Black Iris

The hoax

Rose

The court was buzzing, everyone waiting for whatever would happen next. The press has been swarming us outside.

"Because there is no guarantee it's her in the video, it will be a matter of seeing whether or not she turns up tomorrow," Clara had told us on the phone last night. We had the news on the TV, where we could seen the clip unfold. I'd seen it online a dozen times before that, alongside the discussion of whether or not it was her.

A girl with tan skin and dark hair, jumping out of a moving expensive car in downtown Colorado.

Even if it was blurry in the video, it seemed pretty cut and dry to me.

Hell, I'd certainly jump out of a moving car to get away from Blake.

Yet here we all were, waiting for the moment of truth. Would she turn up?

"Ophelia," Clara whispered, gently touching my arm. I turned to her. "If everything proceeds as normal, I need to know that you are ready for today. It is going to be a big day."

"I know. Jordan's testimony."

I had seen her staring at me from a few rows back. She still hasn't texted me back. I was trying not to let it get to me.

"Yes, that, but also the others. I'm not worried about your mum's testimony, they'll spin the abuse angle, and we can handle that. We have the Dr, who can give those scars some beef. It's Gwen's mother that is the wildcard. What she says about the night of the fire could paint us as liars, and we don't have a lot to rebuke it."

"What about the flight logs, I thought you said they might help?" I said.

"They might, but the evidence they're faked is flimsy at best. Whoever forged them did a very good job."

"Clara, you're not exactly filling me with confidence here."

"Sorry, I know," she said. "But I just want you to be prepared that her questioning might not go our way. We can work through a loss, alright?"

I nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now, about the doctor, are you sure-"

But as she was saying that, there was a commotion, and I heard someone whisper behind me, "a hoax?"

One of the youth lawyers, Saylor, leaned over the bannister and tapped Clara on the shoulder. "Clara, you should see this."

She handed Clara her phone.

Clara looked down at it and her face sullied.

She moved it so I could see the screen. It was a live broadcast of a news page, with Gwen's face front and centre.

The headline told me all I needed to know.

Viral video claimed as hoax

Then the sub headline below it:

Guinevere West arrives at Ivy v Alto trial

"Bullshit," Clara muttered.

Then she shook her head and looked forward, her brow furrowed. I thanked Saylor, and but my lip, looking at Clara. "What does this mean for us?"

"It means nothing," she said with a sigh. "It means that this plays out exactly how it was always going to play out."

I blew out a puff of air and looked back, searching the room for Jordan. When I found her, she was looking at me. A part of me was expecting her to look away when she caught my gaze, but she didn't. Instead, she mouthed at me across the room.