The Coma Patient

Chapter Fourteen

The man who had collected me from the cell walked calmly towards the trial room without making a sound. It was almost as if I was walking by myself, aside from the fact that I had no idea where I was going.

            The hallway was constructed of concrete walls and floors that matched, it was very tomb-like. Every few feet there was a torch hooked onto the wall. The flames flicked up towards the ceiling, one that was so high I could never dream of reaching it.

            As we neared the large wooden double doors at the end of the hall I began to feel claustrophobic. I say I felt claustrophobic, but really I was fearful of what waited for me behind these doors. I felt a chill run through my bones as the man opened one of the doors for me. My feet shuffled forward as the room began to spin—no, not the room...my mind. Whirling this way and that way. I took a deep breath before fully entering the room. Trying to settle my fearful thoughts, suffocating the different outcomes I'd heard from Serena.

            "Chastity Robinson, take a seat."

            The room was large with a domed roof and the far wall was made up of the Consul's seats. They were seated behind high dark mahogany desks wearing pitch black robes. There were five of them. In the middle sat Joshua, according to the plaque in front of his seat, a seemingly middle aged man with eyes that glowed like the sun. The power he held was obvious. To his right sat Mabel, a young woman with long blonde hair and piercing eyes that were the color of a raven. To her right was another man, Lawrence. He looked to be in his sixties and his eyes were silver gazing at me with a thoughtful mixture of pity and confidence. On the opposite side of Joshua was Karen. Karen looked to be in her late thirties with hair like fire and eyes a dark crimson. Beside her was Peter, a young dark haired man with eyes a deep green. Those eyes devoured every inch of me from across the room. When our eyes met he smirked as though I was an amusement to him.

            In the center of the room there was a large chair. Golden frame and red cushions. It looked as though it came from the dinner table of a very wealthy family. I cautiously moved forward and sat down in it.

            "Bring him in," Mabel said. Her voice was lighter than a feather yet sharp enough to cut through bone.

            Two doors near the Consul's swung open. Two men walked through dragging a third on his knees in between them. He was wearing a dirty black button up shirt and black jeans with rips along the legs. His hair was wild and pasted against his face with sweat. He was covered in dirt and blood. His face bruised and his purple eyes widened with fear as they met mine. The men dragged him to the center of the room and tossed him a few feet from me before exiting. He hit the ground with an oomph and laid there to catch his breath.

            I bit back a sob at his appearance. Looking at him now, like this, I didn't see someone that had died and captured my affections. I saw someone alive that I'd handed my heart to.

            "We've had much time to review your situation," said Joshua. "And we've made our decision. However, we will give you a chance to defend yourselves. Christian, we will hear from you first."

            Christian slowly sat up, on his knees again. "What is it you have decided for us?"

            "Tell us why you should not be punished for your actions, Christian," Karen snapped.

            "Punish me," he said. "I deserve it. I told her everything." He spared a glance in my direction. "But let her go. She's done nothing wrong. Every living one asks questions when crossing with us. It's human nature. We are the ones with the burden of keeping secrets."

            Peter waved his hand. "Enough of this." The boredom in his tone was evident. "We already know what we're going to do. They can't say anything to convince us otherwise."

            "Peter is right, Joshua. Let's be done with this charade," Lawrence said.

            "Alright," Joshua said. His eyes moved to me. "Chastity you will have your memories erased and you will be sent back to the land of the living. Should this happen again we will not be so generous." I felt my heart clench and my nose burn with the threat of tears. I choked them back. "Christian, you will be a ghost in the shadows of the living. This will remain your fate until the natural death of the youngest of Miss Robinson's future grandchildren. After which you will be free to return." Christian nodded like a mad man as he listened to his sentence. I wasn't sure if he actually heard what Joshua had said or not.

            "We will give you a moment to say your goodbyes," Mabel said softly.

            Christian stood up and turned to me almost immediately, throwing his arms around me and lifting me to my feet. "I'm so sorry, Chastity. I'm so sorry." He repeated this several times.

            "I love you, Christian," I whispered, cutting him off. "And I am sorry for causing this."

            His arms tightened around me. "I love you too," he breathed softly.

            Then he was ripped away. He didn't try to fight the two men who'd brought him in as they dragged him out. He just held my gaze as he went. Once the doors shut I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning me around. Sebastian.

            "I am here to take your memories, miss," he said formally. His hand curled under my chin, bringing my gaze up to meet his. As soon as our eyes met an angry fire worked through my brain. I wanted to scream but I couldn't move. I couldn't even shut my eyes.