Innocence Unknown

Freedom at Last?

Eight o'clock. The time when the city physically and mentally woke up. Gone was the calm, peaceful and silent atmosphere, instead came the busy rush of cars, polluting the atmosphere with their potent smell. For many, it was the time of entering a familiar and boring world, but for Carlos and Mikey this was no familiar surrounding. In fact it was far from familiar: Carlos had spent five years in a claustrophobic and confined prison; for Mikey it was only a year, but the two boys had both missed the lovely fresh air (though it wasn't completely fresh as pollution and smoke filled the atmosphere).

'Here we are. We made it town Mikey. It feels good, doesn't it?' Carlos jumped up in excitement; not only was this his first taste of freedom, but it was his first opportunity of clearing his and Mikey's name.

'It sure does, but we got work to do,' Mikey mentioned, he was not as excited as Carlos, maybe it was because S.H.I.P had already given him a sense of freedom, but Mikey was right: as exciting as this whole scenario was, the boys needed to prove their innocence before they got noticed. 'We gotta get to Mrs Skiller, she will help us and don't worry S.H.I.P have already paid her in advance. It's only a minute walk from here.'

Enviously glancing at all the eateries, the five star hotels and grand shopping centers, Carlos and Mikey continued to stroll down the busy street. As good as freedom was, Carlos couldn't help but notice how many problems the two were going to have to encounter. Carlos' tummy began to rumble; the last time they ate was breakfast of the previous day. You should think that perhaps hunger shouldn't be an issue because of how many eateries there were, but it was, because the boys had no money. There were also some more major issues, the boys smelt and with no change of clothes it could be a huge issue for their personal comfort. To make a bad day even worse, their car was running out of petrol. With no money, it would be impossible to refill it and a long walk was out of the question, because the boys were starving and they barely even had the energy for this short stroll to the lawyers, so what energy would they have for a massive 2 mile walk? The thought of freedom was sweet like honey, but the reality was bitter.

Within the blink of an eye, they were stood in front of a small yet contemporary building, inside was a large navy blue sofa, which happily sat on a violet carpet. On top of the carpet, lay a rich dark brown coffee table, which heavily contrasted to the paper-white walls that had the finest paintings and pieces of art dangling from nails. Carlos gaped at the beautiful sight he could only dream of living in. Carlos looked down in despair, but not for long as Mikey tapped his shoulder and pointed at a large sign which read, 'Criminal Lawyers by Mrs Skiller'. This was the place that they needed to go. Carlos' unreachable dream soon was in touching distance. Mikey pulled open the door as the two stepped in and trotted towards the front desk.

'Hello, how can I help you?' Asked the receptionist.

'We have a booked appointment with Mrs Skiller,' Mikey replied.

'Ah, Carlos and Mikey, take a seat, she'll be with you shortly,' the receptionist replied.

The boys did just so, Carlos jumped on the cushioned sofa as he felt the soft spring-like motion of the sofa slowly deflating and inflating with air. They had a long way to go to prove their innocence, but they were one step closer to reaching their goal of ultimate and pure freedom. One giant step closer.