Sanity

“Because you are guilty.”

The words don't register at first. A frown slips across my face but is gone within the blink of an eye. My dark brown eyes narrow into slits as I stare at the officer.

“You are wrong, I am innocent.” I say to him.

He shakes his head, as if passing me off as a lost cause. He stands up and comes around the table, pulling me up from the chair and cuffing my wrists together behind my back. I am fingerprinted and booked.

My picture taken for their records. I am taken to an empty cell and am locked inside. Goosebumps flash down my spine as the sensation of a thousand little dead fingers caress my skin, bringing with their caress; the cold. My teeth begin to chatter but I quickly snap out of it and mentally brush away the thoughts of dead fingers and cold things.

I don't realize that I have fallen beneath the dark curtains of sleep until I am awoken by a female officer. It seems I have a meeting with my lawyer. I don't remember having a lawyer...

“Look, Miss Evans....I want to help you but you have to help me too. I can't just do a magic spell and this all goes away. Now can you please tell me the truth about what happened?”

I stare at my lawyer. A pretty dark haired woman with light freckles dancing across her nose and cheeks.

“He beat me. He raped me. He starved me. He did it all over again. He was going to kill me, he had a gun to my head. Was I suppose to nod and cheer him on?” I say to her in a sarcastic voice.

The police so far have acted as if what I say isn't true. As if I don't have any proof. They won't even take pictures of the bruises on my body.

“Do you have any evidence of this Miss Evans?”

I stand up and raise my shirt up, exposing my bruised stomach. A gasp escapes my lawyers mouth. Her hands become shaky as she reaches for her glass of water and takes a long sip. Her eyes shift to mine as she places the glass back down on the table.

“I think the best thing we can do for you Miss Evans, is to well...go for the insanity plea.”

My brows rise up and I tilt my head to the side, studying her; looking for any sign of this being a joke.

“Insanity plea? Do you think I'm insane?” My voice comes out loud.

“N-no...that's not what I was saying at all.....I--” I cut her off before she can even finish.

“You just said, that I needed to go for the insanity plea, therefore if I take that plea, they declare me insane and what? Lock me away somewhere with a bunch of crazies?”

“The insanity plea doesn't mean the person is insane, technically. It means they just had a uhh...moment of insanity, where they didn't think about what they were doing....”

“I didn't think about what I was doing. What would you do in my place? Would you sit there for a couple of minutes and contemplate who's life you should put first? Some sadistic bastard or....your own life? Hmm....decisions decisions.” I glared at her, heavy sarcasm in my voice.

“I think we've figured out everything we possibly can for right now. I'll see you at the hearing Miss Evans.” My lawyer leaves the room.

I am taken back to my cell by the female officer. I don't know what time it is or how long I am left there, but I end up dozing off only to be woken up to the smell of food. I sit up suddenly and see a plate of food at the corner of the room.

I see the female officer leaving the door. Steam rises from the plate, and when I pick it up I see that it is steamed vegetables and rice. I eat it and drink the glass of water with it.

The next couple of days are the same, except that I don't see or talk to my lawyer. When it comes time for the hearing, I see the jury and the judge. I fight tears from springing to my eyes. They accuse me of killing him.

I am convicted. I am damned. I am announced guilty.

And so I was. They sentenced me to an insane asylum and I am to spend life there.

I think not.