Chapter 42: Reaching Toward the Conclusion

-Loranne Hutslesky-

Mom came back late at night as usual, rather than late night, it was 1 A. M. I feel bad of what I'm going to do when she looked so tired.

           "What are you doing?" Her usual bland tone cracked, her eyes winced but I knew it was her surprised face. 

             With me holding on to the skeleton's head and on top the memory card. I'm sure that this doesn't look like a pleasant sight for mom

            There was silent, a very heavy, intimidating silence pressured the at me. I might have even gone pale right now. Before she could go berserk though, I steeled my mind before I tried talking to her. Because now I know she's not what she seems to be. 

            "Mom, please listen to me, I–" 

            My sentence were cut after getting slap away by her. Her arm strength was no joke, I even got a nosebleed. She held on my collar and forced me up on my feet while she looks at me as if I'm a nuisance. "Can you explain yourself Loranne." 

            I might not have even realized the tears breaking out of my own eyes as I kept shaking my head slowly with a horrified expression.  

            "Mom, you can stop now...."

          Her hand was pulling me further, and I felt the pain further straining my neck. Her wild eyes felt it was piercing through me. She didn't seem to have the slightest intention to let me go, but that wasn't what I had in mind when I said that. 

          "You can stop pretending now."

           Her eyes winced once more, and loosened her hands, resulting me falling down. My body was trembling obviously, but I can't go weak now. 

           Lora, the only one who can help her is you. 

            Claudia had said that and I believe her. I can't chicken out now. 

            "What do you mean by that?"

            "There's no longer need  to pretend you are not sane or that you killed her when you actually didn't" 

            Again, another pause. However, she recovered and pulled my hair so suddenly that I scream unintentionally. "What part of this is pretending, I'm not sure what you're talking about?"

            "I heard the voice recording!" her arm was still coiling my hair, but she had stop giving force."Loranne was the one who called him with your phone. She was the one who heard both their conversation. Although she's still a kid, but he surely thought she would grow into a problem in the future, that's why he even go as far to....."

            I tried looking up to her, I was surprised seeing her trembling while looking away. Did I make her this vulnerable? "When that man bought me, I was surprised he had me undergo surgery and told me to live my life as Loranne, he had lied at that time, telling me you had gone insane and needed a child to close the gap you had from loosing your husband and killing your own daughter as result. However, when I first saw your terrified face when he first introduced me to you, it didn't take long for me to catch up what really happened, that you knew the man who brought me here was your husband killer. With his money and connection, holding back the police investigation would be a piece of cake for him after all" 

           "The reason you pretended to be insane, it was because you were afraid of him right? Because you were together for 6 years, you knew how terrifying he could be" 

            Mom jolted and had a distant look in her eyes, was she remembering something from the past I wonder. It seemed everything that Claudia told me is right on mark. "You might have known it later when you accidentally found a recording you never seen. In that situation, even when you're afraid, you kept it the memory card just in case but couldn't be open about it. Because no matter what you have in hand, against someone you're afraid, your heart won't be able to go against him, and in the end you could only endure." 

            The last part was also something Claudia had told me. There was deep sadness and history in her words, as if she knew exactly what my mom was going through. To be helpless, to endure, and to shut yourself because of that. Maybe that's why although she might not notice, that mom is halfway on being truly insane, if not she wouldn't have kept her body there for so long. 

            "Moreover, the reason he didn't kill you was probably because you might knew at least a clue to where 'dad' kept his evidence paper of him. In the recording, Mr. Omala killed him impulsively, and wasn't able to know the whereabouts of the so called evidence." 

            "And what are you hoping in telling me this?" 

            Her usual sharp voice had completely disappear, the woman I feared so much became this weak in an instant. "I'm hoping you could find the courage to reveal everything." Her indifferent look she had turned into a terrified expression. She bit the bottom of her lips, her eyes wide and her eyebrows knit together. 

            I took on her hand, soothing her trembling hand. "Nothing will change like this, are you really okay staying like this forever?" No reply came from her, I can understand how she wants to play silent. 

            "Even if I say anything, it won't change our anything, do you think his influence won't reach us after they taken him in?" So she said while gripping my hands tighter, even though she said, more than anything, I knew she wanted freedom. I respond to her grip and I say, "Mom, you remember that time I had played around the area and accidentally anger a wild dog. It was a big dog too so it had caught up to me a moment after I ran away, I still remember the barking noise, its wet nose and its sharp yellow teeth as its face got close and pin me down. I was sure its going to eat me when you came raining down and had it bite your arm instead. You had an extremely worried face that time that I felt it was the first time I saw the real you. Though later you hit me for making trouble."

           It's weird that I get to laugh a little even in this situation, but no matter what, I want to get this feeling through. "What I'm trying to say is, I want to say thank you. Before, I only knew my life as a slave, to be used by people, although you were reluctant, you still showed me from time to time what caring was and for me, that was enough." 

            Secretly I enjoyed the surprised look my mom had on her face, today she really is full of expression. "That's why, more than anything I want to save you." I took out a piece of paper that had a number on it and show it to her, "A friend of mine knows a trustworthy police detective and she guaranteed that after you take your statement, he'll make sure to protect and give us a new life" 

            When I showed her the paper, she was very hesitant whether to take it or not, but I shoved the paper to her hand and her hold it tight. "I won't be able to help much but.....I'll stay with you all the way so please, be brave. I know I may be selfish but I want us to stay as family." 

             I felt something wet dripping on top of my hand, and realized I was crying again. However, they're not just my tears, my mom's tears were mix in as well as she gently lean her head to mine. The room was filled with the sound of our cry for a while.

#

-Claudia Robertson-

"Beth, how many times do I have to tell you to eat your vegetables?" 

           "I can eat vegetables just fine, but does it have to be carrots?" 

            Few days has passed since then, the family table of my home is still as lively as ever, but I was the only one silently eating. Lora never came to school, I once tried going to her apartment but  no one was home either. I spent my time worrying about her well being and even thought of tracking her with magic. However, right now is a critical time for her so I can only do is wait and trust. 

           Ugh, this is so hard. 

            Karen took the remote and kept on skimming the channels that looked interesting. I watched as the screen kept changing with numerous channel. 

          My hand then reacted before my mind could as I ask her to change the channel back. I had thought I had seen wrong, but without a doubt at the upper right corner of that news channel, the smiling picture of Jason Omala and at the bottom of anchor, written in white bold letters that made me smile, this is what it said. 

            Jason Omala, No Hope for Presidency: Suspected for Murder and Illegal Trades.

            All my family made a gaping expression trying to digest what the news anchor was telling, unaware of me pumping my fist. However, things won't end just like that because they apprehended him. Things will just go his way in trial if there's anyone connected with him in it. Another thing that doesn't change with time is dirty system.

            It's time to enter stage 2 of the plan. For Lora's sake, and for that man to meet retribution.

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Enjoy double chapter  this week.

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