She sighed. "They really must've done a number on your memory, huh?" she murmured, handing me the folder. "Can I see your wrist?"
I looked down at my wrist and reluctantly held it out so she could examine it. Hers was one I'd already seen on a few of the other prisoners they had been processing back at the Agency, but I still wasn't sure what it meant. "Sure. It's been getting me weird looks all day, so I take it there's something wrong with it?"
Maddie gently took my hand in hers and ran her thumb over the mark, as if she was memorizing it. "Wow, that's really interesting," she breathed, finally releasing my hand. "I don't think there's anythingwrongwith it, exactly, I've just never seen it before."
I imagined that was saying something, considering she probably saw new intakes coming in each day.
"Maybe they're rolling out a new type of mark," she added with a shrug. "It's probably nothing to worry about."
"What do these mean, exactly?" I asked warily. "The angels said it's related to whatever crime you committed to land in this place, but when I asked about mine, they wouldn't say anything." Well, that wasn't entirely true. They'd just gotten ominous and said I really didn't want to know. Like that wasn't supposed to make me ten times more curious. The truth was, I didn'tfeellike a criminal, or at least not someone capable of doing something horrible enough to wind up in supernatural jail.
To be fair, I had a hard time believing Maddie was a hardened paranormal criminal, either. She had a mark, so I knew she wasn't on staff.
"That's unusual," she admitted. "Maybe you committed a crime no one's ever heard of?" She gave a nervous laugh.
I grimaced. That definitely wasn't the best case scenario. So much for hoping it was just a clerical error or a tattoo artist who was really shitty at their job.
At least, Ithoughtit was a tattoo. I was almost afraid to ask. "What does yours mean?" It was probably rude to ask, but if total amnesia wasn't an excuse for a little social awkwardness, nothing was.
Maddie blinked at me, then blushed. "It means I'm a thief," she said, absently brushing her fingertips over her mark. "Or was. Don't really remember what I took or why, though. “I like to imagine it was for a good cause. That I was the Robin Hood of bunny shifters or something.”
A rabbit shifter. I could definitely see that.
"Oh. Well, that doesn't sound too bad all things considered," I admitted. Something told me I hadn't gotten this mark for shoplifting. "Sorry if that's rude. I'm...still kind of getting my bearings," I admitted.
"No, it's fine," she said, waving her hand. “My room is right down the hall from yours, so if you ever need anything--even if it's just someone to talk to--I'll be there. Block 414."
"It's nice to meet you, Maddie, and thanks," I said, surprised by the offer, especially since she had reason to be wary of me. "I appreciate that. Um... so there really are cell blocks?" I'd been hoping that was a figure of speech, but now I wasn't sure. I guessed I should be grateful I wasn't walking around in cuffs anymore, but the collar around my neck wasn't much better.
"Not exactly," she responded. "They're more like small apartments. Very small apartments. You'll see." She glanced at my collar. "One more thing... can I ask what that is?"
"That's good to know." I looked down and touched the metal against my neck. It wasn't tight per se, but there wasn't any room to get a finger underneath it, either. I'd been wearing it ever since I woke up, and I still hadn't gotten used to the feeling. "They said it's a safeguard, to make sure I don't try to escape," I admitted, sure any chance of her wanting anything to do with me was about to fly out the window.
They'd also told me I would drop dead before I made it three feet off Academy grounds, but I figured I'd leave that part out unless she explicitly asked.
Maddie considered that for a second. "Wow, you must've really fucked up," she finally mused, drumming her fingertips on the surface of the desk. "Then again, maybe not. They must've considered you redeemable or.... well, or you wouldn't be here."
"I guess so," I sighed. I hesitated, wondering if I should ask her the question that had been on my mind ever since I'd been told I was coming to the Academy. She seemed like a safer person to ask than anyone in the administration, at any rate.
"So... they really let us out of here if we make it through four years without, you know... backsliding?" It was hard to know what to avoid doing when I didn't even know what I'd done to get me in trouble in the first place.
Maddie seemed to brighten a little. "Yes," she said, sitting up a little straighter and clearing her throat, as if she'd prepared a speech. "After four years, students at the Academy are given the chance to complete a final exam. By then, most of your memories have been returned, except for the day surrounding your crime. The Agency has psychics who access your mind and use a bunch of different tests to figure out if you’re really reformed. If you are, you graduate.”
“And if you don’t graduate?” I asked warily.
Her expression grew somber. “Graduation is the ticket out of here. The ones who don’t pass the final exam are sent to prison. With a mark like that, I'm afraid you'll probably have to be on your best behavior."
As I listened, I was pretty sure I was making a what the fuck face, but I couldn't help it. So my entire fate was going to rest in the hands of some glorified mind reader? That wasn't unsettling at all. I looked down at the mark, resenting it even more than I already did. "Thanks for the warning. I should probably go to my dorm and get settled in, but... thanks for all your help."
"Of course," said Maddie, handing me the folder. "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. And... welcome."
"Thanks," I said, taking the folder. "See you around."
I hoped the other students were half as nice as she was, but somehow, I doubted it.
I walked around the building to familiarize myself with the classes on my roster, so I wouldn't be totally lost come morning, and I was relieved the hallways were pretty much empty since class was out. It looked more or less like a normal school building. There were classrooms, and bulletin boards along the halls filled with info about school events. I wasn't sure why I was surprised there were sports teams. If anyone needed a physical outlet, it was a bunch of supernatural deviants all cooped up in the same space.
Once I had explored as much as possible, I finally resigned myself to going to the dorms and meeting my roommate. I just hoped she wasn't quite as bad as her reputation made her out to be.
