𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙~ 𝘼 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘

~𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 pt.3 ~

Jackson's POV:

"Sophia were ready for you" the women said.

I turned to face Sophia. She smiled knowing all eyes where on her right now. 

She slowly got up still holding on to my hand tight.

Sophia's POV:

I didn't want to let go and there was no way I would. 

We followed the lady out of the room and up to a giant wooden door. The women was about to open the door when Jackson yelled "WAIT"

"can we have a second ?" he asked.

"sure, but make it quick we must begin" she said walking off to the side.

He turned me around to face him "Sophia I love you and I want you to know that your not alone in this and whatever happens I will always love you" he kissed me gently.

I smiled tears forming in my eyes. 

"Were ready" I said letting the women open the doors again.

I walked in to see every eye in the room on me. I didn't dare to look at the rows and rows of people. So I looked ahead instead. 

But the view wasn't any better ahead. The judge was stood up and my lawyer sat at her small  desk below him. On the other side was another lawyer, the people she was defending not by her side and just next to them was the jury they all stood there emotionless faces watching me and my every move.

I entered the inside the small gate that enclosed us feeling Jacksons hand slip away. I didn't want to turn around because then the eyes would be looking. 

I walked over to my lawyer and her desk. She gave me a small sympathetic smile before she shook my hand. The doors where closed and the judge began.

He cleared his throat "we are here today for the hearing of Sophia Blacksmith case 325". "You may sit".

I heard as everyone shuffled around and sat down obediently. 

The judge had talked for a while talking through my description of the events and when they happened and where. Every now and then my lawyer would whisper to me explaining what was going on. I wasn't listening that much, the conversations bored me. But when it was my turn to talk I wasn't ready. 

I had been called up to the front to recount the night.

"May you please talk us through the evens of the night Ms Blacksmith" he asked.

I stood up walked to the chair sat down. I kept my head down because I knew that If I looked up I would see everyone. 

"State your name" the judge told me.

"Sophia Jaydon" I said with a slight tremor.

"Sophia do you promise to tell the truth and only the truth?" he asked as he passed me the bible.

I slowly moved my hand on top of the bible like my lawyer told me too in multiple meetings we had had before the hearing.

"I promise to tell the truth and only the truth" I repeated.

"You may begin" he said nodding at a man sat just metres away from me as he clutched his type writer ready to note down my exact words.

"I was coming back from a party that night a-and I had decided to take a shortcut down the alley because I was tired and didn't feel like taking the long way round to my house. I was walking through the alley and I had turned around to face 2 men one in front of me and one grabbing on to me at the back. One put there hands around my mouth to keep me from screaming a-and the other started to..." I stopped a lump was beginning to form in the back of my throat. I had to continue I knew I did. 

"Please take your time, take as much as you need" I heard the judge say somewhat kindly. 

Maybe he understood me, maybe he would listen to me. Maybe he would take my side but I knew that he couldn't because he had to hear both sides first he wasn't allowed to be biased.

"they started to-...." silence nothing but the sound of a couple sniffs or coughs hear and there. 

"T-they started to t-" I cleared my throat fearing I would cry.

"they started to t-touch me. And when he was done he took out a k-knife and traces it around my jaw. I was crying then screaming for help while they where laughing at me" I was crying now, I was disgusted at these people. "It was amusing them" I yelled. "my fear was amusing them" I cried.

I heard as the whole room started to shake up with gasps and some odd sniffles as others shared my tears and where filled with sympathy towards me.

"they told me to get on the ground. And I did as they said. The first person was standing on top of me holding his knife in the air teasing me while the other one was sat next to me stroking through my hair...I tried to move but the second I did I felt as the knife made contact with my body..." tears where streaming down my face as in my head the whole scene was replaying again and again. 

"take your time" the judge had told me once again.

"It took all my breathe away from me and I tried to breathe again but he stabbed me once more and then again and again and again....the last thing they had said to me was "bye bye darling" I spat.

"When I started to scream they ran, I called Jackson and I had told him where I was and I had told him to tell my friends I'm sorry and that I love them and would miss them" I cried now I wasn't crying out of anger anymore I was now crying because of how close I was to death, I was crying at my own words that I had spoken when I had thought I would die.

I sat there for a bit crying silently into my hands. 

"You can go now" I heard the judge say but I couldn't move I was frozen my whole body had broken down.

Seconds later I felt hands wrap around me and walk me back to my desk. I didn't know who it was but I didn't care I was safe now my back turned towards the people only facing my lawyer and the judge.

I felt as my lawyer passed me some tissues underneath the desk. I wiped my nose and eyes and cleared my face of tears.

"Are we ok to keep going ?" The judge asked my lawyer.

She nodded.

"Ms Blacksmith what did you say where these people wearing ?" he asked.

"They where both wearing black masks, hoodies and sweatpants" I replied.

"Would you describe the attackers as male or female?" he asked.

"Male" I said.

"Can you please tell us why you think this" he asked.

"There hands were big and there voices quite deep" I replied.

"Thank you thats all" he said.

The next minutes where boring again the lawyers where arguing over how truthful I was and going over details again and again. 

"Now for a 15 minute break" the judge told us as he got up from his seat and exited the room.