✓ | 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒, Volturi Kings

ᴇᴘɪʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

Qᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴ ᴇʀᴀ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʜᴀʟꜰ ᴀʟᴏɴɢꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴘᴜꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋʙᴜʀɴᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ. ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴍᴀʏ ʙᴇ ᴏɴ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɢᴜʀᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴍʏ ʙᴀʙʏ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ɴᴏᴡ. ᴀᴛ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴡᴀꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ. ᴀɴɴᴀ ᴡᴀꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪᴢᴇᴅ ʙʏ ꜰᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ. ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ, ᴡᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ʜᴇʀ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴀᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴋꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʟʟᴇɴꜱ. ɪꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴇᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴇɴᴇʙʀᴏᴜꜱ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴɴᴀʟɪꜱᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴀꜱ ʀᴏᴡᴀɴ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ. ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ꜱᴛᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ɢɪꜰᴛ ᴏʀ ᴛɪɴʏ ᴛᴡɪꜱᴛ. ɪ'ᴍ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜱᴏ ʙᴏʀɪɴɢ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪᴛꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴇʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ.

ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴏʀꜱ. ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀꜱ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀꜱᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ, ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴇ ɪᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ. ʏᴇꜱ, ɪ ᴍᴀʏ ᴘʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴛᴏᴏ ʜᴀʀᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀꜱ, ʜᴏɴᴏʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴘ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱᴇꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ'ꜱ ɴᴇᴡꜱᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ.

ɪ'ᴍ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ꜰᴀᴅᴇꜱ, ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ'ᴛ ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ɪꜱ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴀᴅᴇᴅ. ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ɪꜱ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ.

Pushing back against my own feelings had always been a struggle for me. Standing in front of me were the people that I wanted dead more than anything else. Their daughter meant nothing to me, but my own fury would not harm her. A parents actions should not imply that a child is the same way. I knew that from personal experience.

I was no deadbeat and I was no druggie.

"Here we are today, gathered for the trial of the century. I would like to make my first big decision right now on this snowy ground," I begin, allowing all of the pent up anger and stress to sit with me for a second before I let it release through my own unnecessary breathing. "To be without our laws would be without the small shed of humanity we have left. That humanity leads us to our own control over our bloodthirsty ways. All of us can push back against our own tendencies to grow in the end."