<Charlie Hutson POV>
"Charlie?" I heard, but it was muffled because of my headphones.
Opening my eyes, I saw mom at the end of my bed and slowly I took off my headphones.
"Hi mom." I said plainly, dinner wasn't for 3 more hours so why was she here early?
It has been about 2 months since I've been here, so I know my way around. Even better having your mom work here.
"Sweetie today you have to give your testimony. You remember your brother?" She asked me.
"Oh." Is all I said, I didn't really know what a 'testimony' was really.
"You ready?" She asked, "Jason and Marley are at the entrance waiting for us.
I nodded and held her hand as we walked out.
"Bye Charlie!" Someone said, making me turn around.
It was Wendy, along with Jacob and the other kid he hangs around.
Jacob waved slightly while the other kid did nothing.
"Bye Wendy." I said putting my headphones back on and walking out of the building.
Being outside felt weird, I haven't been out in a while. Jason and Marley did visit at least like they said.
"Hi Charlie!" Marley said hugging me tightly.
"Hi Marley." I said hugging back and getting in the car.
"Oh mom? What's a testimony?" I asked, slipping off the headphones for a second.
She looked at Jason for a second, "Jason you want to explain?"
I was seated in the middle of mom and Jason while Marley drove.
"Marley?" Jason asked, avoiding the question.
Marley though for a second, "It's like saying what you saw or heard so that people know what's going on." He explained trying to make sense.
"Oh so what do I have to do?" I asked
Again they all went quiet.
"Well, do you remember all the things Weston did to you?" Jason asked cautiously
It hit me all at once, one minute I'm in a car, next I'm in the horror house, then I was screaming near the car.
Mom was holding me the entire time trying to get me to calm down. Nothing was working.
The people around us started, I felt their stares but when I looked I was in the house.
Mom carried me into the courthouse, but I was still screaming.
"Charlie, Charlie. Look at me." She said sitting me down on the bench, holding me still, and crouching to look at me.
I shook my head back and forth now just crying. "No...no, mom please don't make me..." I cried to her
"Ok, ok. Sweetie you don't have to. We just think that it's better for you to do it." She said, Jason and Marley nowhere in sight.
"I can't mom...I'm sorry..." I cried more.
"Do you want me to go with you? Will that help?" She asked me making me nod and hug her tightly
"Kiley." Someone said, making her turn with me still clinging to her.
"They're ready." Jason said
She turned to me. "Ok sweetie," She slowly put my headphones on and turned on the music, "Let's go." She said standing up and holding my hand.
I kinda blacked out after that. Everything was going past so fast that I couldn't keep up.
When I did focus, it was the worst part. "Besides, Charlie here, did you see anything you would like to say?" The person in a large chair asked, I think they're called a judge?
"Umm, is it ok for Charlie to step out? At this moment?" Jason asked, gesturing to me.
"And why if I may ask?" The judge said
"We'll, if Charlie is...exposed to these memories...he may be triggered to have a panic attack." Jason explained, "I don't know if you heard, but there was screaming? Before we came in? That was Charlie having a panic attack."
"Oh I see." They said
Jason turned to me, "Go to your mom." He said gently pushing me towards where mom was.
Mom got a hold of me and brought me outside.
"How are you doing?" She asked me
I shrugged, "Fine I guess." I said plainly
"Hey, Charlie? If you had the chance to see your mom again? Would you?" She asked
"You're my mom, mom." I said confused
"No sweetie, like your actual mom. The person before me. Jason said you called her 'mama'?" She asked as if trying to ring any bells.
"You're my only mom." I said pointing to her.
She sighed and hugged me. "Alright."
About 10 minutes later they pulled us back inside.
Some new faces were there, I see where mom was going with this. "Mama?" I asked, staring at the woman.
She looked back at me, "Charlie? Is that really you?" She asked tears in her eyes.
"Weston said you were dead..." I said confusion in my voice.
"No I'm not dead Charlie I-" I cut her off
"So you left me? Left me with Weston for 6 years?!" I yelled at her, all the courthouse eyes were on me now.
"I didn't mean to-" She said but I cut her off again.
"No! You left me! Alone with Weston!" I yelled, mom came to my side and hugged me.
"Mom did you know?" I asked looking at her
"Sweetie that's why I asked. You kept saying I'm your mom." She told me
"Cause got are my mom! Not her!" I yelled hugging her tighter
I looked mama, she looked the same as when she 'died' but better.
"Charlie...Weston is here too..." Mom whispered in my ear
I pulled back, tears pooling in my eyes, "...no..."
Mom slowly nodded, everything went black.
Screaming, screaming, and more screaming.
So much screaming, I don't even remember what I was screaming about.
What I did hear me screaming was, "STOP IT, STOP IT!" "BURN IN HELL!" "WHY!" and my personal favorite, "I WANT TO DIE!"
Still, I woke up. Maybe 20 minutes later from blacking out.
Mom was holding me in her lap, stroking my hair, and slowly swaying side to side.
"Mom?" I asked looking at her.
"Oh you're up. How are you feeling?" She asked
"I want to give the testimony. Right now." I said, something just told me to get it over and done with.
"Ok, give me 2 minutes and they'll be ready? Ok?" She told me, and I nodded
2 minutes passed and I was back in the courtroom.
They told me to go on this high platform and I did, until I tried to pull mom up.
"Charlie I can't go up there. Only you." She said to me
"I don't care." I said pulling her
She gave in and we both walked up. I sat on the chair while she stood behind me and held my hand.
"Can you explain what you went through?" Asked the judge.
I did, for about 50 minutes a rant about everything Weston did to me.
Not knowing where to look I kept looking around while talking. "Food wasn't a big thing-"
Finally, I saw him.
Weston Huston, in a glass like box while police behind him.
Everything around me stopped as I stared at him.
Mom came to look at me, "Charlie, look at me. I'm here, nothing is going to happen while I'm here." She told me.
When I calmed down, I started talking again. After I was done, they asked me if I wanted to see mama.
Mom said it might be good for me, only if I wanted to though.
So I agreed, but only if mom was around.
They lead us to a private room with a counselor, I guess stuff like this happens a lot.
"Hi I'm Doctor Keg, I'm just here for situations like this. I'm basically a family therapist, everything said in this room is never to leave it." He said to us as we settled down.
"Charlie. Please listen." Mama, it's getting annoying to calling her that, Tracy said
I stayed silent as a pass for her to talk, "I thought that if I left your brother would take care of you. I thought he saw everything wrong with your dad like I did." She explained
"Look where that got us." I said sarcastically, crossing my arms
"Don't speak like that to your mother." Tracy said sternly
"I'll speak to you however I want Tracy." I said getting angrier by the second.
"Charlie I know what I did to you was wrong, but-" This time mom cut her off
"But nothing. You want to know how we even found him? He called a Suicide line by accident after he knocked out Weston! Charlie was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, which is a deeper form of PTSD!" Mom said now leaning towards Tracy.
"I didn't kno-"Mom cut her off again.
"Of course you didn't know. Charlie is now a patient in the Psychiatric Treatment Center, because of the illness. He's 14! Do you know what that does to a 14 years old! Thinking that you were sent to a place like that because you think something is wrong with you." She said quickly, getting louder.
Doctor Keg was just sitting and watching it unfold.
"Come on Charlie, we have to get you back before 7 PM." Mom said standing calmly, I stood to, grabbing her hand.
"By the way," Mom said looking at Tracy, "Schizophrenia causes inappropriate actions, so if Charlie's screaming for help and to be let out makes you uncomfortable. Don't blame him, blame the illness." She said before leaving.
Getting into the car, mom held me in a hug the whole way.
When we got to the hospital, we all said goodbye to each other.
I didn't want to move, so I stood planted in place. Mom ended up picking me up like a child and carrying me to my room.
"Dinner will be soon. So don't get comfy." She said before leaving.
"Don't go..." I whispered to her
She sighed before laying down next to me and I immediately cuddled into her.
"You ok?" She asked, stroking my hair.
"I want to go home..." I whispered
"I want you to go home too." She told me.
So we waited until it was dinner, but even when it was dinner time we stayed a bit longer.
When we did get into the cafeteria everything was almost gone. That was fine, all I wanted was pudding.
I walked over to where Mrs. Grace was, "Mrs. Grace any more pudding?"
"Sorry Charlie. We just ran out." She said sadly to me.
Oh well, I was about to go to bed without dinner but someone held out a pudding cup towards me.
It was Jacob, everyone seemed to be staring at us. "Here." He said not looking at me.
"Yes please." I said before turning back to the doors of the cafeteria.
Fun Fact: It has not been said so far, but Kiley is 21.
Words: 1822