I Only Know How To Love

26: Snow

It was now the day of the trial. Friday, April 12, 2019, BCE. Sitting in the courtroom behind Hector and Cashmere at a desk with Alex beside me, I saw the Judge come out of and sit beside their desk. Jack and his lawyer were on the other side of the room. Charlene was the first witness, and she was already up. I had gone to visit her earlier to compel her about the Friday that Cashmere was assaulted the first time, so that we could win the case in the first trial. "We are here to discuss the event of Jack Strapple assaulting Cashmere Oberon. I take it the jury has not reached a verdict, so if we shall start with our first witness to come to the stand?" Judge Trout started. Charlene was already there and ready. "Yes your honor?" Charlene asks. "You're already here," Judge Trout exclaimed, rather startled to see her there already. "You're already here," he comments, calming himself. "It's always better to be early rather than late. Shall we start?" Charlene asks. I could tell she was going to participate from this, and was going to make it seem rather easy to win. "Yes we shall. We have Ms. Cantoon representing Jack Strapple, and Mr. Harp representing Cashmere Oberon. Ms. Cantoon you may speak," Judge Trout told the courtroom, starting the trial. "If I believe you, there was a fight at school, correct?" She asks as she goes up to Charlene, with a rather thick British accent. I doubt she comes from England. "Yes there was," Charlene answered. "You know what happens if you lie right? I hope you've heard of the saying: to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth," she tells Charlene.

"Yes I have. Why would you believe that I would be lying, Ms. Cantoon?" Charlene asked with an attitude in her voice. "You're smart. I like that about you. So in this fight, who was the first person to initiate physical contact?" Ms. Cantoon asked her. I completely forgot about the fight. "It was me, madam. I have friends, Logan Wate and Noah Fox, who were there when the fight started. If you wanted to ask them, they would say it was me," Charlene told her. I never really heard much about the fight. The only thing I heard was punches being laid on others. "You talked about justice, and being able to live in a society where we can stand up for ourselves when people put us down, is that true?" Ms. Cantoon had asked her. I wasn't prepared for these kinds of questions. Let's just hope that Charlene has good answers based on me compelling her. "Correction, it was Logan who said that and not me. You might want to write that down in your journal so you can get your facts straight," Charlene said, full of attitude. I sat back in my seat covering up my face, embarrassed. 'Stand down on the attitude Charlene," Judge Trout told her. "Judge Trout, if you will, your honor, let her speak the way of how she wants," Ms. Cantoon told him. "Okay, as long as this doesn't get out of hand," Judge Trout said, pointing his gavel at Charlene before putting it onto his lap. "I get it, I was once like you. Wanting justice and standing up for yourself. I had that same vision. If you could just tell me the truth of what you saw on Friday morning," Ms. Cantoon had told. "Wait, so this isn't about the fight anymore?" Charlene asked. "Yes. The Friday morning when you claimed that you had seen Jack grab Cashmere and dragged her to the bathroom. Please tell me what you had seen," Ms. Cantoon asked Charlene. Let's just hope the compelling thing worked.

"First off, he didn't drag her, but he did force her to the bathroom," Charlene had started. "Did you ever hear sounds of moaning, or forcing onto the other person?" Ms. Cantoon had asked. This answer is the big answer to the question of my compelling working. "Yes I did. Soon after he had taken her there and locked them in the bathroom stall, I walked in there slowly, seeing the clothes on the floor. He forced himself on her, because I heard sounds of moaning, and him holding her mouth so she couldn't yell out for help. Is there anything else you want to know?" Charlene had told, asking at the end of it, with me silently giving Alex a high five. He knows I compelled Charlene, but not Cashmere and Hector. "No. I believe you are telling the truth. Please bring out the next witness," Ms. Cantoon had told. Isn't it Judge Trout that has the authority to call up the witnesses and not the lawyers? "Objection," Hector said, standing up. "Jennifer, please sit. It's Hector's turn," Judge Trout told her. Wait, her name is Jennifer? I remember the bathroom incident, and that name is Jennifer. "Thank you Judge Trout. So Charlene, you say that you had seen him take her to the bathroom and heard the sound of moaning," Hector tells, going up to Charlene. "Yes, I just said that," Charlene tells us again. "You were good friends with Cashmere. How well did you know her?" Hector asks. "I knew her pretty well. We were in the same dance class in grade 9, so yeah I know her pretty well," Charlene told us. I remember her being in the same dance class as Cashmere. "Did you know of anything like this happening in her past?" Hector asked her. I could tell he was a good lawyer just because of the questions. "I don't think there was. If there was something she would've told me," Charlene had told us.