Cancer...
Suzy woke up with a rumbling stomach. She sat up and rubbed her tummy. Heck she hasn't ate something since yesterday morning. She grabbed the only silvers left in her pocket. The fat lady made her pay most of her money for this small, dirty and cold room she used. The fat lady said that breakfast is free downstairs for paying guests. She paid her a great amount of money last night, so that makes her a paying guest, right?
So Suzy fixed herself at the public bathroom at the end of the hallway before going downstairs. She stopped at the steps when she saw the rat again. "Hey, Mister." She said.
Her greetings with the rat was interrupted with the loud thuds below the stairs. Suzy was once again, curious. She wanted to see what's below down there. Even the ambitious fat lady from last night did not want to be involved with what's in there. What could be so terrifying?
Suzy lowered her head in between the steps of the stairs, not minding the old dirty staircase. The rat panicked, Suzy should've just listened to the fat lady, according to him. But Suzy is not scared, she never was. When she spotted the door where the noise came from, she hurried down the stairs. She stopped when she reached the door, she took a deep breath before opening it. She couldn't see through the darkness of the room. She scoffed In disgust when a foul odor reached her nose. "Hello?" She called when the thuds stop.
Suzy felt a small fear building up inside her chest when two small yellow lights lit up in the middle of the dark room, like eyes staring back at her. She didn't know what's inside the room, but she's certain that it's not an animal. She jumped when a fat arm closed the door in front of her and grabbed her by the ear.
"What did I told you?!" The fat lady beamed at her when she forced Suzy to sit in a stool at the dinning table, in front of the fire place.
"It hurts!" Suzy protested but immediately shut her mouth when the fat lady glared at her. "Sorry.." she whispered.
The fat lady shook her head and placed a platter of hard boil eggs, a week old bread and cheese in front of her. "Eat. It might be your last meal," the fat lady smirked before proceeding to the counter.
Suzy just shrugged off the weird feeling on her shoulders. The fat lady might be right. So she ate her breakfast.
While Suzy is feeding the rat with her cheese, the door opened harshly. Her eyes widen when she saw a dozen of guards holding riffles and swords on their belts entered the lodge. Suzy tried to run but it's too late. Two guards already grabbed her by the arm.
"Gentlemen, will you be gentle in opening my door?" The fat lady asked them politely. A guard stepped forward at the counter and tossed her a bag full of gold coins.
Suzy look at her way. "You sold me to them?!" Suzy asked.
"I told you, you don't look like a trash." She said. "Oh, no need to raid my whole lodge. She's the only one you're looking for." She added when one guard tried to open the door Suzy opened earlier. But they didn't listened. Two guards went upstairs and two more entered the room below it.
Suzy tried to escape the guards' grip but a silly girl's physical strength is no match for a two grown up men. The guards stopped dragging her out of the small establishment when the fat lady called her. "Oh! And honey, there is no drunk Jerry around town." The fat lady's wink is the last thing Suzy saw before the guards pushed her inside the box behind the carriage they use.
Suzy cried for help but the only ones she heard responding on her plead are the horses that pulls the carriage. The horses gave the guards a hard time but none of the less, they still ended up in the town's jail.
This wasn't the first time Suzy ended up in jail. She spent some nights behind bars in many different places because of different circumstances. But she always finds a way to save herself, with a little bit of help with her friends, of course. But she ignored the hums of the birds from outside the bars of her cell, giving her the way. She feels like she wouldn't get away from the consequences of her actions anymore.
As Suzy is a fine looking young lady, with her white, soft skin. Golden hair and a pretty face, most of the guards tried to implement harm on her. For sexual pleasure or entertainment purposes, but none of them succeeded. One guard is proposing an idea to others that they could use the fair prisoner for themselves. Each and every guard who agreed with the idea woke up with a sore and itching body because of many ant bites. Their whole bodies is filled with it to the point that they wasn't able to work for three days. Another tried to feed her poisoned berries, the guard was attacked by a snake while he picks up the berries he will use inside the woods. Two guards tried to verbally abuse her as they pass by her cell, the next morning, they woke up with their mouths overlarge because of a bee. Another one tried to take advantage of her, but even before doing so, he had a fever lasted for weeks because of a mosquito bite, and eventually dies.
Based on the recent happenings inside the jail where Suzy is detained, the town's folk pointed all their fingers at Suzy. Gossips fly around the town that Suzy is a witch, a powerful one. And she jinxed the poor and noble guards of the town to die.
After a few days of staying in the town's jail, Suzy was transported into another prison. A more decent one since her trial in court will take place the next morning. Because of the rumors going around, guards feared Suzy and thus, treating her better than the others did. They gave her clean water and edible food. Good dress to use and a proper cell.
The next day, Suzy took the carriage that will deliver her at the court. The place they passed by is filled with people with scared gazes at the carriage. They stopped in front of a huge architecture with guards on every post of it. They made Suzy walk out of the carriage. Small screams from the town's folk and fear on the guards' faces were evident when Suzy fell on her feet because of the harsh push from a guard. Most people stepped back in fear when Suzy glared at them, but she did not keep it long and proceeded to walking inside the court room.
The courtroom was filled with locals, shouting awful things to her. The inner box of the room is filled with different men in colorful tux and white curly wigs. They made Suzy stand in the middle of the room. All the men and women in the courtroom stood up when a small door opened. One of them announcing who just arrived. The judge who will be reciting the trails for today—Charles Aleandro Ascot.
Judge Ascot waved his hand and everyone sat back on their seats. "I would like to know the name of the accused.." he said.
Everyone fell silent, looking at the direction of Suzy. "They address her with the name of Suzy, Your Honor." One man said.
"Is that how you address yourself, Miss?" Judge Ascot asked, looking at Suzy.
"No," she answered. The courtroom irrupted in shouts. Accusing her things she isn't. Mainly being a witch.
"Order in court," the Judge slammed his gavel, and everyone fell silent.
"Give me your name," he ordered.
Suzy gave many people names that doesn't belong to her. Now she's thinking of giving someone else's again, then she'll find a way out and run. As she always does.
But she's already tired of running away. Very tired of it.
"Cancer," she answered. "My real name is Cancer."
"And you are being accused for the crime of?"
"For bombing the amphitheater of the town of Wheesetleton, Your Honor." Another man answered.
"Is that all?" The Judge asked.
"No, Your Honor." The man answered. "This girl has committed the crime of stealing, bombing and murder. This includes bombing a ranch in Mexico. Stealing chickens and newly hatched eggs in an egg farm in California. Trespassing in a zoo in Australia costing 2 Million Pounds damages and wild animals on the loose. Destroying a center built for otters. Breaking and entering in an apartment in Italy, killing the owner of the apartment."
As the man stated more things Suzy—or as her real name—Cancer did, one of the gentlemen from the inner box noticed something about Cancer's chains. Unlike the other men in the room, he do not wear fake, white and curly wig. He didn't even bother to wear a tux, instead, he wore a poet shirt underneath his trench coat. Aside from that, he wears a tall hat, a magnifying glass on one eye and his cane on his hand. He looked closer at Cancer's hands as he see movements, but Cancer is not even lifting a finger. The gentleman furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he realized what's moving on the prisoner's chains.
It was a stick insect, trying to pick the lock of Cancer's chains. When the stick insect finally succeeded, Cancer held the chains by herself, preventing it from slipping off her hands and falling on the floor.
The gentleman was fascinated with her action, and more curious how did the stick insect managed to do that.
"Would you like to say something?" The Judge asked Cancer.
"I didn't kill anyone," Cancer said. "It was him who did it, not me. He did it to himself."
The men in the courtroom questioned her words. There is no witness of what has happened in Italy, so no one can tell if she's telling the truth. "How can we trust her words? She's a criminal. A witch!" Many people complained to the Judge. Cancer just lowered her head and didn't say a word. The Judge once again used his gavel, ordering silence, and everyone shut their mouths.
Judge Ascot has already made up his mind. And he will make sure Cancer won't get away with the crimes she committed, but before he could say a word, the gentleman called him.
"Judge Ascot, if you please." The gentleman said. "Wouldn't you ask why she did those crimes? After all, she's just a kid."
Judge Ascot raised his eyebrow on the gentleman. Most of the times, the Judge would not response on anyone he hasn't spoken to, but this gentleman in not just anyone. After all, they were good friends before he became the doctor of his daughter.
"I would like to know your reasons," Judge Ascot said to Cancer.
Cancer is very hesitant to give her reasons. Because she knows that no one will believe her. She herself thinks that the next words that will come out from her lips is too far from proper, or possible.
"I can hear them begging," she answered. "Their wailing. Their screams. Their whispers. I can hear their calls."
The courtroom fell silent but it didn't last for a long while. "WITCH!" Other people in the room shouted. Some are confused but most did not believe her. Just like she expected.
But lucky for her, not everyone inside the room are close-minded.
"Your honor," the gentleman called. "I have some information that might help the accused with her case."
One man from the inner box protested and told the gentleman to shut it, but the Judge looked at the gentleman. "Proceed."
The gentleman smiled. "The accused claims that she hear voices, telling her to commit those crimes. For everyone's knowledge, this is a sign for mental illness called schizophrenia. It makes the patient hear voices inside her head, urging her to do things. Horrible ones, most of the time."
A man spoke. "That doesn't change the fact that she did all those things! You don't even know if she have that disease."
"Agreed," the gentleman said. "I, Doctor Masters, as a licensed professional, is talking in behalf of the safety of the accused and the people around her. She is a danger to all if she does not get the help she needs. Yes, it will not change the things she did. But that gives us the knowledge that the accused has no control of what she was doing. People like her needs help." The gentleman nodded with a meaningful gaze at the Judge.
Cancer looked over her shoulder to see the gentleman's face. Who is this man? Is he trying to help or just showing off? Unlike he said, those voices aren't from her head. It's from the animals. But maybe he was right. Maybe those voices are just in Cancer's head. After all, she doesn't have a single clue why she the only one hearing them like another person.
There are a few men In the room shared their thoughts because of the gentleman, but it didn't last long. Then the time came. The Judge needs to give his order.
The Judge stole a look from the gentleman before taking a deep breath. He trusts that guy, very much. That's the only reason he's still sitting in court now.
"I sentenced this girl—Cancer, a lifetime sentence of hospital arrest in the custody of Dr. Masters. Fair." And the sound of the Judge's gavel echoed on the four corners of the room.
Civilians was not happy about the Judge's decision. But their shouts were pointless because the Judge already left the room, and Cancer is already being escorted out of the room. And will be escorted out of the country, sooner than she thinks.