Sincerely, Sin

30

Alana Smith

"You ready?" Hank said with his hand on my shoulder, I gulp nodding my head. I rose to my feet and walked in to see an almost filled court room.

Eyes turned to me, but certain ones paused my footsteps. Lost in thought, chaos arises.
Ms Miller, erratic, charges towards me; only to be held back by condoling family members. Waterfall of a face, she shouts her most blameful words at me.

"How could you!!! You took my boy, my only son!!! May you rot in that cell till you die, you damn evil child!!" She yells from a few feet away. My feet dragged me unconsciously to my seat. Hank by my side, he physically shielded me from her words. Security guards took action to manoeuvre her from the courtroom. Her body absent but her words present, numb I was.

I am an awful person.
I did that; you did that to someone's mom Alana.... h-how could I?

Guilt.
Hell of a drug.
Opiums are nearly impossible to escape or conquer. It's consumption addictive. Don't let yourself get addicted, all cards lay on the table. Exposed to the eye, you're out of victim cards. Judgement becomes inevitable, you're now the root of your own problem. If Crackheads be the one to blame, then I am no Saint.

I felt my body shook, I look to Hank:
"Don't let that bother you, if you do need a second? let me know" Hank whispered soothingly, I place a short smile on face soon shaking my head. "N-no, Im fine, really" I reply deceivingly. He nodded even though he could tell I wasn't of truth.

The sound of the double doors opening and the immediate silence in the court room caused all heads to turn.

Cere.

His lawyer by his side, they strode down the aisle. Ms Miller had still been removed, I'm assuming if she was to witness Sincere's arrival her reaction would have been far worse than with what I had to endure.

My eyes stuck to him like glue, I was shaking inside and he knew that. He could see that from a mile away. He sent a wink my way and that calmed some of the nerves I was feeling but I needed his words of reassurance right now or I'd crumble.

"All rise!" The officer in the corner of the room yelled. Just as everyone rose to their feet, Ms Miller was escorted back into the room with a handful of tissues to dry her tears.
I remain facing forward; eyes upon the tall man in uniform. They shifted to the clock in the centre, it was exactly 10am.

"The Superior Court of Novelton County is now session. The honourable Judge Joyce R. Cane presiding. You may be seated!" He additionally announced. In came a black woman with an infamous black gown and white wig on.
As she took her seat, so did we all.

"Good morning. We are here today to seek justice in the trial of Miller v Jackson. Rio Miller is the deceased in his own case, due to that status of the plaintiff we must start with the primary accounts. I call for the prime witness in this case to rise to the stall to be—

Interrupting the judge, the officer whispered something in her ear. A look of amusement sparked the small chatter in the room.
We all watched intently as the judge made small nods, her face soon frowning.

Momentarily the private conversation ended.
All heads were faced forward awaiting the news.
"It is with great sorrow to be the first to announce this so informally and in these circumstances but the witness, Ms Ethel Whitely has sadly passed" the audience in the room all gasped, my mouth hung agape.
"Her body was discovered early this morning, cause of death believed to be a heart attack. If we could all spare a minute of silence in gratitude to the loss of Ms Whitely" The room fell silent as I remained utterly shocked.
My eyes rotated from the back of Slim to the back of Sin.