Inside the Asylum (Book 1)

Chapter 31 - The Trial

When we arrive, I could see Grace's mum standing on the steps at the front door of the massive building.

"Hi." She says giving us both a hug. You could see that she was nervous but was trying to hide it. We walk in through the big glass doors and are told we have to go through a metal detector thing. Grace goes first, having to take her belt off, and telling me that everything will be okay and that I have nothing to worry about. As I walk through the detector beeps and the man asks me to stand to the side. He then uses a smaller detector to check for metal. When he gets to my wrist it beeps again. Then the realisation hits me each brand has a chip in it.

They track us.

I panic looking at Grace. The man tells me to show him my wrist. "I'm really sorry but asylum patients aren't allowed in the court room. I panic not sure what to do as Grace and her mum come over and start asking to speak to a manager. The man radios someone and a few minutes later a woman comes over.

"Hello. How can I help?" Grace takes my hand as her mum explains the situation "... She is the boys family! Why should she not see justice for him?" Just then Nick and Andrew's mum walks in.

"H! Grace! My lovelies. What's wrong?" She asks seeing the sadness in my eyes.

"They aren't letting anyone from the asylum in." Grace says as I try not to cry. She looks at me almost in shock.

"Excuse me." She says to the women. "This is my daughter. It was her brother that was killed. She is coming in!" The woman looks back at me and Grace clearly stressed.

"I am so sorry about this. She is allowed in. Apologies again" She says ushering us to the courtroom. In front I see Andrew sat at the defence table and Max sat at the prosecution table.

This was going to be hard to sit through.

As we sat listening to each side present their argument. I was getting angry as they spoke about Nick as a statistic. I was starting to get more and more annoyed. Grace noticed and took my hand. My hands were shaking so badly. I held onto Grace's hand trying to stop myself from jumping over the barrier.

Max turned his head slightly and must have seen us walking towards the seats. He smiled slightly as he turned back to face the bench. Andrew saw his mum and for a second he looked relieved. Then he saw me walking behind her and the guilt showed clearly on his face.

He deserved to be held responsible.

He was responsible.

Eventually Max was called to the witness box. He said the oath and took a seat. The whole time he answered the questions I felt sick. I didn't hear most of it. I felt like I was in my own little world. I was thinking of Nick and praying that they would bring the justice that he deserved.

At the end of the day, it was all up to twelve strangers. Those twelve strangers had everything in their hands. I just sat there hoping they would agree with the prosecution.

"...he was a good person. He loved his family, and, in the end, it was a member of him family that killed him." Max said. I couldn't help but cry. I look at Nick's mum and saw sadness through the tears running down her cheeks. The anger and hatred in her eyes as she looked at her eldest son. The man who had killed his only brother and had not until today shown regret or remorse.

He deserves whatever he gets I thought to myself.

Once Max was back in his seat behind the prosecution table, Andrew was asked to step up to the witness box. He didn't seem sad anymore. He showed no emotion. Not even when he said that Nick was his brother.

I was furious but I knew I had to keep control if I wanted to stay for the verdict. So, I sat gripping Grace's hand crying trying to keep myself calm.

The jury left the room.

Two hours past and we hadn't been called back into courtroom. I couldn't help but worry. Grace had gone to get everyone else a coffee, and a tea for me.

We all sat waiting for what felt like forever the ushered us back into the courtroom. As the judge walked back to his seat everyone stood. He asked the chairman of the jury if they had come to a decision. They said yes. He then asked the clerk of the court to hand him the verdict. He reads it then handed it back to the clerk to give to the recorder.

"Can you please tell me your verdict?" The judge asks the chairperson of the jury. They take a deep breath.