Kat�s Testimony and Daniel�s Verdict:

The trial went on for like weeks. Kat barely got a moment to rest. She didn�t even read the paper with me like she normally did. Despite all of that, Kat kept a brave face. I looked up at her as she was brushing my hair one evening.

�Will Danny-boy be okay?� I asked.

�I don�t really know yet, Claudia,� she said. �We will stand by him and hope for the best.�

�What will happen if he�s found guilty?� I asked.

�He�ll go to jail,� Kat said.

�Why?� I asked. She sighed as she started on the other side of my hair.

�It�s the country�s new regime now,� she said.

�But what did he do?� I asked.

�Nothing wrong.�

�So why do they say that he did?�

Kat paused for a long moment. �It�s a difficult matter that even I don�t understand.�

I looked down at my lap. �Oh��

�Yes.�

Kat is to testify today. She�s been dead serious for that whole morning.

�Can I trust you to dress yourself?� she asked me.

�Yes,� I said.

�Show me,� she said. I picked up the dress that I chose for myself the night before. The black velvet dress with white lace wasn�t my favorite, but Kat told me that I had to look nice for court. That was the only nice-looking dress I owned that would fit me at the time. I tried to be a sport about it.

�How do I look?� I asked. Kat nodded at me.

�You look nice, love,� she said. �Come here, I�ll fix your hair.� I followed her into her room. Once she brushed my pigtails, we hurried to Paul�s car. I felt stuffed in next to Lyle and Kat in the back. The former looked at me in a funny way. I frowned at him.

�What?� I asked.

�You�re in a dress,� he said in fake shock.

�Shut up,� I whispered.

�Behave, you two,� Kat whispered.

�Yes!� Lyle and I said together. Paul pulled out of the driveway. I practically memorized the way to get to the courthouse by this point. It looks the same as it did yesterday. I�m starting to not like this place anymore.

�How long will this take?� I asked.

�We�ve been over this, Claudia,� Kat replied. I sighed aloud.

�Fine,� I said. Paul pulled up into the parking lot and stopped the car. Kat ushered my brother and I out. As we walked inside, I noticed a familiar face in the crowd of people. Milo Cash stared dead-on at me as I walked by. I looked pretty much confused.

Huh? What�s he doing here?

Someone nudged me from behind. I turned to see Maggie pushing me along. Apparently, I was so busy staring at Milo that I must have stopped walking.

�Sorry,� I whispered. I followed after Kat and Lyle in the courthouse. To be honest, I was getting pretty sick of seeing the same packed courtroom every day. In fact, I already knew what was coming next. More false testimony from the police and students that were surprisingly on Danny-boy�s side. I didn�t understand it. These were the same guys that bullied him around. Yet, here they were coming to his aid in his desperate time. I turned to Kat in the courtroom. She only patted me on the head. I think somehow she what I was thinking. Yet, I had another question on my mind. What was Milo Cash doing here at this trial? He has nothing at all to do with Danny-boy. So, why?

Naturally, I had to find out.

I waited until the court let out for recess. I practiced what I would say to him when I found him.

�What are you doing here?� I rehearsed to myself. No, too mean.

�Why are you here?� Too rude.

�Hey Milo, fancy seeing you here.� I sound like an old lady.

I shook my head to myself. Damn it, it�s not turning out the way I wanted. I dug around in my brain to find the right way to greet him. Suddenly, someone grabbed me on the shoulder from behind. I was about to jump and scream when that same person grabbed me and dragged me around the corner. I tried my best to fight them off and scream. I felt my body turned around to see Milo Cash himself staring at me. I looked at him with me eyes.

�Milo!� I gasped through his hand.

�Shhh,� he whispered. That jerk waited until I calmed down some.

�Why are you here?� Milo asked in a low voice. He lowered his hand.

�Kat�s testifying today,� I said. �Why are you here?�

�My uncle�s on the jury,� he said.

�Oh,� I said back.

�Think he�ll get out?�

I shook my head at him. �I can�t really say. What do you think?�

Milo�s face didn�t change. �He won�t get out.�

I frowned at him a little bit. �Why not? He�s innocent.�

�I know that.�

�So, why?�

�They want to make an example of him.�

�Who does?�

�The government.�

�Hey! What are you kids doing here?� we heard a man shout at us. Milo and I looked up to see a guard walking over to us. He didn�t even give us a chance to talk.

�The recess is over!� the guard barked. �Get back in the courtroom!� Milo grabbed onto my hand and led me away before I could even say a word.

We made it back just in time to see Kat be called up to the stand. I hurried over to where Lyle was sitting.

�What did I miss?� I whispered.

�She�s getting ready to testify,� he replied. Below, Kat put her hand on the Bible and swore herself in. Then, she took her seat. First up was the prosecution.

�Ms. Gains,� he said. �You are a professor at Berlin University, am I correct?�

�Yes sir,� Kat replied. �I teach British literature there.�

�The defendant is your student, yes?�

�That�s correct.�

The lawyer stroked his thick, black mustache. �And there was no school that day, was there?�

�No, sir.�

�And why is that?�

�We got the order to cancel classes right after we all got on campus.�

�At what time exactly?�

�Seven o�clock, sir.�

�Seven o�clock. And why did the defendant show up anyway?�

�I assume��

�No assuming, just answer the question.�

�He doesn�t really know how to operate a computer too well.�

�Is that right?�

�Yes, sir.�

�How does he not know how to operate a computer?�

�His mental disabilities make it difficult for him to comprehend.�

�So why did he come to school that day?�

�He must have thought that it was a normal school and came for remediation.�

The jerk narrowed his eyes at him. �And he didn�t know anything about this protest as he claims?�

�That is correct.�

The jerk raised an eyebrow at her. �Are you sure about all of that?�

Kat nodded at him once. �Yes, his school records confirm this fact.�

�How exactly did he get into Berlin University in the first place?�

�Scholarship.�

�No further questions.�

I hated that guy as he returned to his seat. �Jerk,� I whispered to Lyle. My brother nodded. Now, it was Paul�s turn.

�Ms. Gains, tell us more about my client�s mental condition. To put it bluntly, he has the mind of an eight-year-old child.�

�Well, Daniel has aspersers� and can�t really cope with our students.�

�How is his IQ?�

�It�s low, sir.�

�How low would you say?�

�He struggles with writing and basic academic functions. I have one of his essays right here.� Kat handed Paul the essay for him to read over. He looked her in the eye.

�Going by this and his psychological records, would my client even comprehend what was going on around him as he entered the campus that day?�

�No, sir, he would not.�

Paul straightened up his glasses. �So, that day would just be a normal day to him only with the crowds of students and the police fighting against each other?�

�Yes, sir. He was just there at the wrong place at the wrong time.�

�No further questions.�

I thought Kat did an excellent job on the stand and I was sure that Danny-boy would be able to go free. Yet, I couldn�t shake the feeling that Milo was right in some way or another. I tried to tell myself that Danny-boy would be fine. But after looking at the worry on Danny-boy�s face, that sinking feeling in my stomach just wouldn�t go away. All I could do was wait as both sides rested without calling Danny-boy to the stand eight days later. It would only get worse as the jury came back with the verdict. Danny-boy broke down crying as they read: guilty. I just sat there in disbelief.