OOooh, final chappy! I've had a lot of fun with Sab. Dreams, a LOT of fun, and it seems a shame for it all to end. There will be a sequel though, so I guess I've got to get started on that! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, especially Sean who has reviewed every chapter. Oh, and I'd like to quickly dedicate this chapter to a bunch of people that are just completely awesome-
Cap. Rosseline Roulez, (a brilliant cap'n with a heart of gold) Xanthamuff, (inventor of some really cool ideas- robotic arses, for example) Madonna, (an incredible friend who likes a laugh) Drunken Frizz, (just for being a drunken frizz) Dragoness, (I'm gonna say this just for you- DRAGONS RULE!) Mrs Bloom, (we have known each other for years, yet we're still friends. Amazing.) Cupcake, (for all the times you have said the word 'daises' in an evil manner) and Elozabeth (for being such a big fan of Peter Andre.) Anyone who is reading and is mentioned above, stop reading NOW!
Oh, and by the way- just to say, this chapter is all in Randall's point of view. Read on!
Chapter 18- Goodbyes
I didn't really know why I was there. Maybe it was because of all those questions which I didn't have answers to. But how I got it into my head that she would have the answers, I don't know.
The waiting room was plain and boring. I guess the police weren't exactly keen on the idea of making people enthusiastic to visit the prisoners, but they could've put a little effort into it. The expression on the policemen's faces was also something that you could take a picture of and...well, give to the prisoners for a punishment. But, then again, the policemen would be the ones who would get blamed in the event of suicide, and I'm sure none of them would want that on their mind.
I was bored as heck. The only entertainment I had was watching the second- hand of the clock jerk its way past the numbers, and even that gets boring after a while. The place was so empty and quiet...it was kind of creepy. You could tell if someone was coming from a mile off- their feet or tentacles or whatever would slam against the hard floor and the sound would bounce off the walls. In one corner, there was a pathetic little plant, half-dead, like everything else in that dump.
A wide slimy swung open a door and came in, shaking his head to where he wanted me to go. He couldn't have looked any more serious even if someone had just come in and told him that his parents had just died because of him. I went down the corridors, which smelt of that stuff you get in hospitals. Everything was white. Not exactly an inspirational colour scheme, but with some of the loonies they kept down there, it was no wonder.
I was afraid that she would be in one of those rooms where everything is padded and the ceiling matches the floor. I might not be a big fan of those crime programs, but even I know that the people in those rooms weren't exactly alright up there. I half-expected to see the monsters in the centre of these rooms, sobbing their eyes out or hitting their fists against the wall. But the windows on the doors were hard to see through coz of that damned netting stuff, so I didn't catch much.
These cells ended, and the usual prison cells began in a different part of the building. Here, everything was grey. Either they wanted the criminals to end up colour-blind or they just thought that spending money on them would be a waste. Past some more cells and into another large room.
She was in the corner on one side of a large piece of plastic, sitting on a neon blue seat. I didn't want to go over to her. It was pointless really. But the prison guard looked back at me, waiting for me to take my seat. And, though many people like to call me stupid, I'm not as stupid as to make a problem in that place.
There wasn't anyone else- I must've been pretty early, and Zephyr's trial was tomorrow, so I was kinda desperate to speak to her. All of that that had happened at Crynferse was over MONTHS ago, and I'd almost forgotten what she'd done, so I just gritted my teeth and sat down.
She blinked. I'm not kidding- this was the first thing that I noticed about her. That she had blinked. It wasn't a normal blink. It was a slow, tired, 'do you think I actually give a damn about the fact that you're sitting right in front of me' blink. Then I noticed the scars. I'd seen them before, when...When I made one of the worst mistakes of my life. They were all over her face, and didn't look as though they were gonna fade any time soon.
"Stop staring at me." I started- it didn't occur to me that whilst I was here, she would actually speak to me.
"Sorry," I muttered, not really meaning it.
"You know what I'm going to ask you."
"'What are you doing here?'" Now she was staring at ME. It was a horrible feeling, to be stared at, and I didn't like it. "I wanted to find out some answers," I said, wanting to be straight. There was no point in 'beating about the bush'. "About what happened at Crynferse."
"I thought as much." She seemed kind of agitated at that, and since I wanted answers...well, even Zephyr can be blackmailed emotionally. She ain't as tough as she looks. I leaned in, looking right at her.
"What were the bombs for? What was so evil about their purpose that you would let your own father die?" Zephyr...well, she sniggered. It was kinda weird- here I am, asking these in-depth, emotional questions, and she's acting as though I'm Honky the Clown.
"That's for me to know," she whispered, chuckling, "and you to find out."
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOIN' HERE?! HUH?! You think I'm here just to play games, is THAT it? Coz if it is, you're mistaken, REALLY mistaken..." She laughed even harder. I think that, at the time, I blamed it either on being in prison for the past couple of months or hormones. Women.
"It helps not to be too serious when it comes to these things," she said, wagging a finger at me and struggling to keep a straight face. I just closed my eyes, exhausted, and sat back in my chair with my arms folded. "You were expecting a serious answer?"
"Yes. Surprisingly." I sighed. "I know that this type of stuff, to you, must be absolutely hilarious, especially when you're rotting away in prison because of it. But I don't know what happened back then, I don't have a single, goddamned clue. That's why I'm here." I felt SO angry- this was all funny ha ha to Zephyr, but to me, it was my life. And no matter how much whoever's up there, controlling everything in the world, is messing about with it, I never let anyone else. And I was just so tired of it all...I had had to go to Mr Stefani's hearing a few weeks ago, (yes, somehow, he HAD managed to survive the blast) and sort out all this other stuff about returning to Crynferse...it was just tiring stuff in general. And if you wanted proof, you could've just taken a look at me.
"You might find out one day what this is all for, but it isn't going to be today." Zephyr was finally being serious, finally being normal. I wasn't used to the giggling, let's-make-a-joke-of-everything Zephyr.
"And you know that how?" She didn't answer, but I knew what that meant. She wasn't going to tell me anything. "Please...please, just something..." I sighed again. I felt tears welling in my eyes- fake tears, of course; if Zephyr saw me upset, she might cut me some slack. I massaged the side of my head in the silence, willing a horrible headache to go away and leave me alone.
"I'm sorry. I did really love you, but Cy...well, he wanted everything to be different." I didn't expect that. But, though I was caught by surprise, it was oblivious. This subject was going to come up sooner or later, but at that point, I didn't have enough brain capacity to handle it.
"Just shut up. Shut up."
"You don't want to talk abou-"
"No. I'm fed up of this."
"But we've never talked about it..."
"And you don't think that I've spent that past two months thinking about it? Lying awake in the middle of the night, whishing that it all HAD been different? Well, if you can't figure something like that out, you're done for."
"Doesn't stop me from being sorry." I looked up at her. Her lower lip was trembling, her hands shaking. What had they done to this poor girl? "I haven't had much sleep either. The beds aren't too comfy here." I was adamant to be apologetic, but I figured that being a little nice wouldn't do much harm. It might even get me a step closer to finding a couple of answers.
"Can't be too nice here."
"No...either you're a convict or a loony, and even if you're innocent, they still treat you like one."
"You heard from Xenon? Where's he based now?" I knew that this was a sore subject- Zephyr and Xenon had been split up, one put in one prison, and the other put somewhere else miles away. She missed him, obviously, but if she wasn't going to talk about this, she wouldn't talk about anything. Slumping back in her chair, Zephyr looked to the side. I felt guilty, but Xenon was still a friend of mine, and I think that I was...entitled to find out what had happened to him.
"He's...er, he's had his trial."
"And?" Zephyr was biting her lower lip so hard I though it was gonna bleed.
"Guilty," she choked out. I gritted my teeth. Damn it. Xenon was guilty. So, what would you bet for Zephyr's outcome? I thought so. It was then that I realised this was gonna be the last time I would ever speak to her.
"I've lost a brother in all this, y'know. He might've been evil, but he was still my brother." Okay, okay, so I was scrounging for a bit of pity. I know that that was bad of me, 'specially since Zephyr was the one that needed the pity. She had been through so much...And, yes, I was lying. Do ya really think that after everything Cy had put me through, I would just say "hey, y'know what bro? I know we've had our fair share of arguments in the past, but I wanna forgive you completely, no matter HOW many times you try to kill me." Sounds stupid, don't it? And, though I convinced myself that Zephyr was gullible, she wasn't. Not one bit.
"You're pretty desperate, aren't you?"
"Huh?" I tried to act all innocent, but it didn't work. Surprising, really; I always thought that my acting was first class.
"Lying to find out a few answers. Well, you don't have to. I..." She looked as though she was in really deep thought for a second or two, then carried on. I was getting a little worried. "I owe you one." Phew...
"So you'll tell me?" Zephyr was seriously gonna regret this- she and I BOTH knew it. But, nevertheless, she went on.
"Yes. The bombs." I nodded- this was a part that I was REALLY interested in... "They were headed for a factory. A scream factory."
"A Monsters, Inc.?" This made me listen even harder- Monsters, Inc. was something that I had inevitably been involved in since I was a kid, and had therefore been pretty much obsessed by the thought of working there. Zephyr nodded.
"Someone hadn't done what the boss wanted them to do- to give him access to the doors. So he was going to kill them all." My mouth hung open in shock.
"K-kill? Wait a second, who's the 'boss'?" Zephyr stared bluntly at me.
"You don't expect me to tell you everything, do you?"
"I, err..."
"You're not gonna ask the questions. I know what you want to know, so I'll just answer them. If I leave anything out, I'll leave it out for a reason." Zephyr caught me half-smiling. "And no, you CAN'T ask what the reason is, either."
"Tough deal." What can I say? I've always been a bit of a haggler.
"I know. And it isn't going to change. That's it." Her fists were balled, and I was afraid that she'd taken a little joke the wrong way. "Take it or leave it." It was stupid of me to be joking around then, I know. I guess I just wanted things to be okay in general, and that meant leaving the building with one less person hating me. Or maybe even one more friend.
"I'll take it."
"Good." She glanced at the clock. "We haven't got much time, so I would appreciate the interruptions to stop."
"Interruptions? What interruptions?" Another corny joke, I know. What the hell I was playing at, I have no idea, but I guess I kinda felt like when I was at that prom, and I was talking to Zephyr- that same awkwardness that was made worse by her confidence.
"A lot of people were involved in it all- my father, being one of the key organisers along with your brother, Cy, and my brother Xenon, Waternoose...the list goes on. The Workers were just hired people desperate for a job; it's amazing what the employment rates are nowadays."
"What was with it with your friends, then? Were they involved?"
"I mentioned interruptions earlier." I bit my tongue, annoyed with myself, and looked at her expectantly. "They weren't anything to do with it. Cy, as you know, liked me, and though he was happy with the idea of keeping you distracted-"
"So he DID say that!" I was outraged. What Cy had said was true.
"Let me finish-"
"It was all fake, wasn't it?"
"NO!" The few people that had come into the room in the past couple of minutes turned around, facing us. If it wasn't for the situation in hand, I might've sniggered at the looks on their faces. "No...it wasn't. Cy wanted me to act as though I liked you, and though I didn't really at first, you grew on me. Cy wasn't too happy about that."
"I can imagine."
"I tried so hard to convince him that I was acting- though I wasn't- but it didn't work. He beat me up." Then, subconsciously, Zephyr swept a hand across the scars on her face. "I was in serious trouble then." I listened, astounded. "He...he was gonna kill me, Randall. Pushing you in the water was my friend's idea, and I HAD to do it ...I had to...and he was there, waiting, as usual..."
"I didn't know," was all I could say, and even I was surprised at the tone of my voice. I was ashamed. Really ashamed.
"It's okay," Zephyr whispered. I didn't know whether she was saying it to herself or to me, but then...I felt more sorry than I ever had in a long while.
"You could've told me..."
"Really? When Cy's involved?" I knew she was right. Cy always seemed to be there, ready to catch you off-guard. I knew- I had to put up with it for years as a kid.
"Why were there canisters in the cave? They looked different to the ones in the boxes."
"They were. We'd ordered this type of canister that we needed to hold the chemicals in, but this company sent us the wrong ones, so we had to dump them. I said it was too obvious, but no-one ever listens to me, do they?"
"I do." Why I said that, I do not know.
"You don't care that I was involved with something so illegal that I could be ba-"
"You won't be. I'm sure of it." Zephyr shook her head at me in a sort of demeaning way.
"You're that certain?"
"Yes." I was curious about something else- actually, two things, and was eager to bring them up in the conversation. "Why did you get involved with it all?"
"Because my father threatened to disown me if I didn't. And..."
"And?" Zephyr's face was screwed up a little, like she was sucking a sherbet lemon.
"And...he said that if I did what he said, he would tell me about my past." THAT was confusing. I narrowed my eyes at her.
"What do ya mean, 'your past'?" Zephyr sighed.
"This is hard to explain," she said slowly and quietly. "I didn't really want to talk about it..."
"And you think I care about that?" That was a little mean of me, but there was something about Zephyr's secretiveness that made me angry- REALLY angry. I had a right to know all this stuff, and she knew it.
"I don't remember being a kid. I...I don't remember anything before four years ago, when I woke up in hospital. It's this thing to do with brain damage, so I've still GOT the memories...I just can't...release them..." She was crying now- not sobbing her heart out or anything, just letting tears pour down her cheeks. Burying her face in cupped hands, Zephyr turned away from me. A second or two later, she looked back, wiping her eyes fretfully.
I felt like kicking myself. Zephyr had obviously just told me something really personal, about as personal as it gets, and I hadn't shown a single ounce of consideration. I didn't know what to do except sit there, waiting. A few minutes went by, (well, at least I THINK so- time seemed to be out of my control at that point) and eventually, Zephyr seemed to be okay. Her lavender eyes were still watering a little, but she brushed the tears away bravely. When she looked at me again, she chuckled.
"You're blushing," she said, sniffing. I didn't know what to say to that, so Zephyr said it for me. "I know you're sorry, so you don't have to say anything."
"Thanks." I felt embarrassed as heck then, but the way Zephyr was reacting was just...perfect. "There's another thing..."
"Yeah?"
"Well...why did your boss want to get access to the doors anyway?"
"You always ask the hard questions, don't you? I'll tell you...part of the answer." Zephyr was back into serious mode. "But I can't tell you everything." I was satisfied with this, so she carried on. "He wanted a few of us to get into the Human World. And don't ask why- that's what I can't tell you." My heart sank. I was so close to the biggest answer of 'em all, yet I knew that, by the look on Zephyr's face, this conversation was over.
"That's it, isn't it?"
"I can't tell you any more. I can't." I sighed disappointedly.
"I know." Something sprang to my mind. "But what about the ship-"
"We stole it from a Ship-maker in the town East of Crynferse- it was half- done when we stole it, so that's why it looks like it does." I nodded thoughtfully.
"That makes sense..." Zephyr suddenly leaned in, worry etched over her face. There was obviously something bothering her.
"You've got to promise me that you won't tell a SINGLE soul what I've told you. This is between you and me, and if you tell anyone else we'll BOTH get killed." I understood why she was being so serious about all of this- it was serious stuff, after all.
"I promise."
"You don't understand what the consequences will be if you go around blabbering-"
"I said I promise. I won't tell anyone. Not in my whole life. I swear."
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Jay nudged me in the side just before we went in.
"You ready?" I didn't answer- just scowled at him for asking such a pointless question. I was nervous more than anything, though, and I wanted this all to be over. Jay pushed the door and held it open for me. As I went through, I could feel his eyes on my back, waiting for a word of thanks, but he wasn't going to get it. Not when I was in that kind of mood.
Carmen was already inside, waiting. She waved Jay and me down to her having saved a bench. I wasn't thinking of what I was doing really, but at least Carmen didn't wait for me to say 'thank-you'. She was actually trying to understand why I was being like I was. Jay, on the other hand, thought that I wasn't paying attention to everything because I didn't give a damn. And how wrong he was.
I felt sick with worry. This was it.
A hush fell over the courtroom. Everyone was immediately silent as Zephyr entered the Prisoner-Box at the back of the room. The whole room seemed to turn around as one when she entered; I felt Jay's arm brush by mine as he gawped at the offender. I didn't bother. I was fed up of seeing her drab face anyways.
Then the judge came. She was quite tall, wearing the usual judge attire, and had long, reddish legs, walking into the court with giant steps. I concentrated on her for the time being- she was the person who would be making the big decision, after all. Her eyes were round and black, but looked strangely honest. I relaxed a little. Maybe she was a fair judge.
"Silence in the courtroom," she demanded, though I don't know why; the only way it would get any quieter was if everyone stopped breathing.
Another one of my infamous headaches had decided to plague me once again, and so I swept back my fronds, my head thumping. I guess it was the stress- believe it or not, but this was the moment I had been dreading for months. I just wanted it all to be over.
"Case 20567- University of Crynferse. Is the defendant ready to make her plea?" I still didn't look. I couldn't bear it.
"Not guilty," a voice rang out. I felt a wave of nausea, and shut my eyes. The argument began, to and for. In the next half an hour, each side's lawyer came up to the front and questioned different people, most of which were there when the ship exploded. To my surprise, I saw Professor Fern get called up. Zephyr's lawyer began to interrogate her, and as he did, a few things that were said got caught in my mind.
"...accompanied Allin Stefani in receiving the scream canisters..."
"...you might not be aware of this, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, but Professor Nancy Fern will soon have her own case put up against another jury..."
SHE was involved with it all along?! Anger rose up inside of me. She was part of the whole plan...And I had been stupid enough to actually trust someone...
It seemed to take forever. Every word spoken was resounded against the dark wooden walls, being made more acute by the stunning silence that would come afterwards. I didn't really know what they were saying- I had given up trying to understand right at the beginning- but all I DID want to find out was what the jury would decide.
Carmen patted my arm comfortingly. I just ignored her and slumped back even further. Zephyr's lawyer sat down eventually, and just before I could get excited, the case against begun. My mind wandered to a sharp buzzing noise coming from the left of me. It gradually got louder, then quieter. I shook my head dismally. I can't really remember what was going through my mind just then, (though I'm pretty sure it involved the word 'mad') but a second after I had snapped my eyes open and realised that the buzzing was coming from a fly on my shoulder, I whacked it with a hand, shouting "buzz off" agitatedly. It was then that I noticed that everyone, including the judge, was looking at me. Things really couldn't get much worse.
Everyone's attention eventually turned back onto the case, but I refused to be embarrassed. I hadn't done anything wrong, had I? Anyhow, things went on as usual, and after another half hour of this endless boredom, the judge called a recess. All the monsters slumped out the room slowly, muttering as they went. I desperately wanted to get out of there, just so I could get a few breaths of fresh air. (I swear that someone had burnt something in there. Either that or they'd been selling baked-beans in the foyer.)
Making an extra effort to get away from Jay (I had this feeling that if I spent the recess with him, I'd do something I'd seriously regret) I went down one of the corridors and was about to go outside through a fire exit when someone called out after me.
"Wait! You're not allowed outside if you've been watching the Crynferse case, and that door-"I didn't hear the rest; by that time, I had already gone outside. I was tired of people telling me what to do, and though ignoring a security guard wasn't exactly the best idea I've ever had, it meant that, for the first time in a while, I was doing something that didn't involve obeying someone else's orders.
The fresh air was a real relief, though the nausea didn't go away. I leant against the door, trying to relax. There had been something about the past few months that meant that I wasn't able to let go, loosen up a little, if ya get what I mean, and if things didn't get better soon...well, I didn't know what would happen. There would have to be an end to it all sometime, though.
The door was shoved open, pushing me over. Standing there with a sickly smug look about his face was the security guard.
"Great," I muttered sarcastically. I didn't exactly feel like a lecture from Mr High And Mighty right then, so I pushed by him without a second thought and made my way (swiftly) to the waiting room, the security guard shouting out. I don't know why he didn't physically stop me, but I guess the look on my face scared him away. Huh. I seem to have that effect on quite a few people.
The waiting room was ten times worse then facing the security guard. I scowled to myself at the hoards of monsters stuffed in there, all competing for chairs. Getting a cup of water was also out of the question- the queue was something I couldn't bear. There was nowhere else to go, though, so I just had to make do. The stench was in here as well. I felt like saying "someone forgot to brush their teeth this morning," but my mood, although bad, wasn't THAT bad.
"Hey there, Randall! Been wondering where you got off to!" Jay stormed in the room and, spotting the water cooler, joined the queue. I shook my head. Why did he have to bother with that 'happy go-lucky' attitude? Was it just to bug me? Coz if it was, it was clearly working.
Carmen smiled at me softly, which was kinda unnerving thinking back to when we first met.
"Are you alright?" I looked up.
"What do you think?" She then gave me this sort of disappointed look, like a parent does to a kid, and went over to Jay. Carmen wasn't helping either.
I felt more and more sick, cramped in that little room with everyone else bickering about who got the squishy chair, and thought that a trip to the toilets was the only way to clear my mind. I trudged through the crowd to the other side of the room and went through a door marked 'men's'. I wasn't surprised to see that the toilets were tiny too. I wetted my fronds, sweeping them back. But as I did so, I noticed my hands shaking like heck. Everything was so hot and claustrophobic, so I thought to myself that it was no wonder I didn't feel too good. But, hard as I tried to convince myself that everything was okay, I couldn't help but be a little worried.
"Yo! Randall!" His voice made me nearly jump out of my scales, and wasn't exactly welcome. I felt my face get even hotter as Jay went on and on and on and on... "...and, if the judge knows what she's doing, well, let's be honest here Ran, do ya really think that Zephyr deserves to get away with it? I mean, come on, she was involved in it all from the start! It wouldn't be justice if she got away with it and-"
I just couldn't stand it anymore. If I hadn't turned around and gone into a toilet-stall to throw up, I would've punched Jay in the jaw.
--------------------------------
I was a little late going back to the courtroom, and the member of the jury who was representing them was already standing up, ready to give the verdict. I gagged a little, trying to stop a repeat of earlier, and hurriedly took a seat.
"Randall, what-"Carmen began.
"Don't make me talk." She looked at me with concern, then turned away. I felt the bile rising again and held a hand to my mouth, the jury-person waiting for silence. It took a few seconds for my stomach to settle, but I was so desperate to find out what the verdict was that I was willing to ignore it.
"We have discussed the situation of the defendant's, and, after careful consideration, have decided the verdict for Miss Zephyr Jacqueline Stefani to be..." I couldn't help but turn around to look at Zephyr as everyone else stared daggers at the jury-member. That was one of the few times in my life in which I've prayed. And I prayed hard.
"Guilty."
No-one cried out 'no!' or 'how could you!' or anything like you expect them to. No-one gasped or sobbed. No-one did anything. They just sat there. They made this silence that was pure evil. It showed to Zephyr that no-one cared. Not a single soul in that room cared. They just sat there. So did I.
The judge stood up.
"The defendant has been found guilty. Her punishment is to be life banishment." He threw down the hammer, which was a cue for the silence to end.
Zephyr was taken away. I'd already seen her for the last time, and, only a few seconds after she was gone, I found that I couldn't bear it. I wanted her back.
I just sat there. Everyone left, including Carmen and Jay- they thought that leaving me to my own thoughts for a little while would be a good idea.
It wasn't. I didn't like my thoughts. I didn't want to miss Zephyr, I didn't want to love her.
I didn't want my heart to be broken.
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I know that I didn't reveal EVERYTHING, but that's because I want to keep y'all guessing for a little while longer. (Aren't I evil?) But me next story will be up in two to three weeks time, so there ya go.
And this isn't the last appearance Zephyr will make in my stories...she'll be back, as will a few other characters...