The chat was full of question marks, and jurors looked at each other in disbelief.
My stepdad, visibly agitated, tried to storm the judge’s bench, bellowing,
“That’s a load of crap! She’s obviously guilty, and you, the judge, are just covering for her! I’m filing an appeal!”
The judge raised his hand, signaling for
calm.
“Plaintiff, please control your emotions. Now, it’s time for the defendant to present her reasons for claiming innocence.”
As everyone watched in confusion, I stood up, a faint smile playing across my lips.
“Some might think Lexi is guilty, but that really doesn’t matter anymore, because I am not the real Lexi.”
A shoe flew from the plaintiff’s bench, striking me on the forehead.
50% 16:01
1/7
34
My mom was furious.
“What are you blabbering about? We had a DNA test before the trial! You are my daughter, Lexi!”
A hint of sarcasm flashed in my eyes.
“Oh, is that so? But wasn’t your daughter Lexi killed by you?”
The room went deathly silent.
Everyone at my stepdad’s table froze, and my mom looked panicked.
“Impossible! You were revived, weren’t you?”
My stepdad was quick to react, covering her mouth and hissing, “Shut your mouth, you fool!”
But it was too late, and the implication of her words dawned on everyone.
Amidst a chorus of angry voices, I continued, my voice steady,
“The real Lexi is indeed dead. Two months
50% 16:01
217
My mom was furious.
“What are you blabbering about? We had a DNA test before the trial! You are my daughter, Lexi!”
A hint of sarcasm flashed in my eyes.
“Oh, is that so? But wasn’t your daughter Lexi killed by you?”
The room went deathly silent.
Everyone at my stepdad’s table froze, and my mom looked panicked.
“Impossible! You were revived, weren’t you?”
My stepdad was quick to react, covering her mouth and hissing, “Shut your mouth, you fool!”
But it was too late, and the implication of her words dawned on everyone.
Amidst a chorus of angry voices, I continued, my voice steady,
“The real Lexi is indeed dead. Two months
50% 16:01
217
4:01
ago, the plaintiffs bribed a truck driver to run her over on her way home. By the time she got to the hospital, Lexi was already gone.”
“As for me, I am a clone, created through the combined efforts of Lexi and Dr. Harper, the only one of its kind.”
“Per Lexi’s last will, after her death, I assumed her identity to continue her existence.”
“I inherited all of her memories, which include critical research on cloning technology–a technology that could significantly impact humanity.”
“Although it wasn’t the original plan, here I am, standing in her place at this trial.”
“As a key figure in significant research, it’s impossible for me to be executed.
Therefore, I now request a trial for the plaintiffs, on charges of premeditated murder!”
Almost instantly, bailiffs entered the
50% 16:01
317
courtroom, escorting the three from the plaintiff’s side to the defendant’s bench.
The trial moved swiftly, and the verdict appeared on the large screen.
[Guilty!]
The vote was nearly unanimous.
I smiled in satisfaction.
Upon seeing the verdict, the three of them shook uncontrollably.
My stepdad slapped my mom across the face, “You fool! You wanted this trial, now what? I don’t want to die!”
My mom stood there, stunned, muttering to herself, “How can this be? How could Lexi be dead? The hospital said she was revived; how could she just be dead?”
My sister, pale and terrified, knelt on the floor and began to sob.
“No, I don’t want to die! I don’t need your eyes anymore, just let me go, please!”
4/7
50% 16:01
4:01
34
As she pleaded, she reached up to her intact eye and, in front of everyone, gouged
it out.
Blood streamed down her face, but she suddenly laughed.
“That redeems me, right? I don’t have to die now, do I?”
The room erupted in gasps as I slowly shook my head.
“I’m sorry, but Miss Lexi Beard believed none of you deserve forgiveness.”
“For the last twenty–eight years, every day of her life was filled with fear and agony.”
“She never knew what would upset you next or what new reason you’d find to hurt her the following day.”
“She lived in constant fear, treading on eggshells, yet you dragged her back into despair time and again.”
“In fact, before her death, she might have had a chance to survive, if only her will to
50% 16:01
5/7
4:01
14
live had been stronger. But she had given up, longing for death, especially after Dr. Harper’s passing, when she lost all hope for this world.”
“Thus, on her behalf, I request the judge to carry out the death penalty immediately.”
“As for the defendants‘ assets, Miss Lexi Beard chose to donate them to a foundation for children’s protection, hoping that other children who suffer as she did can find refuge from their abusive families under the foundation’s care.”
The judge paused momentarily, then ordered the execution to be carried out at
once.
As the Flames of Righteousness were ignited beside the platform, my stepdad’s family collapsed to their knees, weeping and begging the judge for mercy over and
over.
No one responded to their pleas. As the officers dragged them toward the flames,
50% 16:01
6/7
14
each of them wet themselves in terror.
Just before they were thrown into the fire, the only screen left on the platform played one last memory. Lexi’s final moments.
Her eyes were half–open, her expression calm with a gentle smile.
“I know not every mother in this world loves their child.”
“But if you choose to bring a child into this world, even just a little bit, make them feel warm because, to that tiny person, you are their entire world.”
“And if you truly can’t offer them a shred of love, then please, don’t harm those willing to love them, because it can indeed destroy their entire world.”
