‘What happened when you first came down?’ I asked William quietly.
They all looked at me, having heard what I’d said. Each kind face was marked with small lines.
‘Well, we weren’t given much direction before we came. We were told to go down to the earth and unite the Perfects and Avoidables, one city at a time. We woke up in the forest to the north of here, in the middle of the night, a hundred years ago.’
‘A hundred years…?’ I interrupted.
They all nodded. One woman had tears threatening to escape her eyes.
‘Yes, we knew that you and Hope would be coming to the earth at some point, but we had some work to do before you did.’ William took one of the women’s hands and patted it gently.
‘There was a book that I found. I read that book and it said that an Avoidable was part angel and would unite with a Perfect to bring the world together.’ I flashed back to a few years ago. ‘I was sitting on a bench in a park when someone sat next to me. They said nothing, but when they got up to go, they told me that I looked like a peaceful angel with my face turned to the sun. After a while, I noticed that they’d left a book. I looked around for the mysterious man but couldn’t see him anywhere. The title of the book caught my attention.’
‘The Story of Hope,’ William laughed, ‘I wrote that a very long time ago. When I saw you sitting on that bench, I knew it was you. You were only sixteen then, but I needed to plant the seed.’
‘Yes, you did that alright. I started to research Avoidables from that point on. I wanted to know everything about them. I’d only ever heard propaganda my whole life. I never believed that I would be the Perfect from the book.’
I shut my eyes for a brief moment, remembering the hours I’d spent in libraries reading about Avoidables.
‘It’s time,’ William said, squeezing my shoulder.
‘I wonder how Hope and Purple got on,’ one of the men said quietly as we all filtered into the courthouse and took our seats.
I glanced at Hope and tried to get her to meet my gaze, but she looked straight ahead. My heart started to pound at the serious looks on the face of the jurors. They were all standing, their backs completely straight. Every one of them looked ahead, not meeting anyone’s gaze.
‘Ok, we will hear one more time from Catherine,’ William said from the head seat on the panel. Catherine came over to the camera which was right behind me. Her dress skirt brushed my arm and I moved away. She glared at me and I smiled back. My fists clenched as she turned to the camera with a bright smile.
‘Ladies and gentlemen for the first time ever the Perfect government decided to show some lenience towards the Avoidables. There was a reason that they bombed and killed us and it was time to listen. However, not much has come of this trial as it’s plainly obvious that the Avoidables are still as dangerous as they’ve always been. It’s been an interesting and historic trial and we thank you for your participation. Your votes have been counted and put towards the jury’s decision. I’m Catherine and we thank you for watching.’ She stood there staring into the camera with a frozen smile on her face. She didn’t move or say anything more, yet she wouldn’t move away. I grabbed the hand that was hanging closest to me and pulled her back. She stumbled and did a fake laugh at the same time as smacking me around the head. The gallery gasped and I fought the urge to smile. She was showing her true colours and I was pleased that everyone, including the audience at home, was seeing what she was really like.
‘Okay, Catherine, thank you,’ William said, gesturing for her to sit. She walked away, her cheeks glowing bright red.
‘Catherine was right. History is being made today and you have helped make it. I’d like to thank the jury for attending and deciding on a fair verdict.’
I looked over at Sandor. She was standing in the dock with her hair loose down her back and her hands gently clasped together. Her eyes were bright as she looked around her. I blinked when she looked at me and our gazes locked for a moment. The first time I’d ever heard about Sandor, the picture painted had not been pretty. Hope and Purple had sneaked me out of their flat because they were afraid of what she’d do to a Perfect. She wasn’t innocent in that regard, but she’d found her way when she’d met Leon. Loving someone had helped her to grow. It may have been a little misguided but the bombing had needed to happen. It was the only way the Perfect government had actually listened.
‘Jury, please will you tell us your verdict,’ William said, taking a seat.
Sandor nodded at me and I smiled. Maybe she saw through me and knew that I was on her side. Maybe she’d seen the way I looked at Hope, like I was now, and knew that we were in love. Whatever her reasons, Sandor had mellowed and turned into a soft female that now glanced around the room, looking for her lover. Leon had been ordered to go back to the rebel camp. The verdict would come back with Hope and Purple when they returned.
‘The jury, one and all,’ the Perfect man said glancing at Hope and Purple. The usual look of disgust was not on his face and it was nice to see. ‘Find the defendant, Sandor, guilty of manslaughter.’
My jaw dropped open as a rush of noise exploded around the courthouse. Sandor fell back into her seat and dropped her head in her hands. I didn’t know what to think as I went to stand up.
‘Please all be seated and keep the noise down,’ William bellowed, standing up. ‘Thank you, Jury. As head of the government, I will pass the sentence now.’
My mind was reeling as I lowered myself and looked at Hope. She was smiling, so I smiled back. If she was happy, then the verdict must be a good one. I lowered my head into my hands and thought back a couple of weeks. Before this, the government would have instantly killed an Avoidable who had dared to threaten the Perfects, but now; the Perfects were seeing things from her point of view. Sandor had meant to bomb the compound. She’d meant to cause harm, but not necessarily death, and the Perfect jury had seen that. I wondered how much influence the angels and Avoidables had had on them.
‘Sandor you have been found guilty of manslaughter. I hereby sentence you to two years in Perfect jail.’
Catherine was on her feet and so were some of the Perfects in the gallery. They were shouting that the punishment was not good enough.
‘If a Perfect committed this crime, this would be the sentence. I have spoken and you will all accept my decision,’ William shouted, slamming his fists into the desk in front of him. The whole courtroom went silent. I’d never seen the lead angel looking so tense.
‘Sorry, William, of course, you’re right,’ Catherine said, smiling up at the gallery. ‘The defendant will begin her sentence immediately.’
Sandor was escorted out of the room by guards. She had a huge smile on her face and she mouthed thank you in the direction of the jury. Catherine had changed her tactic as she looked at the camera.
‘Of course, we’ve decided to be more lenient on the Avoidable in this instance,’ she said, almost eating the camera is she leant towards it.
I walked over to Hope as the Perfects started to file out of the room. I grabbed her around the waist, swung her around and then lowered my lips to hers.
‘Jason, what about…?’ she started.
I didn’t let her finish as I completed my descent and meshed my lips with hers. The room around us disappeared and all of a sudden I was rushing through Hope’s life. I was truly seeing her. Her birth, her mother holding her as a baby, her childhood, her mother being kidnapped, meeting Purple, working for Artie, meeting me, the trial and the pregnancy test…
I pulled away and tried to grab some air into my lungs. Her face was red and she had a small smile on her lips. I realised that there was a lot of noise around us. Those left in the courtroom were applauding. When I glanced up, the gallery were on their feet, looking at us and clapping. They’d accepted that we were together.
‘Hope, the pregnancy test…?’ I said, turning back to her. Her eyes widened and I felt her go rigid in my arms. She tried to step away as she lowered her gaze.
My heart was pounding and I felt my muscles start to shake as I kept hold of her. I took her chin gently and forced her to look at me. She had tears in her eyes.
‘Tell me, Hope, was it…?’ I couldn’t get the words out as my throat closed and I choked. She glanced around us. We were both shaking wrecks in the middle of the courthouse. There were only a few people left behind and they were busy wrapping things up. The television crew was interviewing Purple. He was standing rigid, but his hair was pristine and his smile was genuine. I’d never seen an Avoidable on Perfect television. It was another huge step in uniting the Perfects and Avoidables together. My mother, Catherine, was in a heated discussion with William in the corner of the room. They were talking in whispers but her hand gestures gave herself away. I glanced up at the gallery and saw the young man with whom I’d originally been sitting. He was watching us all. When he saw me looking, he nodded gently. I returned the gesture and turned back to Hope.
She was watching me. Her eyes were glowing brighter than I’d ever seen them. Her hair had been cut before the trial and sat on her shoulders. Her slim fit body had stopped shaking and she now wrapped her arm around my neck.
‘What would you say if I wasn’t?’ she whispered.
I couldn’t tear myself away from her gaze. She was so intense; I’d never seen her like this. She was open and welcoming and I was finding it hard to think.
‘That’s cool,’ I said, not knowing what else to say to a question like that.
‘And what would you say if I was?’ Her heart was pressed against mine and the thudding inside her chest vibrated at the exact same time as mine. I lowered my face to kiss her forehead, then her eyebrow, then her cheek and her jaw. I finished at her ear and whispered, ‘That’s amazing!’
She kissed my neck lightly and I felt my whole body melt. I knew what she was going to say before she even started. My chest grew tight in a good way and a smile stretched my lips as far as they could go.
‘Good, because you’re going to be the father of the first Perfect Avoidable, baby…’
Avoidables 4
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Avoidables. Jason has finally realised who he is and embraced himself completely. This helps him to show up for Hope and those that he cares about.
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Rachel Medhurst
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Author
Rachel Medhurst grew up in Surrey, England. She writes to prove that no matter where you come from, you can be anything you want to be. Your past may shape you, but it doesn't define you. When Rachel isn't writing, she can be found reading and walking in nature.
www.rachelmedhurst.com
Copyright © 2014 by Rachel Medhurst
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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