Before It Happens

Chapter I

     The story begins in the town at the foot of a mountain, called Marn. It was a bustling little town, complete with a high school and a minuscule medical center. Cars zoomed up and down the main street, people running to and from buildings that lined either side of the road. The main attraction, however, was the law firm. It was the thing that had made Marn so extraordinary. Unity Law, a massive building that scraped the sky, which the plaque at the front claimed to be the limit, was the centerpiece of Marn. It was infamous for being a sort of Guardian Angel-- for preventing alleged killers and rapists from getting their sentences. Unity was famous for saving the bad guys, for defending those who had done wrong. The morals of their operation were questionable, truly, but the publicity was boundless. Every week, some news crew (local or national, and sometimes both) would alight upon the steps at the front of the crimson-colored building. Then, some sharp-looking woman would wield her microphone and declare that, once more, Unity saved the innocent man who had been convicted for this that or the other.
 
    This newscaster in particular was a boy, just out of college and eagerly working his way up the ranks in the small news station in a town an hour and a half's drive from Marn. He had dark skin and darker hair, eyes the color of the trees that lined the path to Unity's front door. He wore a suit which had been pressed carefully, as not to show the extra layer of fat that graced every inch of his body. He stood confidently-- feet at shoulder width, lopsided smile (with crooked teeth) in place, and spoke into the microphone.
 
    "Hello, this is Ash Pa'krou, reporting to you live from the footsteps of what is becoming known as the Gateway to Hell to some, and the Home of Salvation to others. Behind these glass doors," he motioned with one smooth sweep of his arm, "lie the masterminds behind the liberation of criminals such as Christopher Tripp, who was up for a lifetime for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend, and Morgan Ericson, who had been slated for eighty years for the mutilation of a neighborhood girl. Both of them were saved by Unity and given the protection needed. We are not here, however, to document the things that Unity Law has done. Rather, we are here to tell you about the cutting-edge case that Unity is hard at work on right this instant."
 
    Ash lowered the mic and brought his hand to his neck, signaling a cut and letting out a deep sigh.
 
    "This weather is fucking insane." He said, loosening his tie and glancing up and down the street. "We need to find some locals to interview before we go inside, so let's make it fast." Ash glanced down the street, and saw a girl who walked slowly, head turned down, and tapped one of his cameramen on the shoulder. "I think we've got one right here. Follow me."
 
    Not waiting for any kind of confirmation, Ash walked down the few steps between him and the girl, and tapped her on the shoulder.
   
    "Excuse me, m'am-"
 
    She raised her head and looked at him, deep brown eyes seeming to gaze straight past his retinas and deep into his brain. "I can not talk right now." She said, speaking calmly despite her severe expression. "There is an abundance of other people who are willing to speak with-"
 
    "Please." Ash said, an unspoken sense of curiosity sparked by her. "Let me interview you. It's just a few quick questions about Unity."
 
    The girl's lips turned downwards, just barely. "I do not care to discuss what Unity has done."
 
    Ash glanced over his shoulder at the cameraman who had followed him for help, only to be answered with a wordless expression of bewilderment.
   
    "Let me just ask you something. If you get uncomfortable, We will cut."
 
    She unfolded her arms and nodded. "Okay. That is acceptable."
 
    "Can you write down your name?" Ash asked calmly, in full reporter-mode now that he had secured at least the beginning of an interview. He pulled out a pen, clicking it and handing it to the strange girl, who took it and examined it closely, reading the bold words that ran down the length of the pen: "IVAN NEWS CHANNEL 32" and then beneath it in smaller print, "BREAKING NEWS, BEFORE IT HAPPENS". She took the notepad and carefully wrote her name, handing it back to him and clicking the pen.
 
    At the top of the paper, in a neat cursive scrawl, was written the name Seraph Mitchel. What an unusual name, Ash told himself. It's probably foreign. He tucked the notebook into his pocket along with the pen, and lifted his microphone, motioning over his shoulder at one of the men in his crew, who was currently balancing a boom mic on his shoulder. "Get her a microphone to clip onto her shirt."
 
    The girl-- Seraph-- shook her head. "I will speak into yours. I do not want your microphone on me."
 
    The boom man gave Ash a look, but Ash simply shook his head a fraction in response and nodded at Seraph. "That is quite okay, m'am. Just stay right where you are, let us get the cameras rolling, and the interview will begin in no time." With a quick and artificial smile, Ash turned around and pulled the boom man close, grabbing him by his collar and hissing in his ear. "Do not stop recording. Even when I say to her that we did. This girl knows something we don't, and I'm getting that information out of her if it's the last fucking thing I do." He let go and patted the boy-- he was only an intern-- on the shoulder. "Now pass it on to Oswald," Who was the cameraman, "And we'll start."
 
    Ash turned around and smiled again at Seraph. "Get rolling on this, Oswald. We've got an interview to film."
 
    He stood beside Seraph, less than an inch between their bodies. "Hello, Ivan. Tonight we bring you a local Marn resident, Seraph Mitchel, who we found passing Unity. Seraph," he said, turning his body and holding the microphone closer to her, angling himself so that she was the focus of the shot, rather than him. "Tell us, how long has Unity been in Marn?"
 
    Seraph glanced over his shoulder at the massive building. "Unity was built when I was younger. Maybe ten or twelve years ago."
 
    "Ten or twelve years ago," Ash repeated, "Unity built the foundation for its reputation in the hard dirt of Marn. Seraph, tell us how you feel about Unity's legacy."
 
    He held the microphone to her, and she stared blankly at him. Only then, did Ash notice the color of her hair. Despite being tied back with a thick black ribbon, the roots were still visible-- pure white. Her hair was white as a ghost. Ash was so fixated by the unusual pigment of her hair, that he nearly missed what she was saying.
 
    "- was not welcome. Unity--" she hesitated. "Unity is not welcome by most of the people in Marn, and in Nueva. The people who live here... we are simple people. We settle our differences through discussion rather than through debates on the television. Unity disrupted the way we lived. It changed our town." Seraph looked up at the sky as she spoke, "Nothing has been the same since."
 
    Ash nodded. "Unity is a controversial establishment, both in and out of Marn and the town of... Nueva." He hesitated with the name-- there had been no town with such a name on the map. "Ms. Mitchel, how are you involved with Unity?"
 
    "I am not." She answered firmly. "I am not."
 
    Not quite understanding the purpose of her repetition, Ash just glanced at the cameraman before continuing. "Thank you for your time, m'am." He turned and looked at the camera with a smile, opening up his posture once more to the lens. "This has been Ash Pa'krou, reporting to you life from the footsteps outside of Unity Law. Next, we will take you inside and show you exactly how Unity wins cases deemed 'unwinnable' by the masses. And-- cut." He said, looking at the cameraman. "For real." Once the camera was lowered, Ash shoved the mic into the intern's chest and let out a hefty sigh before turning once more to speak to Seraph.
 
    She was, however, nowhere to be found.