Cutler 03 - Twilight's Child

opened and closed, but nothing came out. Leslie gasped and brought her hands to the base of her throat.
    "What? What did you say?" Clayton finally asked.
    "You heard me, and Fern is here to tell you to your face what she told us."
    Clayton looked at Fern. I watched her reaction. She stood her ground, her eyes fixed, unblinking.
    "What did you tell these people, Kelly?" Clayton demanded.
    "I told them what you do to me in the bathtub," she said without hesitation.
    "Bathtub?"
    "Oh, my God," Leslie gasped. "Kelly, what are you saying? What bathtub? When?"
    "She's saying that your husband does and has for years sexually abused my sister when she takes a bath."
    "That's not true; that can't be true. Why would you say such a terrible thing, Kelly?" Leslie asked. She stepped toward her, but Fern didn't flinch.
    "I said it because it's true," Fern replied. She turned toward Clayton and narrowed her eyes. Confusion knitted his eyebrows together. Then he shook his head.
    "I don't believe this," he said. "Did you two put her up to this?" he asked, raising his gaze toward Jimmy and me.
    "Of course not," I said quickly. "She came to us, and only after a lot of persuasion did I get her to tell us what was really bothering her. She was quite hysterical and quite terrified. You obviously didn't know," I continued, turning my attention to Leslie, "that she has known the truth of her birth for some time now—years, in fact."
    "Known?" Leslie shook her head and looked at Fern. "How?"
    "She found her birth certificate and the adoption papers one day," I said. Fern looked more frightened by my revelation of her discovery than she did about accusing her adoptive father of sexual abuse. "But she was afraid your husband would punish her for looking at his private papers, so she never said a word."
    "Is this true, Kelly?" Leslie asked softly.
    "My name's not Kelly. It's Fern," Fern said defiantly. For the first time tears formed in Leslie Osborne's eyes. She pressed her hand over her mouth and shook her head.
    Clayton Osborne stood up slowly and started toward Fern and us, his gaze focused only on her. He had his shoulders hoisted and looked like a buzzard about to pounce.
    "So you found your name is really Fern and you're not our flesh and blood, huh? You like that? You like being Fern Longchamp and not Kelly Ann Osborne? You like having parents who were kidnappers?"
    Fern looked up at us with surprise.
    "It's not true," I said softly.
    "It's true; it's true," Clayton said. "And after they showed up, you sneaked out of here to go to them and tell them this ridiculous fabrication in order to get their sympathy. You want to live with them and leave us? Is that what you want?"
    "Yes," Fern answered quickly. "I do."
    Clayton nodded, his eyes burning with exasperation and fury.
    "All right, then. Go. Go live with them and see how you like it."
    "Noooo," Leslie cried.
    "Yes," Clayton responded. "Let her go." He turned back to Fern, glaring down at her. "Maybe then you will realize what you have here and finally appreciate it, only I might not take you back," he said. "Not after you've created this horrible lie about me.
    "This is what comes of your hanging around with those older kids," he said, nodding. "They put these ideas into your head. You're right: You're not our daughter anymore."
    "Clayton!" Leslie screamed. "What are you saying?"
    "I'm saying I don't want her in this house, not until she apologizes to me for telling these lies," he said. He turned to Jimmy. "Take her out of here. Take whatever things of hers she needs and take her with you. Only when you realize how wrong you are and how mean she can be, don't come crawling back to me for help. You spend the money on psychiatrists and special teachers. Yes," he said, liking his idea. "She's your sister. Suffer with her. I'm going to my office," he said to Leslie. "Make sure they're all out of here within the hour," he added, and he stormed away.
    "Clayton!" she called. His footsteps echoed. "Kelly," she said, turning back to Fern. "Go apologize to your father this very moment."
    "I'm not apologizing," Fern said defiantly.
    "But you know he would never do such things to you," she said, smiling through her tears. "You know that."
    "He did! He did, and I don't care if he's mad anymore! He did do those things! Do you want me to show you where he touched me?" she screamed back at the woman who had tried to be her mother.
    Leslie clapped her hands over her ears and shook her head.
    "Just go