Terror

Chapter Thirty-Two

People had gone back and forth on the stand. Most of the freaks had talked, but Greyson and Jason had been called up at least four times before Bella's mother went on the stand.

Emma felt her body shaking, even if she wasn't the one going on the stand. Even with Eden calling out the truth, they still wanted them to talk about what other laws and damages were broken.

"Lola, did you know your husband had been sick?" Chris asked, but Bella's mother looked like she hadn't slept in weeks.

"I didn't know, and I didn't know the substance he created. Our manager told him the substance was toxic and that it could kill him, so he dumped it in the ditch," Lola said, but she sounded tired.

"We do know that when he dumped it, that substance mixed with the person who controlled Ashley Iverson, correct?" Chris inquired as Lola nodded.

Emma knew why Lola looked that way. It was how she looked and felt during the storm when she heard about the lies and those dying. Bella's mom was distraught because she had lost her only daughter and husband.

"I'd like to talk about your daughter," Chris started."From our information, Bella helped throughout the incident, but she sacrificed herself for someone to take over her body. Did you have any idea she would do this?"

"No, I didn't expect her to become someone who seemed taunting and sadistic," Lola whimpered, wiping away her tears.

"Did your husband know the harm of dumping that substance into the ditch?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

There were murmurs in the crowd because that's a confession that it wasn't all their fault. Was she admitting it since she had no choice?

Emma felt a hand grip her own and it made her jump in her seat. "Stop shaking, worrywart," Bryce whispered as she looked over at him.

"It's nerve-wracking," she whispered as Chris asked Lola more questions if she knew anything.

Emma was anxious because she didn't want to be charged, even if she had destroyed some trees and some parts of the plaza. Well, she did commit theft as well, for clothes and blankets that weren't hers.

There was a tall woman who came near Chris while he held out a paper to the judge and both lawyers. "We discovered that this substance that was dumped was indeed made with Lean," the women said.

Didn't Melany guess it was made with Lean? Emma glanced over at Cindy, who stared at her. How could someone who was fourteen figure that out before scientists?

"There were also some other drugs involved, like Cytarabine, which are used to help with cancer. It was brain cancer, correct?" The tall lady asked as Lola nodded.

Emma remembered her mom having chemotherapy for her cancer. They were going to have surgery at first because it was just one region, but it had already spread when they tried to remove it. Despite that, her mother was always happy. Even when they told her she'd die or that chemo would cause her to lose all her long hair.

She'd seen her mom's body get weaker with each visit with her dad, since he had taken time off work. Even if her mother could still tell her that everything's fine or that she'll grow strong, she didn't.

When her mom died, her father was just like her. Even if he tried to work or say he was getting something in a room, he'd cry like her. That's when her own insecurities grew, such as seeing families with a mother or being scared to get super close. Her father saw that therapy wasn't going to cure her of that baggage of anxiety and grief, but Uden Academy could help her heal.

"Miss Cabot, is everything alright?" the judge asked as she snapped from her daze, feeling her cheeks wet with tears.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing her tears away. If it had been a different illness, she wouldn't have gotten those flashbacks and thoughts.