Natalya lay in her bed, curled on her side facing the wall, rerunning the events that happened in the court that morning in her head like a movie.
It had all been quite hectic, a lot of shouting out, mumbling, and shushing from the judge. Natalya had sat there through most of it dumbly, absorbing it all in as if she wasn't actually there and everything was all a dream.
The man's name was Abel, he had said something about the name but Natalya couldn't remember at all. She had been too distracted. She had a name for the face now.
The judge had stood. He had read an account that had been written by someone claiming the man. Hm, excuse me, Abel, of theft.
The shaggy haired Spanish man had lost his smile, and had glared at Abel. So did the man that said 'like' too much. The entire aura of everyone in the courtroom seemed to change. Everyone seemed as if they were ready to argue at others comments or claims, defending or accusing the man of his actions. But everything was silent. It had made Natalya's gut feel twisted as if it were tied in loose knots.
Then came the first shout, from a girl in the front of the room. Same hair color same eye color but younger looking. Relatives Natalya had guess. The girl's voice had seemed helplessly panicked. As if she couldn't hide any of her emotions. She had cried out in his defense. Claiming that he hadn't stolen a thing.
Natalya at the time didn't know really anything about this man, all she knew is that Abel had given her something that she had kept till her older sister had forced her to get rid of it. No petals and wilted. She treasured it though. She had cried after she had thrown it away. A childish thing to do but she can remember the aching feeling she had day's after it was long gone, it had brought her simple happiness. It had reminded her that there were good people in the world still.
Even at the age of nine she had known that the world was a growing place of darkness that was getting darker and darker. Crueler and Crueler. Getting further away from a civilized humanity. Death could be legal if people favored the murderer over his crime.
'He stole things and then sold them!' a male voice barked at the girl from the other end of the room. Then all hell broke loose. One shout after another, defending, accusing, defending, and accusing.
Natalya thought back to her feelings, he had shone her hope in humanity. Now he was at court? The boy that made her happy… Now a man of crime? She didn't know what to believe. If all of this could be just a lie. A lie to get rid of someone hated by many. Or if he really had committed theft.
She looked back and forth from the people shouting out, some cussing and targeting others. She then looked to the judge. Who she could tell was listening to every comment. Every… Opinion. It sent sickly cold chills down done her spine.
So this is how it all worked? This was it. His fate in the hands of the people that decided to show up and argue with anyone that claimed against what they thought. A sickly decision would be made if the people defending him gave in to the accusing, or if they had nothing to say to keep their defense strong.
A Verbal War…
She sat there, her head aching. This was too much for her. Shouts and threats meant to make the other side of the decision… The argument. Shied away. Give in… Surrender.
Then it clicked in her head. This man… Abel. Might have committed a crime but he had shone compassion before. What side would she chose? To send this man to his death or give an opinion that she didn't deserve to say. An opinion based on a less than a minute encounter.
She swallowed hard. This man had compassion in him. She found her gut twisting, her ears ringing with furious shouts. And her heart pounding faster and faster. . .
She had to…
Natalya opened her mouth, Her throat felt tight. "He didn't do it!" She chocked out quietly. She didn't know if what she said was a lie or not.
"Liar!" Hissed the long blonde haired man toward her. He was probably the only one that heard her choked defense. His green eyes burned holes into her, she felt her heart race, she felt her throat tighten even more, her chest throbbed.
"H-he didn't!" She snapped, her voice still choked but not as strangled sounding as before and louder. She saw glances from others around her and caught the eyes of the judge. Cold and narrowed. She shuddered and hoped that no one noticed. She swallowed.
"He didn't do such things!" She managed to add loudly. The judge's eyes stayed on her for a second longer and then went to an accuser.
Everything after that was blurred in her memory, she couldn't remember everything she had said. But she had then joined in to the defense of the man. Arguing with the accusing. Though she didn't know what she was saying. She still didn't know if everything she said was the truth or a lie.
She turned onto her other side, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly. She had been part of the sickly dispute. The sick way of choosing someone's fate, someone future. She felt sickly for joining in… Her chest felt hallow with the thought.
In the end the judge had silenced everyone. People sat down glaring at one another. She found herself glaring at a man that had snapped at everything she said. The judge had then cleared his throat and stood. All eyes turned toward him.
"He is free." His scratchy voice had said sternly.
There had been silence, and the Judge had got up and walked out of the room through the back door. The cop had then unlocked the cuffs around Abel's wrist. Able had yanked his hands away glaring at the officer coldly.
The silence continued…
Natalya closed her eyes. She didn't want to think of the event any more. She didn't want to think of how many people might have died because other people thought badly of them. She didn't want to think of any of that. She wanted to forget…