Verion watched in silence as his friends were bound and dragged toward the cells by the guards. He knew he would have been one of them if he hadn't left when he did.

He didn't like what Dizon wanted to do. He didn't agree with any of it. The thought of him being a part of it scared him. He could be executed because of his friends.

Verion wondered how the guards found out his friends were going over to kill the human girl and her infant. Although he didn't want any part of it, he could have been arrested for not saying anything. If someone saw him with them when the guards were called, he knew they would come for him, too.

A shiver ran down his spine. A sudden fear washed through him. Verion looked around nervously. Every shadow presented him with the unknown. Was someone watching him?

After he quickly looked around, Verion rushed off toward his own side of the city. He would do his best not to leave it again. They had a tavern near his dwelling. He could think of no excuse why he would be at the one on the other side of the dome except to be up to no good. He would not return to it.

As he rushed off, he remembered the truth serum. If his friends were given the truth serum, he would be named as one of the accomplices even though he never did anything wrong. He didn't have many friends. He chose poorly in the ones he had. He knew that. He had known it for a while, but wanted friends.

He had gone with his friends to the tavern on the other side of the dome. The reason they wanted to go was to see if the girl, Aleigha, would show up. He didn't know why Dizon wanted her to show up when they left for the tavern that evening. He only found out after they started talking, after they received their first jug of strong beverage. He knew now. He wished he had never gone to the tavern with them in the first place.

Verion had sat at the booth trying to make it look like he was drinking his strong beverage, not wanting to become intoxicated because of the way they were talking. Verion knew they would end up doing something bad, and the strong beverage would make him forget what he had done with his friends. He didn't want that.

On the way to his side of the city, he passed the prison. The large structure divided the two sides of the city. He watched as his friends were being dragged into the building as they attempted to kick and scream to get away from the guards.

Verion worried he would be in their position soon. The only thing he could think of was to turn himself in. He knew it was the right thing to do. He liked to do the right thing. Sometimes his lack of courage prevented it. Stopping mid-way toward the large structure to turn himself in, he stopped and watched the guards and their prisoners, his friends, enter. He waited ten minutes before going through the double doors himself.

As Verion stepped through the double doors, one of the guards headed toward him as the doors slid closed behind him.

"I wish to speak with the guard commander," Verion said timidly, doing his best not to stutter. He couldn't help his timid manner. It was part of the reason why he didn't have friends. "Please," he added as if an afterthought.

The guard looked at him for a moment, studying him before ushering him into an office. "He should be here in a little while. You can wait in here," the guard stated, pointing to the office. "Sit in the chair; he'll be here to speak with you soon."

Verion nodded slowly, unable to bring himself to speak. His fear and anxiety rising.

He was left alone with his thoughts for nearly fifteen minutes before the office door slid open, and Guard Commander Drevick and another guard walked in behind him.

His fear grew, and Verion began to stutter. "Sssir," he stuttered. It was a nervous stutter that he'd had longer than he could remember. "I need to ssspeak with you," he continued to stutter as he forced out each word.

The other guard studied him, not saying anything. He leaned against the wall watching him intently.

"What is your name?" the guard commander questioned, watching Verion closely.

"Verion, sssir," he stuttered out. He was amazed he could get at least his own name out without a stutter.

"You have something to say?" Guard Commander Drevick pressed.

Verion tried to speak but couldn't, so he settled with nodding.

Guard Commander Drevick sat in the chair behind the large desk. The guard stood against the wall, leaning, still watching him.

Verion swallowed. He took several deep breaths before attempting to speak. "I wwas at tthe ttavern with my ffriends," he said slowly. It was obvious that he was trying not to stutter.

"Take your time," Guard Commander Drevick told him.

"My ffriends are angry because Dizon's ssister was executed," Verion said slowly. There was a short pause between words. It was a technique he found to make his words come out whole and not broken in his nervous stutter. It only helped a little. Some words were broken in his nervous stutter.

"They ttalked about a girl, Aaaleigha. Dizon wanted to ffind her and kkill her," he breathed out. "I didn't tthink he would actually ddo it. He led us out of the ttavern and to a ccluster of ddwellings. The ggirl came out of oone of the dwellings with her iinfant. He wanted to kkill her and the iinfant. I left, not wwanting any ppart of it."

"Did you come straight here when you left your friends?" Guard Commander Drevick asked him slowly. He was trying to determine if the boy was faking his nervous stutter.

Verion shook his head slowly. "I wwanted to stop them. I kknew I couldn't. I paced, trying to get the ccourage to stand up to tthem. I know I wwouldn't have gotten it. Then I ssaw the guards take tthem. If I hadn't left tthem, I would be ttaken too."

Tears suddenly fell from Verion's eyes. He couldn't help that he was weak. He looked down at his lap in shame. That's when the guard next to the guard commander spoke. "I witnessed him leaving. He looked like he didn't want to be with them. He's the one I told you about."

Guard Commander Drevick looked at the young Verion. "Do they have any other targets?" he asked.

Verion shrugged his shoulders as he attempted not to sob in front of the two guards. His chest heaved slightly as he struggled not to sob.

Drevick typed in some buttons on his desk panel and waited, watching Verion struggle. Nearly five minutes later, the office door slid open, and Medic Kaul and Council Leader Vorik stepped in.

Before Verion could protest, a sharp pain seared through his neck, his face went slack, his eyes unfocused, staring at nothing.

Council Leader Vorik stood in front of the timid boy. "What is your name?" Vorik questioned, watching the boy in front of him.

"Verion," the boy stated. His single word was calm, clearly spoken.

"Why did you leave your friends?" Council Leader Vorik continued.

"They are not really my friends. I don't have any friends. They let me stay around them. I wanted friends, so I stayed around them. I couldn't stay with them when they said they were going to kill the girl, Aleigha, and her baby," he responded; his voice was monotone, no stuttering to be heard. "I couldn't be a part of that."

"Were you coming to report them?" Council Leader Vorik asked, continuing his questioning.

"No. I tried to get the courage to stand up to them. I don't have courage. It never came. Guards showed up first," Verion responded without a stutter. His voice was monotone. The truth serum alleviating any trouble speaking.

"He stuttered a lot when he tried to explain," Guard Commander Drevick informed Council Leader Vorik.

Vorik looked back at the boy under the influence of the truth serum. "Why do you stutter?" he asked.

"I talk wrong when I am nervous or afraid," he stated. "I'm always nervous and afraid. I always talk wrong."

Guard Commander Drevick shrugged. "I guess he wasn't faking," he whispered.

"Why did you decide to come here?" Vorik questioned.

"To turn myself in. I was with them. Just because I did not want any part of what they were doing and I left, doesn't mean I wasn't there to begin with," he stated in a monotone.

Drevick couldn't help it. "He may not think he has courage, but he does. He just doesn't know it. Most would never turn themselves in for plotting murder. Their future is execution." After looking between Council Leader Vorik, Mikiel, and Medic Kaul. "We should probably interrogate the others while your medic is here with the serum."

Mikiel took Verion to an isolation room, far from the view of the others who would be escorted for interrogation. He thought it would be safer for him if they didn't see that he was there. Mikiel put Verion in prison clothing and in a holding cage that was inside the isolation room, per Guard Commander Drevick and Council Leader Vorik's orders.

Leaving the timid boy alone in the cell, Mikiel went to help escort the other four prisoners one by one for their own interrogation.

By the end of the interrogation of the group, the only one who didn't want to take part in it was Verion. He was only with them because he was desperate to have friends.

Once the last of the others were interrogated and placed back into their cells, Mikiel escorted Verion back into the office. The truth serum had worn off. He was back to being timid, tears falling from his eyes.

Verion looked around the room. Tears fell more heavily when he saw Council Leader Vorik with the medic beside him.

Mikiel guided the shaking boy to a chair, helping him to sit down. "Relax. You've already had the serum used on you."

Verion looked around nervously, finally realizing he was in prison clothing. "Wwhat's ggoing to hhappen to me?" he stuttered. His body was shaking; his eyes were wide in fear.

"You were found innocent," Guard Commander Drevick stated. "Do you feel safe if we let you go home? Is someone going to try to hurt you because those who you were with are in here? Will they retaliate against you because you are not with them?"

The timid boy's body shook violently. "I dddon't kknow," he admitted.

Mikiel watched the boy shake in fear. "He can stay with me if you want him to until we know how safe he is in his own dwelling," Mikiel offered. "Or we can send him to one of the fleet ships."

As soon as the suggestion was out of Mikiel's mouth, the boy's body shook even more violently. It was clear he was afraid of going to one of the fleet ships.

Council Leader Vorik, noticing the boy's fear, sighed. "I think Verion staying with you is the better option. We came in a transport vehicle. We can give you a ride to your dwelling."

Verion visibly relaxed a little after hearing he wouldn't go to one of the fleet ships.

Mikiel helped him change back into his regular clothing, and they followed Council Leader Vorik and Medic Kaul out of the prison and into the transport vehicle.

Verion remained silent as his tears fell, soaking his pants as they fell onto the fabric.

Mikiel watched the boy beside him with pity. It saddened him that the young timid boy could have been executed for wanting friends and choosing poorly who he chose to hang out with in his desperation for friends.

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