Many terms have defined Juvie, living cemeteries, dog cages, and slaughterhouses, but the most common definition is the gateway to jail.
That is the most common definition because forty percent of all Juvenile offenders usually go to prison, and that's only the national average.
In a state like Texas, that number increases to sixty percent. While Juvenile centers are created for minors, a state like Texas has increasingly been sending minors to adult prisons.
That's why although he would be without his freedom for the next two months, Marvin wasn't frowning, after all hospitalizing the mayor's son usually gets you more than two months in Juvie.
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A bus full of children ages thirteen to seventeen rolls through a gate manned by a security guard.
"Seventeen total." the bus driver tells the security as he checks her documents, "Bunch of bad little weasels." the security guard lets the bus through, allowing Marvin to get a look at his future home.
The compound where Houston's juvenile center was placed is no small area, spanning over forty-five acres or roughly forty-five football fields.
The entire facility is fenced with barbed wires waiting at the top for any would-be climbers.
The bus rolls to a stop as it approaches the back of the facility, its height casts a gloomy shadow onto the boys as they head into it, turning the sunny sky into overcast thunderstorms.
"LINE UP, SINGLE FILE NOW." a booming voice sounds through the air like thunder, "WHEN YOU STEP INTO THIS PLACE, YOU ARE IN MY HOUSE, MY BIG FUCKING HOUSE." A tall white lady walks towards the boys getting off the bus.
Her eyes pierce into every boy as walks past them "YOU WILL WAIT AT THE WHITE WALL INSIDE UNITL FURTHER NOTICE." She steps in front in front of Marvin, her icy blue eyes staring deep into his emotionless black gaze "IS THAT CLEAR"
Walking into the facility Marvin was processed rather quickly, he was stripped search and the guards seemed to have no complaints taking a deep search through all his cavities.
Despite the guard's cavalier comments about his body, Marvin remained had still retained his silence.
"Janes, D-pod" the white lady from earlier turned out to be the warden of the facility and she was currently sending each new inmate to their pods.
"Garcia, gangbanger and drug dealer, F-pod" the warden called up another boy directing him to his pod "Those face tats aren't going make your life easy in there el chico" the warden smiled as Garcia left.
"Ahhhh the legendary Lewis, Son of disgraced cop Jeremiah Lewis." The smile of the warden seemed to grow even bigger as Marvin approached her.
"Ooooh those dark eyes, were his just as dark when you saw the life leave his body." The crooked smile on the warden's face seemed to grow bigger and bigger as she talked to Marvin.
Marvin still looked unbothered his eyes simply just remaining in an intense stare with the icebergs the warden calls eyes, "Skirting away just because you were a tiny little eight-year-old." The warden started poking her finger into Marvin's chest.
"But I guess a brute is always a brute" She turned around, picking up a file "Lewis, Murder, Assualt & Battery, B-pod. Welcome to hell, hope you don't see your old man." The warden chuckles as Marvin is warded off to his cell.
"In here" A guard shoves Marvin into a cell with a much older-looking boy, the other boy sits on his bed as Marvin sets his blankets and clothes on the other side of the bed.
The cell was a tight space, surrounded by two beds on both sides, a tiny window allowed tiny rays of sunlight in, and a small toilet was tucked into the corner with a sink right beside it.
The whole cell was dark with cracks lining the walls, the other boy in the cell made no movements as Marvin set his blanket.
Marvin paid no heed to the boy in the cell, his mind was set on seeing his time through here without getting into any trouble, the words said by the warden from earlier were still ringing through his head.
"Why'd Lohan put you in here?" The other boy finally broke the silence in the cell and stopped the thoughts that were going through Marvin's head, "Lohan doesn't put just anyone in B-pod, so what fucked up shit did you do?" The boy continued to question.
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Marvin turned around getting a clear look at the boy's face, his face was pale, his lips cracked, and his blonde hair was dirtied by the other brown strands of hair he had.
The boy's biggest on the boy's face were his green eyes, Marvin stared into them, and he saw the brightness that was in them, very different from the emotionless eyes he had seen on his way here.
"You just gone stare at me?" The boy chuckled as he continued staring at Marvin, "Beat up some kids" Marvin's grave voice came out.
"Nahhh, that can't be it" The boy laid his back on his bed, "Name's Tyler." Tyler tilted his head to look at Marvin who was also lying in bed "Marvin." Tyler smiled as he heard Marvin's voice.
<<
Outside boys of all ages were moving through lively activities, some were hanging out on the bleachers while others watched a rough football game play out on the field.
Marvin was sitting outside on the bleachers, away from the group of other boys who were jeering and yelling for foul calls, "Look at that, THAT'S PI" Tyler yelled along with the group of other boys.
"Man we gotta get some refs in this place like they've got this land, you'd think they could afford a ref." Tyler said as he sat beside Marvin.
Surprisingly in the little span of three hours, Tyler had made himself Marvin's best buddy, he had asked Marvin everything from his date of birth to whether he had lost his virginity.
Unfortunately for Tyler, Marvin had returned to his vow of silence.
"You play football, before?" Tyler posed a question to Marvin as he watched the game, Marvin didn't respond his eyes dead-focused on the game which seemed to be getting increasingly rough.
"When I was in high school I played receiver" Tyler continued to talk despite Marvin's apparent lack of interest in the conversation.
The football game had now started to divulge into a fight, the cornerback swung and hit a receiver, who took a swing at the cornerback as well.
From there both teams got into a scrap, the quarterback of the offense was tackled to the ground by the linebacker and got repeated punches to the face.
"Get ready, shit's about to get even worse." Tyler said as he got up from the bleachers, "The biggest problem with B-pod is everyone doesn't care about anyone" Tyler looked at Marvin as the group of boys on the bleachers ran towards the field.
The fight grew bigger as more boys got involved, but the guards stationed at the edge of the yard still made no move for the growing fight, something Marvin quickly noted.
"YOU BITCH, YOU GONE STAB ME" a boy's voice rises above the noise of the fight, screaming in agonizing pain over the shank that was now stuck in ribs.
"EVERYBODY DOWN." Finally, the guards began to make a move, they quickly got their batons out striking every boy that put up any sort of resistance.
Marvin and Tyler watched all of this go down as two guards came up to them to get them back in their cells "YOU TWO let's GO NOW." the guards yelled for them to get down quickly.
After making their move, it didn't take the guards long to get every boy back into their cells, and that's when Warden Lohan made her appearance known.
"I heard that you guys got into a bit of a scuffle today" Lohan's creepy smile showed her clear shiny dentures, "So unfortunately meals have to be delayed today, the fight scared off the cooks" Lohan's words mocked the boys with false pity.
"Well fighter, hope your first day's been exciting" Tyler spoke to Marvin who was simply lying in bed, "You wanna know why I'm in with you?" Tyler posed a question but it seemed to be a statement and less than a question.
"I killed my father" Tyler said quietly as he got into bed, causing Marvin to look at him. Both boys locked eyes getting into a fierce eye contact battle.
"Why?" Marvin decided to finally engage in conversation with Tyler, "Cause he killed my mother." Marvin saw the color that had glowed in Tyler's eyes the whole day.
"Sorry." those were the words Marvin believed Tyler should hear after all it's the same words everyone told him.
"Nah man, that was like three years ago, I don't even remember it" Tyler said looking up to the ceiling of his cell. Marvin knew he was lying but his gut told him that Tyler wanted it to end here.