Enigmatic ✔

1|A great loss

Stella

'Falling in love is not rational. It's madness. A beautiful, wonderful moment of magnificent insan-'

"Your honor-"

"Enough, Mr. Burman, you've presented your evidence and the jury has taken it into consideration, Mr. Harris, the court has found you not guilty"

I look up from my phone to see the defendant and his family celebrating but on the contrary my dad is dissapointed. My mother and I were at the courthouse for my father who just lost a case to his mortal enemy, Lawyer Ricketts.

The case was that of Hudson Harris, he was accused of killing both his parents, big shoes to fill for an seventeen-year old boy. I guess the evidence my father presented wasn't enough and now we would have to suffer through the constant bleating of my father.

The handcuffs of the defendant, Hudson, are removed and for a second he looks over at my father shooting him a quizzical stare, my mother places her hand on my elbow before leading me over to my father.

"Once again, you've lost to me Burman, how does it feel?" Ricketts asks my father, he was such an pompous ass. Nuissance if I may.

"Are you celebrating the fact that you've let a killer walk free? I knew you were idiotic but I didn't know the level was that high" My father responds, he shouldn't have, Ricketts didn't even deserve the air he wasted on him.

"My client has done nothing wrong, as a matter of fact, maybe your the idiotic one for wanting to lock up an innocent boy for a crime he did not commit." Ricketts replies.

I take a second to look at Hudson, he doesn't seem affected one bit, doesn't it bother him that people paint him out to be a murderer, of not even stranger, but his own parents, shouldn't he even be grieving, can someone's heart be so frozen over?

"Gentlemen, there's no point in arguing, the court has made it's decision" My mother interrupts their claim of whose more masculine, that's the problem with men, they are always competing with each other on the matter of masculinity. "Honey, let us journey home" she then adds.

With that being said, we begin to walk out of the court house and towards the car, "Now what I want is you to stay away from him Stella" Father says. With all the anger he could muster up he attempts to open the car door, and in the end it's only locked, "The Key, Robert" My mother reminds him.

He takes it out of his pocket and push the correct button, I look at my mother and she looks at me as if I'm not to question it. I don't. Instead I wait for the unlocking sound to stop before I open the door to the backseat of the car.

"As I was saying Stella," My father continues his speech of how absolutely careful I had to be. "Don't go near him, he's bad news, Ricketts is an idiot for putting him back out on the street, with this whole town knowing the horrors he's caused"

We lived in the small town of Odell, everybody knew anyone, and my father was right, this town would never trust him, he'll probably move to save himself the whispers of the town.

"Now why would I ever do that father?, you already know the company I keep"

"Yes, I very well do, how is Issac these days?"

"He is as he always is, high spirits and imagining" I reply in one breath.

Issac is a companion who has grown quite important to me over the years. Father thought it best that I marry him in the future. My family was as you can see very traditional, they preferred the past where they said important stuff used to happen, where things such as planets, gravity and electricity were discovered, down to the way we talked was old-fashioned and it didn't help that we all had an accent, I was made fun of most of my years at school, with my schoolmates asking, 'what century I was from' and 'what year I was born'

I ignored them  of course, they didn't deserve my attention.

The sunlight seeped through my window and it brought back the thought of summer ending, and the first term of senior year would begin soon, I was rather excited. I had spent my days of summer engulfed in books, although it's not like I had anything else to do, I was given only three hours of free time each day, twenty-one hours a week, not that it mattered the only thing I could stand to view were documentaries and then it was back to my studies. My father wanted me to pursue a career in law and that is what I intend to do.

I hoped that the teacher wouldn't come across a topic I hadn't heard of and just stuck to the ones I was rather familiar with.

Father pulled into our driveway, news of his defeat must've spread already as a neighborhood watchdog was already at our front step with a pie, "We're all very sorry to hear what happened, Robert, we were all rooting for you" Margret, the watchdog, handed my father the pie.

"That's very kind of you, Margret, my family and I will be sure to enjoy it" My father politely replies with a forced smile, he must've thought it would hide his pain somehow.

"All of us are now scared Robert, a killer is now on the loose-"This lady speaks nothing to ease my father of the pain he's feeling inside, so why open her mouth? If this is her idea of doing just that, it was a very ridiculous attempt.

"Thank you Margret for gracing us with your presence" My mother quickly, yet politely shuts her up. "But I'm afraid my husband has had a very long day and would like nothing more than some rest"

"Of course" Margret replies before giving us a small smile snd walking off.

Mother opens the door with her key and we walk into the house only to be greeted by, Rose, our help.

Rose was like a second mother to me, I've known her whole life, it's refreshing to know that I had somebody other than my parents whom I could talk to.

"Rose, how is that cold, you spoke of the other day?" I question her going into the refrigerator for some ice water to quench my thirst, when I put the cup to my head and swallow, like magic the dryness in my throat has dissapeared.

"It's better now" Rose smiles.

"Good" I reply before beginning to climb the stairs and into my room, I changed into more comfortable clothes and then I went to check on father.

"Father, what happened today was merely a set back and in good faith you must continue to do a good job, instead of remembering your losses you might want to remember all the battles you've won, all the people you've helped, if Hudson is who you say he is, it won't be long before he shows himself up again and you'll have a second shot at putting a stop to him once and for all"

"I've taught you well my daughter" Father smiles which makes me smile as well. "On the other hand, I had thought you should stay away from him but I've been thinking, maybe getting closer to him would be better"

I glance at my father confused. What nonsense has he conjured up now?

"You'll be an exquisite spy, Stella, allow your mind to even entertain the thought of getting closer to him, and pulling all his secrets from the depths of his heart, find out what really happened that night, with his family"

"Father what you are suggesting is absolutely-"

"Brilliant" My father speaks for me.

How dare he put words into my mouth?

"Low" I say. "It's absolutely low, how could you even risk putting me in harms way, if he is as dangerous as you say he is"

"Your smart, Stella, I know you will and must figure something out" He urges me placing his hand on my cheek, "For my health and the good of this town, it's up to you, Stella, I pray you choose the right thing"

"What makes you think he'll even want to talk to me when he knows that my father stands against him?"

"Your beautiful Stella and your smart, how could he even possibly begin to say no to a treasure like you?"

"Are you sure, father? That this is the only way?"

"Positive, Stella" He responds shutting his eyes for a split second.

My father is the person I trust most in this world, he has done nothing but cared for me and I suppose I could do this one thing for him.

"Then I shall do it." I say. "For the good and safety of this town"

But where do I even begin?

▪▪▪▪