Mason

lesson to learn from this chapter: every action has consequences & the truth will always find a way.

5 years ago...

Mason felt a nasty shiver run down his spine as he looked down from the stand, feeling uncomfortable with the number of eyes that were on him. His heart was racing in his chest and his hands felt clammy and he gripped onto the sides of the box, willing himself to stay calm.

He had to get through this. It was time to pay the price for the crimes he had committed.

"And how does the defendant plead?"

Mason inhaled heavily in an effort to calm his nerves. His eyes locked with his older brother, Leo, who looked away as quickly as possible, guilt emanating from his features.

The words almost choked themselves when Mason declared, "Not guilty."

The magnitude of his lie made his mouth feel heavy but he swallowed it down to release the tension in his chest as his solicitor nodded his head at him with a small smile gracing his lips, clearly pleased that Mason had chosen the not guilty plea they had discussed.

He couldn't believe what he was doing by denying his guilt but Drew had said that this was for the best. Drew was a professional so he must be aware of what he's doing, right?

The prosecution barrister smiled at his response, though it failed to reach her eyes.

Mason knew he would never forget those eyes.

Her grey eyes held no emotion as they locked eyes with one another. Her eyes were the type that could easily see through lies and souls.

Mason felt trapped by her cold gaze and would be extremely grateful if he came out alive and well.

All he could do was tell the truth; no matter how ugly it was. There was no use in lying as Mason had learned over the past few months that the truth would always come out despite the lengths people would go to conceal it.

Today, he and his older brother Leo were on trial for the murder of their two parents and he couldn't be more terrified as the prosecution barrister began to question him endlessly.

Mason could feel the pressure as all eyes were now on him; all of them judging him for who he was and what he had done. His fate ultimately lied in their hands.

" Mr Grant, would you care to explain the chain of events which occurred before and after the murder of Mr and Mrs Grant? " She said.

The memories flooded his brain and it took everything within him to remain calm. He was still having a hard time with coming to terms with the death of his parents. He was expecting them to come popping up at any random time and that they hadn't really gotten rid of them.

"Erm, before the um murder, I remember Mum and Dad shouting really loudly at each other. They were arguing about something... I don't know what it was but they usually argued all the time so we didn't really notice it, " Mason rambled. He was still a ball of nerves and turned red, feeling a moment's embarrassment for his response.

"Where were you and Leonard during the argument?" She added.

"We were in our room playing on our PlayStation." He said.

She nodded slowly at him as if she was calculating and weighing up the facts in her brain.

Mason felt uneasy.

" From our investigation of the crime scene, we found that the door hinges to your bedroom door had been quite simply removed. How did this happen?" She stated.

" Dad had had too much to drink that night so he broke the door down when we refused to unlock the door." Mason answered easily.

" I must ask , why did you both refuse to open the door when your father requested you to open it?"

" We didn't feel safe." Mason cleared his throat, " Like I said, Dad was drunk and he does crazy things when he's had too much to drink. " He explained.

" You said he did crazy things when drunk. Is this assumption based off past experiences with his drinking habits? "

" Yes." He gulped, " He was threatening to kill Leo for something that he had done."

" What exactly had Leonard done to provoke such a reaction from your father?" She questioned.

" I- I don't know. " He stuttered. He looked in Leo's direction when he came to that realisation that he was still unaware of Leo's actions that night. Although, Leo was always causing trouble at home but that night Dad had been raging even more than his usual drunken self.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at his statement, like she wasn't expecting that response from him or as if she didn't believe him. It seemed like she knew something that he was unaware of and he didn't like it. He couldn't understand what has being hidden from him and he was sure that it wouldn't sit right with him.

" How did Leonard sustain the bruises on his torso and face? " She enquired.

" Dad punched him in the face and kicked him."

" And what happened between the time the crime had been committed and the time when you both were arrested on suspicion of murder later that evening? "

" We decided to leave the house to clear our heads a little and we eventually ended up in the park. We were just talking for a while. " Mason said.

The prosecution barrister looked him over slowly, expressing her doubt in Mason's account of events.

" I must ask the jury and judge to direct their attention to the photographic evidence enclosed in the folder provided." She announced, " As you can see, Mr Grant sustained three blows to the head that would have caused a mere concussion. However, fifty-five stab wounds were sustained on his chest with three of them hitting major arteries connected to the heart and the remaining fifty-two were littered across his upper chest and torso. Mrs Grant suffered only a mere thirty-nine stab wounds but the majority of them were catastrophic which would have resulted in a quick but painful death. What do you have to say for yourself, Mason?"

Mason's breath was caught in his throat and he was finding difficulty in breathing. He hadn't been expecting for her to address him directly and he had been caught off guard.

He simply hung his head in shame, not answering her question. How could he explain himself now? He could see the looks of disgust and mistrust among people's faces as they stared at him.

He internally squirmed and let out a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding when the prosecution barrister looked away from him and directed her attention to the judge.

"No more questions for now, My Honour. " She took her seat slowly and gave the judge a small nod as if to sway him in her favour.

Mason allowed his gaze to linger on her for a while as he watched a small smirk grace her lips. Had he played right into her hands?

He couldn't afford to lose his cool right now. He still had to convince the jury that he had played a part in his parents' death but he hadn't intended to kill them. He was still only a child and he couldn't imagine being locked up for the rest of his life.

He regretted his actions bitterly but he knew that their deaths had been inevitable. When you're pushed constantly, you'll eventually strike back. Though, Mason & Leo were about to pay a hefty price for what they had done.

He had never imagined that he would be the instrument of his parents' downfall.

A few moments later, his defense barrister, whom he had grown to liking in the past few days and had been working with Drew, rised from his seat with an aura of authority and power wafting from him.

Before addressing the court, Max winked at Mason as if to say, "You've got this."

The small gesture calmed his nerves down greatly because he had quite frankly been rattled by the prosecution barrister who desperately wanted to see that justice would be served for his parents. Whereas, Max and Drew acknowledged that Mason had committed a horrible crime but they believed that he still deserved to have a future like any other 12 year old.

But Mason wasn't stupid. He knew he'd have to do some time locked up but all Drew & Max were fighting for was Mason's chance to live life rather than be sat in a 4 by 8 for 20 more years. What type of life would he live if he wasn't free? And even if he was "free " people were bound to find out about what he had done. The press had been demanding answers and trying to snap pictures of him and Leo when they had arrived at court. They were clearly in their element over the allegations that a 12 year old and a 16 year old had killed their parents in their sleep.

Mason didn't know what he was expecting but it certainly wasn't this. He winced slightly just thinking about people's reactions and the headlines that would be printed covering their story.

Even if he won over the jury, life could never be the same again. He'd have to carry this crime around his neck till the day he died.

He'd never forget what they had both done that night. Never.

He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even been listening to a word that Max had been saying to begin his argument of Mason's innocence in his parents' murder. He only began paying attention when the psychiatrist, that had assessed him a few weeks ago, entered the courtroom and was summoned to the witness stand.

" Doctor Wilson, could you explain your findings when you carried out a psychological assessment on Mason two weeks ago in regards to the part he played on the night of the murder of Mr and Mrs Grant? " Max began.

" When I first questioned Mason about the murder, he gave very vague answers that didn't give me any detail of what exactly took place that night and at times, I noticed that he was trembling when reminded of the murder and sweating slightly. This made it quite clear to me that Mason was feeling some type of distress when recalling the facts regarding the murder. " Dr. Wilson said, " However, when I questioned him about his parents and what they were like, he had little to say about them and continued to present symptoms of some form of anxiety because he was doing anything in his power to avoid talking about his parents or discussing what they were like when they were both alive.

It seemed clear to me that Mason had been experiencing some trauma whilst living with his two parents because supervisors at the detention facility reported that Mason was having random angry outbursts and was having nightmares hinting that he was vividly relieving the experience in his sleep.

He displayed all the common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder which isn't surprising to the area he lives in where crime and violence is rife. Not to mention the fact that other local residents were able to confirm Mr Grant's drinking habits and Mrs Grant's drug abuse which would have caused them both to resort to violence and non-practical ways of solving problems in the family home. From the disorder in the home, both Mason & Leo were vulnerable to developing anxiety disorders due to the psychological and emotional harm inflicted on them by their parents.

Teachers at school reported that Mason's parents never attended school consultations and were almost impossible to contact. They also added that Mason's grades at school had dropped devastatingly in the past year which correlates to the time when Mr Grant had been released from his former employment thus the stress and pressure put on him to continue to pay bills and support the family as the main breadwinner resulted in a serious gambling addiction and alcoholism. "

Max nodded his head slowly to show that he was acknowledging all the facts that Dr. Wilson had presented.

"I read through the report that you provided which has also been made available to the jury to access." Max stated and shuffles of paper was followed by his statement, " I found one part of your report particularly important to consider for the argument of Mason's innocence. Could you enlighten the court on the facts regarding brain development? " He added.

" Adolescence is a period of significant brain development in the human body. The main change that children going into adolescence will experience is the "grey matter" of the brain is pruned away whilst other connections in the brain are strengthened making the brain more efficient. The pruning process begins in the back of the brain and the front of the brain is remodelled last.

An important part of the brain, also known as the prefrontal cortex, is located at the front of the brain and it plays a role in decision-making which isn't fully developed until the age of 25. "

"But what does this information infer about Mason's involvement in the murder case?" Max said.

" Because the prefrontal cortex is still under development, we cannot be certain that Mason had considered the consequences of his actions and that he made an informed decision of what he was going to do. He acted out of fear for Leo's life as teenagers are more likely to rely on a part of the brain called the amygdala to make decisions which are based off of impulses, emotions, aggressive and instinctive behaviour making teenagers and children more vulnerable to stress factors than adults are. " Dr. Wilson replied.

She was summoned away and left the stand whilst whispers and questions lingered in the air from being presented this new information.

The tables had been turned.

There was some hope for Mason yet.

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