The Depth of His Depravity

Chapter 1 - Scandalous Darkness

I wake up in a stressed state, for the past week I haven't been able to have one good night of sleep, this is, in no small part, thanks to my father's recent court summons, which are to be commenced at 5:30 PM, I guess I'll have to leave for it immediately after school. I check my watch quickly to know how fast I need to be

*6:45 AM*

Okay, I've got a little less than 2 hours. I quickly head to my wardrobe to find something to wear, I decide to put on a black T-Shirt and a black Jacket, as well as some blue denim jeans.

I head downstairs into the kitchen to find something for breakfast when I walk in on my father and my brother reviewing the files for the court hearings. Thoric Industries, a company rivaling my fathers, has accused my father of intentionally stealing plans and using them as his own product, I grin and as I pass my father and brother, I remark "I guess they've got to make that money somehow."

My brother, Matthew, responds "Well it's not our fault that the Thorics can't get their money from THEIR product."

My father, Daniel, slightly amused by our attempts to lighten the mood, begins to smile. Something that seems rarer and rarer these days "Boys." He says chuckling "boys. I hope you got that out of your systems now, because when we appear before the court we need to act as professional and formal as possible."

I decide to find something to eat, I quickly make some cereal, the same as Matthew. I'm about halfway through when I inquire "Aside from their word against ours, is there any legitimate evidence that they have to prove their case?" Matthew responds

"They claim that their design was stolen from the production factory, and that around roughly the same time, our "version" of it was released to the public. They have all the paperwork to verify it, as well as eyewitness reports saying that it was there one second, then gone the next."

"Oh damn." I exclaim.

"is there any way we can counteract their statements?"

Now my father replies "We've already released a public statement on behalf of the company. Aside from that, there doesn't seem to be much we can do."

I nod my head as I just realize the gravity of the situation.

Just as I finish my cereal my watch's alarm goes off.

*7:00 AM*

And with that I head out to reach the school bus.

This whole court situation hasn't exactly been the most subtle, and thus, I tend to get quite a few concerned looks. Initially it annoyed me, but given the evidence, or lack thereof on our side, I let it slide.

Finally, after around 15 minutes of walking, I reach the bus stop. I sit down on the nearest bench I can find, and attempt to gather my thoughts. I scramble to find a way to get out of this court hearing in one piece, if things keep going at this pace, my father will end up as a convicted felon, I doubt they'll pursue legal action against me as they have no reason to suspect me.

Suddenly, an old yet comforting voice appears out of nowhere. "Hey, Jensen!" It's Sophie, a childhood friend of mine, and also my crush. Typically I'm somewhat good at suppressing it, but given all the personal shit that's thrown me out of wack, I have a hard time even speaking.

I realize it's good form to respond to someone when they say hi, so I attempt to respond but end up stuttering a bunch "H-h-h-h-hi." I stutter.

She responds with a grin "I'd ask you to stop me if this is too personal, but something tells me you wouldn't be able to either way."