Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Amazing

Mervyn POV:

"Ladies and gentlemen, noble jury, our esteemed magistrate, good morning. We are here today to discuss..." Mik's lawyer launched into her opening speech. She seemed to know what she was doing. Boswell, I think. Mik had told me her name. I think that was it.

To be honest, I wasn't paying much attention to the trial. We were all here, but it was more for moral support than anything else. Mik was sitting in the front. I couldn't even see her face, but I knew how small and scared she must have been feeling. She didn't seem to be paying attention to the trial, either, just staring straight ahead of her, trying not to look at her father or her father's lawyer or anything else that might shake her at this point. The case seemed to drag on, back and forth, back ad forth. The defense lawyer was trying to get the case postponed, pleading that the man was crazy, clearly in no state to be tried.

"I call my first and only witness to the stand- the victim, Mikelah Grace." Mikelah stood up and hobbled awkwardly to the stand. She was wearing a pair of heels much higher than she was accustomed to. Mik had this thing in her head about looking grown-up for the trial, and she looked a little ridiculous, even if I'd never tell her so. She bit on her lip for a second and took a deep breath to force down the nerves. 

"The man on trial, Jonothan Grace, is my father. I have been living with him my whole life." She forced a sigh into the microphone, as if she were trying to stop herself from doing something stupid. "My mother, Marlene Carrell-Grace, died a little over 4 years ago, in April 2007. I was only- I was 13 or 14 years old.My father's behaviour changed immediately. He became distant. He quit his job. He started smoking, drinking and gambling. He has been b-beating me regularly since December of that year." Her voice shook a little. She regained her composure and continued. "A few months later- I'm sorry, I can't remember the dates- he raped me. The first time of many similar rapes. This September, the 8th to be exact, I found out that I was pregnant. I've never slept with anyone else, never had sex of my own free will, so I'm fairly certain that he is the father."

She tugged on her collar a little, and blinked hard a few times. She looked at the ground- she was nervous. Her dad was in the courtroom, after all. "I don't want a large settlement. I'm not in this for money. I don't want child support. I can work,  I can take care of my child myself. All I want is for him to be locked up far, far away, so he can't hurt us anymore." 

"Thank you. That's all." 

With this, Miss Boswell ended her case, and the defence lawyer began. He was trying to prove that the man was clearly not in a fit state of mind to be tried. He argued that he had fits of insane rage, and it was due to some brain damage, or chemical imbalance, or something or other (I wasn't really listening), and could not be blamed for what he had done. It was a disgusting way to defend horrible behavior, but there was no way to plead innocent now. There was a character witness, to testify that he had never really been right, (it's a strange case where the defensive stance is to talk badly about the defendant) and a bit of evidence.

"I'd like to call the first witness back to the stand."

Mik paled. I saw her shrink. She wasn't prepared, but she didn't refuse. Slowly, shakily, she walked back up, shooting her lawyer a frantic 'What now?' look. But she calmed herself for the questions to start.

"You said that your father only began to abuse you after your mother died, isn't that so?" the lawyer asked. Mik nodded. "And how did he behave before that?"

She thought a while. "Well... better. He was kind, and sweet... my hero."

"So you believe the change in behaviour was caused by your mother's death?"

"I didn't say that," She snapped, "but yes."

"And how did your mother die?"

Mik hesitated. "S-suicide, I believe."