The Other Side of Me

Chapter Two: The Confession

"So we've finally cracked that rock hard shell of yours! John said it wouldn't be easy but I think he underestimated us. There isn't a case my partner and I can't solve, and this one in particular is rather simple. It wasn't hard to figure out that John had been fed a bunch lies. Poor boy. He loves you so much. I can't imagine how crushed he's going to be when he finds out that strong, perfect little girl he thought he knew is really just a cold, heartless liar," Detective Richard taunts me with these vicious words, and they cut my heart like a thousand shards of glass.

I don't want to lose him. Not over this. I'll be able to sneak my way into forgiveness. And if I can't, I'll make sure I'm not the only one who pays for this. This isn't over yet. They don't know the whole story.

"I don't know if you've noticed, officer, but I'm not moved by your words. You will see no tears from me as I refuse to give you that satisfaction. I don't enjoy feeling emotions, and I've mastered the art of hiding them. In fact, I've pushed them so deep down inside of me that I will never be able to feel a select few again. I truly believe life is better that way. Try as you will, your words cannot phase me." Although the part about the emotions is true, I never wanted any of this to happen.

"We'll see about that. I'm going to go fetch your parents. I'm sure they'll be relieved to know you're okay... although I think you're in a much worse situation now." Detective Kate walks out of the room, leaving me with her partner.

I take a closer look at him now. I'm not very pleased by what I see.

The man sitting before me is the epitome of a genetic malfunction. His face is asymmetrical, with the whole right side clearly lower than the left. He has a receding hairline, and the hair that remains is matted and oily. His skin, olive in color, is flawed and scarred from one too many sunburns. He smiles at me and I cringe. There's a saying that goes something like, "they're a sight for sore eyes"... well, he's the sight that makes your eyes sore in the first place. I make a mental note to avoid alone time with him at all costs.

Minutes later, Detective Kate returns with my father and stepmother. I avoid eye contact with them, already knowing what emotions are currently running through their veins.

"So, Elle, would you like to explain what's going on? Or would you rather I do it? I certainly don't mind either way." Detective Kate looks from me, to my parents, and then back to me. She cocks her head first to the right, then slightly up, trying to make herself look more intimidating. This angers me.

I turn to my parents and look at my father. "I'm in trouble. I did bad things. I'm sorry for it and I want to go home." I turn back to the detectives, and tilt my own head as if to say "Happy? I did what you asked of me, now let's forget all this happened and walk out of here."

Don't lose your patience Elle. Not now especially, seeing as your father looks as if he's about to drop dead due to all the disappointment he's feeling at the moment.

I look to my stepmother. She's sobbing and shaking nervously. How absolutely pathetic, I think to myself.

"Elle, you know there's more to it than that. Mr. Keen, did you know about your daughter and the incident with her mother's boyfriend? I want to make sure she's not lying about that, too." I glance to Detective Richard scornfully.

"Yes, she told me the other night. It's true. The man was found guilty with two other girls as well. We had her tested for any signs of abuse but he was careful with her. They didn't find any usable evidence," my father replies. I can hear a slight tremble in his voice and I worry that I've broken him. My stone cold heart cracks a little.

The officers look to my stepmother, who has yet to speak. They compare her body language to mine and realize that our demeanors should be switched around.

"Elle, I don't think all of this has sunk in yet. Your stepmother is sitting right next to you, as stiff as a log, and you're practically laying on the couch seemingly without a care in the world. You should be crying right now, like her. I can't see any emotions coming from you and it's not normal. You're either insane, or slow, and I hope it's the latter." Detective Richard looks at me and tries to find any sort of emotion in my eyes. Unfortunately, he won't find any.

"Oh it's sunken in. It sank in awhile ago. I just don't care at this point. Send me to jail; arrest me now. Anything is better than the hellhole I live in. I don't feel wanted in my own household, and my stepmother Lyla over here couldn't care less about my wellbeing. She's not crying because she's upset with me. She's crying because she's worried about her reputation and how my actions will look to others. See, you know nothing about me. You may think that you have me down to a science, but let me tell you something: you're not anywhere near understanding me, nobody is, and if you think that for even one second I was never in control of this situation then you're very wrong. I knew you were coming for me, and I was ready. I didn't need to let this 'sink in' today because it had sunken in two days ago when I first learned that John had gone to the police about me. Stupid boy. He thinks he's in the clear but he's not. He did bad things too, you know. I bet he didn't tell you about those. Well, I will." I'm infuriated at this point. My anger has kicked in and I'm tired of being locked in this small room.

The officers are shocked, yet at the same time pleased. They're surprised at my outburst, but dying to get their hands on some new information. They thought they had it all figured out, and now that they know they don't, they're scrambling to finish the puzzle.

This is a fun little game. I bet it's going to get way more interesting once they know what he's done. I'm not going to be the only one going down for this. If I go, he comes with me.