Whisper

The Beginning

"And, I was so busy looking behind me that I didn't see what was in front of me until it was too late," she mumbled, the men in the room nodded as the camera went off.

Arabella Lenneth was blood and dirt stained, her body shaking and her eyes wide.

The camera shut off, "Did you get that?"

The cameraman nodded as Arabella shook, biting her lip so hard she drew blood as she watched the mayor and the man converse. She couldn't feel the pain, thanks to adrenaline.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lenneth ," he said, his voice deep and booming as his eyes crinkled. He had a fatherly look to him as he spoke, somehow calming Arabella.

"What are you going to do about it?" she took a breath between each word, a nervous habit that helped to clam her.

The men shared a look, the mayor and his deputy who was acting camera man. "There is only one thing we can, in fact, do."

He looked almost remorseful as his assistant pulled out his phone, dialing three digits.

ONE YEAR LATER:

"Arabella Lenneth, aged nineteen, is sent to prison with the death sentence after a long and vicious trial. She was convicted for the killing of three police officers who were standing guard outside of Mayor Quinten's house.

"Heads are turning, for her execution date is in one year, a short time compared to others on death row. The  mayor himself has no words on this, but Ms. Lenneth merely quotes."

The scene on the news flipped to a petite, blonde lady. "They don't want me talking," was all she shouted before being dragged away by two burly cops. She didn't look capable of hurting a  chihuahua, let alone three police men.

Joti took a deep breath before getting up and turning of the television before padding to the window. As the mayor's daughter, she was severely shaken by the news.

She would have two more guards take her to school today in their limousine, her usual three were not enough.

She stepped outside of her neat bedroom, the quiet hallway echoed with her footsteps as Joti glided towards the marble staircase in their mansion.

She abruptly stopped when she heard snatches of conversation. "Nobody will ever know, apart from those conspectus theorists," she heard her father say.

"Good morning, Daddy," Joti poked her head in, her brown curls falling her face. Her dad smiled from his mahogany desk, his brown eyes twinkling.

"Good morning, peanut," he declared, making her smile as he got up and set the black phone down. "Be in charge a minute, please."

Joti nodded and sat down behind the desk, hoping for the phone to ring as he dad left, probably on his way to get a chocolate-chip muffin.

Inside the office was a door that led to another room, it had been locked her whole life. Joti and her friends had always found it suspicious that she had never been in there, but under lock and key it was impossible.

But, by a miracle, it was unlocked. She stood up, not knowing how or what was inside, she had a whole list of ideas, always begging her dad to let her go in.

Joti stood up and listened, hearing no footsteps she slowly stepped toward the door, holding her breath as her heart raced.

Another step, she was a foot from the door.

She took yet one more, looking at the oak entrance.

"Honey?"

She jumped back down, cursing herself; she should have been quicker instead of acting like she was in a  soap opera that came on at midnight.

"Yes, Papa?" she trilled, her voice a pitch higher than usual.

"I have a call, I'll be back in a minute," he replied as his cell started ringing. Joti jumped up and ran to the door, her spinney chair shot out behind her and she almost tripped in her haste to get to it.