Harry slid the cell door closed with regret, his eyes downcast as he did so. I knew he hated seeing me like this. He apologised over and over as he undid my cuffs before locking the bared door behind me. He said he would make it up to me in court, and I knew he meant it.
He left me with a brief nod before disappearing from view, his expression one of worry. After he left, I collapsed on the thin mattress that remained in the cell. The bed creaked with my weight, feeling like concrete on my ass. I felt myself frown in response. Bars covered the area I was in. I could see to the cell next to mine, half of the wall concreated and the other half barred. There was no privacy, with the toilet situated on the far end of the cell, in plain view for other cell mates and people passing by.
I sat there in silence, my thoughts becoming the better of me.
Isaac and I were being questioned for the murders of Brookefield.
Isaac was trying to protect me.
Aaron was trying to set up Isaac.
Pincel and Miss Anderson were trying to kill me.
My mind whirled, my brain searing with the beginnings of a headache. I couldn't answer any of my thoughts, I was only left with more questions. I had one ally, that being Harry but would impact would that do? Pincel was still the Sheriff of the town and he had the Mayor on his side along with the rest of the community. Meanwhile Isaac was setting himself up to be convicted of manslaughter while Aaron was helping him do so.
But I knew that Pincel and Miss Anderson would stop at nothing to see me deemed guilty.
Suddenly the clang of metal filled my cell and I sat bolt upright on the bed. Footsteps approached followed by a soft murmur. I craned my neck forward, refusing to get out of my bed in hopes of remaining a shadow. Two figures passed by my cell and I instantly recognised both. Pincel was pushing Isaac by the shoulder, his gun posed at the base of his spine to ensure he didn't try anything. Isaac looked ruthless, his hair tousled as he stubbornly walked forwards, his head titled proudly. He didn't spare me a glance as Pincel shoved him into the cell next door. Pincel moved to undo Isaacs cuffs but Isaac moved away, his jaw set.
"Don't touch me." He hissed, spitting in the Sheriffs face. Pincel eyes drastically darkened and a shadow passed over his face.
"Fine." He lashed back, giving Isaac one last shove as he placed his gun back in his belt. "Keep the cuffs on."
Isaac only sneered, his eyes blazing before Pincel walked out of the cell, shutting the door with unnecessary force. He then turned to me, his frown broadening into a crazed smile.
"My Renee," He chuckled softly, his voice bouncing off the cell walls. "Fancy seeing you here."
I shot him a dark look, my face most likely matching Isaacs. Pincel only laughed harder at my reaction and lazily walked over to my cell door, his keys jangling.
"It's about time you remained behind bars." He said with a smirk. I rose from my spot on the bed, walking over to Pincel, anger lengthening my strides with confidence.
"I won't be for long." I replied icily.
The Sheriff only narrowed his eyes. "We will see about that."
I regarded him coldly, taking in his ugly scar and soulless eyes. "Get your facts right Sheriff, I am innocent."
At this, Pincel only chuckled harder, his eyes blazing with pleasure. "Oh trust me, we have all the facts we need."
I rose my eyebrow in response, conscious of Isaac drift to us from his cell, his expression hard to read.
"And what is that? That you tried to kill me because I uncovered that you were the Parade supplier? That you're working for the big boss to kill the Forsaken?"
He immediately flinched, his face openly slackening with shock. He had never heard me speak of the Forsaken before, and had never known I was present at the warehouse. But by the sudden steel like expression that crossed his face and the swirling of his irises alerted me that realisation had kicked in. He glanced at Isaac, as if debating whether or not he knew of this information. Isaac had the decency to looked confused, his face pale.
"You have no proof." Pincel spat back, however a flicker of nervousness escaped his stern expression.
At this I frowned, it was true, I had no proof. And now that I was locked in a cell, I wouldn't be able to get any.
Pincel knew he had managed to dodge a bullet because his smile returned. "Ah, and she once again hits a dead end."
I gave him a murderous glare in response, my veins burning with anger.
A loud voice interrupted us and we both looked over to see Isaac stand against the bars that separated my cell from his. "Your warehouse full of illegal weaponry is enough proof for anyone." He spoke confidentially, his voice clear and stubborn. His gaze was fixed on Pincel, his irises dancing with amusement.
"How did you-"
"Know?" Isaac injected, his face wiped of any fear that he held. Although his wrists were bound behind his back, he looked regal, his golden hair matching his fiery eyes. "It's pretty easy to recognise a liar when I see one."
Pincel seemed unimpressed, his smile thinning. "You found my note for Renee."
Isaac shook his head at this, ruffling his curls. "Renee told me of you. She told me of the warehouse and I went, only to uncover what you truly are."
Now was the time that I hoped Isaac would question Pincel and beg for his mercy. Now was the time when Isaac would admit he too was a Parade member and seek support from his fellow member. But he never did, instead he said something that left both Pincel and I speechless.
"I do not know of what you are, but I do know you and Renee are not responsible for the murders. I am."
Pincel watched him steadily, studying him with a hard expression. I could tell he was trying to process this, his frown deepening with thought.
But then it all clicked. Pincel knew there was no such thing as the Brookefield murderer. He knew it was all but a fake lie spread around the community to hide the fact that the Forsaken were the true murderers of the children. He set me up and accused me of something he knew was fake for the sole purpose of seeing me fall, but now that Isaac was so evidently lying, he would be questioning why.
I tried to catch Isaacs eye but he didn't seem to understand. His gaze remained on Pincels, hard, stern and emotionless.
"Now this is interesting." Pincel regarded, his eyes unwavering from Isaacs. Isaac didn't flinch from his cruel look, but instead lifted his head up higher, as if in a challenge.
But then Pincel merely laughed, a new gleam in his eyes. It was at that moment that I knew Pincel had formed a plan. A plan so cunning and ruthless that his smile stretched across his face as though it was made of rubber. He turned away without a word, chuckling and shaking his head as he went. The loud bang of a door silenced his laughter before I whirled to Isaac, fear spiking my heart beat.
"Why would you lie?" I hissed, moving to walk towards him. He only watched me silently, his eyes finally meeting mine. There was something in them, a sacrifice he was willing to commit. I could tell by the way his flecks were masked with restraint. He was concealing what he felt the way he concealed his lie to the public. "Why didn't you admit you were a member of the Parade? He would spare you."
Isaac continued to study me, his eyes pits of fire. It was at this moment that they shone with a brighter colour, as if a light was placed behind his pupils to illuminate every colour in them individually.
"And risk you being killed? I would rather lie for you." He said softly, although his gaze portrayed the intensity behind his words.
My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him, taking in his ruffled appearance. There was a slight rip in the collar of his T-shirt, and one of his eyes was starting to blacken.
"Isaac, he is one of your kind, you must tell him the truth." I said in exasperation and took a step closer to the bars that separated us. He did the same, ignorant to the clinking of his cuffs.
"I will not let him get away with false accusations." He said back sharply, his face all angles of stubbornness.
I searched his eyes, trying to understand the many emotions that flickered through them. I used to be able to read him like a book. Every word that was inscribed across the pages was as simple as reading his face but now it was like his emotions were leather-bound, tied with a cord to enable interaction.
"You don't have to lie anymore; Harry is helping he. He will get me out of this situation." I said in reassurance but Isaac shook his head in response.
"What could the Deputy do? It's his word against many. His opinion won't matter to anyone, no matter how respected he is." He tugged at his cuffs, glancing at them with irritation. I said nothing, thinking this through. Isaac was right, Harrys word would be nothing in a case as large as this.
"Isaac, Pincel is the Parade supplier. Being a member, he knows that there is no Brookefield murderer. He made up the idea of the Brookefield murderer to hide the fact that the Forsaken were taking the children. Owning up to something that he made up is only going to cause suspicion." I said back, frustration evident in my tone. Isaac only shrugged coolly at this, as if oblivious to the danger he was putting himself in.
"I know what I'm doing." Was all he said, brushing off the danger like it meant nothing to him.
I shook my head, feeling my teeth grit together. "No Isaac, that's the thing, you don't." I retaliated, my voice sharp with unease. "I don't need protection from you. Speak the truth and admit you are innocent to the court."
Isaacs eyes darkened at this, his smiles forming a frown. "I will do no such thing."
"Why?" I asked, confusion seeping into my frustration, causing my voice to strain. "Why do you want to protect me so much? And from what? Miss Anderson and Pincel are no threat to me in front of all these people."
His jaw clenched at this, his veins along his neck beginning to stand out. He titled his head down to examine me. I made out the scars that dotted his face, each one like a familiar constellation sketched on his skin.
"Sometimes there are things worse than death Renee." He said, his voice low. "And I'm sure Miss Anderson and Pincel will do everything they can to prove that."
I said nothing, numbness chilling my bones. Isaac opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and clamped his mouth shut, evidently biting his tongue.
"Why do you want to protect me so much?" I repeated, causing Isaacs eyes to narrow.
"It is my job." He said back icily.
I felt my eyebrows furrow from this response. "You and I both know there is another reason."
But Isaac remained silent, his eyes gleaming with silent fury. He only snorted, but it was an act of dismissal, and I knew the true flash of worry in his gaze.
"Just let me deal with the court." He finally said, ignoring our earlier conversation entirely.
He glanced away to focus on the cuffs that rubbed along his wrists. I took the time to examine him, admiring the way he had let his curls grow out so they curled against the nape of his neck. I admired the way his eyelashes brushed the tips of his fringe and the way his lips formed a perfect arch. I quickly blinked and turned away from him, pressing my back against the bars. They felt cool and sturdy against my spine as I brought my knees to my chest, sliding to the floor.
I was defeated. I saw no way of getting out of the mess I had gotten myself into and now I had dragged both Isaac and Aaron into it. The clinking of Isaacs cuffs hesitated as I buried my face in my palms. I felt like crying, but no tears came. I was left with only silence, the only source of light being the prison sky light.
I felt something brush my back, and the sound of Isaac crouching onto the floor filled the empty cells until silence once again stretched between us. His back barely touched mine through the bars but it was enough to feel his body heat radiate off him.
I sucked in a breath but said nothing.
"Everything will be okay." He said softly and I noted the level of gentleness in his tone. It was amazing how quickly he let his guard down. I knew two sides of him, the cocky side I saw with him and Pincel, and the caring side I was receiving now.
"For months I've been trying to uncover this case." I whispered back, staring out into the empty void that was the concreated wall in front of me. "And every clue I get just leaves me with more questions. Every night I get closer to death, and every night children are dying but yet I haven't done anything to prevent it."
Isaacs spine relaxed against mine as he let out a breath. "You cannot blame yourself for something like this."
I frowned at this, lost in my own thoughts before I replied. "Why do I feel like getting myself involved has gotten more people nearly killed then myself?"
"Because it has." Isaac said back, but his words were softened with placidity. "But you are the only one who is willing to do anything to stop the Forsaken."
I shook my head at this, despite him not being able to see. "The Parade is trying."
Isaac exhaled, this movement causing his back to press closer to mine. "Not very well."
I refrained from speaking, trying to understand each of my thoughts as questioned drilled themselves into my brain.
"The wolves will be slaughtered without us." I finally said, breaking the gathering silence again.
"I think you'll find that they will be the ones doing the slaughtering." Isaac said, his voice suddenly harsh. I froze at this, sucking in a breath.
But Isaac continued. "Do you remember when we were in the woods together weeks ago?"
I muttered a short response, my words muffled against my palms.
"That's exactly what will happen to those hunters the moment anyone steps foot into their territory."
I only stared at the wall, trying to process this. I turned, moving so I could see Isaac. He did the same, spinning to face me. His hands were still cuffed behind his back, his eyes wide.
"The wolves would kill the hunters?" I asked in shock. Isaac just nodded in response, his expression grim.
"But why?"
He watched me, his gaze levelled with mine. There was knowledge underneath his irises, as if he knew something I did not. "The wolves are wild creatures Renee." He said with a frown, his eyes darkening. "They will not tolerate trespassers."
I cocked my head at him, feeling a slight uneasiness prickle my skin. "That contradicts everything I have heard so far about the wolves."
Isaac only blinked. "And what have you heard?"
"The wolves are the familiars of the forest." I gave him a cold look, trying to uncover the secrets that lay beneath his flecks. "If they are said to protect tunids, why would they so readily kill them?"
Isaac only frowned at this, tilting his head down to glance at the bars that barricaded us. He said nothing, although I didn't expect him to. Once again he was refraining from telling the truth and the puzzle that I was trying to solve had missing pieces.
"And me. I am a tunid, but yet all those wolves tried to kill me the night we were in the woods." I watched Isaac, taking in his quiet thoughtfulness and slight concern. "So I ask you again," I said, my voice deep with stubbornness. "Do the wolves have something to do with the murders?"
"They aren't murders." Isaac interjected, rising his head to meet my gaze. "They are tunids being turned into the Forsaken."
I snorted but bit my tongue from saying something nasty. Frankly, I was over getting nowhere with little answers and thousands of questions.
I gazed into Isaacs eyes, searching for any form of answers. The green in his irises was mixing with the blue, creating a sea like colour that illuminated his golden flecks as it golden rain touched the essence of an ocean. His eyes matched the swirling bruises on his face. His lip was still busted, coloured a sickly blue-red colour. There was a slight scratch above his eyebrow that carved a thin arch towards his jawline. His lips were pressed firmly together, cracked with dryness. Something stirred in the dark pits of my memory but I couldn't grasp it. Instead I said, "I feel as though the wolves are something more."
He nodded slightly, his mouth twitching.
"Nothing is ever as it seems." He said, his voice a whisper with forbidding. I felt my eyebrows furrow from this, my hands clenching involuntarily in my lap.
"Or maybe everyone should stop lying to each other." I lashed back, causing him to flinch.
He clamped his mouth shut, his gaze narrowing. We didn't speak for several minutes, both of us reluctant to speak out mind.
But then he yanked hard on the metal cuffs and they fell away with a clang on the concreted floor. I blinked in amazement, feeling my mouth open with disbelief. He only regarded the broken cuffs with a look of boredom before turning back to me.
"Being supernatural has some benefits." He said but there was no humour in his tone. I continued to stare at him, my gaze flickering between his shattered cuffs and his tightened face.
"If you can break metal, surely you can break through the cell walls." I glanced around at the bars. Although they were thick, maybe Isaacs abilities could break through them.
But he shook his head. "I cannot break through those bars otherwise I would have done so ten minutes ago."
I nodded in response, watching him steadily. But then his glamour seemed to fade and he blinked at me with sadness. His eyes travelled over me, taking in my pale face, dirty clothes, ruffled hair and bruised skin. He looked down at his lap, his curls covering his eyes.
"I'm sorry Renee. It is my fault you are in this mess." His words were spoken with such sincerity, I was left to blink rapidly from his sudden confession.
"It is not your fault." I answered back, attempting to lower the frustration in my tone. He only ducked his head lower in response, and his T-shirt tightened over his curved spine. I realised with shock that every individual bone of his spine stood out against his back, forming a ridge of small mounds. He had lost weight again, however his gaze was weightier than his physicality. When he rose his eyes to meet mine, they were full of sorrow. Of a promise that was left to break. It was like he was staring at a graveyard, watching over the dead only I was the grave head, and my name was under the RIP engravings.
"I was supposed to protect you, but now you're here, accused of something you never would dream of. Two people wish for your death while the wolves nearly killed you twice already." His eyes were great pools of anguish, the brown in his pupils disintegrating. "And now I don't think I can save you."
I stared at him in shock. For him to confess something so openly was new to me. I had never seen such guilt in his eyes. I had never seen him so worried. Not even when he found me in warehouse. But now he was staring at me as if it were his last time doing so.
"Without you, I would have died months ago." I whispered, leaning closer to him to embrace the familiar smell of pine.
He said nothing, only swallowed numbly. He looked lost, his eyes on mine but his mind wasn't. I knew he was thinking of the future. A future where I rotted away behind these bars. A future where no children remained in Brookefield. A future where Pincel and Miss Anderson ruled hand and hand, ensuring the community remained a hell hole. A future where the Forsaken would run wild and the Parade would have no choice but to drift away into silent surrender.
He then silently reached out a careful hand, sliding it through the bars of the cell. His fingers brushed my knuckles, causing goosebumps to rise up my skin. With the gentleness I never expected him to have, he turned my arm over, palm up and slightly pulled me closer to him. I leaned forwards, feeling the breath hitch in my throat. Heat touched the places his fingers traced as he drew across my skin.
F-O-R-G-I-V-E-M-E
I rose my eyes to meet his. Once again a message remained in them, a memory that rose to the surface of his irises. His face was softened with care, his fingers delicate and soft against my skin. But before I could reply, the sound of the metal door swinging open filled the cells.
Isaac immediately jolted to a stand, shifting his gaze to stare at Pincel walk towards us.
Pincel flashed us a winning smile, his cheeks reddened with anticipation. "Its time."
...
The moment I was shoved out of the court doors, a hush went over the crowd. It was numbing to realise how quickly word spread around the town. As Pincel shoved me forward, my cuffs having been newly bounded to my wrists, I began to pin point familiar faces in the already overcrowded court house. Locals were still filing into the room, their faces pale and reflective as they gazed up to Isaac and I.
Court in Brookfield was different to any other court in Australia. The way things worked was based off hierarchal opinion, not fairness. There was no such thing as lawyers, only the locals could stand up for your right. It was a highly unprofessional way of dealing with cases, but it was all we had.
Pincel forcibly shoved me into a seat in front of the judge, while Harry did it a little bit softer with Isaac. Pincel moved to lock my cuffs into a hook in my chair, his smile stretching further as he looked at me. I knew exactly what he was thinking.
He has me.
I gave him a sharp look, boring my gaze into his but he only seemed to grow more gleeful at the sight of my hatred. He gave me a slight, sarcastic nod before moving to take his place on the side of the room, joining his colleagues and one grey haired woman.
Miss Anderson.
She also wore a smile, although it was more manic than that of the Sheriffs. Her eyes shifted to Isaac and she leaned over to whisper something in Pincels ear. Pincel nodded swiftly and frowned, a shadow passing over his face.
I turned in my spot to look over across the gathering crowd. Chelsea and Izzy sat near the front, sharing looks of pleasure as they chuckled to each other. Chelsea waved at someone to the left of me and I turned to see the Mayor take a seat near the judge, his expression one of anxiety. His gaze flickered to mine and he regarded me with a cold look, his lips twisting into a frown. And then a flicker of brown filled my vision and I glanced sidewards to see my mother take a seat near the front. I looked her in the eye but no recognition passed beneath her gaze. It was as if she were looking at someone she didn't know. As if a stranger was bound to a chair in front of a judge instead of her own daughter. Her expression was hazy, her eyes distant as she stared at me. Even from here, I could tell she was under the influence of alcohol. Some people next to her could tell as well because they shuffled a couple of seats away.
And then my eyes flickered to see a worried face. I recognised it as Ethan as he bent low to speak to someone beside him. I felt my heart skip a beat as I realised it was Aaron. He was watching me with a pale face, his eyes bottomless pits of uneasiness. I didn't know what I should feel as I stared at him. Happy that he was here? Worry that he would begin to think I was the murderer? Anger that he had gone along with Isaacs lie?
I glanced at Isaac who remained motionless next to me. He was staring at the judge, his eyes unblinking as his hands clenching into fists by his side. His was clenching his jaw, causing a vein along his neck to throb. I could see every muscle along his arm flex as he gripped his seat. I didn't know what was going through his mind as I examined him but the judges voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Let the questioning begin."