Chapter Three

The day of the trial comes and I'm in my room, staring in the mirror, telling myself I can do this, repeatedly.

It took a whole lot of convincing but Marie, got Abe to let me go to the trial. I had to sit at the very back but at least I can be there for Lily as she takes the stand. They won't allow me to testify because they don't think I'm in the right state of mind right now. They told me, Lily can deal with everything and it'll be enough.

"You can do this." I tell myself, one more time.

There's a knock and Lily walks in, looking ready for the trial.

"Are you ready?" She asks.

I nod. "Yeah." I tell her, standing up.

She smiled at me. "Let's do this."

We walk arm in arm out my room and down to where the trial is being held. But before I walk in, Hayes pulls me to the side, out of earshot from everyone else.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks. "You don't have to. You have nothing to prove."

"Yes I'm sure." I say. "And I know but it's just something I have to do."

He studies my face before nodding his head. "Alright but promise me, if you can't handle it anymore, you'll tell me and we'll leave."

"Okay. I promise."

We walk into the court room and I take my seat in the back left. Lily's in the front with Abe, Lucas and Reid. I'm not sure how things are handled here. I thought since Abe's the king he would take care of everything but apparently back on Arsyn there was a justice system as well. Abe doesn't have any control over it. It's not going to be bias. Everything will be played on even fields. Being the princesses, will be taken in and additional punishment will be added but other than that, everything will be equal.

Lily will say her side of the story and be questioned and so will the other two. The back door opens and they walk in, being held by guardians. I haven't seen them in weeks and they look horrible. They don't even noticed me. Maybe that's why they wanted me to sit in the back.

I take deep, steady breaths to calm myself. The trial hasn't even started yet and I'm already shaking. They are led to the right side and are chained to the table.

I glance in front of me when I feel eyes on me. Hayes is standing in the second row and he looks back at me, wondering if I'm okay. I nod my head, telling him I'm fine. He would be back here with me but there's a chance he might get called to the stand and if he is, he doesn't want them to see me.

The side door open and a man, I guess is considered the judge walks in and takes the leather black seat in the very front and eight male and female, the jury, follows behind him filling in the chairs on the right side. I don't think anyone has any lawyers but there are two people in the front, holding papers. I guess they're the ones who are going to be asking the questions.

Judge Ryes looks around the room before speaking.

"The trial will officially begin. Mrs. Lambert you may call up your first client."

Mrs. Lambert is in her mid thirties and she has blond hair pulled into a tight bun. She wears a grey pantsuits. She stands up and speaks.

"Thank you, Judge Ryes. I will like to call up to the stand Sophie Cipriano."

The guardian standing beside her, unlocks the chains and she stands up as the guardian places his hand around her arm before leading her to the stand.

"Ms. Cipriano, can you tell us why you target the Delariox? Why you chose to harass them instead of anyone else?"

"I wasn't targeting them."

"Then why did you kidnap them if you weren't targeting them?" Mrs. Lambert questions.

"They weren't around for thirteen years and everything was fine. Then they suddenly came back and seemed like everything changed. It was all about them. That's all they cared about."

"That's all who cared about?" Mrs. Lambert asks. "Can you be more specific?"

"The school. The guardians. Everyone. No one else mattered once they came. I..I got jealous and wanted to feel like I mattered. They had something I wanted. Really she had it."

"Who is she?" Mrs. Lambert says.

I straighten up, waiting for the name to be revealed.

"Millie. She had what I wanted."

I look at Hayes and he's looking at Sophie. He promised me, they wouldn't say anything and she's about to reveal everything.

"And what was this thing she had that you so badly wanted?" Mrs. Lambert asks.

My heart is pounding loudly. That is it. She's going to tell everyone and Hayes is going to be in trouble. He needs to get out of here. She opens her mouth to talk.

"She had.."

She isn't going to say it, is she? She wouldn't do that to Hayes. The longer I wait, the faster my heart races.

"She had, well has, this amazing voice every girl envied."

I exhale and my body relax when she didn't reveal my secret to the world.

"I don't know how she could get anyone to feel her emotion when she would sing but somehow she did. Everybody loved her voice and I was jealous of her. I wanted to be like her so badly. So I asked her for voice lessons. They didn't help me to be like her. Nothing can and mo one can be her. She's incredible. That was one more thing I had to compete with and I was sick of it."

"Why did you feel like you needed to compete with her?" Mrs. Lambert says.

"Because she was the center of attention and she didn't even know it. They both were. Millie had the voice to die for and Lily was talented at drawing. And on top of that, they're the princesses. When they came back, I became invisible once again and I hated that feeling."

Mrs. Lambert nods. "So, you're saying you kidnapped the princesses because you were jealous of them and wanted to be the center of attention. You were furious they stole your spotlight."

Sophie nods. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

Mrs. Lambert looks at Judge Ryes. "That will be all. No further questions."

Sophie is lead back to her chair and chained. Mrs. Lambert talks to the other person who will be asking questions and he nods his head at whatever she said.

"The next person to be called up to the stand is, Hayden Cipriano." Mrs. Lambert says. "Mr. Fritz will be questioning him."

Mr. Fritz has light brown hair and he also is in his late thirties. He wears a dark blue suit and his dark eyes are ready for asking his questions.

Hayes walks to the stand and the questions begins.

"Guardian Cipriano, you are the older brother of Ms. Sophie Cipriano, is that correct?" Mr. Fritz asks.

"By law, she's my adopted sister but as far as I'm concerned, I never had a sister."

"Did you noticed any sudden changes in Ms. Cipriano?"

Hayes shakes his head. "No. If I did, don't you think I would have let her be around the princesses? She had no sudden changes. If she did, she didn't show it around me. She never showed jealousy or wanting to be the center of attention. That's not her. The girl I grew up with, isn't the same girl in this court room."

"Did you feel hatred when Princess Millian started to date Mr. Ashton?"

"No. Why would I?" Hayes lies.

"There was conflicts between you two before they started to date. You and Mr. Ashton had a fight."

"Yes, we did have fight but how is that relevant to any of this?" Hayes asks.

"It's relevant because you nearly beat him to death at the warehouse where Princess Millian was found. Charges can be press against you considering Mr. Ashton at the time was a student."

Are they really trying to change this on Hayes? This has nothing to do with him. This whole thing is irrelevant. The fight before I started dating Kyle shouldn't be allowed to be brought up. Why did it mattered if they fought?

"I beat him up because he raped her. What I did to him, is nothing compared to what I should've done to him."

"How do you know Princess Millian was raped? Are you sure you didn't beat up as revenge for what happened earlier in the year? When you and Mr. Ashton fought?"

Even from where I sat, I can see the anger in Hayes' eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? I don't give a damn about the fight at the school. I did it because he's a fucking rapist. He's a coward and a son of a-"

Mr. Fritz cuts him off. "That'll be all. Next witness to the stand. Princess Lillian Delariox."

"Princess Lillian can you tell us the events that happen leading up to the day you and your sister were kidnapped?" Mrs. Lambert asks.

"I think it was like a week before our birthday when Millie got those notes threatening her."

"Threats about what?" Mrs. Lambert asks.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me. But she got them like everyday."

"And you didn't think it would be a good idea to inform the school about these notes Princess Millian were receiving?"

Lily shakes her head. "No. Millie didn't want them involved. She wanted to handle it on her own and we had hunch about who was writing it. Even if we did, tell the school, we didn't have any proof that it was the person we thought it was." She shrugs. "It doesn't matter because it wasn't the person we thought it anyway. We didn't take it too serious because we didn't think anything of it. The day of our birthday, we forgot about them and enjoyed our party. Sophie gave us this cup and we drunk it."

"Did you have any idea what might've been in the drink?"

"Yes. We both thought it was alcohol. That's what Sophie made it seem like."

"So, even if you both are underage, you both still decided to drink."

"We're young. We make stupid mistakes. I didn't think we were gonna get drugged. If we knew that, we wouldn't had drunk it, obviously." Lily says.

"But you both took the risk and because of that you're guards were down. What happened after you left the party?"

"We went to our dorms and some time later, Sophie and Kyle came to get us from our rooms. We escaped from the campus but we were drugged so we didn't know what we were doing."

"When did the drugs wear off?" Mrs. Lambert questions.

"I don't know." She shrugs. "I think when we were in the club. But we got drugged again."

"Is that how you got separated from the other three?"

Lily nods. "Yeah, I think so. I can't really remember. I woke up and I was at here, laying in a hospital bed while Millie was being tortured and raped."

"How do you know she was raped if you weren't there?"

Lily can't tell them she's the seer. That's how she saw everything. If she spills her secret, then she's in more dangerous.

"I know because I know my sister. She wouldn't lie about being raped. I saw in her face. I saw the bruises. That's all the prove I needed."

"We need more evidence then that. We would need Princess Millie's story and since she isn't here, we only have Mr. Ashton's words."

Lily slams her palms on the stand as she gets frustrated.

"You wanna know why she isn't here? Because she can't even look them in their faces! She can't sleep at night because they haunt her. They are the reason why, she's hurting and can't live the life she wants. She's never gonna to be the same again and it's their fault! They did this to her and they will pay for it!"

"That'll be all Princess Lillian." Mrs. Lambert says.

They don't believe us. After everything they did to us, all the prove we had, they still didn't believe us. They won't believe us until I go up there and tell them my side of my story. Am I even strong enough that? Can I even do it?

I have to unless I want them to get away with a lesser punishment. That can't happen. I have to do this. So, I stand up, shakily and let me voice be heard.

"I am here today and I want to tell my side of the story."

All eyes turned to face me but I refused to look at the two on the right side. Mrs. Lambert smiles when she sees me. She walks over to Judge Ryes and speaks to him. He, then, speaks into the mic.

"We will take a ten minutes recess so Mrs. Lambert and Mr. Fritz can gather their questions. Princess Millian you have ten minutes to prepare your statement."

He hits the gravel and we are dismissed. Abe is the first one to talk once we are alone.

"Why would you do that, Millian?"

"They don't believe us. Lily can't tell them she's the seer and she saw what happened with her own eyes. They aren't going to admit what he did to me." I tell them.

"Marie said you could sit in the court room. She didn't release you to testify." Abe says. "You're not ready to talk about it."

"I'm never going to be ready but I have to do this. If I don't, we'll lose."

"Not necessarily." Hayes replies. "Sophie already admitted to kidnapping you two. She broke under pressure. Kyle will do the same. You don't have to go up there."

"What if you're wrong? What if he doesn't?" I ask. "Then they will be charged with kidnapping and maybe even for the drugs. Who knows."

"I say, she should do it." Lily says. "Lambert is tough but Millie can handle her. Hearing Millie's side of the story, is exactly what we need."

"I agree." Reid says and Lucas nods his head in agreement.

Abe sighs. "Okay but if you disappear back into you room for days because of this, I'm sending you off somewhere for you health."

I nod my head. "Okay. Deal."

The ten minutes are up and I take a deep breath before my name is called. I walk towards the stand and sit down in the leather chair. I look straight at Mrs. Lambert.

"During the time you were held hostage, did Ms. Cipriano ever tell you why she held you against your will?"

I nod. "Yes, she did and it's exactly what she said. I had what she wanted."

"And what about, Mr. Ashton? Did he give you a reason?"

"He was upset that I broke up him. He wanted us to be together and I didn't. Not anymore?"

"Why did you call it off? Was there someone else? Someone Mr. Ashton might've hated?"

Yep and he's sitting in the same room as us.

Obviously I can't say that.

"No. There was no one else. I just didn't feel the same way anymore."

Mrs. Lambert nods. "So can you tell us what happened in the warehouse from start to finish?"

"I woke up and I was chained to the wall. I asked Sophie why she was doing this to me and she wouldn't tell me. Not yet. And she makes Kyle abused me so she could hear my scream."

"How did he abuse you?"

"He hit me and kept hitting me. I kept telling him to stop but he only listened to Sophie. Then she got bored with that and Kyle had other plans for I could scream again."

"And what were these plans?" Mrs. Lambert asks.

Tears came to my eyes as I think about that night. I think about his hands all over my body. His lips all over me. Then I'm back in the warehouse. I'm chained up again. Suddenly I can't breathe. I feel like I'm suffocating. I make it worse when I look over at him and I start to cry. How can he just sit there feeling no guilt about what he did? Is he not ashamed of himself?

"Princess Millian? Can you tell us those plans?"

I look away from Kyle and Hayes is killing Kyle with his stares. I can see the anger in his face. His fists are balled up, tightly.

"He..he."

I never said it aloud before. If I do, it'll make it true and I'm still hoping it's all a dream and I will wake up from it.

"He raped me. He took a piece of me and I will
never get it back. I begged him to stop. I cried and she just stood there and watched him rape me. She smiled."

"How can you be sure, it was rape when you were drugged. For all you know, you could've said yes and don't remember it."

I stare at her in disgust. "I know what I said. He never asked and I never said yes. Why would I when I broke up with him? They left me there to die. I wanted to die after what happened. I felt disgusting and I blamed myself for it. If I didn't break up with him, then that never would've happened. He's a monster."

I look over at Kyle as I say the next sentence.

"And he deserves to rot in hell."

Kyle looks away from me and I'm done with my statement. I leave the stand and sit beside Lily. Mr. Fritz brings Kyle to the stand.

"Why did you help Ms. Cipriano kidnap the Delariox?"

"Because she's a good persuader and I owed her. I wanted to get my revenge."

"Did you hate Princess Millian? Is that why you beat her up?"

"I had mixed emotions about her. I was mad at her for breaking up with me and I still loved her. I figured I was doing her a favor. Sophie would've done way worse than I did to her. I thought if I did it then Sophie would just leave her alone but Sophie wanted more. Millie's face was already unrecognizable. I couldn't keep hitting her."

Mr. Fritz asks the question we all been waiting for since the trial started.

"Did you rape Princess Millian?" Mr. Fritz questions.

Kyle looks at me as he answers.

"Yes, I did. I do feel horrible about it about. And she's right, I deserve to rot in hell for what I did to her. I acted out of anger and I'm so sorry."

I look away from him. His apology means nothing to me. I never want to see him again or her.

Judge Ryes dismisses us and the jury goes into the side room to discuss the outcome. We will know something in an hour or two.

"You did it, Millie." Lily says. "Thanks to you, we're gonna win this case."

"And you'll never have to see either one of them again." Lucas tells me.

"I hope so." I reply. "I'm going to my room."

I leave them and head to my room to be alone for a few minutes. As soon as I close the door, I cry. I'm not sure what I'm crying about. Maybe it's because I saw them or maybe because I finally said what happened aloud. Or maybe because I wanted the weakness to leave my body. Whatever the reason is, I cry until I have no more tears left to cry.

I go into my bathroom to splash water on face. I exhale and gather myself together.

I don't go back into the court room to hear what the jury has to say. Hayes comes into my room and tells me what happened. He keeps it simple and says they are going away for a long time. I won't have to worry about seeing them in life ever again and our secret is safe.

Today I took a step forward. I just need to keep moving.