"THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, because he hath committed adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall die the death."
There was no need for a trial. Despite Christopher's remarks, Natsuko Hayashida was found guilty of adultery and sentenced to hang with Isaac there alongside her, based on the testimony of many witnesses.
She didn't say much in defense; instead, she just scowled at the nearby townspeople with a mixture of scorn and rage. Her sole coping mechanism was that she loved Isaac and that her feelings for him blurred her judgment.
The day of the execution was bright and crisp. Lizzie was crying quietly, her tears dripping down her cheeks as she stood with Abigail and Hannah, none of whom would meet each other's eyes. They had just lost Sarah— and now they were gonna loose two more of their friends.
Natsuko watched as everyone called her names. It was like she told Isaac— they would show no mercy.
As Natsuko looked at her best friend's handsome face, she felt as if he'd never not known that blonde hair, those beautiful eyes, those lips, that jaw. And it was because of their long history that she searched for something to say, something that would get them back to where they had been.
This was all her fault. This was all her fault. If she had not invited him over to her house, they would not be here.
Natsuko looked at her friends. Lizzie. Abbi. Hannah. If she had not been so selfish, they wouldn't have to experience this pain. If she had never asked Isaac to come in their house that night, they could be at her kitchen. Gossiping over tea. Grieving over Sarah. Not watching two more of their friends hang.
Ropes were pulled over thick branches, and spiteful laughs filled the forest as the sun shone in the sky.
"The punishment for adultery is death by hanging!" Solomon Goode screamed, voice full of vengeance. It was like something flipped in him that day Sarah died; he became ruthless. Merciless. In a matter of days, he had turned into a monster who rose to power in the Union.
Natsuko looked at the forest behind her. From the rich brown earthen hues of the forest ground to the sweetness of the blue-white sky, the forest is was three dimensional wonderland for her eyes who are willing to absorb the light. The forest where she and Isaac would meet: the forest where she and Isaac spent the best moments of their lives.
Once the first tear got away, the rest followed it, creating a huge mess on her face. Her lungs rummaged for oxygen, and her sobbing had the same force of someone drowning. The flesh under her ribcage throbbed, her cheeks burned, and her mind created memories and scenarios that made the tears continue.
Isaac and her, raising a child in a place away from the Union.
The two of them kissing in broad daylight with nothing and no one to fear. It was just them— it was only them, like it should've been from the very start.
"Confess!" Solomon Goode screamed. "Confess your sins or burn in hell for all eternity."
Natsuko looked at Isaac.
"I love you," she whispered for only him to hear, and that was the moment she knew what she was going to do. When you loved someone, you put their needs before your own. No matter how inconceivable those needs were; no matter how messed up; no matter how much it made you feel like you were ripping yourself into pieces.
After all, this is was all her fault. Might as well own up to it.
Isaac deserved a life of his own. A life where he could be married to a person who would give him everything she couldn't. A person who would love him more than she ever did. A person who was there.
YOU ARE READING
SCARLETT. fear street (1994, 1978, 1666 )
Fanfictionˏˋ°•*⁀➷ fear street -ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓 ━━━━ it will have blood, they say; blood will have blood. they were being reckless and foolish; they were tempting fate; they were breaking the rules; but they were falling in love. ( fear street 1994...
