Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.
Frederick Douglass
The interrogation room was small, only twenty feet by thirty. With a one-way mirror in front of her, and the door to her right. Tabitha sat in a steel chair. Her wrists handcuffed to the eight-foot-long metal table. Tabitha was shivering, the air conditioning in the room was set to freezing. Tabitha in her flight to escape the churchmen was unable to grab her jacket. All she was wearing is her tight black T-shirt and pants that did nothing to fight off the chill. They purposely left me in here for so long to cause suffering however small. Tabitha thought as she could not even rub her body because of being restrained.
It was a tactic to make Tabitha feel uncomfortable, they have been doing this since the moment they arrested her. Through processing and detainment, Tabitha has been treated like the worst criminal in human history. Relax Tabitha, it’s not so bad. They're probably going to slap me with a fine and some jail time. Yeah, that’s it. These are just scare tactics, I’ll serve my time and be out in a year. Tabitha wanted to believe that so strongly, but something was telling her that the situation was not going to be that simple.
Tabitha jumped slightly as the door to the interrogation room opened without warning. A man wearing a white suit stepped in, he was good looking. With nicely taken care of blond hair and green eyes, not to mention a face worth studying for a while. Tabitha could not help but admire how handsome he is. The man, on the other hand, did not give her a second glance. He almost seemed disinterested as he placed a light brown file folder on the desk and took a seat across from Tabitha.
“Well, Ms. Pearson. Let us see what sins you have committed against the Holy Church of Romanto.”
The moment the man spoke, Tabitha’s admiration for him died right then and there. It’s the dude who held me up with magic! What the hell? No, Tabitha would not forget his voice. It was cold and uncaring; this man did not believe Tabitha to be a person worth consideration. The man opened the file folder, but he did not look at any of the files. He was staring at Tabitha, his cold green eyes stared coldly into Tabitha’s heterochromatic eyes. She tried to stare unflinchingly but his eyes were contemptuous, they said that she was nothing to him.
“You are the daughter of the sinners Mark and Kathy Pearson. Both were executed for crimes against the Holy Church of Romanto.”
Tabitha gritted her teeth on the flash of anger, the man noticed and gave her an insincere smile.
“My parents did nothing wrong, they were murdered for just helping an old family friend.”
“Your parents were aiding a resistance fighter, a Nelson Pommel. Former Brigadier General of the United States Marine Corps.”
“My parents hadn’t seen the brigadier general in a long time. They didn’t know.”
“Enough!”
Again, the man used his magic to silence Tabitha. She glared at him and yet again, he ignored her.
“I do not care about your parents’ guilt or innocence. Your parents’ sentence was carried out long ago. I am here to talk about your guilt and tell you your sentence.”
Tabitha blinked at that, then she shook her head quickly in disbelief.
“Wait a minute, I know I’ve been charged. But I haven’t gone to trial or made any deals. How do I defend myself if the sentence has already been made.?”
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The man gave her a malicious smile.
“You are not as clever as you think you are.”
He said then.
“We have been watching you for a while now. We know all about your nighttime excursions even after curfew, your solicitation of prohibited items, your sales of contraband over the internet, and your flagrant disregard for all the laws and Codes of Conduct set by the Holy Church of Romanto. We are also well aware of your association with undesirables throughout Capri City.”
Capri City, Tabitha thought. A long time ago, we use to call it New York City but not anymore. Tabitha was in deep trouble, but she would not act guilty. She would defend herself by attacking, it was the only way to survive in this world now.
“You think it’s easy for a young girl without family to protect herself out there on the streets. Yeah, I know what my file says after you murdered my parents. I was placed in one of those church orphanages, but the place was a hell hole. So when I was old enough to run, I took my chances on the streets. I learned how to survive on the streets, and yes I associated with undesirables to survive. I learned how to fix or make things, things people wanted, and things people needed.”
Tabitha snorted at the morality corps officer.
“I had two choices, to sell my body or to make my own way with my own hands. And a prostitute, a young and pretty prostitute has a life expectancy of one year. As far as I was concerned, I was too young to die. So, I did what I had to do. I worked hard at learning a trade but I couldn’t pay for the license.”
Tabitha shrugged her shoulders then.
“So, I started fixing things and selling them over the internet. In just a month, I would have had enough cash to purchase my merchant license. Then, I could go legit big time, all I needed was time. I may have broken your laws, but it was either obey and die or try to find a way to live. And I wanted to live and be my own person.”
After Tabitha was finished, the man stared at her for a long time. Then, he just burst out laughing. Tabitha was taken aback by this reaction, she did not expect this and she did not like it. When the man gained control he looked at her with a smile and said.
“Nice speech. Do you want me to play the violin for your woe is me sob story. Am I to pity you or feel sorry for your circumstances.”
The man chuckled as if finding amusement in those things.
“Sinners like you always have excuses for committing any sins that serves your purposes. It is never your fault, you are just like your parents. Now, you will end up like your parents.”
The fear Tabitha was trying to keep at bay, came forward at full force. She almost missed the man’s next words as she tried to calm her racing heart.
“Tabitha Elaine Pearson, you are hereby sentenced to death by the church courts. You will be made an example of for others to learn a valuable lesson. May your death save other lives in the future.”
Abruptly, the man got out of his chair and headed straight for the door. Tabitha was so shocked that she barely had time to scream.
“WAIT!”
The man stopped and turned to look at her with disinterest. As if she was a mere bug not worthy of notice.
“Yes?”
He said so calmly as if he had not just delivered a death sentence to a young girl.
“Death? For selling everyday items to people in need without a merchant license. I’m not some mass murderer or terrorist, or even a resistance fighter. I’m nobody, I don’t deserve death. Who the hell are you to decide my fate just like that? Without even a trial where I can defend myself. Under your Codes of Conduct, I am allowed even that much.”
“You are allowed what we deem necessary.”
The man snapped back, his white skin flushed with anger. Then he calmed himself in an instance and smiled.
“By the way, I am High Priest Micheal Ray. And I have the authority in the name of Romanto to recommend anything I deem necessary for the glory of Romanto.”
And with those final words, High Priest Michael Ray left the interrogation room, closing the door behind him. Tabitha sat in the cold chair in that cold room. Knowing now that her life was over, the Holy Church of Romanto did not waste time with executions. When you were sentenced today, the execution was carried out noon tomorrow. Everyone knew that, it had happened to her parents. Her mother and father were burned at the stake, with black pitch covering their bodies. They did not die from the flames, no, they died by smoke inhalation.
I am going to die in the most horrible and painful way. Is this how it ends for me, 17 years of life under the boot heel of a repressive religion not of my parents. To be made an example of. Tabitha shook her head in denial, she wanted to get out of here but it was futile. After five minutes of realizing that she would die tomorrow, they came for her. Hulking men, emotionless, they did not care why she was here or whether she was guilty or innocent. She was another body, another sinner to receive just punishment. Tabitha did not bother to fight, even if she did get away from the men. She would still be trapped inside the Morality Corps headquarters. Tabitha did not fight, in the end, she had to accept her fate. She could not see any other way out, it was hopeless.