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 was sick?" Chris asked.

Bella's mother walked slowly to the podium. Dark circles under her eyes showed she hadn't slept in weeks. Her straightened blonde hair framed a pale face, and she barely glanced at the crowd. She wore a white blouse and navy skirt, simple and somber.

"I... I didn't know he was sick," Lola admitted, voice trembling. "And I had no idea about the substance he created. Our manager warned him it was toxic and could kill him. In a moment of panic... he dumped it in the ditch."

Chris leaned forward. "And when he dumped it, that substance mixed with the person who controlled Ashley Iverson, correct?"

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 began. "According to our information, Bella helped throughout the incident. However, it appears she ultimately became the sacrifice 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 fully understand the consequences of dumping that hazardous substance into the ditch?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," she whispered.

Murmurs rippled through the courtroom. It was a quiet confession that the wasn't their fault. Was she admitting it because she had no choice?

Emma jumped as a hand gripped hers.

"Stop shaking, worrywart," Bryce murmured in her ear.

"It's... nerve-wracking," she whispered back.

She 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.

A tall woman approached Chris, holding a paper for the judge and lawyers. "We've confirmed that the substance dumped was made with lean," she announced.

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 other medications mixed in," the woman continued. "One of them is Cytarabine, a drug used to treat cancer. The man who had it—he had brain cancer, correct?"

Emma's mind drifted back to the memories of her mom undergoing chemotherapy. At first, they had planned surgery because the cancer was in her breast. By the time they attempted to remove it, though, it had already spread.

Despite all of this, her mother remained cheerful. Even when told she might die, or that chemotherapy would make her lose all her long hair, she smiled.

Emma had watched her mom's body weaken with each hospital visit. Her father took time off work to be there, and even he couldn't hide his grief. Her mother would say everything would be fine, but Emma knew the truth: she was powerless to stop it.

When her mom died, her father was just like her. When 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.