Far from either high school was a juvenile detention center.
Sweatered in a coat of vibrant pine trees, the Cascadian Home for Waywards was sad, sporting chipped grey paint and dented walls. The occupants were primarily druggies, with a few gang members thrown into the mix for good measure.
A small reddish-pink car zoomed up the road, pulling to a halt just outside the chain-link gates, and a young woman stepped out, a wrinkled flyer clutched in her hands. Clover Thomson stood out among the cool colors of the forest, from her bright auburn-brown hair, tie-dyed various shades of pink, to her tan, freckled skin that boasted a constant, healthy flush.
The guards manning the gate raised a few eyebrows at the pink and yellow tank-top plastered with motivational words that Clover was wearing, but they said nothing, for which Clover was extremely thankful.
     " I'm here to see Gabriel." Clover said calmly, glancing at the gathering storm clouds far above.
The guards sighed and opened the gate, then gestured for her to drive in, which she gratefully did.
Just as the rain started pouring down by the bucket-load, Clover ran into the relative warmth of the Home.
The main office was decorated with three pictures of the 'success stories' who had managed to seem normal enough to be dismissed back into society. The low number was a depressing tribute to how well the Home took care of the boys.
    Clover was all too aware that the man behind the desk was eyeing her with uncomfortable intensity. The man was sitting, but his long neck spoke to an equally long body. The guard stood up and stepped out of his desk, nearly tripping when his foot caught the steel bar running down the middle of the floor. After recovering both his balance and dignity, the guard walked over to Clover.
    " So.. You're Gabe's big sister?" he asked, eyeing the entrance to the main prison- behind which some of the worst drug offenders in Cascadia resided.
Clover bristled at the casual way the guard referred to her little brother.
" He hates being called Gabe. and yes I am his sister. I'm Clover Thomson." she said, wincing at the harsh note that was bitterly obvious in her voice. She had never liked being angry, especially so when she lost her temper around total strangers.
    " I'm Chaswick Freelove. Nice to meet you." the guard said, a smile breaking across his face. Clover remained focused on the subject of her brother.
    " How's Gabriel doing?" she asked anxiously.
    " He's doing better than we expected." was the measured response that Clover received.
    " That's good.. I've been worried for him." Clover murmured.
Chaswick gestured for Clover to follow him deeper into the prison.
    The interior of the Home could best be described as clinical. Stark white walls, floors, and ceilings enclosed the screams of the sick, withdrawn, and even the dying. Clover's brow furrowed when she recalled how much Gabriel had disliked loud noises back when he lived with the Thomsons. If urban sounds had put that strain on her brother, then these wails must be nothing short of torturous.
Chaswick the guard stopped dead in front of cell number 388.
    " we're here." he said, and slid the key into the lock.

At first, Clover couldn't even see her brother, because of how well he blended in with the white and black jail cell.
    Gabriel Thomson was slim, with a mop of raven-black hair and deep blue eyes. He was paler than even the surrounding walls, to the point of being translucent, and pity rose inside Clover when she saw angry red track marks shooting up and down her brother's skinny arms. She grabbed one arm and stared at Gabriel.
    " Gabriel Thomson. What is this?" she chided, pointing at the track marks.
Gabriel played dumb- a ploy that had never been his strong suit.
"What is what?" Gabriel asked, a look of pure innocence that could thaw all but the hardest of hearts on his face.
Clover released her brother's arm and sighed heavily. She knew all too well that Gabriel had issues with drug usage.
" Don't even try to play dumb with me." she said quietly, trying to keep her anger in check. Gabriel pulled his blanket over his shoulders and burrowed inside until only his nose stuck out.
" fine.. I've been using again." he whispered. Clover resisted the urge to grab him tight and shake sense into him.
" Gabriel. We've discussed this.. You promised you'd stop." she said urgently. Gabriel pushed the blanket off his head, and Clover fought the urge to laugh when she saw that his hair was sticking up in every direction.
"No, I promised that I would TRY to stop." he groused. Clover sighed and covered her face with both hands.
" We'll discuss this later. Right now, I found you a job!" she said, trying to be cheerful. Gabriel looked less than convinced. He crossed his arms and slouched forward.
" Job? What job? No one in their right mind would hire me." He scoffed.
Clover decided to explain the details further.
" So, I was putting up flyers for the charity thing.. I told you about that, right?" She asked, worrying the edge of the flyer between her fingers. Gabriel leaned on his big sister, and Clover could feel his hair tickling her neck.
" Yeah? I think it was to save the lions?" He mumbled. Clover smiled and nodded, not surprised in the least that her brother had forgotten all the details.
" Close enough." she mumbled, then put on a happy face for Gabriel's sake.
"Anyways, I was putting up flyers for the anti-radiation fundraiser, and I saw a flyer that said there was a job opening in the military!" Clover tried to sound as energetic as possible in an attempt to extract a response from her apathetic sibling.
" Why should I care?" Gabriel asked. Although he was externally bristling, Clover could see right through his act, and knew that Gabriel had always admired people from the military. For his sake, she decided to play along.
" Gabriel. Please... for my sake. Just try to cooperate with other people." she pleaded. Gabriel smiled at his big sister, and made a show of rolling his eyes.
" Fine. But only for you. No one else can boss me around." he muttered.
Clover smiled back at her brother and pulled him into a tight hug.
" Bud, it is the military. There are gonna be orders. Please try to follow them." she said gently. Gabriel slumped against Clover and looked up at her.
" Have you spoken with Mr. Whithouse?" he asked. Clover shuddered at the memory of the community parole officer, and how he would throw things at people who talked too loudly, with no regard to what the objects were or who the person on the receiving end happened to be.
" Not yet. I was actually hoping you would advocate for yourself for this. You don't want to spend your life in here, do you?" she asked, relieved when Gabriel shook his head against her.
" that's what I thought." she said. " I'll arrange a meeting for tomorrow. Ok?"
Gabriel shrugged, and the motion sent him sliding out of Clover's arms.
̈ ̈ Hey, what's wrong?" Clover asked.
̈ Thoughts." Gabriel said. Clover leaned forward and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew what Gabriel meant when he said ́thoughts' and she wasn't thrilled about the memory.
" Quite honestly, the guy had it coming." Clover scoffed. Her face darkened with a scowl. " I mean, what did he expect when he picked on me? A fruit basket or something?
" I never expected to hear that out of you." Gabriel's tone was light- a far cry from his earlier surliness. " Whatever happened to.. Forgive and Forget?" he said, pointing to the phrase painted on Clover's shirt. Clover batted Gabriel's hands away and laughed.
" Stop dissing my shirt, Mr. Unflattering Jumpsuit." she teased. Gabriel feigned offence, and stared down at his plain white jumpsuit.
" I'll stop dissing your ridiculous shirts when you stop dissing my snazzy jumpsuit." he said insistently. He struck a ridiculous pose and fell off the cot with a heavy thunk.. Clover stifled a chuckle when Gabriel's face popped back into view.
" I obviously got the fashion sense in this family." she teased.
Gabriel smiled up at his older sister.
    " Clover?" he asked quietly.
    " Yeah?"
Gabriel took a deep gulp of air.
" I'm gonna take your advice. I'll be good, and pursue that career you told me about.. And.. and.." his words cut out, and he flapped one of his hands irritatedly.
Clover hugged Gabriel, providing soothing pressure for his grated nerves.
" Thank you." she whispered.
Gabriel hugged Clover back, and buried his face in her shoulder.
    " no problem." he whispered.
Clover stood up and walked out of the door, waving goodbye as she vanished into the main body of the prison.