City of Lies

Chapter 4 - Forgotten Interrogation

We all get out of the car and I'm actually standing in front of the Forgotten Royal Court. It's actually pretty big and it's polished neatly. The surface is glowing gold in the sunlight. There's no one really around it and it seems pretty empty.

"Let's get moving," Drake leads the way and takes off my handcuffs. "We're already five minutes late."

"Oh no!" Chase exclaims. "We're five minutes late! Whatever shall we do!" He makes his sarcasm very clear. Lacey and I laugh.

"Don't take Rose's love for granted," Drake says seriously.

"Mmhh," Chase rolls his emerald green eyes.

"Wait, your Rose's boyfriend?" I ask him.

He laughs. "Ha you're funny!" He continues to laugh. "Of course not!"

This time Drake laughs a little. "Rose is in love with him."

"Oh."

~*~

It feels like I'm walking down the red carpet when I walk into the court room. I was wrong, it's not empty. Every single bench row is filled with people and all their eyes are watching me. And at the end of the line, there waits Rose and Dallas.

Rose and Dallas both share strawberry blonde hair and dark brown eyes. "Bree is that correct?" Dallas stands tall.

"Yes," I stand up straight and confident.

Drake, Lacey, and Chase go take a seat in the front row. Rose's eyes dart to Chase and instantly they light up. She keeps staring. I laugh under my breath.

"Come to the front," Dallas's strong voice shakes Rose out of her daze.

I walk up to the front of the room with my back straight. I walk like the princess Jocelyn taught me to be. I nod when I get to where I'm supposed to be.

"You will be injected with truth serum and complete a series of test in front of everyone," Rose explains.

I nod. Now my heart is racing and I'm sweating. I can't do that, people can't know the truth.

~*~

The tip of the needle is placed in the back of my neck, although the tip is small, it sends chills down my spine. "You ready?" Dallas asks.

"I'm ready," I don't move my neck, I just speak.

The presses down on the plunger and the green liquid goes into my body. It stings for only a couple seconds before the pain goes away. The serum doesn't make me feel any different, maybe I'm immune?

I've heard stories of the immune, they're extremely rare. Basically they're immune to all serums and mind powers. You can't mess with their minds at all. Your either born immune, or you have to train incredibly hard to get there.

"First question," Rose speaks. "Why were you in the forest?"

I don't answer right away, then I feel a pain dab in my neck. The serum is kicking in. Well, I'm not immune. My heart kind of sinks at that. "Because my," I pause about to say 'my mother' but instead I say "my aunt told me to go find someone named Magnus us."

Some of the crowd gasps. That name has rung a bell for some people.

"Magnus Blaire?" Dallas questions. "The most magical and most powerful warlock to ever walk Valencia?"

"I don't know," and I'm telling the truth. "She only said Magnus."

"Alright then," Dallas continues. "Why did she tell you to find him?"

"I don't know," a bit of a lie.

Rose rolls her eyes in annoyance. She stops for a moment to look at Chase, but Chase isn't looking at her, he's looking at me.

"Where'd you come from?" Rose asks. Dallas seems a bit surprised that she interrupted him.

"Colina."

"What was your position in Colina?" Dallas asks.

I don't answer right away. I don't want people to know I'm the princess. The serum is kicking in and I quickly say " a citizen." The serum stings at the back of my neck but I hide the pain. It wasn't a full truth but it was part of the truth.

"What's your aunts name?" Rose asks this time.

The serum burns now and the pain is going down my spine. I can't tell them the truth. It's starting to become notable that I'm trying to lie. Tears are starting to well up in my eyes. "Jocelyn, my aunts name is Jocelyn." The serum begins to burn stronger and the pain isn't going away. I'm strong. Stay strong.

"Are you lying?" Rose asks.

I look down at my hands to try and blink the tears back. "No," I struggle to say the words. "I'm not lying."

Everyone stays silent for a moment. The serum is getting more painful. "Another question," Dallas speaks and I look up at him. "If we let you go, what are you planning to do?"

"Find Magnus," that's the truth so the serum doesn't sting me this time.

"How exactly are you planning to do that?"

"Jocelyn gave me a map," I say telling the truth. "She circled where Magnus is and I'm just planning to follow it."

"A map?" Rose says. "Do you have it on you right now?" I nod. "May we see it?"

I nod again and pull the map out of my pocket. I walk up to them and it to them. My arms feel weak because of the serum. After they finish examining it they hand it back. I go back to where I was standing.

"Last question," Rose says. "What's your full name?"

My heart races. The serum stings harder because it knows I'm going to lie. "Bree Fairchild." The serum goes throughout my whole body burning it from the inside out. I stay strong.

"Your..." Rose pauses. "Your Royal?"

I nod.

"We'll take a break, we'll decide your fate and get back to you in ten minutes," Dallas concludes.

Everyone gets up from their seats and heads outside. I hear some whispering about what just happened.

I take in a deep breathe and make a straight bee-line toward the exit. The serum is spread throughout my whole body now and it's making me weak.

I go to the side of the building where no one is there and slump down to the floor and put my head in my knees.

"Bree?" Chase's voice.