To my beloved dear,
My dear, I am torn. I am miles away from you, and my yearns to feel your presence in my arms. When I close my eyes, I see my face mere inches from mine, your eyes gazing deep into mine, pristine and love filled. I know not what will await us when we meet again. I know now even if you are safe, my dear. Are you safe?
Lawrence and the others have traveled very far with me these past few months, and we have all paid the price. We should never have come out here. The world is much more frightening than it seemed from our place on the windowsill. This little escapade of ours was a mistake. We only wanted to find him, but it has gone terribly wrong.
Only Jedediah, Atilla, and myself remain together now. Lawrence is spending the night under lock and key, behind the bars of the sensitivity of men today. I did not think he did any wrong. But many others would say otherwise. Poor Lawrence. Blamed for a crime he did not commit. He was just as keen to find Ahkmenrah as the rest of us. We all know it was not he who harmed him. But, unfortunately, the evidence we have found shouts against him, much like the mob of people in the court.
Now, he is being blamed for the attack on Octavius. Can you believe that? Lawrence would never do such a thing! He was not the one who took our dear Ahkmenrah, nor was he the one who hurt Octavius! I can't understand how the man judging over the court can believe it was him! Does Lawrence really seem like the kind of guy who would do such things to those he loves, or anyone else for the matter?
I want to walk right up to the jury and slap each and every one of them! How bad has our nation gotten since I was in the presidency? Aweful! They act off of such little proven evidence, and so many terrible people get off easily. From what I've heard, the man who our lawyer believes is responsible should still be in prison right now. Yet somehow he got off on parole!
I find it so hard to understand all of this. Law has changed, too. I remember the days where if you were guilty, you were rightly punished for your crimes. You had a fair trial, and any lawyers caught bribing or being bribed were just as guilty as their defendants! And there is so much corruption in the courtroom!
Forgive me, my dear. I know politics confuse you. They confuse me at times, too. If only the day was simplier. I know you must still be wondering what is wrong with Octavius. I only touched briefly on that.
We do not know what exactly happened, but Jedediah and I had been walking when we happened to find him. It is a miracle he was still alive. We are not sure who attacked him, but he was shot through the stomach region. We know very little of his condition as of now, although he wrote to Jedediah a day ago. He said he was fine, but he has to undergo more surgery.
It is a terrible thing, that this has happened to him. But he managed to get a good viewing of his attacker, and there is enough evidence to potentially find his attacker. If we're lucky, the man who attacked Octavius is in league with the man who took Ahkmenrah. Or, if we are very, very lucky, he is the same man.
Myself and those remaining in our small group are doing somewhat well. We still have enough money to rent the hotel room we are staying in. We are safe here for now. Yet, we can't shake the feeling we are being watched. It is a frightening feeling, but we have seen very little suspicious activity.
Atilla is doing quite well. He seems to understand the situation. His cover as an acting exchange student is serving him well enough. As for Jedediah, he is bordering a nervous wreck. His nerves are wearing thin, as are mine. We are all worried for Ahkmenrah and Octavius, and fear what might happen to Larry. None of us are in a spot we wish to be in.
I hope you and Nicky are well, my dear. We will hopefully return to the museum soon.
Teddy Roosevelt