The jury files out of the courtroom, their expression unreadable. As they sit in the backroom talking and reviewing all the statements and evidence, they reflect back on the closing statements from both prosecution and defense from before they came out to review.
The prosecutor stands before the jury, voice booming through the room. "We have seen the evidence. We have heard the testimonies. It is clear that the Forbidden are guilty of their crimes. Their actions have disrupted the peace and order of Heaven. They have caused destruction and chaos, and they must be held accountable for their actions. We ask that the jury consider the consequences of their actions and deliver a just verdict." The prosecutor sits down as they finish their statement.
The defense angel stands up to address the jury. "The Forbidden, especially Blaine, are not guilty of the crimes they are accused of. They are simply seeking a better life for all angels. They seek freedom of choice, freedom of expression, and the ability to love who they choose without fear of punishment. We ask the jury to consider the motives behind their actions, and the positive change that their desires can bring to Heaven."
The jury finishes reviewing the evidence and testimonies. The atmosphere in the courtroom is tense, with each angel holding their breath, waiting for the verdict. The sound of rustling robes fill the room as the jury re-enters, and takes their seats.
The double doors to the courtroom open and Blaine has this strong sense to turn and look at who is coming in. As he turns to look, he sees Amelia standing at the doorway, her face covered in tears. He mouths over to her, "I'm sorry." Amelia looks straight at him, sees him and mouths back "I love you." Not caring if anyone notices. Jonas stands beside Amelia and gestures to her to follow and sit on one of the benches at the back.
The judge looks at the jury and speaks. "Have you reached a verdict?"
The head angel of the jury stands and clears her throat. "We have, your Honor."
The room falls silent as the angel reads out the verdict. "We find the Forbidden guilty of the charges of destruction of the Temple of the Seven and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. We also find Blaine guilty of aiding and abetting the Forbidden in their actions, although we acknowledge that he did not actively participate in the destruction of the temple."
The courtroom is silent as the judge nods gravely. "Thank you, members of the jury. The court accepts your verdict."
The judge turns to the defendants. "Forbidden, you have been found guilty of serious crimes against Heaven and its inhabitants. As punishment, you will be recycled and reset to start anew as angels of Heaven with no knowledge of your previous experiences. Archangels and Higher Angels will watch over you as you grow and perform your duties to prevent you from making the same decisions again. Blaine, you have been found guilty of aiding and abetting the Forbidden, and although your punishment is less severe, it is still necessary. You will lose your guardian angel status and will be banished to Earth with no powers or memories. You are to live on Earth for 1,000 years when your actions living as a human will be reviewed and a decision to reinstate you will then be made."
The Forbidden hang their heads in shame as they are led out of the courtroom in chains. Blaine looks stunned and devastated as he is escorted out of the courtroom by two warrior angels. As he passes by Amelia and Jonas, he struggles to control his emotions and keep himself from going over to Amelia to embrace and kiss her before he is banished. But he manages to maintain control and just looks at Amelia. He looks straight at her eyes with a look that says, I see you, I love you, I will return for you. Amelia just looks at him and then looks down feeling too much pain. Thinking that maybe this is why they are not allowed to have these feelings, to show emotions. She fears how she will be able to go through her daily duties as a guardian angel now. Blaine looks at Jonas and smiles. Jonas looks back and gives him a look letting him know that everything will be okay. He will look after Amelia and will be awaiting his return.
As the courtroom clears out, the judge sits in silence, thinking about the case and its implications. The idea of angels having free will and expressing emotions freely was not a new one, but it had always been a controversial one. The judge knew that this case would not be the last of its kind, and that the issue would continue to be debated and fought over in Heaven for a long time to come.
But for now, justice has been served, and the court has fulfilled its duty. The judge stands up, ready to leave the courtroom and move on to the next case.
Blaine, with the two warrior angels, one at each side and a step behind him, walks for about five minutes until they reach a darkroom with a swirling vortex in the middle of the floor. The room is quiet except for a low hum coming from the vortex. The warrior angels push him to the edge of the vortex and as he looks down into it all he can see is darkness. This vortex is unlike the portals they use to travel to Earth, at least they can see where they are going. But this, this just shows darkness, who knows where he will end up. He can only hope for some place on Earth where he can make a life with decent people and avoid danger.
"GoodBye Blaine," says one of the warrior angels as he pushes him into the vortex. As soon as he does, he feels like he's falling through space, tumbling head over heels with no sense of up or down. He can see stars whizzing past him in a blur, and he feels weightless, untethered from reality.
Suddenly, a searing pain shoots through his back, and he realizes that his wings are being torn apart by the vortex's force. Feathers fly off in every direction, and he screams in agony as he plummets towards Earth. He tries to reach out to the warrior angels, but his arms feel numb, and he can't move them.
As he falls through the sky, he can see the landscape of Earth growing larger and larger beneath him. The wind rushes past him, and he can hear the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He closes his eyes, bracing for impact, but then he hears a voice in his head, a comforting voice that tells him everything will be okay.
Suddenly, he feels a soft, cushiony surface beneath him, and he opens his eyes to see that he's landed in an open field. His wings are broken and twisted, and feathers are scattered everywhere. He tries to stand up, but he falls back down, weak and disoriented. He looks around for anyone that can help him, but all he sees are his feathers everywhere slowly disintegrating leaving no evidence of what happened. He tries to call out to the world for help, but his throat feels dry and scratchy. He looks up at the sky, seeing the stars slowly fading away as dawn approaches. A wave of loneliness and fear washes over him, and he realizes that he's truly alone for the first time in his life.
After some time of laying on the grass, Blaine finally manages to get up and look around at the surrounding areas. Nothing but grass fields for miles, some trees in the distance at all sides. He can see a road to his right about a hundred yards from him. He tries to connect to the humans and listen to their prayers, but his connection really has been severed, his abilities gone. He feels a heartbeat in his chest. He feels the heat of the sun and for the first time in his whole existence it bothers him, sweat runs down his forehead. He can still feel some of the pain of falling, though not as he would imagine it would feel from falling for miles. No, he just feels pain as if he fell down a flight of stairs.
As he begins to walk towards the road, his mind starts going blank and he forgets his past, his identity. He forgets what he is doing. All he knows is he needs to walk down this road. He is wearing a tattered white t-shirt, washed out blue jeans and black sneakers. Nothing in his pockets.
He walks for miles when a vehicle approaches from behind. He moves over to the side of the road by instinct to avoid getting hit. A red pickup truck drives past him as the driver turns to look at Blaine as he passes him. He pulls over and backs up towards Blaine. He lowers the passenger window and Blaine sees a man in his 40's with a thick mustache, a patch of black and gray hair on his chin and chin-length-hair. "Hey, Do you need a ride?" He asks.
"Umm... Sure," Blaine says, unsure of whether he does need a ride or not.
The driver looks at him up and down, "Where are you going walking in the middle of nowhere?"
Looking confused, Blaine looks at the driver and says, "I... don't know."
"I'm Bill, what's your name, pal?" The driver asks.
"I'm.... I am... I can't remember," Blaine replies, shaking his head, confused as to why he can't remember his own name.
"Umm, okay, Where are you headed to?" Bill replies.
"I don't know, I can't remember anything." Blaine says.
"It's okay, I'll get you to the next town, hopefully something there can jolt your memory," Bill says and starts driving.
"We are here," Bill says. Blaine opens his eyes realizing he had fallen asleep on the ride here. As he looks out the windshield he sees a sign that reads: Welcome to Boulder, Colorado. Pop. 103,166. They drive for another ten minutes or so and pull up to a gas station. "Alright here you go, the town of Boulder, hope you can find something here that can help you," Bill says. Bill steps out of the truck, inserts his credit card at the pump and begins pumping gas.
"Thanks Bill," Blaine says and walks inside the gas station store. His stomach starts rumbling as he looks through the aisles of snacks and other food items. He grabs the first bag of chips he sees then walks over to the drinks and grabs a 20 oz. bottle of cola. He opens the bag of chips and takes a few bites then opens the soda. It fizzes and sprays a bit as he opens the lid. He wipes his hands on his shirt, drying the soda from his hands. The store clerk, after hearing the bag of chips being open and the soda fizz as it was opened, walks over to him. Blaine is in the middle of drinking the soda in the middle of the aisle. "Excuse me sir, are you going to pay for that?" The clerk says.
Blaine looks at him confused, "pay for this? I'm sorry I don't have any money."
The clerk gets a frustrated look and grabs Blaine by the arm. "I need you to get out of here, I don't want to see you here again unless you have money. This is not a homeless shelter." He says as he pushes Blaine out the door.
Bill, who was on his way into the store, sees what is happening and grabs Blaine before he falls to the ground. "Are you okay? What Happened?" He asks.
"I'm just really hungry and thirsty, but I don't have money," Blaine says.
"It's okay, I understand. I'll go inside and pay for your stuff and get you a few other things to hold you off for now." Bill replies.
He goes inside, grabs a few more drinks for himself and Blaine, as well as an assortment of foods for Blaine. He walks up to the register, "I'll also pay for what he took." He tells the clerk.
"Okay whatever, but I've seen this a million times. You help them once and they stick to you like roaches," the clerk replies.
Bill ignores the clerk's comment and grabs the bags and walks out. He hands Blaine the bags, "Here you go, this should be good enough for the day so you can focus on finding whatever it is you are looking for."
"Thank you Bill, you are a very kind hearted person," Blaine says, grabbing the bags.
Bill goes to his truck and drives away. Blaine looks around trying to figure out where to go next. He sees a playground across the street full of kids playing while their parents watch from the benches. He walks over to one of the picnic tables and sits down to relax and eat some of the food. As he sits there, he looks around at the kids playing and he gets a sense of calmness and joy from watching them play. A feeling of warmth as if he has done this before. Do I have kids? He thinks trying to remember anything that can help him know what he is doing here.
He finishes the bag of chips and the soda feeling refreshed and with energy to start going around looking for help or whatever it is he needs to be doing. He gets up and walks into town ready to find out who he is and what he is supposed to do.
284Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2wURJjViJ
