A/N: Well, hello. I've been on hiatus for some time now, but I couldn't let this rot on my hard drive anymore. That, and I was going stir-crazy.

This is my first attempt at VA fanfic, and it is intended to be a five-part story chronicling the world of the Ozera family after the deaths of Lucas and Moira. I kept wondering what Tasha and Christian would have felt like, having been betrayed by people they thought they knew and loved. It must be hard to walk through a society that ridicules you for your pain, and through this story I hope to express that pain and hurt. The title of this story refers to how people continually dissect the opinions and viewpoints of others, and try to look for clues or facts that aren't there.

Parts/chapters will be short, and all kinds of reviews are appreciated, especially ones that tell me how I can improve.


Abattoirs of Judgment


Part 01:

The Press is a Pain in the Ass

/

The Court Has Its Own Secrets


THE DAILY ENQUIRER

Ozera Case Still Has Too Many Loose Ends

Motives and Evidence Missing, Say Detectives

September 11th, 20XX

Joanne Guilford, Special Correspondent

Recent comments from certain case files concerning the Ozera case have come to light, with investigators stating that there are still far too many loose ends in the case, and that crucial evidence that was purported to have existed is now under question.

Unnamed sources in the investigative team have gone on record saying that there exists no concrete evidence to prove that the Ozeras willingly became Strigoi. Guardians involved with the case who claimed that this proof existed have now retracted previous comments, with one going so far as to state that he "never wanted anyone to get hurt, it was just what we were ordered to say at the time." Others have refused to talk, citing secrecy and other reasons.

Upon further investigation, this reporter found that official files are missing certain documents - documents that could prove the Ozeras innocent of the crime they are being accused of. The documents that were in the file given to us were heavily censored, with most details unintelligible and blacked out. Evidence bags with labeled tags are unsealed, others empty. Photographs taken at the scene are missing, and witness statements appear as though they have been altered. This reporter finds it highly suspicious that such a high-profile case has been tampered with, almost as though the police arrived at the conclusion that they wanted.

The Royal Court had declined to give any statements in the two months that have passed since the incident. The Ozeras regularly resided at the Court, but neither the Queen nor her press aides have given the official opinion of the government regarding the family. Sources within the Court state the Queen is infuriated by the recent onslaught of negative publicity surrounding the Court in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Lucas, 41, and Moira, 39, part of the large Ozera family, are purported to have killed Mandy Nicholson and Reagan Smith in late June in order to become Strigoi. Both Nicholson and Smith were Moroi who worked at a computer firm in Helena. The Ozeras did not raise any red flags until they disappeared around the same time that the bodies of Nicholson and Smith were found.

An extensive search of the dump site revealed evidence that linked the Ozeras to the double homicide. The Ozera home was raided by guardians in July, when Lucas' sister Natasha raised an alarm. The Ozeras had apparently come to take their only son, Christian, with them. Natasha Ozera is currently in hospital with injuries resulting from the fight. Christian Ozera currently attends St. Vladimir's Academy.


Thanks for reading. Part 02, Natasha Spares Some Time For Herself, will be up within the week.