Age of Glory | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Thirty-Nine: We Have To Be Greater Than What We Suffer

Picture is Kathryn Prescott.

Music is "I'm Sending You Away" + "Oblivion" by M83 featuring Susanne Sundfør from the Oblivion OST.

All rights go to their rightful owners.

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"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us, too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me to hold onto hope.

Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish to you is to become hope. People need that, and even if we fail, what better way is there to live?

As we look around here today at all of the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we're saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything we do next to remind us of who we are and who we're meant to be." ~Gwen Stacy's graduation speech, Part 2

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CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

"The State now calls Miss Gloria Northern to the stand."

"Place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"Please, take a seat."

It's been one week since I pushed both Black Death and I into the portal. While I arrived at my house in Maryland, Gregory Killbane Jr. was still in jail, pending a trial.

The lawyer that represented the State of Maryland, me, called me that very day and asked if I could be available for the trial in one week. He wanted me me a witness in his case against Mr. Killbane, saying that my words would seal the deal on his accused charges of harassment, assault, and attempted murder.

Gladly, I accepted.

So, it's the end of November, I'm back to being nineteen, and I'm sitting in the seat beside the Judge on the final day of the trial. This will decide what happens to Gregory. His eyes shoot daggers at me, for this isn't the boy who tried to kill me anymore. This is the ancient soul who killed my best friend.

"Miss Northern," Ms. Baxter, the prosecuting attorney, asks me, "is it true that at 10:48 p.m. on May 4th, 2015, the accused went to your house?"

"Yes," I reply, no fear in my voice.

"What was the nature of that visit?"

"Objection!" Mr. Westinghouse, the defense attorney, shouts. "The nature of the visit is speculation."

"Sustained."

"Okay, I'll rephrase: what happened when Mr. Killbane arrived at your house?"

"He wanted inside. I told him no, that I didn't think that him going in my house was a good idea. I was scared me might hurt me, so I texted... my best friend behind my back. When he heard the text noise, he became enraged and pushed me onto the floor in my house."

"You had stated in your report that he had been harassing you before?"

I nod. "Yes. He kept calling me, multiple times a day. I never answered if I could help it. He kept saying he wanted to see me."

"You said that a previous girlfriend had filed a report for a restraining order against the accused?"

"Objection! This trial is on the crimes from May 4th, 2015, not prior to that date."