"Dad~I'm hungry!"
A teenage girl's voice interrupted the quiet of the car.
"Chloe, you've said that three times now. Are you a broken record?" Her older brother mocked.
"Shut up! You're going to eat too!" Chloe retorted, playfully messing up his hair.
"What the heck?!" he protested, trying to dodge her.
"Hey, both of you calm down!" their mother scolded from the front seat.
"Nyrel started it!" Chloe accused.
"You lie as you breathe, Chloe!" Nyrel shot back.
"Stupid brother!"
Their mother sighed and shook her head, settling back into her seat.
"Let's grab a bite to eat, honey," she suggested to her husband, who was driving.
"Sure, how about Burger Queen?!" he suggested loudly.
"Sounds good to me, Dad!" Nyrel and Chloe exclaimed in unison.
"If only you were that close outside of the food domain."
The mother was exasperated at her children but still she smiled.
"After that, it's cinema guys!"
Her husband though was extremely enthusiastic.
""Yeah!""
Again the siblings were in synch.
"I have a good movie and you'll like it. A super-hero in armor!"
"Honey..."
"Come on, honey, just for today."
The mother sighed again and gave up.
"If our child-"
-Boooom!
The sudden loud noise of a car crash cut them off.
...
...
...
"We will start."
In a large decorated hall, a woman's voice rang out.
The hall was decorated with symbols of laws, and on one side, right next to the raised platform where the woman was sitting, was a statue of a woman whose eyes were closed with a ribbon and who was holding a scale.
The woman who had spoken was wearing a judicial gown and glasses. She was in her late twenties and had a grieving expression on her face as she read a file.
A seventeen-year-old boy sat on one of the dozen benches. His face was bruised and filled with bandages, but his blue eyes were open and clear. His blank and void eyes weren't looking at the judge, who was there to give the sentence he was waiting for.
No.
His eyes were fixed on only one man.
A boy of the same age as him was restrained with handcuffs.
The teenager had messy black hair and dark eyes that didn't hold an ounce of guilt for what he had done. No, it was like he was lost in his thoughts.
The manslaughter of the entire family except the young boy, Nyrel.
He was drunk and was driving recklessly a truck and unfortunately he hit head-on a car;
In the car was a family of four.
A husband, a wife, and their two children, a boy and his younger sister,
The boy survived, but not his family.
The trial was still going on, and neither Nyrel nor the teenager, Leon, were paying attention.
"We have heard the evidence in this case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and we have decided that Leon, the defendant, is guilty of manslaughter. It is our responsibility to impose a sentence that accurately represents the nature of the offense and advances justice because this was a serious crime that caused the death of an innocent family.
Leon, you have betrayed the confidence of the community and the victim with a criminal act you performed when you were just 17 years old. You must be held accountable for your acts since they demonstrated a disdain for the law and the well-being of others."
The judge spoke a long speech, but Nyrel didn't pay any heed to the sentence.
"I hereby sentence the defendant to one year in state prison, to be spent at, after careful consideration and in compliance with-"
"!"
Nyr immediately turned his attention to the judge.
His mouth was open and twitching.
He believed that the killer would at the very least receive a life sentence.
"My sincere condolences go out to the victims."
The judge gave Nyr a conflicted expression as he observed her.
She continued because she was unable to bear to look at the boy any longer.
"I'm hoping that by saying this, they'll have some sense of closure and be able to move on with their lives."
The court has been dismissed.
….
….
"I got you just in one year. Be grateful Leon."
In one of numerous corridors, a lawyer was speaking to a dark-haired boy.
"..."
The dark-haired boy didn't answer and continued to walk with his hands cuffed.
But suddenly he stopped.
"Why did you sto-"
The lawyer stopped midway through his speech when he saw a young boy in front of them.
He was the only survivor and the victim of the incident.
"H-Hey! What the hell is that?!"
The lawyer stepped back when he saw the boy take out a handgun.
A true handgun.
The dark-haired teenager, looked at the boy's breathless figure, then at the gun.
They both had the same age but their aura were completely opposite.
The security behind me and others arrived, but the boy aimed at them. They all raised their hands and talked to stop the boy, but it was useless.
The dark-haired teenager smiled faintly. It was not the smile of someone sane.
Nyr gritted his teeth and squeezed the trigger.
"D-Die!"
He continued to trigger, but nothing happened.
"It's not like that."
The dark-haired man shook his head.
"You first have to remove the safety catch."
He removed the safety catch and checked the gun before putting it back on the boy's hand.
He started in a emotionless tone.
"Hate me and hate this world, or you will keep losing. "
He articulated each word so it would register in Nyr's ears.
"Amor ex odio nascitur. Hatred is born out of love"
The dark-haired boy stepped back.
"Now."
"What the heck are you doin-"
-Bang!
"!"
The lawyer fell on his butt at the same time his client fell to the ground in a river of blood.
He glanced at the boy, who had been knocked back by the recoil.
The boy lost consciousness, but there was something like a satisfied expression on his face.
"Jesus…"