Witnesses

The trial was one of the most tense things Emanuele had ever witnessed in her life. She had always seen in books how the young girl stood out by shining with authenticity, respect and obvious charisma, but this was real life. In real life, bad things happened to good people, and there was not even a standard to examine. Chaos reigned.

The judge must have been sixty years old, but he was extremely well-preserved. His eyes were serious, but not threatening, and his white hair was straight and slicked back. As soon as he stepped up to the rostrum, it all began.

It was all very complex for Emanuele, who didn't really understand the technical terms or how the steps proceeded. It was Matthew who, most of the time, explained to her what was happening.

When it came time for the witnesses against the girl to speak, the first to stand up was the short-haired middle-aged woman; the same one who had spoken to Emanuele on the day of the protest and seemed to be the one most intent on ending her li