Chapter 1
The day smelled like death. Penelope knew that her time would soon come. If she died prematurely before her hanging, it would all be over. By the time the Palace Guards found her, it would be too late for her to be saved.
Unless Derek sacrificed himself in place of his sister. After all, they had robbed the palace together. Still, Penelope would be riddled with guilt if she asked her younger brother to turn himself in for the crime.
As she stared out the barred, single window cell, Penelope couldn't help but look at the nooses the prison guards had set up for hanging of the dangerous criminals. The criminals that had commited such crimes as her.
She would be at her own hanging in two days unless she was capable of convincing the guards that she was innocent. However, that seemed nearly impossible. Besides, it would be lying.
There was a knock on her cell door and as Penelope's thoughts were suddenly interrupted, she looked up for a second. Why would someone wait until two days before her execution before visiting her?
Derek walked into the room after a guard was kind enough to unlock Penelope's cell. "Hello, sis." He said, "I talked to the Council and convinced them to give you another trial."
Penelope looked surprised. Despite the fact that the siblings were close, Derek had never done his older sister any favors before now.
"Why did you wait so long to visit me?" Penelope wondered angrily.
"The Council has been keeping a close eye on the house. I wanted to visit you the day after your first trial but I was afraid that might raise too many questions. I would have been interrogated. They knew you had an ally in the crime. I'm sorry I never turned myself in to the Guards for the crime." He explained.
Penelope frowned. Then, she sighed. "Derek, if you had turned yourself in, you would be in just as much trouble as I am in. Possibly even worse. Please don't blame yourself."
Footsteps approached the cell. Then keys rattled as they moved in the lock. Penelope's favorite guard, Luke, appeared. "Visiting hours are over. I'm sorry, Derek, but you have to leave now. Penelope's retrial is first thing tomorrow morning."
Derek had a look of awe. "So soon? What would happen if you discovered who the ally she had during the robbery was?"
Penelope looked confused for a minute. Then, she realized what Derek was saying. "No, Derek, you can't!"
Those four words were all it took for Luke to realize what had just happened. He turned to face Penelope. "Who was there with you on the night of the robbery?"
Penelope knew she was putting her brother's life in danger but at this point she no longer cared. She avoided Derek's look as she admitted, "Derek was with me. It was his idea to rob the Palace."
Derek's face turned red as he felt anger and betrayal. He lunged at his sister and yelled, "How dare you?!"
Luke was quicker than Derek. In the blink of an eye, the guard was standing face to face with Derek. "By order of the Palace Guards, you are hereby being arrested for suspicion of thievery. Your older sister who should have just been an innocent bystander will be released from our custody. You, Derek, will have a trial in one week."
Penelope looked at Luke. "Does that mean I can leave now?" She wondered. She started to walk towards the cell door.
Luke shook his head. "No. You have to see the prison psychologist before you can leave. If you're not given a clean bill of mental health, you will be sent to the Forest Hospital. Otherwise, you should be set to leave."
"The Forest Hospital?" Penelope said fearfully. "Isn't that a bit extreme? Wouldn't it be the worst place to send me?"
"Actually, it would be the safest place to send you. Now, lets go." Luke led Penelope out of the cell and left Derek, locked, inside.
Penelope followed quickly behind Luke. She feared for her brother's life. "Will Derek be hanged?" She queried.
Luke ignored Penelope's question. Legally, he wasn't allowed to discuss a prisoner's sentence with anyone but the prisoner and the Matron of the jail.
As the two of them stood in front of the door to a tiny office, Luke looked over at Penelope. "Derek will be given a life sentence if he's not sentenced to an execution."
Tim, the prison psychologist opened his office door a minute later. He smiled at Penelope. "Hello, Penelope. I assume you are here for your assessment."
Penelope nodded. "Derek admitted to having robbed the Palace and forcing me to do so. Luke said I could be released but that I had to come see you first."
"That is correct. Every prisoner who is released from here is required to come visit me before leaving." Tim stated.
"Might it be alright with you if I skip that step?" Penelope asked. She turned to leave.
Tim nodded. "I suppose so. You will be visited by one of the other Palace psychologists in a week. You will end up being given an assessment at that time to see how well you are adjusting to living outside the prison."
