WILD BUT NEVER FREE

Yellow to Red

Since I had chapter four edited already I thought there'd be no harm in two updates in one night, happy reading! Elz

Yellow.

Her entire family were wearing yellow. I was expecting the pain of her memory to destroy my soul as soon as I walked in the room, what I wasn't expecting was the new found anger that exploded in my soul when I saw them all dressed in yellow.

I forced my eyes shut, but behind my eyelids, yellow burst through the darkness I was so desperately seeking.

Flashes of her invaded my mind like the plague; that smile, miles of beautiful golden skin, the controlled mess of dark flowing hair against that vibrant yellow.

Her voice softly appeared as background noise against the beautiful chaos of the memories.

"I didn't expect you to be here." Her voice was almost non existent but I gripped to it with all the strength I had left, I encased it in the echo of my brain, petrified of it slipping away.

Of course I'm here, I wanted to say but the semi conscious part of my brain reminded me that she wasn't talking to me now, her voice was lost in a moment in the past; when everything was okay.

I thought back to that moment, the moment her voice was stuck within and I let myself indulge in the warm memory, like a drug addict getting their first hit after months.

I didn't remember where we were, everything was dark, which only made the yellow of her dress more mesmerising. I felt the strong pull towards her that had been growing inside me for months suddenly drain all the power from my body, I was under the trance she held me in with her beautiful dark eyes.

It was the night of her prom. I certainly wasn't the type to be anywhere near anything like that, but I was there, of course I was there, for one reason. Her.

I hadn't bothered to dress up, I was in a simple hoodie and jeans and despite the fact she looked beautiful, and there were probably a million guys inside that would have been all over her, she was outside, with me, looking up at me through those dark hooded eyes and making me feel all kinds of crazy.

I looked down at her, forcing myself to say what I had driven here to tell her. I couldn't come all the way here and interrupt her prom for nothing, but nerves and her pretty face made me forget how to even speak. 

"What are you doing here, York?" She repeated, her voice clearer than last time. Her tone was soft, not accusing, not even curious; almost as though she knew what I was going to say. Of course she knew, it was obvious how I unravelled every time she walked into a room. 

"I didn't want you to remember prom as a night you hooked up with a random jerk when there's a guy out there who's really into you, P." I eventually got out, my voice barely audible. I felt confidence when I saw the corners of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. 

"Who is this guy?" She joked softly, welcomingly killing the serious atmosphere that only fuelled my nerves.  

"A guy who most definitely shouldn't be standing here telling you he likes you, but couldn't last a second longer keeping it a secret." I replied honestly, taking a brave step towards her that she didn't step away from. She knew as well as I did how wrong that moment was, but must have felt with the same gravity how right it felt. 

She was the piece that I never even knew was missing. You could never estimate someone like her would fit into your puzzle so perfectly, would brighten your life in such a way you could never had imagined. But now she was drifting into the darkness of that moment, away from me.

"What's with all the yellow?" My small attorney asked me slapping be back into reality, as she took a seat next to me, flattening her long skirt and looking over to the opposite side of the room where Atlas sat with a young man who looked no older than both of us. Surely he couldn't be the man he'd paid so much money to make sure I rot in jail for the rest of my life?

"It was her favourite colour." I answered flatly, not breaking my gaze from the table where Atlas sat in deep conversation with the young man. Atlas had noticed me come in, but refused to even acknowledge my existence now, which was no surprise.

"Ah, he's good." This comment got my attention. She was hardly filling me with the confidence I needed when the very people I used to consider to be my second family were sitting behind Atlas shooting me glances exploding with hatred.

"There are a lot of people here." I said nervously to my lawyer who looked unphased by the whole scene.

"I warned you about the media presence." She said unpacking her back and glancing over her notes, whilst my eyes were glued on the sea of public who were waiting with apprehension to watch the witch burn.

I felt sick.

Out of the sea of people, a small pair of eyes burnt through me like a match to paper. I caught her gaze almost immediately. Unlike the rest of her family, she stared at me, not with hatred but with sadness. The sight shattered me. Iris sat next to her mum, holding tightly onto her hand. She reminded me so much of her sister, sitting there in her small yellow sundress with wide inquisitive eyes. I couldn't break her eye contact, and she didn't break mine. Not until she looked up at a man who had shuffled his way past the bustling bench to get to where Iris and her mum were seated.

The sight of the man made my blood run cold, the sea of yellow in my eyes flashed to red. The movements of the man who took a seat next to Mrs Wild even caught Atlas' attention. I expected Atlas to turn around and practically spit at him, after what this man had done to her he had no right to be here. He hadn't even been at the funeral. I watched hoping for Atlas to yell at him, tell him to leave, I was here to fight against Atlas, but before this it had always been Atlas and I against him. But things had changed beyond comprehension now, as Atlas merely looked at the disgusting man with an expression of indifference and then turned to continue his conversation with his lawyer.

I wanted to get up and yell at him myself, and it took my entire composure not to do what Atlas should have done. But I knew it wasn't a good idea, that it wouldn't help my case. And this was about me. Proving York Yardley, the murderer, innocent.

On that thought, the courtroom fell to silence as the judge came into the room and commanded the atmosphere solely with his presence. My anger escaped me and I suddenly felt tiny in amongst the vast swarm of people, even though everyone's eyes were on me. A muffled instruction wafted over me but as the whole room began to stand, I couldn't help but look to Atlas for hopeless reassurance.

Atlas looked at me, but his face was far from comforting. Venom poisoned his features.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated." The Judge's voice boomed through the room. We all sat. "Today's case is the investigation into the murder of Cassiopeia Wild."