Chapter Twenty-Eight: Judgement Day
The days leading up to Friday were spent doing things that would help me in a worst case scenario.
Even if I lost everything, I was still going to try to move forward.
I no longer spent any time with anyone after school, all I did was practice the violin, frantically trying to get better at the wide range of songs I used to know. I had very few belongings to speak of, and most of it was clothing consisting of a single pair of jeans, a single pair of jeans short shorts, three sweaters, three white button-up t-shirts, three pleated blue skirts, and a blue blazer. That didn't include my knee-high stockings, socks, loafers, headphones, and my new violin.
I had already sold the white backpack Kitten had given me, plus all of the gifted clothing.
I had gotten around a thousand dollars for the outfits, which wasn't a lot and seemed to be a very far cry from what the clothing was worth, but having any spare cash was better than having none. I swore to myself that I was going to live up to the last possible second like a normal girl, so I still attended school like nothing was wrong.
Back at the house, however, things were strained in my usual haunt by the kitchen fireplace.
Mrs. Figgins seemed genuinely perturbed by my lack of eating.
I think she felt guilty, to be honest. I hadn't spoken to her or even looked at her since she'd said that I shouldn't rely on her anymore, even if she asked me a direct question... and for my last three evenings at the house, I'd refused to touch any food she made. She tried to act as if it wasn't a big deal, but she still huffed and filled my plate like always, even though I never ate a bite. The only food I ever had was during lunch at school.
Today, however, was the day that things would finally unravel.
I wouldn't be going to school since the court hearing was scheduled for nine in the morning.
I hadn't told my friends what was coming.
I hadn't told anyone, in fact.
I rolled over in bed and looked at my nightstand, staring at the crinkled court summons.
I grabbed it, held it up... glared daggers into the nonsensical numbers, and my name, and the date, and the address. I let out a sigh and got up, rubbing my face with a scowl. Despite knowing that I was about to lose everything, I somehow decided to do something as mundane as taking a shower, so I tossed the paper onto the floor, grabbed the pieces of my school uniform, and made my way out into the hall towards the bathroom I shared with the other girls.
Boys and girls had different bathrooms in the house on opposite ends of the hallway.
I made my way in, undressed, and turned the water on, hopping in with my limbs shivering uncontrollably. The heat from the steaming water eluded me even as I ran some vanilla and honeysuckle scented shampoo through my hair from root to tip, trying to soak it all in. The shower was literally whispering things in my ear, things that told me today would be a good one, but I knew it wasn't going to be good at all. I was going to crash and burn.
My dreams were already dead.
I had no future.
The realization slammed into me for the umpteenth time and made me jittery.
I suddenly couldn't take the stress of being idle and turned off the water.
Even though there was no point, even though I knew my chances of not being ruined were slim, I put on my academy uniform as if today were like any other Friday. I looked at myself in the mirror while I wound my tie around my neck, noticing with an odd sense of detachment that there were bags beneath my eyes and I looked paler than usual.
It didn't come as a surprise to me.
What did come as a surprise, however, was the fact that I ran right into Amber when I left the bathroom.
She stared at me with wide green eyes, fiery red hair all over the place.
"Sally," she whispered, stepping closer to me, "why didn't you tell me?!"
I blinked, looking at her in confusion.
"Tell you about what?" I asked, trying to give her my usual deadpan stare. "Something wrong?"
Her face scrunched up and she whipped her fist up, holding the court summons before my eyes.
"This is wrong!" she whispered. "Sally! Do you know what this even is?! Do you know what it means?!"
I could feel my facade crumbling even before she lowered her arm, could feel how dead my emotions became, could feel the way I lost all focus and energy and drive. I sagged, leaning against the door frame for support, and stared at her.
"I was hoping I was wrong," I rasped, forcing a tired smile, "but your reaction confirms it. I'm about to lose everything."
Amber's eyes filled with tears and she clutched my arms.
"Sally, this is serious," she whimpered. "You don't understand! You don't have a licence! You won't be able to live here anymore, ever again! And... and... you won't be able to own any property on American soil, Sally! You'll wind up being homeless unless someone takes you in! That's not a life! That's not-"
"If it comes to that, it won't matter," I tiredly interrupted. "I'll fight hard... I promise. I'll fight whatever comes my way as hard as I can, even if I do end up on the streets. I won't let myself fall, no matter what... I promise."
"But, but-"
Instead of letting her finish, I stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.
She fell still, she didn't even breathe.
"Thanks, Amber," I said softly, patting her back. "You and Sarah were my best friends."
"Were?!" she squeaked. "S-Sally-"
But I didn't want to drag it out, so I let go of her, took the summons out of her shaking hand, and walked away. I didn't look back, I just kept moving forward, one step at a time... at least, until something slammed into me from behind. I jumped when two skinny arms wrapped around my middle, squeezing the life out of me.
"Sally, please!" Amber pleaded, nearly in tears. "You can't do this!"
"I don't have a choice," I deadpanned, clenching my fists. "If I don't go, I'm breaking the law, but if I do go... I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose everything. I'll get kicked out of here, and then I'll be on the streets."
"No!" she shrieked, burying her face in my hair. "We'll do something! There's still time to do something, Sally! We can rally up the school! We can form a protest! Heck, if people find out that you're being forced to give up all your dreams because of some stupid law, reporters will be on it in seconds! You're a hero and everyone knows it! Listen, we'll make sure that you don't have to worry about anything, I promise you that, but this isn't the time for you to-"
"Why do you care?" I snarled at her.
"Because you're one of my best friends!" Amber cried. "Sally, don't you get it?! Sarah and I, we love you!"
Those words made me stop. I didn't realize that my mind and body would have this kind of reaction; the reaction that made my thoughts spin and spiral, but my heartbeat stutter and skip. When it started up again, it only gave more oxygen to my brain to let it race faster. The bigger question, however, was why did I care?
Was it because I enjoyed their company more than I'd thought?
Was it because I'd gotten used to them being around?
Was it because they'd been there every step of the way during my freakish journey?
I didn't even know when the start of our friendship had begun.
"We barely know each other," I rasped, fighting for reason. "We've only been friends for a few weeks... we went months not even speaking to each other."
"That doesn't matter!" Amber vehemently protested, squeezing me tighter. "You don't get to pick who your friends are, its a thing that just happens! If you care about someone, and worry about them, and think about them when they aren't around, you're already friends!"
"If that's the case, do me a favor and let me go," I sighed, struggling to pull her arms off of me. "I have to do this. If I don't, I'll get in serious trouble, Amber. There's nothing you can do, so don't try. Just... pray, okay?"
"This isn't fair!" Amber argued, letting go of me and taking a step back. "You shouldn't be punished for being yourself-"
"But I am," I interrupted, glancing at her over my shoulder. "I destroyed those houses on accident Amber, but I still destroyed them and someone found out the truth. I'm sorry, but if you do anything to cause an uproar, I promise that you'll only be making it worse for me."
"I don't believe you," Amber hissed, nearly on the verge of tears. "I don't really see how those houses are your problem. It was an accident."
"Doesn't mean I'm not guilty of-"
"It doesn't make you a villain," Amber argued immediately. "It wasn't your fault!"
"Yes, it was," I quietly informed her. "At least, the law sees it that way."
"Who cares?!" Amber wailed, bursting into tears. "Sally! Don't go!"
I swallowed the rising lump in my throat and shook my head. My chest felt like it was constricting as I looked into those frantic green eyes. I was surprised by how much she cared... how much she truly didn't want me to do this, and the strangest part was, I felt guilty. I felt guilty for making her cry, so guilty it made me feel sick.
"I have to," I argued. "I'm sorry."
"Sally-"
"I have to go, Amber," I mumbled, turning around and opening the door. "Ciao."
"SALLY! SALLY, WAIT! PLEASE!"
But I didn't let myself listen.
I couldn't... I bolted outside and down the street, arms and legs pumping, head down, wind rushing through my ears and hair. And I had to run, because I wanted nothing more than to turn around and go back. She had been trying to provide some sort of comfort and make sure I understood just how much she cared, just how sincere she was.
But nothing could help me.
I ran down the streets, vision blurry, clenched fists shaking, fighting with myself not to turn around and run back to the house, to hide in my room, to avoid this. I sped forward, straight ahead, one step after the other, heart aching and breaking, then filling with momentary hope, hope that this was only about the hospital, before it was crushed by reality.
My heart was tugging at my body, screaming at me to turn around.
Everything around me felt like it would crumble if I stopped running.
The world felt as if it were ending.
Like my heart were squeezing, knotting, ripping itself to shreds.
For what felt like an eternity, I sped onward, running, letting myself become blind.
I knew where I was going... the address on the papers in my hand belonged to the same building where I'd met judge Walt. The city around me was bustling like it always was, with people heading to work or school, but all I could do was run, run, run. Run towards my future, whatever it was, and face it head on.
That was the kind of person I was.
I would face this standing tall, I wouldn't let it drag me down, I would claw my way out of this and fight for my future. I turned my eyes to the sunrise, looking at the sky. I didn't fully know what was going to happen, but whatever it was, I would struggle to get through it. I slowed down after a time to conserve energy, but I didn't fully stop running until about twenty minutes later when I found myself in front of the enormous stone steps leading up to the judiciary hall.
I doubled over, panting heavily, trying to catch my breath, before wiping the sweat off my brow with the sleeve of my blazer and making my way up. I clenched the fist holding the court summons and walked inside.
The air was cold, and I hated it.
People were walking to and fro amidst the pristine brown marble floors, but I made my way past the towards the woman sitting behind the curved front desk. She looked up at me through her half-moon glasses when I handed her the paper, and after a few seconds she took it out of my hands.
I looked at the clock while she examined it.
There was five minutes to spare.
"Follow me, please," the woman said, drawing my eye when she rose to her feet. "This way."
I blinked and did as she asked, following her closely as she led me down a nearby hall and opened a door; she stepped aside and allowed me to peek in. An unpleasant chill ran down my spine. The court room was full of people, and Judge Walt himself was in the high chair, already in the middle of speaking to someone wearing a familiar...
I jumped and let out an involuntary gasp.
"Marie?!" I hissed, staring at the blue-haired girl's shaking shoulders and clenched fists. "What's she doing here?!"
"-although I do hope that you enjoy community service," the judge said, smirking at her with eyes I didn't like. "The court is hereby adjourned. Let's move on to the next hearing, shall we?"
To my shock, however, Marie stepped forward.
"You can't do this to me!" she cried, stomping her foot. "I followed all the rules! I never broke the law! I only ever touched drugs once in my life, and even then I was only like twelve! You can't do this!"
"I believe I just did," the man sneered, shrugging with his gavel still in his hands. "Now, feel free to excuse yourself from the building or the Titans will come to arrest you."
"If they do," Marie laughed, clenching her fists with fury, "it won't be before I manage to gut you, fucking pig!"
People gasped when she raised her hands and started to step forward, but I was flying at her before she could do anything stupid; she froze when I slammed into her from the side and forcibly pushed her arms back down. I took a deep breath when she glanced at me with huge husky blue eyes.
"S-Sally?" she hissed, horrified. "Shit! Not you, too!"
"Don't be stupid," I said, then glanced at the judge to see him staring at me with narrowed eyes. "Just... wait for me outside, okay? I'm pretty sure I know what just happened to you... but, either way, believe me when I say we'll get through it. Trust me. Just trust me."
She looked at me with narrowed eyes, then glared at the judge before storming away, leaving the courtroom.
Nobody, not even the guards, relaxed until she was gone.
"Sally Rossetti," Judge Walt greeted, looking down his piggish nose at me. "Humph... this is a surprise."
"Hello again," I greeted in a deadpan, not moving from where I stood. His chair towered over me, and his podium was made of enameled wood. The weight of all the stares of the people behind me came crashing down on me, but I stood my ground and tried to ignore my blatant shivering. I stared at the judge as he shuffled through his papers.
"You're an unlicensed metahuman," the man said simply; then his face changed, shifting in a devious smirk, "and further, the anonymous police report tacked onto your file says that you destroyed seventeen houses with your power."
I blinked, then took a deep breath.
"I don't know if it was my fault," I said honestly, "but to be fair, back then I didn't know I had my powers, and I admit that strange things were happening to me around the time of the destruction."
"And tell me, what exactly is your power, Sally?" he asked, stroking his mustache when murmurs swept through the people behind me. "Enlighten me. Explain your circumstances."
"I can control the weather, your Honor," I said bluntly, and gasps filled the air. "I can create storms, control the wind, and do freaky lightning stuff. I still don't know how it works, but ever since I've found out, I've kept it under control."
"Control won't bring back the seventeen houses you destroyed," the judge said coldly, "nor will it give us the hundreds of thousands of dollars that the city was forced to spend on fixing the gas lines you destroyed, not to mention the cost of all of the electrical repairs. Such a crime is more extreme than arson! It's a miracle that nobody was injured or killed!"
I lowered my head, fighting back the wash of dread that threatened to overtake me.
"Please," I said weakly, taking a deep breath. "Let's not draw this out. Just pass my judgement."
A low chuckle met my ears.
"You have two options, Miss Rossetti," Judge Walt sneered at me. "You can allow yourself to be escorted to Alcatraz Island and live there under the tender care of the government for the rest of your life, or you can initiate International Code 722 and regain your individual freedom by giving up your citizenship of the United States. Choose wisely."
My head snapped up and my heart palpitated.
I saw it in his piggish blue eyes.
He was enjoying this... he was thoroughly enjoying watching me be put through this hell.
Anger sparked, hot and heavy, and I raised my head high, meeting his gaze head on.
"Since I only have two choices, and neither of them are ideal," I said firmly, hiding how shaken I really was, "explain to me what I can expect for the future if I use code 722."
His blue eye twitched in leashed frustration.
"You will no longer have access to government-sponsored facilities," he said automatically, shaking his head. "This includes basic amenities like the police, the fire department, and emergency medical treatment, but it also applies to all forms of insurance, any government-run department or chain jobs, and government-sponsored schooling of any sort."
"Would I still be able to use any cash I earn?" I asked. "Like, over the counter?"
"That depends on where you buy from, as anyone who sees fit can turn you down," the judge informed me. "You also forfeit the right to own or rent any property on U.S. soil. If you commit anything worthy of being considered a crime after using it, seeing as how the police will not be able intervene with your state of affairs, the Titans will be dispatched against you."
I blanched when I began to put two and two together, slowly feeling myself growing ill.
We looked at each other for a long time, me not knowing what to say and the judge not deigning to say anything at all. My thoughts went from numbed blankness to frantic rushing off and on, and after a moment where I felt rather than thought about what this man was saying, because thinking was getting me nowhere in this case, I finally loosened my tongue.
The pieces of the puzzle made sense.
The reason people resorted to crime was because you could do almost nothing after using code 722.
"Is it too late to ask for a lawyer?" I asked, muscles writhing beneath jerking skin. "Is there really no other form of punishment that you can give me? One where I can keep going to school, to work towards having a future, where I can pursue my aspirations?!"
"You should have thought to ask for a court appointed lawyer before the hearing," the judge snorted, "and no. You are a danger to the people around you, Miss Rossetti, and as it happens I am also on a tight schedule. Please make your decision. Alcatraz Island or code 772."
"You're on a tight schedule?" I deadpanned, making him stare at me with an expectant expression. "This is the biggest life decision I've ever had to make, and you're throwing it in my face like some sort of bullshit Jeopardy question because you're on a tight schedule? That seems very unprofessional."
His face turned red.
"Unprofessional?" he grunted. "No, what's unprofessional is that you're wasting everyone's time. Choose, Miss Rossetti."
"How can I choose?!" I finally barked, clenching my fists in outrage. "You're asking me to give up all my dreams! My future! You're asking me to pick which way my life gets to be destroyed! If you were in my situation, would you be so quick to make the decision?! Huh, buster?!"
"Going to Alcatraz is hardly what I would call destroying your life," Judge Walt scoffed. "Don't over exaggerate. The rumors of mistreatment are unbiased and-"
"I don't mean it like that!" I cried, stepping closer to him in outrage; over near the wall, a police officer put his hand on his gun, but I ignored him. "Either way, my life will be ruined! My biggest dream is to become a professional violinist and singer! I've been studying for it my whole life! All my hard work, keeping my grades at an even 4.0, all the time and effort I put into extra credit work, my applications into a performing arts school - you're demanding I waste all of it!"
"And what about the hard work of the people who built those houses you destroyed? What about their dreams?" he demanded harshly. "They were innocent, yet you destroyed their homes and all their hard work with that freakish power of yours-"
"Freakish?!" I spat, glaring at him. "You know what? You're right! They are freakish! I lived my whole life not even knowing this kind of crap existed, let alone that it could happen to me, of all people! I didn't even suspect that I was responsible for what happened to the houses in Sarah's neighborhood until I found out that I was the reason the weather was acting so strange! I didn't know!"
He slammed the gavel down, and everyone in the room aside from me flinched.
"IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR MASS DESTRUCTION!" Judge Walt roared at me. "MAKE YOUR CHOICE!"
"AND WHY SHOULD I?!" I screeched back, glaring deep into the man's piggish blue eyes. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! THOSE HOUSES HAVE ALREADY BEEN REBUILT AND EVERYTHING IS BACK TO NORMAL WITH THE LIVES OF THOSE INVOLVED! WHY SHOULD I SENTENCE MYSELF TO AN ETERNITY OF MISERY?! THE SENTENCE DOESN'T FIT THE CRIME! AT ALL!"
The man's pudgy face turned purply, but he sat back, glaring deep into my eyes.
"Crime must pay," he said coldly. "As I've said, you are a danger to those around you. You are a threat to this city, and our great nation."
"That's not true!" I cried, eyes widening in outrage. "That's not true at all! Yes, my powers are dangerous! Very dangerous, in fact! But they are not what defines me as an individual! My powers are dangerous, but I am not, and you shouldn't be treating me like I am! I'm a fucking freshman in high school for Christ's sake! My life hasn't even begun, and yet you want me to throw it all away over a God damn accident?!"
"Yes," the judge said simply, making my heart skip a beat; then, giving me a smile that I instinctively loathed, he said, "because accident or not, you're a criminal and you deserve to be punished. So, choose... before I choose it for you."
With that, he leaned back, watching me.
I, on the other hand, couldn't do anything but stand where I was: my vision had gone red, my mind had gone numb, and my heart...
It was cracking.
Right down the middle.
When I slowly turned my head, my unfocused eyes landed on the all people behind me, who were staring and watching as if it were a spectacle.
And as I stood there, for a small moment, time seemed to stop.
I could swear I heard my fractured heart breaking into a million pieces and tinkling down into the darkness of my dead dreams like bits of broken glass.
I slowly looked back at the judge, still in my own little pocket of emotional chaos.
My throat was caught.
I didn't know what to do even though I knew what I had to... but could I?
Could I really renounce my right to be an American? Could I really voluntarily give up my right to be a citizen of the same country that my own father, a high ranking veteran Marine, had fought for his whole life? To do so would be like betraying him, like spitting on all of his efforts... to renounce myself would be like sinning against my family, but I couldn't let myself get locked up on some island. They wouldn't have wanted me to spend the rest of my days living miserably on an island like a zoo animal.
My heart broke, then filled with rage, before breaking again.
My stomach knotted and curled, and I felt cornered.
Trapped.
But in the end...
"I guess I've got no other choice," I rasped in a voice that sounded nothing like me. "I wasn't given a lawyer... I can't even afford one, but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm using code 722."
"I hereby revoke Miss Rossetti's rights as an American citizen and activate International Code 722 on ID number 3357892210," the judge instantly said, and with a thunderous crack, he smacked his gavel down on the podium. "You are dismissed. Please extricate yourself from the premises."
I looked at him for a long time, numb from the inside out.
With the crack of that gavel, my dreams had shattered into a million pieces.
"These laws of yours?" I said simply, numbly, even as I turned away. "They're messed up. There's no time to do anything... and now, I guess it all makes sense."
"Beg your pardon?"
I didn't turn around at the sound of his voice.
"Why people in this city are always committing crimes," I called back. "You give them a month to get a license, and if they can't pull it off, you force them into a corner. All the people who are stealing stuff and robbing stores and banks and trying to hurt people... its your fault."
"Their antics are hardly my fault."
"The fault of the government, I mean," I thundered, pausing right in front of the door; I turned, then, and gave him my angriest glare. "This government, the way its being run... we are all people, Mr. Walt. Some of us have special abilities, others don't, but in the end, we're people... and the sad thing is, you sneer at us and blatantly enjoy passing judgment."
The people who were sitting on the benches looked at each other and murmured loudly.
Judge Walt seemed flustered, and he cracked his gavel; the room went silent.
"I don't enjoy it, Miss Rossetti, but it has to be done," he said, smiling. "Crime must pay."
"Is it a crime for something to exist?" I coldly inquired. "Because Marie never committed any crimes, and you did the same thing to her that you just did to me. It would seem, Mr. Walt, that the only crimes most metahumans commit is being different than you. And that mindset is grossly similar to what I've read about colonial confederates who mistreated and oppressed black slaves."
When his face jolted with a startled expression, I deemed that I'd said enough.
I left without another word.
