I The Jury Book Novels & Stories

The jury disappeared to deliberate. Every minute felt like an hour. I folded and unfolded my hands more times than I could count. Noah sat beside me without speaking. At some point, his little finger brushed against mine. Neither of us moved away. After nearly two hours… The jury returned. Everyone stood again. My heartbeat echoed loudly inside my ears. The foreperson rose. "Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?" "We have." The judge nodded. "Please read your verdict." The courtroom became impossibly still. "On the charge of the murder of Marcus Kuntz..."

Half of my mind had been hoping that she would show me the note, but the other half knew that it wouldn’t be there. I didn’t doubt her even for a second that she was a criminal. What I doubted was her ability to prove herself innocent to the jury. We had a pack rule- when someone was found guilty of something; he or she was forced to convince the jury of his or her innocence. The jury consisted of the members appointed by the pack on a voting system. In our pack’s case, it was Ben, Raine and Charlie. I had excused myself because I wanted to give them some authority and power.

MANUEL'S POV "Do you promise to adhere to the rules that governs this court?"The jury stated "I promise"I answered. After everyone had taken the oath,they commenced the trial. "We are commencing the trial of Santrir.Who will have to this court that he is innocent of all crimes allegations on him"The jury read aloud. The jury was arranged on a stage that overlooked the people and the offender. "Santrir would you please step into the block."One of the jury members read out.

Izzy sat beside Liam, her hands clenched tightly in her lap as the judge addressed the jury. “Has the jury reached a verdict?” the judge asked. “We have, Your Honor,” the foreman replied. “And how do you find the defendant, Maxwell Stone?” “Guilty on all charges.” The words rang out like a bell, and Izzy felt her breath catch. Relief, vindication, and a deep sense of closure washed over her all at once. Liam’s hand found hers, and she turned to him, tears brimming in her eyes. “It’s over,” she whispered.

It was not something that had not happened before. The possibility gnawed at the edges of my mind like a relentless beast, threatening to consume me with doubt and fear. But I could not afford to let myself succumb to paranoia, not when so much was at stake. As the jury filed back into the courtroom, my heart hammered in my chest, each beat echoing the uncertainty that hung in the air. The judge's voice broke through the silence, hos words heavy with anticipation as he addressed the jury. “All rise,” He intoned, his gaze sweeping over the assembled crowd. “Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?”

Her words were a twisted echo of her threats that night, and the jury shifted, their disgust palpable. Mr. Harrow’s questions dismantled her, forcing her to admit pushing Florence, invading our home, threatening Sammy and Avie. Her final glare at me was venomous, but it held no power—only the desperation of a woman who’d lost everything. The jury deliberated for barely an hour, the courtroom’s tension a living thing as we waited. Elliot’s hand never left mine, his silence heavy with the memory of Florence’s sacrifice. When the jury returned, the foreman’s voice was clear, resolute. “Guilty on all counts.” The words landed like a thunderclap, a collective exhale rippling through the room. Jen

When she finally looked up, our eyes met for a brief second. In that second, I saw no fire. Only weariness. She took the stand and placed her hand on the book. She swore to tell the truth with a calm voice. The room felt smaller somehow, the walls closer, the air heavier. I leaned forward slightly, unable to stop myself. She began with her name. Then her crimes. She listed them one by one, without excuses, without hesitation. Each word felt like a weight dropped into silence. I paid attention to the jury closely, saw how their expressions changed, how disbelief slowly turned into something closer to understanding.

I informed her. She gave me a hateful look and replied, "We don't have to manipulate the jury. Not everything has to be deceitful, Adrian. The jury is going to hear the facts and be able to discern that MID is responsible. Especially with all of the similarities between tumor growth and deaths." I chuckled at her naivete, "That's cute that you believe that. All we do is manipulate jurors. That's who wins at the end of the day. The person that plays to the jurors' feelings and empathy the most."

She doesn’t need to be around all of this, but what if I come home only to tell her that the father she’s wanted so badly is gone again? The doorknob clicks and every head turns to see the jurors be lead back inside in a single filed line. When juror number twelve, a short round down is seated, the judge strikes his gavel. “Has the jury reached a verdict,” he asks. “We have,” the woman says using a pushy finger to push up her glasses. She hands the bailiff a file containing Eric’s verdict, the sentence that will be a defining moment for the rest of his life. I glance at Mia who’s already looking at me with a smirks. Does she know something? My mouth goes dry. What did she do?

I clench my jaw but leave it, we will be out of here soon. ‘All rise for judge Theodore Matthews,’ the clerk announces as we all stand as Theodore enters the room, he had let me know they never found any evidence tampering in my office I knew they wouldn’t. Stephanie had made a copy she hadn’t changed anything so I wasn’t worried, even if giving that information was Illegal there was no paper copy so impossible to prove. ‘Ladies and Gentleman of the jury have you reached a verdict?’ Judge Theodore asks as a hush falls over the court. The lead juror stands a plump middle-aged woman with an 80s bob haircut.