The silence was tangible enough to grab. I felt so many eyes on me, and I shuddered. I couldn’t even look around. I looked down at my black shoes and tried to steady my breathing. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the feel of eyeballs glued to my back.

Xavier put a hand on my back, and it dusted off the eyes. I looked up at him, and he mouthed, “It’s okay.”

The judge broke the silence. “You believe that this child, who has been put through hell and back, is a Harpy- a creature no one has seen for centuries?”

The lawyer jumped on the question. “I know how this may sound your Honor, but we have one more piece of evidence that is crucial.”

The judge looked at Xavier. “Alpha Xavier, is there anything you would like to ask before going onto this last piece of evidence?”

Xavier folded his arms to the best of his ability in the tight suit. He walked to where Jeremy sat behind the stand and started talking. “Jeremy already confessed to everything that we were accusing him of on his own accord. But I want to ask Jeremy this: If you said you wanted to treat him like he was your own son, why did you put him through so much pain? You must’ve known that you had broken him, at least, after he woke up and his wings were gone. I don’t think it was because you were scared of him or self-defense. He was a child- years and years younger than you. So, I repeat, why declare Kye, a son when you treat him a way no father ever would?”

“I never said I was a good father” Jeremy shrugged. “Everyone makes mistakes, and I thought I was fighting for my life.”

“From a child?” Xavier turned towards the jury. “Kye was a scared child with amnesia. A man took him in and then refused to let him go back home. The man didn’t know where ‘home’ was, and maybe Kye didn’t know either. But Kye didn’t want to be in that home with Jeremy any longer. The definition of kidnapping is the action of abducting someone and holding them captive.”

“But Jeremy invited him inside, and Kye walked in on his own accord!” the lawyer shot back.

Xavier turned around swiftly with a pointed finger in his direction. “But when Kye wanted to leave, Jeremy kept him captive. Then when Kye tried to fight for his freedom, Jeremy responded by confining him to a cage and essentially trying to burn him alive- and then to come in here and hide behind the notions of ‘fear’ and ‘self-defense’”

With the lawyer silenced, Xavier addressed the jury again. “Now, who’s the real victim here? A child who was trying to fight for his freedom or a man who was scared of the child and locked him away just to drug his food and torture him for endless day and restless nights?” Xavier shrugged and then walked back to me.

The lawyer pounced like a cat after Xavier was done. “I call Kye to the stand!”

I stood stiff, but Xavier coolly ushered me to the seat next to the judge. Jeremy was guided by two men in uniform away from the podium and smiled at me coyly as I passed. I walked up two steps and sat in a chair behind a desk. To my right was the judge but he wasn’t looking at me.

“Let me see your hand,” a man in uniform said, and I jumped. “Don’t worry; I won’t hurt you.”

I gave him my left hand, and he put it on a book with a dark blue cover. He held out his hand for the other hand, and I gave it to him. He placed my hand over my chest and then he gave me a piece of paper.

“Say the promise part back to me.”

I read some of the words out of order in my head. “What do they mean?”

“They mean to say the truth and nothing but the truth. If not then you will be charged with perjury. And before you ask, perjury is when a person lies or makes statements that are not truthful while under oath.”

I nodded. “I promise before the Almighty God that the evidence which I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” I gave the paper back to the man, and he left with the book. He stood by the wall, and I looked forward. The man that touched me had his head down on the table, and the former doctor was whispering something to Jeremy. Jeremy, on the other hand, looked at me with dead eyes.

The lawyer spoke. “Yesterday, Jack came into your room and tried to rape you- is that correct?”

“Y-yes” I stuttered.

“Did you at any point say for him to stop?”

“N-no but I-”

“Where were his hands?” the lawyer interrupted.

“One was around my wrists, and the other was in my pants touching my backside.”

“What happened after he got his hands in your pants?”

“I thrashed around and screamed. He dropped me, and Xavier came in.”

The lawyer nodded. “How long would you say that Jack Fisher held you?”

I shrugged. “It felt like hours, but it could’ve been maybe a few minutes.”

“Enough to leave a bruise, correct?” the lawyer smiled.

“Yes” I answered truthfully, but my gut was spinning another tale.

The lawyer looked at everyone in the courtroom. “Jack Fisher would leave a bruise and to a human- that bruise would be as vibrant today as it was last night. To a harpy with regeneration abilities, the bruise would be faded or gone by now”

The lawyer turned towards me. “Kye, could you take off your suit jacket and roll up your sleeves?”

I looked at the lawyer and then the judge. The judge sensed my hesitation and spoke. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to Kye” I shook my head at him.

I saw two bracelet bruises on both of my wrists this morning. My gut was telling me that everything would go, but logic was telling me that I shouldn’t worry.

I pulled off my jacket. The tension and silence pelted me like the rain from my shower, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

I rolled up one of my sleeves, thinking to see the purple immediately, but was met with my natural peach skin.

“Give me your wrist, Kye” the lawyer assertively. I slowly gave him my wrist as I was breathing heavily. He yanked my wrist for everyone to see and an audible gasp was heard as my wrist was clear as day.

No bruises anywhere.

He let go and asked for the other. I allowed him to have it, seeing how I was turning hollow with confusion at this point. I heard the lawyer say more, but it translated into warbly gunk to my ears. He let go of my right wrist, and I looked at them weakly. I felt like I was betrayed as I felt my wrists. They didn’t sting from the lawyers’ grasp, but they left me confused.

I felt a tap on my right shoulder. I looked and saw the judge hand me a water bottle. “Drink this son; you look flushed” I took the drink and gave him my silent thanks. He smiled at me and silenced the lawyer that was going on a rampage with his hammer.

“This has gone on long enough! You may have forgotten it is I who will have to make the call on whether Kye is a human or not” the judge looked at him through small eyes. The judge looked at me and then looked behind me. “If I recall the history books of my youth, Harpies have wings bigger than their body. I see no wings on this boy.”

“But your Honor-”

The judge whipped his head around to the lawyer. “I see no wings on this boy so the sentencing will remain as a human! The only thing I will change is Jack Fisher’s sentence from Attempting Statutory Rape to Molestation, and that is the only thing you’ll get out of me.”

The judge looked at the jury and nodded. “We shall have recess where the jury will decide Jake Fisher and Jack Fisher’s sentence. They will also determine if Jeremy Fisher will get the death penalty or life without parole” He banged his javelin and left out of the door to his right.

Xavier walked to where I was and helped down the steps. He grabbed my jacket from the chair and escorted me out. As we passed the Fishers, Jeremy was the only one to look at me. Xavier kept me glued to his side, and I kept my eyes away from him as best as I could. I focused on the ground, and soon I heard the sound of a door opening and closing behind us. I was forced onto a bench, and I realized that I was still clutching the unopened water bottle in my hands. I looked up and saw Xavier and Kyle speaking off to the side, and Donna and Nicole were coming to stand in front of me.

Dried tear ravines created canyons in their makeup, but they didn’t care. “Kye! I knew it was bad but hearing it from him was worse!” Nicole hugged me as I patted her back with my free hand. Donna didn’t say anything, just hugged all three of us. I felt like I should cry, but my tear ducts were as dry as a desert.

I heard the door open and close and quick steps towards our huddle. Nicole and Donna picked up on the noise and turned around suddenly.

It was Liam.

I set my water bottle down and stood up. Donna and Nicole were talking to Liam, but he wasn’t paying them any attention. He looked down at them and said, “Do you mind if I talk to Kye alone?”

Donna and Nicole looked at each other, then at Kyle and Xavier- who was still in deep conversation. They looked at me, and Donna said, “If it’s okay with you, he can”

I nodded slowly, and Donna and Nicole left. As soon as they were away from earshot, Liam engulfed me in a one-sided hug. Despite him being tall and burly, his touch was warm and gentle- like touching a new flower in the early mornings of spring.

He leaned over a bit and rested his head on mine. “I didn’t know it was you who this trial was for” He let go and went on one knee to be on my eye level. He put my face between my palms and his thumbs rubbed circles in my cheeks. “I certainly didn’t know you were touched last night either” He gave me another hug and said, “I wish I could’ve punched him.”

I lifted my head a little bit so my words wouldn’t be muffled against his shoulder. “Xavier punched him real hard, and then Donna and Nicole almost killed him with rage.”

His chuckle raced through my body like vibrations down a mountain. It felt good, and I leaned my head into the crook of his neck. Liam stiffened and then relaxed. He rubbed my back, missing the braid so it wouldn’t be messed up.

We stood like that for a while, and I felt a peace.

31. This hug was the only good thing to come out of this trial so far.

He let go, and for the first time, I didn’t feel too bad about being released. He led me back to the bench behind me and then sat next to me. I took the water and drank a few sips before offering Liam some. He shook his head, and I drank a few more before putting the lid back on.

Liam looked at me. “Are you alright?” He laid his left arm around my shoulders and scooted me closer to him. I felt like I should say something about his touchy movements, but I felt like my soul the repair that he provided.

I shrugged against him. “I don’t know. I feel so drained. He tried to pin all of his actions on me, and I-I’m just shocked” I said truthfully. I racked my memory for some memory of me before I met Jeremy, but I couldn’t find a single spec. The first thing that comes to my mind is me kicking Jeremy but it’s hazy before and after I kicked him.

“At least it’s almost over” Liam rubbed my arm. I mentally shook my thoughts away and unconsciously leaned into Liam. I closed my eyes as a wave of sleep fell upon my eyelids. I was tired and drained- emotionally and mentally. Liam took away his arm, and I looked up at him in curiosity.

“When I’m stressed or tired, I always do my hair. It feels perfect when other people do your hair- would you mind if I did yours?”

Instead of answering, I gave him my back as I turned around. Liam took that as a yes and undid my lose braid. He chuckled at something, and I felt my hair unwind into waves. He ran his tan hands through my jet black hair like he was wheeling silk. It felt relaxing, and I closed my eyes and let Liam work his magic. He ran his hands a bit more before collecting all strands of hair and collecting them back into a braid. Once he was done, he laid me against him, and his arm came across my chest.

All was good, and everything was at peace.

Until I heard the door open again.

“Recess is over, Kye” Liam whispered sadly.

I sighed and opened my eyes to Liam getting up and Xavier coming over with my suit jacket in his hands. Donna, Kyle, and Nicole came over as I stood back up. I put my coat on and grabbed the water bottle still on the bench. Xavier looked at Liam and then did a double take when he noticed him. Liam smiled and leaned into Xavier’s ear. Xavier’s eyes went wide before he facepalmed himself. I was confused, but he waved it off. Liam took one last look at me before walking towards the doors to grab his seat.

“We’re at the homestretch, Kye,” Kyle said with a pushed smile. I smiled back and looked at the open doors to people standing and the judge back on the stand.