Elsa and Fuwa were tucked in their realms of sleep, which I did on purpose because I didn't want my nervous energy stressing them out. This trial would either deliver the justice we deserved or show how rigged the system was.
The fifth judge, whose name was Alexis, bobbed her head before looking between her judge colleagues. I couldn't help looking at my parents, noticing their extreme seriousness as their eyes were on Elisha.
The pressure was definitely on, and I could tell even with Elisha's emotionless expression that she could feel the intense wrath of the stares.
"Alright. Let us begin," Alexis announced as she snapped her fingers, which created magic barriers along all the walls.
"Ms. Waters. There is a heavy amount of evidence regarding the night of the Witchling Games at the end cycle of Semester Four, where you deliberately lied about being raped by Finnick Rosedale and informed senior members, who went on to beat Mr. Rosedale up in the locker rooms, which forced him to teleport out of the situation in self-defence. During that same time period, you sent Elijah Hamilton to that bridge with the intention of pushing Finnick off of it. Instead of those events transpiring, Brianne Marie Harlow arrived at the scene of the bridge, after being notified that Mr. Rosedale was missing. The reports noted that Mr. Rosedale had past instances of suicidal tendencies, and thus Ms. Harlow teleported to the bridge she was aware he visited to calm himself, only to see him falling due to his confrontation with Mr. Hamilton. When this fall occurred, thankfully both survived. However, it was reported by Mr. Rosedale, Jax Morgan, Kaito Mogami, and Connor Giovani, essentially the student council at Witchling Academy at the time, that a car was present at the scene, which was turned on and sped towards Mr. Rosedale and Ms. Harlow. In an attempt to save Mr. Rosedale, Ms. Harlow moved him out of the way but had no other magic to get herself out of the path of the car, which led to a direct hit. Upon arrival, multiple investigators concluded that you were the one in the vehicle. Is that true?"
"No, your honor," she declared with pride. The jury was already gasping, especially with the photos of the incident in their possession.
I kept a straight face, like my parents and the other judges, but I could hear Jax muttering and Connor telling him to relax. It had to be Jaxsin, but I tried not to focus on that.
"Then please feel free to explain to all of us how you somehow managed to be in that car that night?"
"Elijah set me up!" she concluded with a shrug. "My statement still stands. Finnick raped me and I told the seniors I knew about it in pure distress. He was taking advantage of the Witchling Games and the distractions of Brianne's participation in the games to his advantage. I then told Elijah and he's the one who told me to be in the car. He said he'd talk with Finnick. I knew nothing about Finnick's suicidal tendencies, nor did I know anything about Brianne coming to save him. Elijah was taking forever to come back and I felt drained from the ordeal. The car was cold so I started the engine to heat the car up but passed out. My father informed me that my foot pressed on the gas pedal, but I recall nothing. Since then, I've been ridiculed, bullied, and sought out by Brianne and her boyfriends. I've had to use magic to aid in coping with my disability and due to this case looming over my head, I've been unable to claim my benefits! I'm the true victim in all of this and I demand justice."
"I swear I wanna punch this bitch so bad." Finnick's voice drifted into my mind, and I could literally feel every pinch of anger in his voice. I was sure it was taking the others all their restraint to not say anything, and even I was being tested because my blood was literally boiling at her obvious lies.
"So you're insisting that Mr. Hamilton is the true culprit in this matter, that not only did he deceive you by encouraging you into the car, but set you up by using magic to push Finnick off the bridge and reporting you as the main criminal in this case."
"Yes! He lied about everything to frame me. Isn't it obvious? He's a jealous ex-friend of Brianne's and he wanted revenge! He's putting the blame on me because we dated for a short period of time, but he was an abusive manipulator and was spreading rumors about me throughout the school. He wanted payback after dating me didn't make Brianne the least bit jealous and that's why I'm even in this predicament that's ruined my entire school year and has left me with a disability. He is attempting to ruin my golden future which my father, Officer Waters, has worked so hard to maintain for me. It's unfair!"
Alexis nodded as the other judges wrote notes. I swallowed the lump in my throat and side-glanced to Sebastian, who seemed completely calm. He noticed my gaze then leaned in to whisper,"One minute."
I didn't know what that meant, but I merely gave a small nod before turning back to Alexis as she turned a page in her massive bound document.
"Alright. Before I invite Ms. Harlow's representative to ask a few questions, there has been recent evidence stating that you, Elisha Waters, are a twin. Is that true?"
Elisha laughed before she shook her head. "Me? A twin? Sorry, but no. There's only one me. You can't replicate my beauty, brains, and talent. Has anyone seen two crippled Elishas on campus? Have you checked the videos and recordings? No. Even if anyone tried to fabricate such lies, they'd be using illusion magic to try to set me up. I'm getting tired of this foul play, and if you'd let my father, who’s the top chief of the police force, do his job, this would have been solved eons ago instead of two years later."
Alexis nodded her head again before she looked our way.
"Alright then. Sebastian, will you be representing Miss Brianne Marie Harlow?"
"Actually, Your Honor, Ms. Harlow's main representative has arrived and is outside the door if you'd allow her entry," Sebastian announced as he stood up. Everyone seemed a little surprised by the sudden switch, and even Elisha frowned before speaking up.
"She's not allowed to do that."
"By Code 856 of the Mage Court, the defendant is allowed two lawyers. One primary and a substitute if for whatever reason the primary does not show up. This has been a stated law in the books for centuries, Ms. Waters. I'd assume your father would know something about this, even if he specializes in the human department of criminal justice."
I couldn't help but look over to Mr. Waters, like many others did, noticing his flushed expression while he tried to hide his surge of anger. Chances were, he didn't think Elisha would need a second lawyer, though her rep was just sitting there taking notes like this was just a class of some sort.
"I'm more than happy to allow her entry. Please vacate the position so I can grant her access."
"Yes, Your Honor," he replied and looked over to me with a slight smile. "Good luck, Ms. Harlow."
"Thanks, Sebastian," I mumbled quietly, completely surprised that he'd predicted that. The moment he moved to sit between Katsume and Starlight, the doors opened and we all turned our attention to see Lisette in another perfect magenta suit.
I gawked as we took in the expensive two-piece with white stripes, which matched her white heels, tie, and the ribbon that tied her hair into the perfect bun. She wore pink frames that made her look more intelligent, and she carried a pink umbrella that she twirled once to close.
Ceil was at her side, holding a thick binder with various sticky notes peeking out. His attire was his usual black and his hair was styled back to complete the professional look.