Flawed

Celestine believes the Whistleblowers are here to help the old man, but they take her instead.

Celestine is led to a holding cell at Highland Castle, where she anxiously waits for her parents. She is in shock and believes that the Whistleblowers have made a mistake, as she has been told her entire life that she was perfect. The guards lead another boy to the next cell, and Celestine unsuccessfully tries to catch his eye. When her parents finally arrive, she is hurt that they seem to blame her. Her mother, who is uncharacteristically upset, urges her to tell Judge Crevan that she knows what she did was wrong; it is the only way she will be given a chance not to be branded as Flawed. Celestine does not want to lie, but Judge Crevan arrives before she can ask more questions.

Judge Crevan sits Celestine down and assures her that he will do his best to help her. He asks her to tell him what happened on the bus, but interjects with interpretations that put her in a favorable light. He claims, for instance, that she was trying to stop the old man’s coughing from disturbing the peace, and that she is therefore a hero of the Guild. Celestine’s dad, who is the head of a TV news station, has also used his influence to keep the situation quiet.

Judge Crevan then explains that while some of the judges agree with him, others are not convinced of Celestine’s intentions. In the end, they reached an agreement and sentenced her to two years and two months in prison, starting after her 18th birthday.

Judge Crevan exhorts Cutter North, Celestine’s father, to push the altered story in the news. The situation is explosive: Celestine has become a poster girl for two different sides. Some people claim that the court system showed favoritism by letting Jimmy Child go free. Proponents of the Guild want to use Celestine’s case to prove that the system is fair and unbiased. Celestine hesitantly agrees to Judge Crevan’s terms.

Summer is helping Celestine get ready for her hearing later that day when her lawyer, Mr. Berry, arrives. He explains that the public’s scrutiny of Celestine’s entire life will be unforgiving, then asks her to name a character witness. The young girl is disappointed to learn that Judge Crevan will not allow Art to lie on the stand for her, and that her mother will not let Juniper be present at the trial. Celestine names another of her close friends, Marlena, instead.

Later that day, a guard takes Celestine and Carrick, the young man in the next cell, for a walk outside. While they wait for the door to the courtyard to be unlocked, Celestine and Carrick witness the distressed family of a Flawed man being brought to the Branding Room. Celestine is shocked by the man’s scream as he is branded. She faints.

Later, Celestine steps into the courtroom, where a rowdy crowd has gathered to watch her hearing. She is overwhelmed by people screaming and throwing cabbages at her, and realizes that she has become a scapegoat. When Judge Crevan asks for her plea, she denies her guilt. Before he allows her to go home to wait for her trial, another judge argues that she should be kept in a holding cell to avoid the media frenzy. Judge Crevan protests but is outvoted. Mr. Berry whispers to Celestine that the judge’s enemies will also use her as a pawn.

In shock, Celestine is returned to her cell. Carrick tries to get her attention, but she ignores him and lies on her bed to cry.

In the morning, Celestine and Carrick are led to the shower. They have not talked yet, but Celestine feels a bond forming due to their shared circumstances. However, when Carrick’s adviser informs him that his trial will be put on hold until Celestine’s case is resolved, the young man gets angry. A guard tells Celestine that this has already happened four times, and Carrick has been in a cell for weeks.

Celestine is led to the cafeteria to meet a visitor. She assumes it is Art, but finds her grandfather waiting for her instead. He and Celestine’s mom, Summer, had a falling out due to his “conspiracy theories” about the Guild’s practices (86). Celestine’s granddad tells her that she should be proud of her actions, but the young girl is scared that being Flawed will ruin her life. He tells her that Judge Crevan is a hypocrite and that she should not trust him, then gives her a letter from Art. Before he leaves, he exhorts her to make her own choices and tells her that she has a chance to “give a voice to those who are silenced” (90).

Celestine is thrilled to read Art’s letter. He tells her he loves and supports her in his characteristic light-hearted way. She is later brought to the courtroom and, as she is led out of her cell, she and Carrick exchange a nod. Celestine’s trial has attracted a rowdy crowd. She realizes that no one is here to support her but instead to play a political game or be entertained. Before the trial starts, Celestine’s father pulls her aside and tells her to follow her heart, unlike he, who is not brave enough to take a stand.

Witnesses testify to Celestine’s moral character, supporting Judge Crevan’s story. Celestine realizes that she does not even know the name of the old man she helped. During lunch break, she asks her grandfather to get her information about him. He brings her an envelope before the proceedings start again.

Celestine learns that the old man’s name is Clayton Byrne. He has four children and was branded Flawed for taking risks in his business ventures. When she gets back on the stand, she is asked whether she helped the Flawed man onto a seat, which is the main issue she is being accused of. Clayton Byrne’s children, who are standing in the crowd, call her a liar. Celestine freezes. She then admits that she did show compassion and helped him because he reminded her of her granddad. The room erupts.

Celestine takes note of people in the crowd, now out of control. Her grandfather looks proud of her, and Carrick, who is standing at the back of the room, looks at her with newfound respect.

Celestine is taken back to a waiting room, where she is joined by Judge Crevan. He is outraged by Celestine’s betrayal. He tells her that Clayton Byrne died in the hospital last night and wouldn’t have even lived to see his punishment. Celestine realizes that he has been using her, having only ever been interested in maintaining power. When he asks her to recant as a last resort, she refuses.

Celestine’s Naming Day, where her flaws are named before she is officially branded, takes place immediately after the trial. Art tries to intervene on her behalf, but his father has him removed from the court. Against every precedent, Celestine is the first Flawed who will be branded five times. Shocked by this turn of events, she is eventually brought back to her cell, where Carrick offers her a gesture of friendship through the glass that separates them.

Celestine is led to the Branding Chamber, where her family is already gathered. Carrick is waiting outside, and tells her, “I’ll come find you” before she enters (117). Celestine decides she will not scream during the branding. They anesthetize her hand, then brand her with a poker in the shape of an “F.” They then move on to her foot, chest, and temple, as Celestine’s family becomes increasingly agitated behind the glass. Mr. Berry, who is with them, is on the phone to try and stop the proceedings, as Celestine needs medical assistance. The guards hesitate to continue, but Judge Crevan arrives. He tells Celestine that he will stop them from branding her tongue if she admits that she was wrong. In defiance, Celestine sticks her tongue out, and the judge orders her branded.

Behind the glass, the guards restrain Celestine’s family, and fighting ensues. Celestine’s tongue is branded, and Judge Crevan asks her to repent again. When she refuses, he asks the guards to brand her spine as well, arguing that she is “Flawed to [her] very backbone” (124). This is unheard of, and the guards are hesitant. In the meantime, Carrick has fought his way into the viewing chamber, and Mr. Berry has started recording the proceedings. Judge Crevan takes the poker and brands Celestine’s spine himself, finally making her scream.