MADISON
"The court calls Madison Wrestler to the podium," the same guard from a little more than ten witnesses calls another person while I just stare at the lines of my hands that seem to be sweating.
"Madison, it's your turn," Levy whispers and I freeze. I feel how my blood leaves my body leaving me frozen. I can almost feel how I freeze on the inside. "Madison you need to go," he whispers again and I force myself to stand up getting the feeling that I am going to throw up again.
Another guard guides me to the podium and once there the man that called my name makes the same question he has asked hundreds of times. "Raise your hand." I obey and hope no one realizes I am shivering even when I notice it isn't actually moving. "Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?" Unconsciously my look searches for my mother and I gulp. Both, she and Clarisse nod.
"I swear," I reply with no other option.
"Tell your name and age for the record and take a seat."
"My name is Madison Wrestler, and I'm nineteen years old," I gulp and then sit down. My mind begins to wander. What would happen if I pass out with the first question?
"Miss Wrestler, would you mind telling us how you found out about your particular past?" asks Wen's lawyer, Mr. Chance Foley. He is so close now that I can finally see his eye's color; a deep black. He must be older than sixty.
"I heard a conversation of my parents with Dr. Hoffman," I reply with my voice shivering.
"Before that, did you know anything about your parents' job?" I hesitate on what to reply.
"No." It sounds more like a question.
"You didn't? You never asked?"
"I did since I can remember."
"What did they tell you?"
"Nothing," I reply remembering all those moments that I tried.
"Did you know the child?"
"No."
"Before you took her with you. You'd never seen her?" I look at my mother who remains unexpressive. What am I supposed to say? That I did? That she let me get into the lab?
"I heard her," I reply instead.
"What did you hear?"
"The girl, she was crying."
"Did you ever hear her before?"
"No."
"What did you do when you heard her crying?"
"I just asked who she was."
"To your mother?"
"Yes."
"Did she reply?"
"Yes. She told me about her."
"Did she show you the girl?" I look at her once more and find her staring at the floor. What would happen if I lie? I find the lawyer's eyes again and when he notices that he raises his eyebrows pushing me to reply.
"Yes" I say and he smiles proudly. This can't be good.
"What happened when you found out about your past?"
"Objection your Honor," Clarisse interrupts this time.
"Accepted, lawyer be accurate."
"Yes your Honor," he replies just like she would have done. "When you found out that you and the child were alike. Did you want to take her out?"
"Yes."
"Did your mother asked you to?"
"Objection your Honor!"
"No" I lie before anyone else could say something more and they all look at me. ", I asked her for help."
"Did you tell her about your idea of running away with the child to Los Angeles?"
"I didn't have anything planned before that, things just fell into place." I keep making my lie bigger.
"But did she know? Did your mother know you would try to escape?" he insists. I look at them, my mother and Clarisse serious and surprised at the same time. Did I screw it?
"I didn't want to run away from anything. I... I was just trying to show the girl what really was living, what the world is."
"I rephrase my question for you to understand. Did Georgina Wrestler know your plan?"
"Objection your Honor! She cannot reply for someone else."
"Accepted, lawyer... reformulate."
"Madison did you tell your mother what you were planning to do?"
I picture myself in a room full of knives. Each of the walls full of hundreds of them and with each question the walls inch closer, slowly trapping me. There's just one more question left for them to stab me right in my heart. Everyone here are just watching. There's no exit, there's no way out.
"Mrs. Wrestler, your answer," I hear the judge's voice pushing me and I find the lawyer staring right into my eyes. I believe I begin to see little dark spots that seem to begin covering his face. I'm short of breath. Am I imagining all of this? Is this a dream?
"Yes," I manage to say when the spots seem to have blurred my whole view.
I hear someone calling my name but that's all I manage to perceive before the spot finishes with me too.
* * *
I wake up in a little meeting room. Dylan is next to me holding my hand and in my left forearm I have a cable connected to me. An IV I think it's called. Its little bag drops a transparent fluid that goes through the cable to get lost inside my body.
"Hi," Dylan says smiling and giving me a little kiss on my hand when he realizes I am awake.
"What happened?" I ask really confused. I can't remember how did I get here.
"You fainted," he replies short and precise.
"Why?"
"Well, the paramedics think it could have been a nervous collapse," he explains between smiles. "Your mother thinks different for your lack of energy and your small capacity to retain food."
"And who's right?"
"I am not a doctor," he laughs making me smile.
"I need to get back," I say.
"Your mother ordered me to-" he stops when I pull out with one move the IV. It's not a good idea because it hurts and bleeds from where it was in. Dylan stands up immediately and from below a coffee machine on the corner of the room, he takes a napkin and gives it to me. I stop the small blood that comes out and then I stand up.
"She's going to kill me if you get back," he warns me following me through the hallway and to the trial's room.
"Don't be paranoid, no one is going to kill you and technically she is not even my mother. You have nothing to fear," I say before a guardian on the entrance opens the heavy doors for us to enter back into the trial. When we enter, my mother is the one who is at the front and is being questioned by Mr. Foley. She sees me entering but I do the best I can to look away from her sitting down in the last line of chairs.
"Do you admit that you helped your daughter to take the child?"
"I do."
"Mrs. Wrestler, did you ever see the girl refusing to cooperate in any test?"
"Your Honor, the tests are exhaustive for the child and they don't have any need to be done," she says looking at the judge who doesn't reply anything to her words that doesn't answer what the lawyer asks.
"Georgina, have you ever heard the girl asking for you all to stop during a test?"
"Objection your Honor!"
"Denied, Georgina answer the question please."
"No," replies my mother and that surprises me, "but she doesn't know that-"
"What made you think that the girl really wanted to leave the lab?" The question makes me angry. What else could it be expected from a girl that they hurt so much?
"The fact that she is a child," replies my mother quite mad. "Does it makes any sense to you all to affirm that she could ever ask to leave that place without knowing there's something out of it?"
"That's all your Honor," interrupts the lawyer returning to his place.
"You are ridiculous if you think for a moment that those kids are okay with being in there," my mother raises her voice this time before standing up and returning to her seat. I can't see Wen's reaction to that but I imagine I would laugh if I could see it right now.
"Mrs. Wrestler, I recommend you to remain calm," says the judge when she's finally in her place and no one says anything in return.
"The court calls Dr. Wen Hoffman to the podium."
CLIFFHANGER...
EDITED BY: JadeFoliage
THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY GUYS! WHAT ARE YOUR GUESSES FOR WHAT WEN IS GOING TO SAY? WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO WIN THE TRIAL SO FAR? MAKE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!
I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER AS MUCH AS I DO!
Read you later.
-MF. Hernandez
Next Chapter: December 21st, 2018.