Fifteen

Jessie's POV

I was still being asked questions by Lauren but was getting more confident in my answers the longer I stood in front of the jury.

"Jessica, the jury have seen the footage of your injuries. I was wondering would you be prepared to show the jury and everyone else in the courtroom the extent of your injuries by taking your jumper and top of for me?" Lauren asked. This was the bit I wasn't looking forward to.

"yes I would be willing to," I said. Lauren looked at the judge for confirmation that this was allowed. He looked down at me.

"Jessica, you may get down from the box and stand on the pedestal over here," he told me indicating a brown wooden box in front of the jury. The court room guards unlocked the front of the witness box and led me over to the pedestal.

Lauren interrupted as I got there. "however due to the fact she's under eighteen, only the judge and jury may see these injuries so is it possible to take her somewhere in private?" Lauren asked. I'd been expecting it. I wasn't allowed to take off my top in front of everyone as images of me could be reproduced and spread which was illegal. The judge nodded and the twelve jurors, myself, Lauren and the judge all left the courtroom and went back to the jury's back room where they discussed the evidence. I stood in front of them all. "You are not allowed to repeat what you see to anyone," Lauren told them. I pulled my jumper off and then my top. I let all thirteen of them look at all the individual injuries including the scar on my face. I felt a little awkward. Once they were done I pulled my top back on but just picked up my jumper. We were led back to the courtroom.

"For those not present I can inform you that Jessica has several cuts on her hips and bruises covering her ribs and stomach as well as several cuts up her back and the burns on her arms and the scar on her face. Jessica in the video footage Josh is not seeing causing the bruising or the cuts up your hips. Can you tell the jury how you received the injuries?" Lauren said addressing the whole courtroom.

I turned and faced the jury. "My mother was abusive towards me and constantly threw me against the kitchen sink which was metal and punched me causing the bruises. If Josh wasn't in the house, she would cut me on my hips in the kitchen not the living room, probably because she knew about the cameras she'd installed," I answered. There were a few murmurs from the jury and I wondered what they were saying and thinking.

"thank you Jessica. One last question: you say Josh was being threatened is there any evidence that you know of to support this and if she what is it and why is it there?" Lauren conceded.

I turned back to the jury confident of this answer. "Josh has six lateral cuts on his back. He received these by refusing to do as mum said or not doing as she said quick enough, as evidence to prove she would kill us if he didn't do it." Lauren smiled at me and sat down. I turned to face the prosecution.

He had a grim smiled on his face. "You say your mum knew about the camera's in the living room yet you claim you had no idea they were there. How do you know your mum knew they were there?" he asked. I smiled grimly back.

"Mum told the police about them, the police got the footage and told Claire our social worker about the footage. Claire then told me this," I replied.

"The cuts on your brother's back. How do we know he didn't do them to himself to give us cause for belief that he was being threatened?" the prosecution asked.

"When the jury see them they will be able to see they are lateral cuts at a height where Josh would be unable to do it to himself," I said smoothly.

"How do we know you didn't do it?" the prosecution asked.

"Objection," shouted Lauren. "This has nothing to do with the reason Jessica is here," she said. The judge thought for a minute.

"objection overruled, I'd like to see how Jessica handles this question," he said.

In the time that had been going on I had been preparing what to say. "You don't know. You're right you only have my word. But I'm under oath to tell the truth and I'm an honest person. Regardless of the fact my brother's future depends on this outcome I wouldn't lie to save him" I answered carefully. The prosecution let it rest and I was allowed to go sit with Mike in the audience. Now I just had to watch as Josh got questioned himself and our neighbours.

Everyone was congregated outside the courtroom and hour and a half later. All the evidence had been given. Josh had looked small and lonely up in the witness box on his own in his orange jumpsuit of his temporary prison. Our neighbours had done well, not letting the prosecution change their view on what they knew had happened such as the shouting through walls and increased quietness of both of us. Josh had almost cracked under the furious intent of the prosecution but had still made a convincing argument. It was down to the jury to find him guilty or not guilty now and the judge to decide the sentence. We were all called back and me and Mike were sat in the front row of benches behind the prosecution with a clear view of Josh. The jury entered and then the judge.

"have you come to an agreement by which you all agree?" The judge asked the head juror. She nodded. "And the verdict."

The juror looked out at the audience and her eyes locked with me. "We find Joshua Thomas guilty of GBH," she started, my heart sank. That was Josh's fate. "but due to the circumstances and the evidence produced we have reason to believe that he committed it under duress of his and his sister Jessica Thomas's lives." She sat down. My heart felt like it was pounding a thousand beats per minute. The judge nodded.

"I would agree. Therefore it is for me to decide what the sentence is, up to one year in a youth offenders institute," the judge said clearly. My heart pounded harder and harder. "I have thought this through and I am sentencing Joshua Thomas to three months," at this I screamed out loud, "in a youth offenders institute, with the chance of parole after a month. Take him away and clear the court." I was sobbing. I tried to jump over the barrier to Josh. The courtroom guard grabbed me by the waist and held me tight.

"Josh!" I screamed.

"Jessie!" he screamed back. I struggled and kicked out. It got me nowhere, except an overnight police cell.

A/N: I so badly wanted to put them back together but there is so much I can do with them separated and then when Josh gets out they may get their happy ending, Indigo :)