The rule of three

I advice you cut your losses

Three inmates who had been chosen at random came out and testified against Dean one after the other, he was not surprised. 

But he was left speechless nonetheless.

Till the last moment, when he saw the look between Marshall and his mother, he never thought this could happen.

He never thought people could lie and testify against him so badly. Were they bribed or threatened?

"You can ask Jasper." Dean said after the last witness was escorted away. 

"Your little friend will always lie for your sake." Marshall said.

"The way your little friends just did right?" Dean fired back. 

"Enough." The Chief barked. "How dare you? In my presence?" He glared angrily at them.

"1722, it is a shame that you were so close to leaving this place." The Chief said looking at Dean with disappointment. 

"You have two options. You can either ask for forgiveness and only face punishment from us. Or you don't beg for forgiveness and have the estimable Marshalls press charges against you." He said. "Those charges will attract more jail time for you." 

Dean felt his shoulders sag. Deep in his heart, he did not wish to humiliate himself. He was not wrong after all. He was only defending himself.

But he could not shake off the death warning he had days ago. His time was slowly coming to an end. And he still had a lot to do. 

"Ok." He finally said out loud. 

He stood up and began walking towards Marshall when the door burst open.

"1722 is innocent." A voice said. Dean froze and turned. A young warden in an impeccably neat uniform was standing at the door. 

"What is this?" The Chief asked angrily. 

"I am sorry sir." The warden said and stood stiffly at attention. "But I thought you may want to see this CCTV footage."

Dean saw Marshall turn pale. 

"I thought your team said the CCTV footage went missing." The chief said in confusion. "Come, bring it here." 

The warden marched quickly. The chief took the flash drive from him and soon they were all watching recorded footage of that ill-fated day. 

The audio was clear and Marshall's bullying words filled the room. Mrs Miller gasped when she saw her son shove the knife into Dean's side, up to the very hilt.

Silence filled the room for some minutes after. 

"Where were you and the rest of the wardens when all these happened?" The Chief finally asked, turning angrily to the warden.

"I was on sick leave, sir." The young warden said. He looked new to the job, honest and intent on doing only the right thing. 

The director turned his attention back to Marshall who was now looking humble.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" He asked.

Marshall remained quiet. His mother made to say something but a look from her husband quieted her. 

"Would you like to press charges?" The Chief asked Dean.

"An attorney's fees may be too much for you to handle." Mrs Miller said, ignoring her husband's glare. "I advise you to cut your losses and leave quietly."

Dean realised again just how much the powerful could get away with. 

This woman could speak like this even in the presence of the Chief executive because they were the biggest sponsors of this facility. 

The Marshall began making big donations to the facility from the time their son got here for a murder case they could not bribe their way out of.

Dean sighed and again ignored his natural instinct to fight this out. He could press charges or make Marshall beg and grovel at his feet for forgiveness. But there was no time. 

"I do not wish to press charges." He said to the Chief. "And not because of the unsolicited advice you just gave." He added, turning to Mrs Miller before she could say anything. 

"You dare talk to me like that?" She asked standing up again, with intentions to hit Dean.

"Control yourself Madam." The Chief warned darkly. Turning his fury to her for the first time. 

Perhaps even the rich had their limits. 

Mr Marshall remained silent through it all. Disappointment with his son, evident on his face.

After signing several papers, Dean finally walked out of the prison facility a completely free man. 

It was late in the afternoon now, and after spending six years in confinement, everywhere looked somewhat unfamiliar. 

Dean had just a little amount of money on him. At most it would get him just lunch and dinner.

He took a bus out into the city. Had a burger and chips at a fast food place and used their bathroom. There he washed his face and changed his shirt. He looked into the mirror at his beards that had grown unrestrained. 

Although he would have loved a good shave, he couldn't do that for now. 

To save money, he walked to the orphanage. 

It took him hours, and he spent his time wondering if the child had been adopted. 

She was still there. 

He knew he must look like a complete stranger to her because she was only a baby when he last saw her. But he could not help hugging her close. His eyes watered when she hugged him back. She did not seem frightened by him.

"Do you remember me Alanna?" He asked. The seven year old felt like a doll in his arms, and he wondered if she was being well fed. 

The little girl shook her head and smiled shyly. 

Dean smiled back. She was very beautiful and looked even more like Leilani now. The same light brown hair and big blue eyes.

It was the most extraordinary thing, to look like someone you were not related to. If he had not witnessed the birth of Alanna the way he did, he would have had doubts.

It had been a stormy night when Alanna was born. It was coincidence or perhaps destiny that they had been there when she was born.

Dean and Leilani had been coming back from their usual date at a coffee shop that night. The storm was gathering and the last bus had left. 

Leilani spotted a pregnant woman lying in a discreet part off the road. She was sweating in the cold air and whimpering as she squeezed the baby out of her body. 

The ambulance could not come quickly enough. She lost too much blood and died soon after. 

The only information they could get out of her was that her husband had left her here after a heated argument about the paternity of the baby. 

Leilani had cried and held the baby close, even at the hospital the whole night.

Dean looked up at the Reverend Sisters, the same women from seven years ago when Alanna was brought to this orphanage.  

"How often does Leilani visit?"

"We have not seen her since the day you were taken away." One of them responded.