Jury

by David Dada

  “Hello Mr. Maker.”

  “Hello Mr. Yeng. Were we able to get them through?”

  “Yes we were. Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.” Bob said.

  “Taylor knew that someone sent you to keep track of him.”

  “I had no idea.” Bob chuckled. “He sure is good.”

  Mr. Yeng smiled sadly. “Yes he is.”

  “Need me for anything else?”

  Mr. Yeng contemplated his answer for a while. He knew he should not try to stop what was going to happen and he had to accept it. “No. I will let you know when I need you.”

  “Alright.”

  Mr. Yeng ended the call and sighed. Stay safe kids.

  EIGHTEEN

  Mike sighed and let his head fall back. “I can see you looking at me through the rear view mirror, dad. It’s extremely creepy.”

  Officer Marlon had been stealing glances at Mike all the while they had been on the road. They were on their way to meet up with Mike’s mum and there had not been a word said till now.

  “I just can believe we’re actually doing this. I’m still waiting for when you ask me to turn the car around.” Officer Marlon said.

  Mike chuckled. “Don’t worry dad. I won’t be asking you to turn the car around. I want to see mum.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  “Taylor. He said some things that made me look at this in a new light.”

  “I see.”

  “Yeah.” Mike looked out the car window. “You know, something weird happened yesterday.”

  Officer Marlon looked at Mike through the rear view mirror. “Oh yeah? What might that be?”

  “Taylor said something about his parents dying in a car accident, around the time he came to stay at our house.” Mike looked at his dad in the mirror. “Know anything about that?”

  Officer Marlon turned his focus back to the road. He had expected this to happen after seeing the video during the meeting yesterday. He knew he was going to have to tell Mike the truth anyway.

  “Why did you lie to me, dad?”

  “Because I was tired of watching you sulk all day.” Officer Marlon parked the car by the side of the road and turned to face Mike. “Your mum left and you were still shattered after three years. I had to deal with the pain of her leaving and you crying all the time. I made the choice to tell you that he was abandoned by his parents, hoping that you guys would hit it off and you would make a friend. Turns out it was the right choice.”

  Mike looked back out the window. “I want to be mad at you for lying to me, tricking me into becoming friends with him, but I can’t, so thank you.”

  Officer Marlon turned and started the car. That went well. He smiled.

  ***

  The sound of sweet, soulful jazz piano music filled the air in Taylor’s apartment. Classes had been suspended the rest of the week so Taylor decided to take the time to relax. He was currently humming along to the tune of the song that was playing, swaying with his invincible dance partner. He had finally finished the fight with Mike and he had gone to visit his parents’ graves; everything was working out well for him and he could finally say he was happy but still, something was missing.

  He sighed and walked over to his study table. The Jury is not always right, Professor Wishbourne’s words rang in his head. He opened his drawer and took out his “code” book. Damn dad. You have really outdone yourself this time. He had flipped to the last page he had written on and in the middle of all the words written on the page, written in bold, capital letters was the word:

  JURY

  Taylor stared at the word a long time. He could not believe it had taken him thirteen years to decipher the code and all that it said was JURY. What does it all mean? He sighed and put the book back in the drawer. There was only one person left he could ask, so he picked up his phone and dialled the number.

  “What now?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “What about?”

  “JURY.”

  “You are finally caught up.” Malia sighed. “I will drop by your place later.”

  “Alright. See ya.” Taylor hung up and let himself drop on the sofa. Of course she knows. He did not know how long he would have to wait for Malia so he put on his TV and grabbed a controller. He finally had the chance to advance in his NBA 2K18 MyCareer and he was not going to waste it. Game time.

  ***

  “You coming?” Officer Marlon looked at Mike through the window. They had arrived at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet with Mrs. Marlon and Mike was still seated in the car.

  “I just need a minute.” Mike took a deep breath in and let it out. “Go on ahead. I’ll meet you in there.”

  Officer Marlon looked at Mike a little while and decided not to push it. He walked into the restaurant.

  “Why am I so nervous? She’s my mum for crying out loud.” Mike took deep breaths in and let them out. “Ok that’s not working.” He got his phone out of his pocket and dialled Taylor’s number.

  “Yo Mikey. How is it going?”

  “I can’t get out of the car.” Mike said sadly.

  “I see.” Taylor said. “Well then, text your dad and tell him that you want to leave.”

  “That’s not really motivating.”

  “Was not trying to motivate you. You know what you have to do but you just do not want to do it.”

  Mike sighed. “I’m just scared she won’t be the same person I knew all those years ago.”

  “Well, there is only one way to find out. Get yourself out of that car and into the restaurant.”

  “Thanks boy.”

  “I would say do not mention it but I am happy you finally said thank you, so you are welcome.” Taylor chuckled.

  “Be gone.” Mike laughed and ended the call. The time had finally come to meet his mum and all he needed to do was get out the car. I can do this. He opened the car door and stepped out.

  ***

  “Pancakes and eggs. Thought you would have grown out of it by now.” Ivy ate a slice of her toast and smiled. Vaughn did not hear what she said and she could not blame him; he had been staring at her the whole time they had been sitting at the table. “Are you even listening to me?” She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

  “Uhn?” Vaughn asked, snapping out of his day dream.

  Ivy chuckled. “Never mind. What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing really. I’m just enjoying the moment is all.” Vaughn smiled. “It’s been a long time since we did this.”

  Ivy sighed. “Just ask the question already.”

  Vaughn sighed and gently dropped his spoon. “Why did you leave?”

  “You didn’t have your priorities right.” Ivy shrugged.

  “What’s that even supposed to mean? You and Mike have always been at the top of my list of priorities.”

  “No. Jury was. I told you not to accept their invitation in the first place but you did, and then you had to start staying out longer and although Mike didn’t show it, he didn’t like not having you around. Plus, both of us being affiliated with Jury was a recipe for disaster. The Man had just replaced me as the head of the council and he clearly had issues with me.”

  Vaughn rubbed his head. “Let’s not argue. I accept that I was wrong but I have one question.”

  “Ask it.”

  “Why did you suddenly decide to come back after ten years? And why didn’t you keep in touch?”

  “When The Man found out I had taken off, he found a way to reach me and told me not to contact the both of you, and to answer your first question, I heard from one of my contacts that trouble is coming and I wasn’t going to let you have all the fun without me.” Ivy smiled. “Also because I missed you guys.”

  Vaughn was about to say something when the door to the restaurant opened, the chimes ringing. The both of them turned their attention to the door and saw Mike standing there, searching for where they were. He finally found their table and froze when he
saw his mum smiling at him.

  Ivy was not about to wait for Mike to snap out of his daze. She walked towards him and wrapped him in a hug. “I’ve missed you, Mikey.” She could feel his tears soaking into her blouse and she joined in the waterworks when Mike wrapped his hands around her too.

  Mike sobbed. “I’ve missed you too, Mum.”

  Vaughn looked at them and smiled, trying his best not to cry. Mike loved his mum so much and it was his fault she had left, but it seemed everything will be ok.

  Mike broke the hug and looked at his mum, all smiles, and she kissed his forehead.

  “Are the both of you just going to keep standing there or will you come eat breakfast?” Vaughn chuckled.

  Ivy smiled and held Mike’s hand and the both of them walked over to the table and sat.

  “How’ve you been, Mike?” Ivy asked.

  “All things considered, I’m doing quite alright.” Mike took a sip of his coffee. The waiter brought over his plate of toast which his mum had ordered earlier. She remembered.

  “That’s good.” Ivy said and held his hands. “Sorry I left you alone back then. I don’t have any excuses I could use to justify my actions, but I promise, I’m not leaving anymore.”

  Mike smiled. “You better not.”

  “Well, that’s what you call a family reunion.” Vaughn laughed.

  They spent the rest of the time catching up and left the restaurant once they were done with breakfast.

  “So, this Taylor guy, his parents were in an accident and your dad found him by the side of the road, brought him home and you’ve been friends since then?” Ivy asked once they hit the road.

  Mike nodded. “That’s it.”

  “I see.” Ivy looked at Vaughn who was trying his best not to meet her eyes.

  What exactly happened with Jury once I left? Ivy sighed and looked out the window. She never liked The Man nor his methods and it seemed he had started making trouble. The Yeng family was one of her best assets and it was clear The Man had put them through hell. I’m coming back for my crown, Jack. You’ve done enough harm. She closed her eyes and slept through the rest of the drive

  ***

  Taylor had woken up to the sound of rapid knocking on his front door. He had fallen asleep after playing a few games of NBA 2k18. The game was still paused and he was already close to finishing the match. Why did I not just end the game? He mused. The person was still knocking on the door and it was starting to irritate him.

  “I am coming. Chill.” He stood and sluggishly went to open the door. “You are really annoying.” He sighed.

  “I know.” Malia smiled.

  Taylor motioned for her to come in and closed the door after her.

  “Sleep off while gaming?” Malia asked.

  Taylor nodded and sat on the sofa. “Got tired of waiting.”

  “Sorry I kept you waiting.” Malia headed to the fridge and took out a bowl of ice-cream. “You finally stocked your fridge.”

  “You lack manners.” Taylor chuckled.

  Malia shrugged and went to join him on the sofa. “So, Jury…”

  “Yeah.”

  “How did you come across it?”

  Taylor went and got his code book out the drawer and showed it to Malia. “Dad gave me a code when I was five and I was just able to decipher it last month. It was a combination of three of dad’s favourite ciphers and well, the coded message was the word “JURY”.” He took a spoon of the ice-cream. “After the mock trial, Professor Wishbourne said something about the jury not always being right and it just felt like he was trying to pass a message and not give advice.”

  “First off, you are still slow at deciphering. Dad gave me the same code at the same time he gave you. Second, if you had not made the decision to ignore everything about you being an asset or a spy, you would have known all what I do now.”

  “Stop bragging and just tell me what it is you know.” Taylor chuckled.

  “So basically, JURY is a council created by the government to take care of things that they cannot take care of. Like in law, the JURY decides who is right or wrong and in this case, they also decide what punishment to give. Dad and Mum were members of JURY and the camp we went to is a training ground for assets that they can use. Professor Wishbourne, Miss. Reina, Bob Maker, Miss. Gray and some others are part of JURY. OakCreek is one of the schools that they set up to watch over their assets.”

  Taylor was mind blown. He had not seen this coming. “I knew about Miss. Reina and Bob being part of something but Professor Wishbourne and Miss. Gray? Just wow.”

  “Yup. I hacked into their database and downloaded all the files they had. Guess who was the former head of the council.”

  “You know I hate guessing so just spill it.”

  “Ok.” Malia smiled. “Ivy Marlon.”

  “Mike’s mum?!”

  Malia nodded. “She was replaced by someone they call The Man and he did not like her so maybe that is why she ran.”

  “Poor Mike. He has no idea about this right?”

  “Not a clue.”

  “This is crazy.”

  If only you knew Emily was in there too. “There’s just one little problem.”

  “When is there never one?”

  Malia chuckled. “True.” She took a spoon of the ice-cream. “According to the files I got, there is trouble coming and we are under watch by the council to be sure we are set to take care of business when the time comes.”

  “I want nothing to do with them.”

  “I do not think we have a say in this.”

  “I lost every interest in that life once mum and dad died and getting me back into that would take a lot of convincing, so they have their work cut out for them.”

  Malia smiled. “You are stubborn.” She dropped the empty ice-cream bowl on the table and stood. “I have told you everything I know. I have to go now.”

  “Alright.” Taylor kissed her forehead and walked her to the door. “Thanks for coming. See you on Saturday.”

  “Sure thing.” Malia said and walked out.

  Taylor closed the door, took the empty ice-cream bowl and threw it in the waste basket. He sat on the sofa and grabbed his controller. He was still thinking of all the things he had just heard when his phone rang.

  “Yo Mikey. You finally get out of the car?”

  “Yup. It went well. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  “No problem.” Taylor said and Mike ended the call. He still could not believe Mike’s mum had been in charge of JURY. I guess it is better to keep him in the dark. He sighed and resumed the game. He knew Saturday was going to be one heck of a day. God help me.

  NINETEEN

  It was Saturday and the gang was sitting at a table in Le Blanc Maison, laughing and chatting away. Emily had taken it upon herself to get everything set and Taylor was not surprised she had chosen this particular restaurant.

  Taylor spotted his sister from afar and nudged Mike. “There she is.”

  Mike looked up from the menu he was reading and kept staring at Malia with his jaw open. Taylor chuckled and used his hand to push Mike’s mouth shut as Malia walked up to them.

  “Hey guys.” Malia said and gave Taylor a kiss on his cheek before seating. She stretched her hand towards his fries and he slapped it away, causing everyone to laugh.

  “Guys, this is my sister, Malia.” Taylor said.

  “I’m Mike.” Mike took her hand and kissed it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Careful.” Taylor eyed him.

  “Hey. I’m May.” May waved.

  “And I’m Emily.” Emily smiled.

  “It is nice to meet you all.” Malia smiled.

  A waiter came to get their order and left.

  “Why don’t you go to our school?” May asked.

  “Our aunt thought it would be a bad idea to have us in the same school.”

  “So what school do you go to?” Mike asked.

  “Grant University.”

  “It’s a good
school.” May said. “It was on my list of choices but then it was way too demanding.”

  “That is the problem most people have with the school.” Malia smiled. “How is your perfume line doing? Taylor told me about it.”

  “It’s doing pretty good.” May smiled.

  “That is great.”

  The waiter came with their orders and they got to eaten.

  As soon as they were done eating, Mike cleared his throat and stood. “Guys, I have an announcement to make.” He smiled and looked at May. “May and I are now an item.”

  May blushed as the others clapped and congratulated them.

  “Since when?” Emily asked.

  “Yesterday night. He called me and we had a long conversation after which he asked me out and I said yes.”

  “That’s sweet.” Emily smiled.

  “I am so happy for the both of you. It was about time.” Taylor said.

  “Shut it.” Mike chuckled. “Anyway, the both of us made plans for later. We have to head to the cinema now.”

  “That is alright. See you guys later. Have fun.” Taylor said and hugged the both of them.

  Mike and May hugged Emily and Malia before leaving.

  “They are going to make a cute couple.” Malia said.

  “I agree.” Emily stood. “I also have to get going. It was nice to meet you, Malia.”

  “Same here.” Malia smiled.

  “Thanks for organizing this E.” Taylor smiled.

  “It was my pleasure.” Emily kissed his cheek and left.

  “She still does not know that you caught us.” Malia chuckled.

  “It is all good.” Taylor checked his watch. “Want to go visit dad and mum?”

  “Sure.”

  The both of them left the restaurant and headed for the cemetery.

  ***

  “You have to tell me exactly what happened.” Ivy was staring at Vaughn who was trying his best to avoid her.

  “Why do you think there is more to the story?”

  “The Yeng family are involved in an accident, their son survives and you just happen to be the one officer on patrol who finds him. That’s way too many coincidences, Vaughn.”