His Lady Justice

Chapter I

"And then she told me that the place was running off of a backup power generator, so the food couldn't be made any warmer!" He said, setting off a wave of obnoxious laughter that only seemed to make my head pound harder.

            "Ugh, I can't believe that was a five star hotel. I bet you don't have to deal with such a mediocre life in America, right Ana?" Another girl piped in.

            "Ana?" She had to prompt me again, failing to get a satisfactory response the first time.

            I shrugged, "I guess. Listen, I'm going to get some air."

            They all nodded in response as I excused myself from the suffocating conversation.

Apparently I didn't move quick enough because I still caught part of their snide commentary about my peculiar disinterest in their unnecessarily flamboyant lives.

How could I be interested if none of them could hold a decent conversation about anything other than the latest addition to their temperature-controlled designer closets? 

 I weaved through the crowds of well-dressed, high ranking socialites to reach the backdoors, which led to the massive deck of the mansion. I gulped in the fresh air, inviting the warm breeze of the Grecian countryside. More guffaws interrupted my moments of tranquility.

            "No silly, this is an original Versace." A woman drawled while flirtatiously running her hand across her partner's chest.

            I turned away and noticed the deck had steps leading to the forest of a backyard, which I decided to take. Perhaps there I'd be free of these materialistically dense people. Conveniently, there was a hiking trail of some sort that led through the trees. The path promised perfect solitude, none of these snobs would dare risk getting mud or brush on their costly dresses anyway. 

The moon lit up the indigo sky and reflected off the cleared path.

            If mom and dad were still alive, things would probably be different. I probably wouldn't have had to come all the way out here on my only summer off during graduate school. Maybe they would've attended this cousin's wedding in my stead. Or maybe they would've dragged me here with them, but at least then I would've had someone to lean on. I felt like a complete stranger amongst family, almost like a spectator looking into an alternate reality. I'm sure they found me to be equally strange, simply because my parents didn't raise me to be an arrogant fool. Perhaps that was harsh, but the loss of brain cells from being in their company felt all too real. 

         I was definitely grateful for my extended family's eagerness to reach out and volunteer to be a source of solitude after the horrendous accident, because no human ever truly wants to be alone in this vast world. Otherwise, I could have very easily slipped into a dark void beyond recovery. However, at this moment, I just wanted to go back home, to the comfort of my own room where I could lounge around in pajamas all day and no one would be able to judge me. Here, in these uncomfortable, expensive silks, I couldn't even think straight.

            "You shouldn't have messed with us." A husky voice from beyond the trees interrupted my thoughts.

            "No, no please sir, I have a family, a wife and children! Please, I promise to fix this, to never do something like it again. I beg you, please spare me!" A desperate man pleaded from the distance.

            What was going on? I was almost certain that I was alone in these dark woods. Who in their right mind would venture through here at night, especially with that posh reception going on indoors? I approached the voices, being careful to hide behind the trees.