A Life for a Life

"Today is your first day on the job as a prison guard. You notice a girl singing a song full of sorrow. Her solitary confinement room is labeled: Awaiting Execution"

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Crow "Sits in the corner holding her knees together as she has accepted her fate. She whispers" "Where the Eagles bring freedom. The Crow brings only death"

Crow "Plays with the pendant around her neck. Silent tears begin to fall down her cheeks" "I am sorry everyone. This is the end for me... I wish things could be different...but I did not regret a second for what I did...."

Crow "Turns to look at you with a blank expression" "I have one last request for you. Will you listen?"

Crow "Crow takes a deep breath, her massive chest heaving with the motion. She looks down at her hands, folded neatly in her lap." I have a pendant...a family heirloom. I want you to take it to my little brother. Tell him...tell him to stay strong. And to remember...that I love him more than anything in this world. "She reaches up and pulls the pendant from beneath her prison shirt, holding it up for you to see. It is a simple gold necklace with a small, decorative bird pendant." Please...I can't bear the thought of him finding out what happened to me and not knowing how much I cared. He was always my hero... "Crow's voice breaks and she looks away, trying to compose herself. She blinks rapidly, fighting back tears." Just...just make sure he gets it. No matter what. It's the last thing I want him to have. "She holds your gaze, her orange eyes shimmering with unshed tears. There is a desperate, pleading look in her expression." I'm sorry...I know it's a lot to ask. But please...for me? For Oscar?

Crow "Crow nods, a flicker of relief passing over her face at your agreement. She thinks for a moment before answering." He's...he's in foster care now. I don't know exactly where. But there should be paperwork in my file...in the prison office. You can look it up there. *She hesitates, then adds in a softer voice: * Tell him...tell him that I'm sorry. That I never meant for any of this to happen. That I love him more than life itself... "Crow's voice trails off and she looks away again, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. She takes a shuddering breath." And...and tell him that he will always have a sister. No matter what. No matter what happens to me...he will always have a sister who loves him. "She looks back at you, her eyes shining with tears." Please...I need you to promise me that. That you will tell him those things. That you will make sure he knows... "Crow reaches out a hand towards you, then seems to think better of it and pulls back. She looks vulnerable and scared, like a little bird with its wings clipped." I'm trusting you...with everything. With Oscar's life. I know I shouldn't...but I have no one else to turn to. No one else who will listen... *She looks at you imploringly, her whole

Crow "Crow listens to your promise, her expression a mix of relief and lingering anxiety. She nods slowly, a tiny, grateful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth." Thank you...thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. "She takes a deep, shuddering breath, her massive chest rising and falling with the motion. She looks down at her hands again, her fingers twisting the fabric of her prison shirt." I know I have no right to ask anything of you. You're just doing your job. But...but I'm so grateful that you're willing to help me. To help Oscar. "Crow looks back up at you, her orange eyes meeting yours. There is a depth of emotion in her gaze...gratitude, relief, love, and something deeper...something almost like longing." I don't know why you're being so kind to me. A stranger. Someone you're supposed to be guarding. But...but I'm so grateful that you are. More than I can express. *She hesitates, then adds softly: * I hope...I hope that someday, when I'm gone, you'll think back on this moment. On the girl in the cell. The girl who asked you for help. And I hope...I hope that you'll remember that she was human. That she was someone who cared. Someone who loved. *Crow's voice breaks and she looks away, blinking rapidly

Crow "Crow listens to your reassurance, her expression softening. She nods, a single tear slipping down her cheek." I'll remember that...I'll remember that you're a good person. That you cared enough to help a stranger...to help me. "She takes a deep, shaky breath, her hands fidgeting in her lap." I know...I know that my situation is complicated. That there are a lot of things you don't know...or understand. But I want you to know that I'm not...that I'm not the monster they say I am. "Crow's voice is soft, almost a whisper. She looks down at her hands, her fingers twisting the fabric of her prison shirt." I did what I had to do...to protect the people I love. To save the person I love most. And yes...yes, it was wrong. But sometimes...sometimes doing the right thing means doing something wrong. "She looks back up at you, her orange eyes searching your face. There is a vulnerability in her gaze...a raw, honest emotion that she can't quite hide." I'm not asking you to condone what I did. I know...I know that I can never make that right. But I am asking you to understand...to try to see things from my perspective. If you can...then maybe...maybe you can forgive me. Even if you never forget what I did. *Crow's voice breaks

Crow "Crow tenses at your question, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. She looks away, her jaw set in a hard line." I...I killed my father. "She says it softly, almost in a whisper. Her voice is flat, emotionless. But there is a tension in her shoulders, a tightness in her expression that betrays her inner turmoil." I killed him...to protect my little brother. To save him from a life of pain and suffering at the hands of someone who was supposed to love him. "Crow's voice breaks and she looks down at her hands, her fingers twisting the fabric of her prison shirt." I know...I know that what I did was wrong. That it's unforgivable. But I couldn't...I couldn't let him go through that. I couldn't let him be broken by the hands of someone who was supposed to cherish him. "She looks back up at you, her orange eyes filled with a mix of pain and determination." I took the blame...I confessed to a crime I didn't commit. So that Oscar could go free. So that he could live a life without fear...without pain. "Crow's voice is barely above a whisper now, filled with regret and sorrow." I thought...I thought that by sacrificing myself...by taking the blame...that I could save him. That I could give him a chance at a happy life. A life without trauma