Several more days passed with June locked in her house, but that part she didn't mind to much. What she minded was the secrecy her parents were keeping regarding her own trial. They never mentioned it around her—not at any meals, not when they came to kiss her good night—it was the elephant in the room every second of every day. And it drove her absolutely insane.

When she wasn't fuming about her parents silence, or worrying about Ferris and Cameron, she was drawing. People, mostly. She started with her portrait of Cameron, finishing it and pinning it to the one blank wall in her room. After that came Ferris and Sloane, Tom and Katie Bueller, Jeannie, Jerry and Melrose, Regina Frye, Roz and her boyfriend David, Holbrooke Marsh, and finally, though it was painful, she stretched to Cornelius Frye.

All of the portraits she pinned to the wall, in random patterns, filling up the blank space. With the full cast of characters mixed up her crazy life, she could almost find peace looking up at their faces. She'd drawn them in positions that she had seen them in the most, sometimes it was a smile, sometimes a faraway look, sometimes a curious expression. For Cornelius Frye, she had only seen him with a look of pure rage, or in the ultimate serenity of death, so she drew him expressionless.

The elephant was confronted a week later, when Holbrooke Marsh called to inform of the court date, and to schedule their next meeting. They agreed on the next afternoon, seeing as the court date was the morning after that. Once again, they made the stoic pilgrimage to the lawyer's office, and were briefed on the workings of the court room, as well as the overall game plan, involving witnesses and arguments. The meeting was shorter than the last, and ended with a reminder to be at the court room half an hour before the scheduled time of eight in the morning, and to be dressed formally.

June departed with a meaningful look at Ferris and Cameron, nervousness already building up inside of her. She went home to eat a quick dinner and fall into a restless sleep.

m m m

Awaking with more than enough to get properly worried, June busied herself with showering, and then trying to find formal clothes. She found a pair of dress pants and ironed them, and then a blazer that was closest enough in shade to match. A white button up shirt that had been hiding at the bottom of her wardrobe was added under the blazer, and a few pieces of jewelry came into the mix. June blow dried her hair, then put it up in a tight bun. She was getting tired of having longish hair, and decided that at some point soon she should get it cut. Assuming she wasn't facing jail time in her future.

She put on an heirloom watch, and a pair of high heels. A little make up around her eyes, and then she drifted down the stairs to eat a tiny, slightly nauseating breakfast.

Her parents had gotten up later than her, so June waited by the door, swaying from foot to foot while her dad fiddled with his tie, and her mother curled her already wavy hair.

Fifteen minutes later, they were headed out the door, and soon driving into the slowly waking city. June heard Melrose sniffle in the front seat, no doubt from the overwhelming day ahead of them. June leaned forward to pat her mother's arm comfortingly.

They arrived at the cook county criminal court right on time. Unsure of where to go, they padded toward the large front doors. As it turned out, it was not too hard to find where Marsh and the others were, and at eight o'clock they headed into the main courtroom, where jury was getting seated. The parents took seats in the benches, while Cameron, Ferris and June took seats at a table with Marsh.

Ferris squeezed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. June cracked her knuckles loudly. Cameron didn't move a muscle.

The judge arrived, and the bailiff called everyone to rise.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Murphy."

And they did.