
After only a few months of dealing with easier imperfects, he was given Unit H12 to supervise. The H stood for Hazardous and he knew it meant the young people he was going to have to deal with were the most dangerous, the ones that were considered hopeless, the most likely to get others and themselves injured. A hard work, given only to those who were fitted to control such evil force.
Or so he was told.
The first member of Unit H12 he met was Adam, a tall young man with dirty blonde hair and gangly limbs who greeted him warmly with a smile. Adam was soon to turn twenty-one, but due to behavioral issues and a tendency not to care for filters, he was still there.
Clarence soon understood why Adam was considered hazardous, as he casually listed ways to poison someone and get away with it, keeping his smile bright, his eyes sparkling and his tone cheerful.
Clarence seriously doubted that Adam would actually kill someone if given the chance, but the creativity and imagination of the young man were remarkable without a doubt.
After a few turns and stairs, Adam made a small cry of success and, with notable difficulties, dragged a grumpy looking giant out of a corridor to greet their new supervisor.
The behemoth was ridiculously muscular and threatening. Small scars were scattered all over his face and arms and his eyebrows were so furrowed they were basically touching. He nodded aggressively towards Clarence before speaking in a low and gruff voice.
-The fuck are you.
It hadn't even really been a question and certainly not the kindest way of acknowledging someone, but this was the kind of behaviour that was expected from the residents in a H unit.
-Ah, hello. My name is Clarence, I will be your head supervisor beginning today.
-Well shit, what the fuck happened to Dickhead ?
Adam made a sound between a giggle and a cackle and answered.
-Mister Duncan took his leave like two days ago. I’m surprised you didn’t notice how we had everyone watching over us like hawks while they were searching for a new victi…I mean, supervisor.
Clarence tried his best to keep both his calm and his polite smile. The giant grumbled something before extending a hand, rather violently, that Clarence shook after a second of hesitation.
-The name’s Ernest. You don’t have to remember that. Fucking hate that name anyway.
Clarence smiled softly and nodded.
-Understood, is there any other way you want me to call you ?
Ernest shook his head and shrugged, visibly uncomfortable.
-I’d rather you don’t have to call me at all.
It made sense. Ernest was probably trying to keep a low profile after being in one too many fights and was most likely not too happy about the idea of having a new supervisor come in and possibly judge him harshly on his personality and behavior. Clarence decided to let it at that and followed Adam through the maze of corridors that he had roamed for only a few months before being given this hell of a task. He was surprised at how eager and happy Adam seemed to be, introducing him to random other young people that had nothing to do with his unit on the way.
-Tadaaaaah !
Adam singsonged as he presented him with a large metallic door labeled H12.
-This is our home ! Our castle, our palace, and now it’s yours too ! Don’t worry, you have your own room!
He giggled cackled again and opened it to show a very messy place that was most likely a resting room.
The place was, simultaneously, empty and crowded. There was no wallpaper, no real decoration that made it seem inhabited, but at the same time, books and random papers littered the floor, as it would in a cartoonish mad scientist’s lab.
On the rudimentary couch a rather petite boy was slumped, with a large book obscuring his features. Well, Clarence guessed he was rather average in size, but after long boy Adam and giant Ernest, this one looked small. He had brown messy curls falling around and over his face, tired eyes and simply lifted an eyebrow at the arrival of the two men.
-New supervisor ?
He asked simply, and Clarence noted that his voice was as soft and lazy as he looked.
Adam nodded enthusiastically and patted the older man’s back.
-Yup ! That’s Clarence !
-Great. I’m Leonel. And no, I’m not cleaning.
Clarence suppressed a laugh and simply gave a small nod.
-Understood. You’re the one that made this mess ?
Leonel squinted his eyes a little and seemed to think for a second before asking
-If I was, does that mean I have to clean it ?
This time Clarence did let out a small laugh before shaking his head.
-No it’s fine, I’m not sure what to do about this right now but certainly no cleaning is going to be done today !
Leonel nodded, visibly relaxing.
-Then yes. I like to read. Finding a place to put all those books is a chore though so…well they just end up here and there. There's no library here, you buy books, you keep 'em or you sell ‘em.
Clarence’s smile faded a little, realizing that there were, in fact, very little shelves and no more space on any of them. Leonel was obviously an avid reader and if he did not get rid of any of his reading material, it could eventually become overwhelming. The new supervisor thought that there should be something to be done about this but it certainly wasn’t the priority and he clearly needed to earn Leonel’s trust before making any compromise or offer.
Adam tugged on his sleeve to bring him to another door, with a keypad.
-That’s your room ! No idea what it looks like, but yeah, you should have the key and code to that !
Clarence nodded again, looking at the door and wondering how excessive this was. Leonel’s lazy voice came from behind them, still clearly from the couch.
-The code changes every three months or something, don’t forget that.
Well. Definitively excessive.