Three days later, and they still hadn’t said a word to each other. Tegan was finally getting over the lingering pain from her harsher spanking, though even now she was still tender. It must have been extreme, because Cassidy hadn’t had any soreness since the end of the second day. Bragg assigned all three of them to work in the lobby for their morning shift. Amanda started in the bathroom, and Tegan was close by. The moment had arrived. She winked at Tegan and went into the washroom too. It was early morning. Nobody else was in there. Amanda looked up. She was kneeling by the first stall, scrubbing the tiled floor. Cassidy held her breath.
Tegan walked in behind her. “What?” was all she said.
Cassidy turned and stepped back so they formed a triangle. “We should talk here. They won’t record us here.”
Tegan was angry. “What makes you think they record us?”
Cassidy calmly answered. “The rules are published on the terminal in your room. Bragg records us in every public place. She can’t do it in our rooms, but almost anywhere else is fair game. Even the common room is monitored. That’s why they don’t let us into each other’s rooms, so we cannot make plans together. Think about it. It means we have to talk here, at least when we talk for real.”
Amanda stood up. “OK, I am listening.”
Cassidy took a deep breath. This would be her only chance. “We need to escape.” The other two looked at her in complete shock.
“What, how?” Amanda stammered.
“It’s going to be easier than you think. Some of the other wards —the ones Bragg trusts more— do cleaning chores outside, like scrubbing the steps to the lobby. They keep the brushes for it just thirty meters from here, in the gray bin against the wall. You’ll see it, just to the right, when we walk out.
“Here’s what we are going to do. We wait for the bureaucrats to start going for lunch. There’s always a swarm of them coming in and out right after we start our second shift. If we have a day when all three of us are working down here in the afternoon, and nobody else has taken those brushes, we grab them and just walk out. We don’t run. We walk and start cleaning the steps and pavement, just like everyone thinks we are supposed to. Then we work our way farther and farther. Bragg and Beth aren’t expecting us outside, so Beth won’t be watching nearly as closely as when the wards that are meant to be out there are. We take a whole half an hour before we just stand up and walk away.
“Then we need to think on our feet. We get proper clothes —somehow— and we lie low. They won’t have a citywide manhunt for three wards that skipped out of their Reformation Program a little early. After enough time has passed, we blackmail my Mom. She hasn’t done a fucking thing to help, and this will be a political disaster for her. She’ll have to arrange some sort of reduced sentence for us, or we will finish her career. Trust me. I know a lot of things about her that she cannot afford to be made public.”
Amanda balked. “There is no way. It can’t work. They will notice for sure, and even if it did, your mom can’t make them reduce our sentence. That isn’t how the system works.”
Cassidy took her hands. “She might be able to. She did it for Paul somehow. We can’t stay here, Amanda. Judge Bragg is too strong. She is going to break us. If my mom can’t reduce our sentence, she will have to do something else instead. She can get us to an allied city or something, because trust me, she only cares about herself and her political career.” Amanda wasn’t buying it. She wouldn’t be able to persuade her. Cassidy could tell.
“We all swore, Amanda,” Tegan said suddenly. “And I meant it when I did.” They both looked at her. “This is our only hope. I can’t go to the Chair again. And the other girls now, they… they are teasing me. When you two aren’t around. I cannot…” She trailed off. She trembled, fighting back tears. It wasn’t in rage, like usual. They were genuine tears of misery and regret. She had never been beaten or afraid before.
Amanda suddenly looked confused and scared. Cassidy jumped on the opening. “Bragg will break us down, and we will never see each other again or be the people we are supposed to be. She will make you into an assistant to some middle manager, like she is doing to Charlotte. She will trick you into thinking that you want it, just because she has made you so miserable otherwise. If you value our family, we have to do this. It’s our only chance. And it will work, I promise. And then when we are in a new city, it will be different. I won’t let this happen again. We can start over, properly, on our terms —together.”
Amanda paused, then nodded and started to walk out. “OK, fine. Let’s do it. You guys finish here.”
As soon as Amanda left, Tegan growled at her. “Don’t fuck this up again. It’s all your fault we’re here, and we all know it. If you fuck this up, I will wait for the perfect moment, and then I will kill you with my bare hands.” She was furious all of a sudden. Her emotional breakdown had shocked her, and she had no idea how to handle it. Then Tegan left the bathroom too. Cassidy took a deep breath. She wasn’t going to fuck this up. She couldn’t.
—
Cassidy was sitting at their table, doing her homework. Dinner was about to be delivered, but she wasn’t hungry. Her Mom had come home on time, but went straight to the third bedroom in their condo, which she had converted into an office, to keep working.
Paul hadn’t gone to practice that morning. He was always worse when he didn’t, but luckily that almost never happened. Yesterday, he lost an especially important match and was being relegated to the fifth division. That was semi-pro. He had already had two cold showers, but they didn’t help: he was furious.
“Sorry about your game, Paul.” Cassidy had to say something. He was building up to a storm, and there was nobody there other than her to take the brunt of it.
“Are you? And it wasn’t a game. It was a fucking match. I am surprised you even knew about it. But I guess I shouldn’t be. You always bring it up when I lose. You don’t even come to my matches anymore.”
“They happen when I am in school. Now that you are back in the fifth division, I will be able to come again.” She was trying to soothe him, but as soon as she said it, she realized it was the wrong thing to say. He hit her, a big open-palmed slap right across the face. Cassidy ducked and tried to get under the table. Paul had caught her arm, though, and was pulling her back. He spun her around and was about to hit her again.
“PAUL, how many times have I told you? Slap her on the bum, not the face, and not so hard.” Her Mom had just come into the room. “She is old enough now that she needs to take showers after gym. She cannot have bruises any longer. At least if you slap her bum, she is less likely to get them. Now I am going to have to take her—”
Paul let go of Cassidy and turned on her. He took two steps right to her and hit her, too. He did it even harder than he had hit Cassidy. She fell to the ground, stunned. “I will slap you both, wherever I like,” he yelled as he stormed out.
Cassidy looked at her mom. She was sitting against the wall. Her legs were crossed awkwardly. She had fallen that way and hadn’t moved since, though she was still completely conscious. For a second, Cassidy thought she was looking straight back at her. But then she realized her eyes were entirely blank. She wasn’t trying to look at her. Under the table was just where her gaze had settled. She was staring into space, completely in shock. Cassidy started to taste blood in her mouth.
—
Two days later, their opportunity came. It happened much faster than Cassidy could have hoped. The three of them were working the afternoon shift in the lobby, exactly as required. They couldn’t wait long. If they didn’t start right away, it would be obvious they weren’t working. And wards never switched tasks too soon, so it didn’t make sense to start their actual chores and then change. That would be more suspicious. There were also lots of people walking in and out, as usual, and the sooner they went, the less likely they were to lose their nerve. There would never be a more perfect moment. She gave a subtle signal, and she started walking. She adopted a cool, confident swagger. She didn’t look to see if they were coming. She didn’t want to give them the chance to back out.
Amanda and Tegan chose to follow. This is what Cassidy did. She imposed her will on the world. This is who she was. This is who we are. This is what we do. Amanda and Tegan adopted the swagger as well.
They went to the closet with the outdoor cleaning supplies. They grabbed them quickly, but without rushing. They were calm. They passed through the door with brushes, buckets, and detergent in hand. Just like three wards serving their punishment would usually carry.
Cassidy took a few more steps into the fresh air. It was a cold and damp day. It would be uncomfortable in their light uniforms, even if they were working hard. That didn’t matter. They were doing it. They could endure half an hour of scrubbing cold concrete on their knees. They were almost free.
She casually looked back. So did Amanda and Tegan. She mentally kicked herself. Why did they all look back together? That was suspicious. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to them, though, just like she knew they wouldn’t. The plan was working.
Then she saw them. Two security robots stood in the lobby. They had been behind a pillar when they first came down. She couldn’t see them until she looked back through the glass wall. They were hidden from view unless you were outside or right against the wall. They were not normally there. She had cleaned that whole lobby a few times, and they were new. A sinking feeling hit her stomach: pure dread. Then she noticed a third. It was in the far corner of the lobby, by the other door. She looked again at the two closer ones. They started moving, but not like they usually did. Their stubby legs extended, their arms became long tentacles, and they began to run, unbelievably fast. The robots went straight for the doors they had just escaped from.
Amanda screamed and bolted toward the stairs fifty meters from the door. She headed straight for the street, with land-based auto-cars and delivery trucks zipping along it. One of the robots, which had at first been coming for Cassidy, changed direction and, amazingly, accelerated even further. It needed to go faster if it was going to catch Amanda before she reached the street. It exploded in a burst of speed, a blur of arms and legs.
Tegan screamed too, but it was a roar of rage rather than a cry of terror. She turned to meet the robot coming for her, her anger entirely out of control. Cassidy started running. There were only two of the security robots that were close to them, and they were going for the others.
Amanda’s robot caught up to her just before she reached the traffic. She heard it approaching, and she started zigzagging, desperately trying to evade it. It went to her right, but reached its long arm around to her left. As it brushed against her shoulder, she jumped away from where she felt the apparent attempt to grab her coming from. Unwittingly, she leapt towards her pursuer instead. The robot caught her, pulling her through the momentum of her attempted dodge, and scooped her up harmlessly. She went from running in one direction to being carried in the other, all in one fluid motion.
Tegan’s robot slowed as it approached her. She crouched low and circled, but started closing in on it, taking a couple of quick stutter steps, and then backed off for a second. It was a feint, trying to put it off balance. She dropped even lower as she did it and sprang towards its legs to take it to the ground. But just as she launched herself at it, one of its arms shot out like a spear and tripped her up. Her attack fell flat, literally. She toppled awkwardly forward. It stepped aside. She went sprawling onto the concrete in front of the lobby doorway. But she didn’t land hard. Instead, the robot caught her, cushioning her fall, and then it lifted her off the ground and held her suspended. She furiously kicked and swung her arms at it, desperately trying to connect with her much larger, stronger foe. It was hopeless. Its extended, flexible arms were too long, and she couldn’t get her fists or feet into range.
Cassidy sprinted down the pathway along the building beside the tower. She didn’t go to the street as planned. There was a small alley on the far side. She needed to be out of sight as quickly as possible. If she could make it there, she might be able to escape down the side street beyond it. She desperately looked back. The third robot was still not behind her. Maybe they won’t venture too far outside the tower. She was almost there, so close. Then the robot came around the corner she intended to turn down. She halted, skidding to a stop, ten meters from it. Otherwise, she would be running right into its waiting arms. It had gone the long way around the building, but it was so fast it had covered its three other sides before she ran the length of the fourth.
It walked forward and reached for her, crossing its arms and wrapping them around her shoulders and under her armpits. It picked her up effortlessly. Then it rotated one arm over her head and shoulders, turning her smoothly to face forward. Its cable-like arms continued to wrap around her torso and waist. She knew right away that she had just made the second big mistake of her life.
Cassidy’s robot jogged and quickly joined the others. Then the three girls were carried back in, indignantly. The robots had adjusted their grips on the other two and were carrying them from behind just like Cassidy. Tegan had given up trying to find a vulnerable point to strike and shifted her focus to prying her robot’s iron grip loose. There was no chance that that was ever going to happen. Amanda sobbed, and Cassidy just hung silently.
They went straight through the doors into the processing center. A young woman, a soon-to-be ward, stood apprehensively while Judy finished up the paperwork for the girl before her. The robots walked straight past the young lady waiting. Judy looked up, startled. Then she burst out laughing. “Do you mind, honey, if these three go ahead of you?”
Cassidy couldn’t take it. The rage overtook her. “Really, piggy, who cares what you think?”
Judy erupted. She yelled right back. “Well, that is some sass. You’re going to have to wait until Judge Bragg returns, but then you’re going to be so sorry.”
“I told you, I don’t care what you think, Judy. I hate this place. I fucking hate it. I—” and then it was all too much. She started crying. She couldn’t help it.
“Oh, you should save those tears, girl. You’ll need them later. Judge Bragg is going to roast your little derrière, and I bet you won’t be sitting down for a week. I am assigning you to detention cells in the meantime, but as soon as she gets back, just you wait. You’re going to learn some manners. And I am—”
“Judy, that’s quite enough,” Judge Bragg’s firm voice cut her off. “The detention cells will not be necessary. I am still here. I was just getting some tea while I was waiting for them to try that, and you can leave the reforming of these three to me.”
“I am sorry, Ma’am. This girl really knows how to push my buttons. You should have heard what—”
“I did, and I haven’t forgotten about earlier either. We’ll address that behavior too. Right now, each of them has other priorities we are focusing on first, however.” She turned to the girls. “Robots, keep these three restrained and bring them.”
They were carried to Bragg’s office. Beth looked up and saved the document she was working on. She messaged the punishment room. She would need to book that extended appointment Judge Bragg had had her warn Mrs. Bailey about.
Judge Bragg went in first. The robots followed, holding the girls, their toes not quite touching the floor. Judge Bragg didn’t say anything. Instead, she started reviewing the security recording of their escape attempt.
“That plan could have used a little more thought, ladies. Though it was well executed in some ways, I suppose. I like the idea of getting the brushes for the pavement. That’s a nice touch, but you might have noticed that when we send wards outside, we also give them little bracelets.” Then the Robots activated in the video. “Unfortunately, though, the security robots are quite fast when they need to be. You know, I might have also considered casually inquiring if anyone else had ever made such an attempt before trying it myself. There is a young clerk in the information booth who quite fancies you, Cassidy. You could have asked him, for example. I doubt he would have told on you. And he was just starting the last time a ward tried to run away, if I remember correctly.”
She paused for a moment. “Does anyone have anything to say before you go down to have the most excruciating punishment you will almost assuredly ever have in your lives?… No, nobody? Not even the one who came up with this idea? I think I have a pretty good idea which one of you came up with it,” she said, and then she looked squarely at Amanda. Amanda would have jumped in shock if she could have. She had a look of pure terror and surprise on her face.
Cassidy didn’t notice. She was looking at Judge Bragg, and she let out a huge sigh of relief the moment she didn’t look at her. But her relief lasted for only a moment. Tegan shattered it with a scream. “YOU BITCH! I cannot fucking believe you’re going to let her take the blame for this. Everything that has happened. Everything that has gone wrong in my life. It’s all your fault. I am going to kill you, Cassidy.” The robot held Tegan tightly, but if it hadn’t, there was no doubt she would have tried to do exactly that. Her arms and legs were flailing. She clawed at the air, like she was trying to swim her way to Cassidy. Judge Bragg just watched for a moment, expressionlessly. As soon as Tegan slowed, she spoke again.
“OK, Tegan, you can stop that right now. I am sending you back to your room. Considering what happened, punishment isn’t warranted in your case. You three are dismissed. Beth will take you two downstairs.” Tegan stopped. She was dumbfounded. Judge Bragg gestured to the robots to carry them all out.
“No, Ma’am. Please, I am so sorry. It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t want to. It was their idea. I didn’t want to do it. I promise. They made me do it. And I am being good, just like you said. I apologized to her, and I haven’t said anything mean to anyone. I AM BEING GOOD.” Amanda started crying desperately.
Judge Bragg looked at her. “Not that good, Amanda. I expect you to be a lot more ‘good’ than this.” Beth walked with them as the robots carried them to the elevator. Tegan’s robot veered off towards the common room. Amanda and Cassidy’s continued down the hall towards the elevator. Amanda cried the whole way there. Beth knocked on the Punishment Room door, then opened it. The room was the same. Mrs. Bailey was waiting.
“OK, girls,” Beth said firmly. “Amanda, you’re going first.” Her robot carried her forward, spinning her around to face it. It lowered her down into the chair, but stopped just short of all the way. Mrs. Bailey ducked under its long, cable-like arms and tugged her pants and underwear to around her knees. The robot pressed her the rest of the way down, and Mrs. Bailey secured the padded straps. Amanda was still crying, but now more frantically. The robot and Mrs. Bailey stepped back. “OK, are you ready, Beth?” Mrs. Bailey asked.
Beth said, “Amanda, you will not attempt to leave without permission.” Then she nodded to Mrs. Bailey.
“No, wait, please wait. I need to talk to Judge Bragg again. Just—” Amanda’s sentence was cut off by an ear-piercing scream: her own. A blue light shone from beneath the chair, painting the fine cloth seat.
She went entirely rigid for a second and then started wiggling every part of her body that could move, frantically. Finally, she had to stop screaming to take a breath, but as soon as she did, she screamed again. This time, though, more desperately somehow. As if she knew she couldn’t talk, but maybe they would understand how much it hurt, so please, please, turn the machine off. They didn’t. For a whole forty-five seconds, they all watched as she writhed in agony. Suddenly, a flash of white light came from under the chair for a second, and then it finally stopped. Its preprogrammed session was completed.
Mrs. Bailey went to remove the restraints. Amanda just sat motionless. She had finally stopped squirming. Mrs. Bailey pulled her up and gently returned her pants and underwear to their proper position. “That was a long and especially painful session. Judge Bragg wanted to send you a strong message. Now open your mouth, please. OK, good girl.” Mrs. Bailey had put a tiny drop of clear liquid on her tongue. “Your bottom will turn very red and is going to hurt for several days, especially for the next forty-eight hours or so. You will find it very difficult to sit or find any comfortable position when lying down. But don’t worry, the pain is temporary, and you won’t suffer any long-term damage from this session. The only thing that you might have needed to worry about was your vocal cords. That’s what that drop of medicine was for. They were just some medical nanites. They will ensure there’s no damage there. In a week, you will be right back to normal, and you won’t even know it happened at all, except for —I very much hope— the memory. Now please stand by the door.” Amanda was in shock. She didn’t really register anything she was told. “I am going to give you a summary of that and message it to your terminal, just in case you need it, dear.”
Mrs. Bailey quickly wiped the chair and its straps with a sanitizing detergent. She threw out the cloth seat and her disposable gloves and replaced them with new ones. The chair was ready again in less than a minute.
Beth nodded to Cassidy’s robot. Her time was up. There was absolutely nothing she could do or say to change it. She was suddenly face-to-face with the big machine as it carried her to the Chair. Mrs. Bailey’s gloved hands brushed her hips, catching the waistbands of her pants and underwear. Down they went. Her bared bottom made contact with the seat. The straps were tightly fastened. The robot and Mrs. Bailey stood back. Cassidy looked to Beth, pleading with her eyes. Please Beth. I am so sorry. Can’t you see? I know I made a mistake. You don’t need to do this. I am going to reform. I am going to do everything Judge Bragg wants me to and more. She wins. I give up. Beth looked back. She knew. “OK, Mrs. Bailey, Cassidy has made some decisions that Judge Bragg would like her to regret.”
The pain was beyond comprehension. Cassidy didn’t consciously process her punishment. There were no thoughts in her mind while it was happening, just the raw experience. It was simply pure anguish.
Suddenly, Mrs. Bailey was there again. She was being pulled up to stand. For some reason, Mrs. Bailey was reaching down to her knees. Up came her pants. Now, Mrs. Bailey was saying something to her about the color of her backside. She opened her mouth like she was told. It tasted like cough medicine. Then there was Beth, guiding her out the door. Thank God, she was leaving that room forever. She knew she’d never be back.
The elevator was going up. Amanda was there too. They were both crying. The pure agony was gone, but the pain in her bottom was still incredible. It was building now. It was such an intense burning. She couldn’t bear it. How could it hurt so much? The chair was over, and yet it wasn’t. She started crying harder. It just hurt too much. “Beth, I am so sorry. Please tell Judge Bragg I will never do it again.” Beth wrapped an arm around her, too. She was already holding Amanda with the other one. “It’s OK, Cassidy. She knows. You’re going to be fine.”
Tegan was waiting for them in the common area. “OK, the three of you are excused from all chores for the rest of the day and tomorrow. You won’t even need to clean your rooms. Take this time to reflect on how you got here. Supper will be at the regular time if you want it.” Then she left them. They all stood there for a minute, looking at each other. Cassidy and Amanda were sobbing. The security robot that had brought Tegan was still in the room, silently standing in the corner. They were broken.
Finally, Amanda spoke, “Judge Bragg was right. I don’t want to see either of you ever again.”
Tegan walked to her room, turned around for a moment, before going inside. “Likewise, bitch.” Then there were just the two of them. After another minute, Amanda turned and walked to her room, too. She didn’t say anything else. Cassidy was emotionally numb. All she could think of was the burning pain. She knew she would probably have feelings about it later, but not right now. She just didn’t care. She went to her room, lay down on her front, and let the tears soak into her pillow.
Dinner was hours later, but the pain hadn’t subsided an iota. She didn’t care. She went out. To her surprise, Amanda came out too. They looked at each other expressionlessly. Amanda took a plate of whatever dull food they had for them that day and went to the table with the girl Judge Bragg had made her apologize to and Charlotte. “Can I join you? I am sorry again about what I did earlier, and I am also sorry that I only apologized the first time because Judge Bragg made me. I really need to be around someone who is nice right now.” Charlotte was shaking her head no, but the younger girl looked up happily. “Of course, sit down. My name is Carol, and we would love for you to join us —or you can stand too— if you like,” she added sheepishly.
Cassidy changed her mind. She didn’t want any food. She saw Tegan staring at her from her bedroom. They made eye contact. She was mad, and Cassidy could see it in her eyes. She mouthed what they both knew she was thinking. I am coming for you. I am going to kill you. It finally hit her. Everything had collapsed. She had nobody left, and it was all her own fault. She went to bed and started sobbing.
Her alarm didn’t go off, like it was Sunday, but she heard the other wards cleaning their rooms. She ignored the morning chime for breakfast: she didn’t care. A little while later, she heard the second chime and the other wards leaving for their chores, but she still didn’t care. She hadn’t moved since she woke up, and she might not move again, as far as she was concerned. A couple of hours later, she was still in bed, face down in her pillow.
Beth’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Really, Cassidy, you think you can ignore Judge Bragg’s messages, just because you went to the Chair yesterday for a particularly good spanking? I have seen girls go for a second, right after one like that, but trust me, you don’t want to. And nobody yet has gone for a third.” Cassidy looked up. Beth was in her doorway, hands on her hips. She looked over at her terminal. It was blinking.
Twenty minutes later, Cassidy was crying again, giant, heavy sobs. She was finally telling another person everything. She told Judge Bragg how her father would beat her. Her mother didn’t care because it wouldn’t be good for her career. “She used to invent business trips to take me on. That way, she could come up with an excuse for my black eyes and bruises, and nobody would know it was a lie. She would tell people it was from playing sports. Then he hit her —once— and she divorced him the next day. She didn’t give a fuck about me or anyone else. The only reason I called her ‘Mom’ was because she made me. She thought it looked bad for me to call her by her first name. Paul didn’t even notice what I called him, let alone care.”
Judge Bragg quietly drank her tea. Cassidy got to Tegan and Amanda. She explained that they were the first people ever to love her. “Now I have nobody, and Tegan is going to try to kill me.” She broke down completely. She cried for a whole minute while Judge Bragg sat in silence.
After she calmed down enough to hear her, Judge Bragg finally started to speak. “I don’t think they cared about you, Cassidy. You don’t threaten to kill someone you truly care about, no matter how badly things have gone. They wanted what you enabled. You let them express a part of themselves they otherwise never could. You’re so much stronger than you realize. But you had a hard childhood. One of the most difficult I have ever seen.
“What you need are people in your life that genuinely care about you, and we need to build you up so that can happen. We’re going to start doing that right now. I promise you, Cassidy, when you leave here, you’ll be the kind of person who has good, true friends. And, most importantly, you’re going to be the kind of person that those friends deserve, and you’re all going to know it.” Judge Bragg pressed a button on her tablet.
Beth’s voice came on. “Yes, Judge Bragg?”
“Beth, would you please make us a second pot of tea and cancel my lunch appointment? We’re going to need a little more time. Also, please arrange for Tegan to be transferred to a temporary detention cell. Unfortunately, I will recommend assigning her to indefinite confinement. Anyone who gets angry enough to charge straight at a two-hundred-and-twenty-centimeter-tall security robot is too unlikely to benefit from this program to justify continuing. Please ask Judge Michaels to review her case to provide an independent assessment. Also, please arrange to transfer Amanda to Judge Williams’ supervision. Cassidy and Amanda will no longer benefit from being in each other’s company. I spoke to both of them yesterday, so they should be expecting your calls.”
There was no hiding the happiness in Beth’s voice as she answered. “Yes, Ma’am. I will call them right away.”
—
Cassidy looked into Judge Michaels’ office. She had just knocked on her door and then opened it, as Barbara had told her to. It was on the twenty-second floor, with no chairs or tables, just several inflatable exercise balls and a single small desk in the corner. Somehow, Cassidy had the impression it wasn’t used as much as most judges’ desks. She had been in this room several times before. She had cleaned it, along with the judge’s personal bathroom, and had even seen Barbara outside. Of course, she knew she was another judge’s assistant. Yet it had never occurred to her that this room was a judge’s office. Everything was too colorful. The room felt entirely inappropriate for its purpose. “Good morning. You must be Cassidy Sinclair. Please, come in.”
“Good morning, Ma’am. Yes, I am.”
Judge Michaels looked at her kindly yet firmly. She was sitting on a giant purple ball. Her curly brown hair had many gray streaks that stood out against her dark brown skin. “Please, take a seat, young lady, and let’s begin, but before we do, let me just say that I expect you to tell me the truth, and not what you think I want to hear. I am pretty good at determining when I am being lied to, and you will do much better with the truth.”
Cassidy selected the yellow ball to sit on. “Yes, Ma’am, and may I ask a question?”
The judge sat back and took her feet off the ground, bouncing gently. “Yes, please, go ahead.”
Cassidy looked sheepish. “Is this meeting confidential? I mean, will Judge Bragg get to review it?”
Judge Michaels leaned forward again, putting her feet down. “The decision is public, of course, but most of the details are private and will remain between us. If you wish to file a grievance about how your punishment was carried out, that is a little more complicated, but I can assure you that if you feel that way, you should. You will be protected and treated fairly, and it won’t prejudice this review. Is that what you would like to do?”
Cassidy blinked. “No, Ma’am, of course not. There are just details that I expect we will discuss that I would prefer to say to Judge Bragg myself.”
The judge sat back again, quite bemused. She resumed bouncing. “Well, if you’re not filing a grievance, then I don’t think you need to worry.” She continued, “This meeting was supposed to be scheduled six months to the day of your sentence, because Judge Bragg said she couldn’t be happier with your progress. I have never heard of a ward requesting that her review be delayed before. In fact, if it wasn’t for the mandatory nine-month review, we still wouldn’t be having this interview, is that correct?”
Cassidy replied calmly but confidently. “Yes, Ma’am, and I would like to request, respectfully, that it be delayed still a little longer.”
The judge looked incredibly skeptical and cut her off. “And, now, why on Earth would I do that?”
Cassidy took a deep breath. “I have two reasons, Ma’am.” This was her moment. She would get only one chance to convince her. “First, the scuttlebutt is that Beth, she’s Judge Bragg’s—”
Judge Michaels interrupted again. “I know who Beth is, Cassidy. She has been working here for almost twenty years.”
Cassidy gulped. This wasn’t going well. “Of course, sorry, Ma’am. What I am trying to say is that I think she is going to be promoted to become a junior judge any day now. At which point Judge Bragg is going to need a new assistant…” She hesitated for a moment but realized this judge wasn’t the kind of woman who waited long for answers, so she spit it out. “I am hoping to apply for the position.”
The judge looked stunned. She stopped bouncing again. “And what does Judge Bragg think, and why not do both?” Cassidy looked down for a moment before looking at her again. “I haven’t asked her. I haven’t quite found the perfect moment. And I wanted to be close, so I would know when to apply, and also so I could continue to do my best to impress her.” She looked at Judge Michaels. “I know it’s a long shot, but I really want this. As soon as Beth is promoted, I will have to do it, or if the perfect moment arises first, then I would ask her then, of course.”
“And what is the second reason?”
“I have become friends with a new ward called Lisa. I’ve become friends with lots of other wards, actually, but Lisa especially needs support. I want to wait so I can help her.”
There was a long pause. “Request denied. I am ruling that your reformation is complete. You are free to leave. You may collect your belongings from Processing. They will introduce you to a reintegration officer who has begun making arrangements for you. He found you a place to live weeks ago, actually —and it has been sitting empty long enough. He can facilitate alternatives if you are unhappy with it. He will also begin exploring with you possible career paths.”
She looked directly into Cassidy’s eyes, who had gone completely pale. “You may return to level eighteen one more time to say your farewells. Also, I would add —off the record— most judges like to select and train their new assistants before the one being replaced departs, and as far as I understand, Pamela has already interviewed several candidates for the position and is close to making a decision. I think the ‘perfect moment’ would have been a few weeks ago. You would have had a better chance of success, and had you been successful, you might have saved a few people a lot of time and perhaps some disappointment. On the other hand, the second most ‘perfect moment’ is right now, young lady. Good luck, Miss Sinclair.”