Social Experiment

Trial (Hailey)

I check the alarm clock beside my bed. 17 days. The rumor that had been spreading like wildfire had been right; the clock was indeed counting down.

The door to my room slams open. I shriek, pulling the blankets over myself.

"Oh. Sorry, Hails."

I poke my head out from under the covers, face red with anger and embarrassment. "I've asked you not to call me that." I huff.

An American from my search party (the one where we found Ted's awful corpse) with bright red hair and hazel eyes peers in. "Sorry... Hailey."

"What do you want, Rodney?"

"I consider us friends. You can call me Rod."

My face burns redder still. "Fine. What do you want, Rod?"

"I came to tell you that the sleeping dragon had awoken."

I open my mouth to rudely inform him I have no idea what he is talking about, but then a light clicks. "Westin?"

"You'll find out at breakfast!" He says in a light, cheerful voice.

"Thanks for letting me know, Rod. Now please do close the door."

This time it's his face that turns red. "Oops."

He shuts the door. I sigh, heave myself out of bed, and begin to dig through my trunk. I pull out a bright pink tank top with a black palm tree. Cute! What was my wardrobe like before this? I wonder, pulling it over my head.

I step into the Matrix, which is abuzz with conversation. On a bench, Zeke stands watch over a handcuffed Terrance and Westin.

I sweep my gaze across the large room. I notice Abbi, Dameeka, and a girl I don't recognize chatting in a circle. Upon approaching, I notice that the short blonde stranger has what sounds like a Scandian (Norwegian?) accent.

"Hi. Um... I'm Hailey."

"Hello, Hailey." Abbi greets.

"I was wondering if I could eat breakfast over here?"

"Sure. Have a seat! I'm Dameeka, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." I reply, sitting on the polished granite bench.

"And I'm Elle." The Norwegian girl introduces, "Not that you'll remember, because obviously Abbi and Dameeka are the best decision-makers, but just in case you're curious."

I grin, "It's okay. I'm not anything memorable, either."

"Nonsense! I hate hearing people put themselves down. It makes me feel... I don't know, guilty. So stop, please." Dameeka scolds.

"Fine," Elle agrees, "new subject: the trial. How are we going to go about doing this, Abbi?"

"After everyone's finished eating, we'll have a judge; Hailey, how would you feel about judging?"

I shrug. "Okay."

"Great. We'll have Hailey stand in the center with Terrance and Westin. The rest of us will sit on the benches, and the two guys will each have time to talk uninterrupted. We'll let people ask non-accusing questions, and then we'll vote on if each is guilty. If one or both is found guilty, Hailey can decide their fate."

I nod briskly, though my head swirls with anxiety. What if I give too harsh a punishment? How do I even punish them? What if I don't think they're guilty even though everyone else does? Will I still be fair about it, really?