The Boy In The Basement// h.s AU✅

TBIBT|| LXXIII

Chapter seventy-three of 'The Boy In The Basement':

"Thank you for coming to the 2014 court trial for the custody of Alice Dawson. The parents of her are Steve Dawson and Kathy Dawson." the judge began off. We all had to stand up. I, of course, was sitting next to Dad while his lawyer was on the other side of him.

        Dad was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath. He looked really  handsome. Kathy, on the other hand, she was dressed in a long floral skirt with a jean jacket on top of a white tank top. Yes, it was proffesional, but it didn't look like her.

        After the judge was done speaking (his name was Mark), we all got asked to take a seat. There were a couple of people sitting behind us. Harry and Zayn were there. On the side, we had the people who got forced here; court duty. I don't want to to that just yet, honestly. Basically, you sit there for God knows how many hours, and you listen to what each person or person has to say and you tell whether if they're guitly or not.         

"Alice, if you'd like to start off, that'd be great," Judge Mark said to me, his skinny silver glasses falling down the bridge of his long nose. I nodded and stood up, griping Dad's shoulder tightly while moving behind him.

        I got up to the stands, where a friendly police officer allowed me in. Then he closed the gate, and I felt like all eyes were on me and this was a life or death situation. All eyes were on me, yes, but I wouldn't say it was a life or death situation.

        First, Kathy was coming up to talk to me. Oh, great. This was just an amazing way to start this court thing off, now, isn't it? Gosh, I'm glad sarcasm exists or else I'd be lost without it, honestly.

"Hello, Alice." she said, coming in through the gate seperating all of us.

"Hello." I said shortly.

"Okay, so," she began shuffling through some papers she held in her hands and looked up at me with her racoon-like eyes. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer them honestly. No lying, Alice."

"Okay."

"First question," she started. "How old are you?"

"I am seveteen years old," I scanned the crowd for Dad's eyes, Zayn's and Harry's eyes. They were there, and they had hope filling them. It gave me hope and eased away my nervousness.

"Second question: where are you currently living at?"

"I am living with my Dad in Wolverhapmton." Gosh, what kind of questions are these?

"Time for the more serious questions," with each word she said, she moved forward closer to me. I tried backing up but the chair didn't move, sadly. "Who do you want to live with?"

"My Dad."

"Why?"

"Why? Oh maybe because he actually believed me when I told him stuff and didn't think about sending me to a mental hospital. I didn't walk in on my father having sex with a different woman and begging me to not tell you. He never hit me, he loved me! It seemed like you never cared! All you did was put me down. You seeked the attention. You're fake, Kathy. So, yes, I want to live with him rather than you because I know for a fact, that he will treat me better than you ever did in your mother years."

        Loud gasps filled the room, even my Dad gasped. Zayn and Harry held up their fists and bumped them together, smirking at me and nodding their heads in approvement. I smiled, wiping my forehead. Loud murmers started boiling up in the room while I looked at Kathy. Her eyes went wide, her jaw dropped as she just looked at me.