After - The Society Fanfic.

26.

9:08am. Day of The Trial.

Campbell stands in front of the jury. He smiles. This audience does not like him. They never have. The rooms quiet. Once Harry had finished speaking, there were murmurs rippling through people. They all eyed him with curious caution. Most were on the edge of their seats, keen to hear the details of the case.

It's a strange case. With Dewey, he was a nobody who killed a somebody. It had a shock factor coated in fear. People were afraid. This case is somewhat different. There's still the shock factor but instead of being coated in fear, it's coated with anger. Think of Allie as Lucifer, an angel fallen from grace. Now has to spend the rest of her life as the personified devil. Or a witch, if he were to go with Lexie's play. That might be a bit much but it's how they're viewing her now. Whatever hatred they held for Campbell has been put on hold, anger is a short and powerful emotion that often leads to hatred. Right now, everyone is still burning with fury, with betrayal. If he plays it right, the hatred will soon take root.

Campbell clasps his hands, rubbing them together. The noise echoes across the church. A few people flinch in the seats, then disguise their fear by shifting as if trying to get comfortable. Becca holds Eden a little tighter.

"I know none of you trusts me, you all don't like me. So, you're probably sitting there thinking why should we listen to him? Why should we trust him?" He watches as a few of the jury members unconsciously nod along with what he's saying. His grin widens. "Well, that's the exact reason you should trust me." Grizz glances along at Helena whose mouth has tightened. She knows what he's doing. She knows where he's going with this and it's not good news for them. "I have nothing left to lose. I could not give a shit at whether you all like me or not. I mean, I'm going against my family. I'm breaking bonds with someone I've known since they were a baby." Becca tries to sign along with what's happening but she's trying not to wake Eden. Sam's face just seems to be hardening with each word Campbell spews. "Why else would I be doing this if I didn't believe the allegations were true?" He pauses for dramatic effect. He points towards Allie and Will "The two stand accused of fraud." Will shakes his head slightly. Allie glares towards Campbell, he can feel her eyes boring into the back of his skull. He loves this. "Now, that may not seem like a big bad crime on paper" He shrugs his shoulders, mimicking a nonchalant attitude, then he stops and turns on his heels, addressing the whole room as well as the jury now, "but, just think, if they had gotten away with it, if they had managed to do it; Allie would be the Mayor, Will would be the first chair on the council. They'd be making the laws, they'd be doling out punishments, they'd be in charge. When you think of it like that, it's suddenly a lot more serious." Another pause to let the words sink in. He glances towards the defence. Helena's posture had already deflated. Grizz has almost snapped the pen he's holding. Allie had been despondent since she arrived, and Will is ready to jump out his seat and murder him. Such an easy team. This is just the opening statement. He'd been hoping for a challenge. Allie used to be so much more. He turns back to the jury, approaching them, they don't lean away. He smiles, they're on his side already. "Today, I will dispose of any doubt you have in your mind. Today, we will right a wrong." He smiles at the jury before turning to Helena. He outstretches his arms, inviting her to the floor. As he takes his seat, he watches the faces in the crowd. There are waves of agreement in the crowds. It makes it easy to see who supports Allie. According to the faces before him, not many. This really is going to be easy.

*

1:26pm. Day Before The Trial.

Maybe it's a Sunday. No, it's not Sunday yet. Saturday? Friday? Maybe it's Thursday? What day did Helena show up? She's unsure.

She's been a prisoner at Allie's. She'd been a prisoner all her life. He said he was saving her, protecting her, keeping her safe. Safe felt a lot like prison.

Surprisingly though, he's been kind to her that night. There were no physical punishments. He said he'd never really hurt her. She should have paid attention to the really.

She kept the house clean. The doors and windows are locked during the times she's left alone. Don't want someone coming to get her. What if someone came and took her again? What if they hurt her? She didn't think he was right but... Maybe it's safer to stay. Would anger him if she left. Staying, that's a safe option. Then again, he doesn't need anger too...

Elle almost drops a plate on the floor. She manages to catch it. She lets go. It smashes to the ground. Elle can't move, instead, she stares at the shattered pieces of pottery. It didn't feel good, but it didn't feel bad either. She carefully cleans up the mess. She didn't think he'd enjoy the mess. It doesn't take long. She boils a cup of tea and sits down with a book. The house was surprisingly filled with them. Campbell said their parents liked to read, he and his brother didn't bother. She imagines Sam dabbled but Campbell certainly didn't. He didn't mind her reading. It kept her mind busy, she agreed. There's not much else to do anymore. She'd already read a couple of books. She scanned the shelves earlier and landed upon one that she believed would be good. It'd been turned into a film, after all, they tend to be good books. Room by Emma Donoghue. She's a chapter in now. She carries on reading when a thought pops into her head.

Friday. She decides it must be Friday.

*

9:14am. Day of The Trial.

Campbell sits back behind his desk. Lexie smiles at him. She can already taste the victory. Maybe she should start thinking up punishments? Is she getting ahead of herself? Possibly but the people here already hated Allie before Campbell's speech and now, it was cementing in their minds.

Luke leans forward towards Campbell. No one is paying attention to him. "Do you not think that was a bit much? I don't-" He stops whispering as Campbell turns to face him. The dead look in his eyes catches him off guard. The lack of feeling or care leaves him so empty. However, as he begins to speak, a spark of joy flits across his eyes.

"No." His mouth cracks into a wide, malevolent smile. It causes him to sit back a bit. The hairs on his skin stand to attention. There's a slight laugh as he continues, "We're going to destroy them."