The Addby Court House
was packed with people when I arrived. The trial was just about to
begin and the tension in the room was at an all-time high. These
kinds of cases weren't unusual in this city but they were always
anticipated. The crowds always enjoyed a little blood.
I sneaked past white
suits and black dresses and gray people, finding my usual spot at the
edge of the court room. I had been here enough to know exactly where
to get the best view. Even with the bobbing heads and restless
chatter, I could clearly see the judge, jury, lawyers, and soon
suspect.
The judge slammed his
gavel and his booming voice echoed over the crowd. Voices could still
be heard whispering incessantly but by now it was a known fact that
it was impossible to quiet the masses. The judge went on with a bored
look on his sagging face.
"The trial will now
begin." He droned. "Bring in the prisoner."
A side door that was
barely noticeable opened and in came the suspect with two guards
leading him. The court room burst out into frantic noise. This was
the first time anyone had seen the so called traitor and he was
exactly what the people expected.
The prisoner could
only be described as dark. Everything was dark around here but this
man was all shadows and sharp edges. He could barely even be called a
man, he looked about 18. Close enough to my age that shivers ran down
my spine.
The guards led him to
his seat which was surrounded by blocks and dull things. Charms used
to block off the prisoner's magic. He sneered at them as if they
were children's toys.
"James Harper, you
are accused of treason by way of being a Daydreamer." The judge
said when the prisoner had settled. "How do you plead to these
charges?"
The prisoner peered
up at the judge, his eyes peeking out through his dark hair. He gave
a wicked smile that sent the crowd into silent chaos.
"Guilty, your
honor." He replied. His voice was like ice and I imagined his eyes
were too. In a world without color, it was easy to assume.
"We'll start with
the prosecution then." The judge smirked, looking much too proud of
himself. As if Harper wasn't willingly giving himself up.
A prim woman with a
neat bun stood from the prosecution table. She had a sharp look about
her and I imagined her nails to be red. A deep red that made men
intimidated.
"I'd like to call
our first witness. Benjie McKinnon, would you please come to the
stand."
A dirty bearded man
stood from the crowd and began migrating forward. Everyone around him
scrunched their noses and whispered to their companions with looks of
disgust on their faces. McKinnon didn't seem to notice, just pulled
his knit hat from his head and took a seat beside the judge.
"Mr. McKinnon."
The prosecutor began, pacing the floor with precision that made it
seem like she was taking up the entire room. "How do you know the
prisoner?"
"I didn't know
James well." The man said with an earnest look. His voice was rough
and it made me think of rocks grinding together. "I live on the
streets, you know and James would walk by every morning and strike up
a conversation. He seemed nice enough."
"What made you
realize that he was a Daydreamer?" The prosecutor continued,
glancing at Harper who looked thoroughly bored.
"He had a lot of
money for a start. He would flip me coins most mornings like it was
nothing. Buying me food and whatnot. I never thought anything of it
until he mentioned the colors."
It was a fatal
mistake. So was the money. After countless years of murder,
Daydreamers had learned to steer clear of anyone that wasn't their
own kind. Accusations could be thrown at the drop of a hat and trials
like these weren't easily won.
"What exactly did
Mr. Harper say about the colors?"
The crowd buzzed with
excitement and McKinnon suddenly looked miserable. He turned to
Harper and something flickered in his eyes. It wasn't hurt but that
was the closest word I could use. McKinnon coughed a bit before
continuing.
"He said that he
wished I could see them. He didn't come right out and say he was
but it was obvious. He trusted me not to tell." McKinnon wiped at
his smudged face. "I'm sorry, Jamie."
"That's enough."
The judge interrupted sharply. "Next witness to the stand."
McKinnon was led out
by another set of guards and another witness surged through the
crowd. This time it was woman in her 20's, clad in a tight dress
and thin heels. Even with color, her outfit would have been a stark
black. She had a vicious look in her eyes.
"Miss Chapelle,
when did you first meet the prisoner?" The prosecutor asked.
Chapelle glared daggers at Harper before answering with a slight
accent that would probably be considered cute.
"I met him at the
Midnight Club in Paris. I was with a...friend when he caught my eye."
Mutters surfaced at the word friend but Chapelle didn't seem to
notice.
"Of course I had
business to attend to so I ignored him but later in the night he
appeared out of nowhere and offered to buy me a drink. Being the
proper lady I am, I accepted politely. I'm used to young men vying
for my affections through alcohol."
This woman really
didn't hold back. Even the judge flushed a bit at her words and it
seemed that she was putting on more of a show than a testimony. The
prosecutor gestured for her to go on.
"We started talking
and suddenly we couldn't stop. He had sucked me in with his smooths
words and looks. I've never been one to fall in love easily but
James made anything seem possible. He was something like a dream."
The tension seemed to
burst then and the court room broke into shouts and insults. Chapelle
smirked with full lips and long lashes and it took much longer to
settle the room than it should have. She was playing a dirty game and
I suspected that she wasn't against lying to get what she wanted.
"Do you have a
point, Miss Chapelle?" The judge asked once the room had been
hushed.
"My point is that
no one has swayed me like James Harper did." Chapelle said with a
hint of disgust in her voice. "And from what I can tell, it must be
the work of a Daydreamer."
I kept my face
neutral but inside I was raging. Daydreamers couldn't compel others
and everyone knew it. It made me sick to think that these people were
so thirsty for blood that they would lie to themselves just to have
another head on a stake.
"Our last witness."
The prosecutor said as an angry looking man took Chapelle's seat.
"The prisoner's father."
Harper finally looked
up then, his eyes full of horror. The man had a gruff look to him
like he had seen far too much and it had fractured him. His eyes were
like a dull blade and he was more colorless than the rest. It was
like he was a black hole, sucking even the darkest shades into
himself.
"When did you find
out that your son was a Daydreamer, Mr. Harper?"
"Not my son." He
growled before the prosecutor even finished her sentence. A hush fell
over the court instantly and all eyes fell on Mr. Harper. Except for
mine which were seeking out his son. Harper was staring at his father
like he was being faced by a ghost.
"I
discovered this traitor was a Daydreamer a few months ago. I hadn't
seen or talked to him in over a decade due to certain circumstances,"
I noticed Harper shudder. "And I hadn't planned on thinking of
him ever again. But I received news of a Daydreamer roaming our
streets and I couldn't leave the citizens of London in danger."
"Please elaborate
on what your job is, Mr. Harper." The prosecutor said with a hungry
look in her eye.
"I'm a private
agent for the London police department." Gasps came from the crowd
and Harper closed his eyes.
"Were you aware
that the Daydreamer was the prisoner sitting before you?"
Mr. Harper gave his
son a withering look. "I didn't until I caught up to him. My team
and I had been doing research for days and had finally got a lead. We
found him in a dark alley doing who knows what. We assumed drugs.
"With my team, I
followed him through the streets until he stopped for the night at a
well-known Daydreamer hideout. Most had thought that it was out of
use but apparently not. That's where we found him when we arrested
him."
"That'll be all."
This trial was going
downhill fast. I had been to my fair share of Daydreamer cases and
not one of them had had a happy ending but this was just unfair. I
searched for Harper's lawyer for a bit of false hope but the
defense table was unoccupied.
"We'll hear from
the defense now." The judge said as if it wasn't obvious that
there was none. There used to be a time when this kind of thing
wouldn't pass but nowadays the justice system was less about
justice and more about blood.
"If there's no
defense, we'll take a short recess and announce the verdict
afterwards."
The court room
emptied out and filled back up, new people and old filing in and out.
Harper remained in his seat all the while, watching on with blank
eyes. Sometimes it was hard to believe that so many colors could come
from such a normal mind. That's why Daydreamers were so dangerous,
of course.
I was still in my
spot against the far wall when he caught my eye. There were only five
minutes left until the verdict was called and the room was the
emptiest it had been. There was no one in front of me or beside me or
even near me which meant I was what he was gazing at like I was a
painting in a museum.
Daydreamers couldn't
sense each other despite popular belief. There was no signal or sign
that gave it away. No secret mind messages that could be passed
between us. It was mostly instinct. And colors. It was easy to see
another Daydreamer's colors if you shifted your mind just the right
way.
Harper was all blues
and greens. Cool colors that made me think of winter and water and
cold. Surrounded by greys and blacks, he was the brightest thing in
the room. His lips pulled into a smile as sharp as a knife and I
raised an eyebrow in return. He knew exactly why I was there.
The judge called the
court back to order and the room was filled once again. Harper was
led up to the stand and the entire court held their breath. It was
obvious what the outcome would be but pretending that it was a
mystery was the fun part.
"James Harper, you
are accused of treason by way of being a Daydreamer and you plead
guilty to these charges, correct?"
"You're quite
right, your honor." Harper replied with a grin. He was a horrible
sight standing in the well-kept court room with his too long hair and
jangling chains. He was a disaster that had already reigned.
"The Addby Court
House of London, England finds you guilty of treason against the
royal crown. You are sentenced to death by way of Devil's Tongue at
midnight tonight."
The judge slammed his
gavel with a flourish and the court dispersed with cheers and
applause. I stayed in my spot for a moment longer, waiting for the
exit to clear. I watched the judge sip from a flask that he thought
no one could see and the guards jeer at the thought of another dead
Daydreamer. I saw Miss Chapelle conversing with a rich couple that
looked to be on the edge of disgust and awe and Mr. Harper gazing at
the ceiling with the same irritated look on his face.
Harper was starting
to be dragged back through the door he came from when he glanced
back. His eyes didn't even need to wander to find me. He knew right
where I was. I only had to shift my mind a touch to see the colors.
His lucid blue eyes and dirty purple t-shirt. The aura around him
made of snow and ice. Our eyes met for only a few seconds but it felt
like hours.
I was going to save
James Harper. I had only met him in stories and dusty files but I was
going to save him because that's what I did. While the black and
white people in their black and white world kept thinking that they
were on top, the daydreamers lurked in the colors, striking without a
trace. We might never rule the world but we would always have our
colors.
|