Her Name Is Persephone [ONGOING]

CHAPTER THREE: WATCHING A SWEET DREAM TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE

WATCHING A SWEET DREAM TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE

PERSEPHONE

I had a dream. My hands were covered with blood. Sinubukan ko iyong hugasan sa lababo pero dugo rin ang lumabas mula sa gripo. I was so scared. Kusang umurong ang mga paa ko at bigla na lang akong nadulas. And then I saw the floor. It was also covered with blood. Dugo na sa tingin ko ay umaagos mula sa aking likuran. That was why I looked over my shoulder. And there I saw where the blood was coming from. I screamed in surprise and terror as I saw a dead man sitting in the toilet bowl. His eyes were open, and he was glaring at me. It was the worst dream I ever had.

But I wasn't certain if that was just a mere bad dream. Kase kung panaginip lang 'yun, bakit tila karugtong noon ang nangyayari sa akin ngayon? Hindi ba p'wede na magising na lang ulit ako para matigil na ang lahat ng ito? Na kapag nag-alarm ang cell phone ko, magigising ako at makakalimutan ang masamang panaginip na kinaroroonan ko ngayon. Babalik ang lahat sa dati. Nakaupo ako sa classroom, hindi sa courtroom. Nagdi-discuss ang professor sa harap namin, hindi ang Prosecutor sa harap ng hukom.

"Your Honor, this defendant is a flight risk," the Prosecutor said about me.

A flight risk? I gasped as I realized what she was trying to prove. Alam ko na kung saan niya nais dalhin ang argument sa pre-trial na ito.

"Her parents are wealthy and powerful, and they could easily help her flee the country if she wanted to. We cannot allow her to escape justice."

I wanted to answer the Prosecutor's argument, but the man beside me stood up and confidently pleaded, "Your Honor, my client is a good person. She is a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her. She has no reason to flee, and she is innocent of the charges against her."

Ang huling sentence na binitiwan niya ay nagdulot ng iba't-ibang reaksyon mula sa mga taong nanonood sa loob ng korte. Tila ba hindi nila nagustuhan iyon.

Yes, I pleaded not guilty. And this young man standing beside me accepted my claim as if he genuinely believed that I wasn't responsible for that heinous crime. At oo, siya ang Public Defender na kusang lumapit sa akin para ipaglaban ako sa korte, si Atty. Isagani Galvez.

To be honest, I had no choice. I needed someone to fight for me. To help me prove my innocence para makabalik na ako sa dati kong buhay. He confessed to me that my case would be his first case, and I said it was alright because first-time ko rin naman sa ganitong situation. What I said didn't make sense, but he promised me one thing.

He promised me na hindi niya ako iiwan sa ere. It was cheesy, but I believed him.

"Your Honor, kayang gawin ng mga magulang ng defendant ang kahit na anong gustuhin nila," the Prosecutor said after an annoying scoff. She sure was annoying. She looked at me right into my eyes as if she knew everything about me. "They have the money and influence to make anything happen. We cannot let this defendant walk free."