Kids

27.5 Painful statements

A/N: The following would be Gulf, Win and Bright's victim impact statements they said at the court room where the trial was held. It's a time skip to 1 week later. I didn't write what happened in the court room because I don't know what to write and because I already feel like tearing up writing these victim impact statements. This chapter will mark the end of all the criminals in the story, the following chapters will be back to being fluffy. I will try my best to upload soon, latest 2 weeks later cause I'm struggling to cope with uni.

Gulf

"When people ask how many family members you have, I continue to say six. But I know our large family of seven has been shattered and ripped apart. I know this, but it is still really hard to accept. I don't think I ever will.

People say that time heals everything. But I beg to differ. For the last few years, I feel like I have been frozen in time. Still in pain from the loss of my brother and sister.

They are a part of my life. Without them, nothing feels normal. Coming home to a shrine of my two siblings is not normal. Walking to my closet and seeing their ashes displayed on my shelf is not normal. Setting up two empty seats for them at the family table is not normal. Watching their son, my son, go through life without his parents is not normal. Lighting candles on holidays is not normal. Trying to celebrate their birthdays without them there is not normal. Reading out their eulogy with their son, my son, sitting in front in a pram, is not normal. Telling myself that I will hopefully get to see them one day is not normal. Being in this court room, trying to explain what my life without Jackson and Emma is like, is not only not normal, but it is also nearly impossible. None of this is normal. Doesn't matter if this is new or old. Normal will never be a word used to describe what my family, no longer a family of seven but a family of six, has and continues to go through.

Many people said things along the lines of, "try to find peace in the memories of them". I know that the intention behind those words was comfort  but often times those memories are painful. Happy times where we go to the park for walks with their son, my son, are now shrouded by the painful realisation that we will never return to those places together ever again.

Our lives are now a series of these realisations. I hope they stop soon but at the same time I hope they never end. There is an end though. Memories made with them have a clear ending. I crave these memories, trying to etch each one into my brain, committing every detail to memory the best I can, while all at the same time, they hold me. They keep me up at night, stop me dead in my tracks at random times, bringing me to tears.

On the days that I don't think about them, I feel guilty. On the days that I do think about them, I feel broken. There is no peace. What causes me the most pain is not having Jackson and Emma in the future, their son's future and my future. I couldn't tell you what they would have felt seeing their son grow up. I could speculate of course, but what's the point? I would never actually know. That's the hardest part of all this really, the unknowns.

Would Jackson and Emma see Bright enter primary school? Would they celebrate Bright's 18th birthday? Would they answer Bright's questions about important life decisions such as having a job, finding a romantic partner etc? Would they be proudly watching their son walk down the aisle with his partner? Would they hold their first grandchild? 

I don't know. I will never know. And that will haunt me forever.

What I do know, is that we will miss them. And that will never change, even till my last breath. I hope that all of the people who have wrongfully died at the hands of these animals will get the justice they deserve."

Win

"Why have you not said that you are sorry? For taking my dad away from me. He is the my superhero. I say 'is' my dad but in reality after that fateful day, the correct phrasing would be he 'was' my dad. I continue to say 'is' and always will as a way to comfort myself.

I was too young to remember much. But I do remember some things.

I remember my dad's distinctive mint smell when he carries me. I remember his caramel-like voice that sings me lullabies. I remember his warm brown eyes, like hot cocoa and marshmallows.

But I also remember that night. And it scares me. You are supposed to love people, not hurt and kill them. What you did was mean. You are mean evil people."

Bright

"Children hate the hospital because they are scared of the needles. But for me, I hate the hospital because I'm scared of seeing people lose their loved ones.

Seeing my parents die before my eyes, I felt my entire world crash in an instant. They were the ones who gave me life. Yet, before I could repay them, they have passed on.

But standing with my brother here today, I feel even more frustrated. Angry. Devastated.

My parents got to see me say my first words, see my first crawl, my first walk, eat my first solid food. But my brother's dad didn't. I hate how all of that was taken away from my brother and his dad, just because several people think they are gods and have a right to judge whether someone lives or dies.

Judge, I beg you. Hand them the sentence they deserve. So that they know they are not above the law. So that we get some form of closure albeit never fully satisfactory.  So that they too know how it feels to be apart from their loved ones."

A/N: these victim impact statements were inspired by real victim impact statements. Especially Gulf's and Win's. Death is very real, and murder is very wrong. I hope everyone appreciates their loved ones:')