After Before and After

Phase 4: Chapter 117

To the surprise of many, the shocking revelation of Jack and Ralph's romantic relationship abruptly ended the defense's pursuit of Ralph's case. That was, with the exception of one final witness. Jeffery Langley returned to the stand in the heroic way good fathers do to try and protect their sons. Jeffery's testimony was full of heart, like Ralph's original one was, and left the members of the court with a nicer image of Ralph Langley, one that wasn't displayed in any of Dana Barnes' candid photos.

Jeffery Langley also spoke highly of the relationship between his own son and Jack Merridew, one last ditch effort to recover both boys' reputations. The man shared what it was like watching them grow up and heal together after the island, that having each other made it easier, how good they were for each other, that they balanced each other out, that there had never been a time where either of them needed that kind of love more. Jeffery admitted that he'd seen adult relationships less healthy, trusting, and long lasting than theirs. "What does it matter who loves a kid so long as they get enough love?" he proposed, a proclamation that was somewhat controversial even as they peered over the edge of the last two months of 1993.

After the noon recess on Wednesday, November the 10th, Jeremy Reynolds was happy to move onto his next line of defense; that of number seventeen on the roster, little Percy Madison. Percival was the very youngest of the youngest of survivors, born two weeks after the second youngest little one. He was a quiet kid, a homebody really, who spent more time missing his mom and dad at military school than he did training or studying. His father was a military man, and so his future in the military was predetermined before he was old enough to toddle. His record was clean of all things violent and murderous. The only reports against him were for non-participation, something that didn't hold up well next to the allegation of participant-in-brutal-murder.

Reynolds had little Percy's parents and older sister testify to his good character and quiet demeanor, and a few of his teachers followed them on the stand to support their claims. In only two days, Reynolds had plowed through his defense for Percival. Before the end of the week, the very same week in which Jack and Ralph's relationship was publicized, the defense's case for Jack was underway.

It was Friday the 12th when the case for Jack was brought to life. And still, Evan Merridew had yet to return. His last appearance in court was the moment he walked out after Jack and Ralph's relationship was made public by Barnes in her cross-examination of the brunette boy. Nobody had heard from or seen Evan in the time since.

Reynolds' case began with a select few witnesses from Jack's childhood who provided insight into the sudden shift in his behavior. His elementary school principal spoke to share the story of how she knew Jack Merridew, age five, to be an overachiever who always stayed back to help the teacher clean the classroom, who was always polite and always did astonishingly well in school. She then told the tale of Jack Merridew, age six, head smasher, bone breaker, known bully, destructive towards people and property, prone to random outbursts of anger triggered by very small and insignificant things. She claimed that it was almost overnight that he changed, and his grades did too. When brought in for a consultation, Evan Merridew seemingly knew less than the school did about what could be causing Jack's behavior. He even tried to pin it on the school, the witness mentioned. It was a good thing Evan wasn't there, because he surely would've lost it, and his good name, if he had been.

More teachers and authority figures stepped up to testify to the rare occasions in which Jack wasn't a total screw-up. He made friends easily, though corrupted most of them, and managed to pick his grades up off the floor sometime around the third grade. It became clear to them that Jack was never incapable, that he only performed poorly when he didn't try at all. Staff at the academy came to speak to his accomplishments in the JROTC program including making lieutenant colonel, the second highest ranking, prior to leaving for England the following fall. The general consensus was that Jack was capable of being and doing good, but that his ability to do so was impacted by something that most people didn't have an answer to.