Dead Beautiful (A Harrison Wells Fanfic) *ON HOLD*

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9.
The One In Which I Want To Strangle A Certain Someone Named Iris West

When the Ahsalee spoke, it was like they weren't talking aloud but inside my head, and it felt as if someone was drilling nails into my skull. A tiny whimper escaped my mouth.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Raymond whispered. I tried to swallow the pain and nodded before turning back to Ashalis.

"Welcome, Abhorsen," the Ashalees said in unison. Damn, their voice was creepy. It sounded somewhere between a cough and a rasp. "You've been asked to come here today to explain your side of the story regarding the events of the 14th of December, 2015, and to make sure that justice is served."

Before I could reply, Raymond butted in, "My Lords, it wasn't her fault, I was the one who asked her to perform the spell, I really thought she could pull it off. I mean, the alternative was to use spells with a smaller radii or fight the Amersians a few at a time, both of which would have taken days. So as you can see, it was my decision to use that particular spell."

"And we will come to you in a while, Raymond Horowitz, and appropriate justice will be served to you too, but first, the Abhorsen will plead her case and tell us why she thinks a death penalty is not justified in her case." All five of them simultaneously turned their heads towards me, although their faces remained shrouded. I felt chilled to my core.

"Abhorsen, you may begin."

XXXXXXXXXX

Since this was my first actual date in nearly five years, I decided to call in the cavalry. Iris was still at college when I called her up, but she rushed over to my apartment as soon as I told her that I needed help getting ready for a date.

"I'm so happy that you're going out on an actual date," she said as she rummaged through my clothes for the perfect 'first-date' outfit, "that I'm not even going to say anything about the fact that your date is probably more than twice your age and paralyzed from the waist down. I mean, I trust you know what you're doing." She paused before poking her head out of my closet, her forehead in a crease. "You do know what you're doing, right, Lee?"

I sighed before sitting down at the edge of my bed. What was I doing? I mean, even though I wasn't exactly as young as Iris thought I was, Harrison was still nearly two decades older than me, not to mention that everyone in Central City hated him now. He had lost everything he had worked so hard to achieve, and I had found out that he had been lying to me all this time (although to be fair, I had been lying to him, too). Was this really the kind of man I'd want to have any kind of a relationship with?

Iris came out of the closet and sat down beside me, patting me on my shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, look, if you're having second thoughts about this -"

"But that's just it!" I interrupted her, groaning as I cradled my head in my hands. "I am not having any second thoughts about this. In fact, I've never been so sure of anything in my life. I do want to go out with him. Here's a man who's definitely not suitable for me, and yet I can't help feeling giddy and excited every time I even think about him." I parted my fingers a little so that I could see Iris' reaction as I confessed, "Iris, I think I really, really like him." Great. As if my life wasn't complicated enough without without me crushing on a fifty-year-old disgraced scientist.