Blinding lights flashed at us as we entered the council room. Photographers and bystanders became quickly aware of who I was, shouting slurs and insults at me as I walked past. Lucas walked beside me, somewhat hiding me behind him, but he wasn't getting let off easy either. People were screaming at him, telling him to get away from me, but he continued walking, unfazed. I dipped my head politely, desperately trying to get their approval, yet it was proving useless.
"Get the hell out of here!"
"Slum scum! Slum scum! Slum scum!"
"You don't belong here, bitch!"
I winced at their screams and tried to remain calm, but it was difficult.
We had visited Emma early this morning, and she was in stable condition. She had regained most of the color back in her face, and she was completely responsive, but she was weak, and the doctors said that she couldn't be discharged for a week and a half. Lucas seemed a bit more relaxed, but there was an underlying anger within it, and I knew the reason why, so I didn't bother to ask.
The massive double doors closed with a groan behind us, and we were left in silence, yet the muffled voices were still faint in the back of the room. I looked straight forward, and there he stood. Todd. In a cage, like a dog who had rabies. Many people were in the stands, staring quietly at me in disgust.
"Let the trial begin!" boomed a voice from above. I moved my gaze upward to see five high-risen balconies, each adorned with a single council member. Lucas escorted me to the side stands, where I was soon to be called upon in Todd's defense, but I knew it was going to be futile. Other people in the stands turned to glare at me, but I ignored them to my best ability and kept my head hung low.
They let Todd out of his cell and immediately handcuffed him, shoving him past photographers and other witnesses. They pushed him to a raised platform where the council members could look down on him with judgemental eyes. They listed his rights, then listed the crimes he was accused of. Then the trial began.
People were called up, and it was witness after witness, each giving their story as evidence. What bothered me the most was that Todd denied nothing and only nodded his head in guilt. Oftentimes, The Council argued against one another, debating if evidence was truly valid, but it always ended with them calling upon another witness. To my dread, I was called upon next.
"Will Blair Linden, please come up to the stand!" Council Member Urdock's voice echoed through the room. I swallowed a bit more audibly than I had intended, and then stood up. Everything that I had worked so hard to hide was now out in the open. All of my lies were revealed as they addressed me. I saw Zachary in the corner of the room, looking less than amused. Then I imagined that sweet merchant from the flower stand, watching all of this on a screen.
"Blair Linden, Origin, The Slums. We call upon you as Todd's only witness in this council. Please state your full name, age, and date of birth to The Council."
I wipe my sweaty palms and fidget with my dress, "Blair Sapphire Linden, I'm 18 years old and was born September 6th."
"Raise your right hand and swear the oath."
I swallow again and raise my right hand as instructed, "I, Blair Linden, vow to tell only the truth and provide valid evidence for The Council of Edoris. Or else my head be taken off my shoulders by The Council itself."
Lucas looked visibly uncomfortable as I swore the oath to The Council. He stood in the side stands, mainly because he was responsible for anything I did, but also as moral support. I was grateful he was there, but I felt more pressure on me as I also needed to battle for his reputation. My line of sight goes to Todd as he shifts uncomfortably, but he looked more scared for me than anything else. I felt a pang of sympathy for him, even though he willingly pleaded guilty in the first place. Why was I even there if he pleaded guilty? What could I possibly do to get him out of this? There was nothing useful I could think of to help him. Giving my thoughts influenced by emotion wouldn't be tolerated by The Council, but that was the only thing I could give.
"Miss Linden, what are your relations to Todd?" Council Member Talin asks. I think through my words carefully.
"I work for him in his trinket shop, he has also raised me from a very young age, so he is a guardian figure to me."
"Were you aware of his crimes in the time that you have known him?"
"No. I was not." I reply.
"Care to elaborate?" he asked pointedly. I shift my weight to my other leg and prepare my answer.
"I've known Todd for a very long time. I had no knowledge of what he was doing. He was always a private person, even when I was close to him. The only suspicious thing I ever see him do is marking up prices on old antiques to get more money from them. But business is business."
Todd chuckles softly at my answer, only loud enough for me to hear. However, The Council seemed satisfied with my answer and continued to question me further.
"Do you believe that Todd is guilty of everything he has been accused of?" Urdock asked. I shift again, uncomfortably.
"In all honesty, I have no idea. I would like to believe he is innocent, however a lot of this evidence stacks up against him," I pause, "But if I had to choose one answer, I would say that he is innocent."
A few people gasp behind me, but I try to maintain my confident facade. The Council's faces are grim, and I know immediately that my odds are stacked against me. At that moment, my breathing becomes heavy, and I become lightheaded. I feel my panic rising as I am ushered off the platform, and Todd takes my place. People start yelling over one another to get to me, and interviewers begin to ask me questions about my response, but at that moment, I can't focus on anything else but Todd. Everything is so loud that I can't hear a thing that The Council is saying, but I can guess the general gist, and it terrified me.
"Wait-!" I began to scream, but my voice was lost in the crowd. A long arm reaches out towards me to separate me from the sea of people and yanks me away. I looked behind me to find that it was Lucas, but I wasn't glad to see him. Struggling in his grip, I approached Todd, screaming at the top of my lungs. I could feel myself grow hot with anger and blood-curdling fear as I saw guards grasp Todd's shoulders, holding him in place so he didn't move. Everyone was filing out at the same time, trampling over me because even they didn't want to witness what was about to happen next.
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The room was soon cleared, but I could still see people yelling for The Council to get it over with. I couldn't hear a thing except for muffled noise as my head buzzed with too many thoughts to process. Lucas moved his grip to my waist in a bear hug-type way to prevent me from escaping his grasp. I screamed again, begging them to have mercy on him, but they paid no mind to my desperate pleas.
I see Todd look back at me, panic rising on his face as if he had something that he wasn't able to express. He began to say something to me, but I couldn't tell if he was mouthing it or actually talking. However, I was painfully aware of what he was doing.
He was saying goodbye.
"I love you, kid."
I froze in fear, unable to cry, move, or scream. Lucas was still keeping me from running, but his grip loosened. Suddenly becoming aware of my opportunity, I violently twist my body around, breaking out of his arms and falling to the ground. I quickly scramble toward Todd, but two massive androids take me by each arm and hoist me into the air, taking away the ground under my feet.
"TODD!" I scream, kicking my legs hopelessly through the air. He smiled sadly as a guard walked up to him, holding a gun in one hand and a key in the other.
"Please! Struggle! Do something! Don't leave me all alone! Don't leave me like she did!" I continue screaming, anger flowing through my veins. But I was also desperate. Desperate to keep him alive, to keep him near me, even knowing the terrible things he was accused of. His face immediately grew grim with anguish and despair as those words left my mouth, and he looked away from me. I was so close to him, merely a meter away, yet I could do nothing to stop them. The guard raised his gun calmly, and my fear skyrocketed.
"Please don't-!"
BANG.
The sound shook me to my very core as it drowned out my final plea. I blinked a few times, only to find that he was on the ground in an instant, gripping his side in pain.
"Please! That's enough!" I scream.
The guard only looked at me once before aiming his gun at Todd again, pressing his head to the floor with a heavy boot. Todd's face was squished and distorted, pain evident on his face. He looks up at me as the gun is aimed at his head and only gives me a pained smile.
BANG.
Warm liquid spatters on my face, and I couldn't look away. The power of the shot had blown his head open, causing blood to explode everywhere around him, including the guard and I. Half of his head had been blown through his skull, and his eyes rested wide open, his expression unchanged as he smiled on.
I didn't react; a look of complete horror was frozen on my face as I stared at him. He didn't even make a sound.
He was just gone.
My legs go limp, and my head swims. Once the androids confirmed that I wasn't a threat, they threw me to the ground with extreme force, causing me to hit my head on the floor. Hard.
"Blair!"
The voice calling out to me fades into an echo as the edges of my vision grow dark. A high-pitched ringing pierced my ears, causing my head to pound. Two pairs of shoes rush over to me at once, which I recognize as Lucas and Zach's. But I don't get up, actually....I can't move at all. They fuss over me, flipping me to my back to see how bad it was. I could tell they were bickering with each other, but I still couldn't hear anything they were saying. They seemed to be trying to get a reaction out of me, but I couldn't move to tell them that I was okay. Every part of my body felt numb, like it was buzzing with an energy I couldn't see. The buzzing got louder in my head, and it was almost deafening.
Everything was too loud.
--------------------------------
I didn't even realize I passed out until I woke up in my bed, all alone. The ringing was gone, but my head hurt terribly like somebody was drilling into my skull with a screwdriver. I didn't sit up. I just laid there, waiting for something to change, for something to happen. While doing so, my memory slowly returned to me; however, I shut certain parts out, not wanting to remember the horrible scene.
Every single part of my body was tired to the point where it was hard to move, but I got up nonetheless because my headache worsened the more I remembered. I reached up to the top cupboard on the tips of my toes and grabbed the medicine on top, popping a few pills and falling back onto my bed. Just as I was about to go back to sleep, my door unlatches without warning.
Lucas entered without a word, his eyes focused on the ground, unknowing of my presence. I decided to stay quiet and let him figure it out by himself. His gaze shifts up, and he stops immediately.
"You're awake," he says.
"Mm." I hum, not having enough energy for words. Instead of saying anything else, he goes to the kitchen and pulls out a bottle of gin. He takes out two small glasses and pours out a generous amount for both of us, then he makes his way over in a couple of strides. Holding out the glass, I accept it, and he sits down on my bed beside me. No words were needed as we drank, so we sat in a sort of awkward silence. But suddenly, Lucas pulls a letter out of his uniform and hands it to me.
I give him a confused look, and he gestures for me to open it. My fingers slid underneath the fold of the envelope, tearing it open and revealing a slip of paper. I take it out and read over the contents slowly.
It was a copy of a will.
'To my dear Blair, thank you for giving me your company and service throughout these years, and I'm sorry that I couldn't give you a better life growing up. To you, I leave my business and all the goods inside. Whether you would like to sell everything and live a better life or keep the business going is completely up to you, but regardless, I thank you.'
There was some stuff after it describing the terms and conditions of this, but I paid no attention to them. Lucas was reading over my shoulder, analyzing the words carefully next to me. I sat the letter down, and without even thinking of anything, tears leaked from my eyes. My bottom lip started trembling as I held myself together.
I couldn't cry. Not in front of him. Not in front of the very Sentinal who doomed Todd in the first place.
But why did he agree to take me instead of just leaving me there? Why doesn't he look at me in disgust like all the others? How could he just sit there and not hate me?
How could he not hate me?
I stared blankly ahead, tears threatening to spill over as I tried desperately not to let him see. Lucas adjusts himself, looking like he's ready to get up and leave, but instead does something entirely unexpected.
Lucas pulls me into his lap and holds me gently, with eyes full of sadness and understanding. My breath hitches in my throat as I try not to make that annoying gasping sound you make whenever you cry, and I look down at my hands. I try to distract myself by talking to him, but it proves difficult.
"Why are you doing this?" I demand, my voice breaking slightly. He doesn't respond, but he pulls me a little closer to reassure me that he cares. Tears finally spill over my cheeks, but I ignore them and look up at Lucas in defiance, blinded by tears.
"I don't even like you..." I whisper, my voice coming out more as a whine than I wanted it to. I gripped his sleeve, looking back down so he couldn't see my face anymore. He caressed my hair gently and pulled my head down to his chest, wrapping his other arm around my back.
"I know..." he murmured, "I know."
Just at that moment, nothing else mattered anymore. My mask shattered, and my tears flowed freely. I didn't care if he was there. If anything, I was thankful.
I sobbed, wailing with strained screams, my face scrunched against Lucas, who said nothing. My hands balled into fists, gripping his shirt to pull myself closer to him like I was trying to grasp something that was no longer there. What was this? I couldn't describe the feeling.
I screamed in agony that I didn't quite understand, with Lucas's arms surrounding me, rocking me back and forth like a child. But I felt like one. How could I have been so stupid? To be able to think that I would have been able to save him? I was angry. I was confused. I was sad. But all I could do was scream as my sobs made my body lurch.
I didn't care if anyone heard me.