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Chapter Fifty-Eight
A Horrible Realisation
Esmerelda was let out of hospital the next day after she had recovered and the family wasted no time in trying to find out the truth. Ethel went to the office of the security people and asked if they could look at the video from that timestamp.
"I am sorry we can't show the public" the man sat there said, clearly expecting Ethel to go away.
"You have a choice, show me or I will look myself" Ethel told him as the rest of the family stood around her waiting. The man sighed and nodded and started looking through the footage.
"There!" Sybil said as she recognised Esmie at a certain point. Everyone watched as Esmerelda walked to the front of the flats, picked up a package and started to head back into the flat she shared with the others.
"That is him!" Esmerelda said seeing the man who had walked past her appear. As he walked past her on the video something white could be seen as he walked into the girl and Esmerelda held her arm before walking back into the flat.
"Yes this is perfect, this is all the proof we need" Mildred said beaming that it had been so easy.
"Don't get to excited, we still have no idea who that man is" Ethel replied knowing they will have a hard time doing anything without knowing who the stranger was.
"Well how are we supposed to find that out?" Esmie asked as she looked at Ethel confused.
"I know a way, I think it is time to pay a visit to your lovely mum and dad" Josephine said as she walked out the room and the other girls followed her.
"Wow" Mildred said as she looked at the beautiful white Hallow manison she was standing in front of. It was the kind of building you saw only in films. The Hallow sisters though all seemed off as they got closer.
"It looks amazing but it holds bad memories" Esmerelda told Mildred as they headed for the door. Mildred sighed and nodded, wishing a beautiful house like this held amazing memories instead of dark ones.
The extended Hubble family pushed past the butler and walked into the main sitting room, where they found Mr Hallow reading the newspaper and Mrs Hallow doing some paperwork.
"What are you doing here?" Sebastian!" Ursula said with a look of anger wondering why they were in her house.
"We are here because I think you have some explaining to do" Julie replied also with a look of anger on her face.
"About what?" Triton asked standing up to go and stand next to his wife.
"You drugged Esmerelda" Mildred told them as she glared. Ursula laughed.
"If your mother is not capable of looking after a child and knowing what they are up to that is not our fault, we did not such thing" Ursula said hiding a smirk.
"Don't bother lying, you did it so that the adoption would fail and you would obtain custody again" Ethel replied holding baby Prue in her arms.
"You are wrong" Triton told them acting dumb
"Oh really? So I suppose it wasn't you who tricked Esmerelda into going down to get a package of potion ingredients she never ordered either?" Ethel replied knowing it was them because they might be good liars but so was Ethel and she could tell when they were lying.
"Esmerelda clearly has a bad memory" Triton replied trying to make them think Esmerelda was misremembering ordering what she had received.
"Really?" Josephine said holding up a disc with the CCTV footage on it "Well if it wasn't you I suppose you won't mind if we take this video to the police then" she said with a smirk. Mr and Mrs Hallow started to visually sweat and it was clear she was worrying them. Esmie magicked a DVD player and a telvision and played the video.
"Where did you get that?" Ursula asked clearly worried.
"You shouldn't underestimate non-magical people you know, we have our own way of doing things even without magic" Julie told the woman smirking at how worried she looked.
"I am sure social services will be interested in seeing this" Sybil said bravely, wanting to stick up to her patents too but Triton suddenly started to laugh.
"So you have a video, you can't prove it was us by that, we are not even in it" Mr Hallow told them and everyone's smiles fell by that as he had a point. Everyone looked at each other trying to figure out what to do until something caught Esmerelda's eye.
There was a photo on the mantelpiece behind them of her parents with the witches council. The man stood next to her father looked familiar. Esmerelda rushed over before anyone could blink and grabbed it.
"No you are not in the video, but your friend is, we might not be able to track him down but considering the Great Wizard is in charge of the council he will be able to, and I am sure it will not take long to prove it was this man in the photo" Esmerelda told her parents with a smirk. Mr Hallow started sweating this time.
"That doesn't mean it has anything to do with us just because we know a similar looking man" Mr Hallow said and Ethel scoffed.
"Oh yes a man who has never seen Esmerelda before just decided to drug her for no reason, a man who has never seen her before just happened to be near some non-magical people's flats in question and just happened to come into contact with a witch there" Mildred said thinking the story sounded so ridiculous even as she said it.
"You have no proof" Mrs Hallow shouted so loud Prudie started to cry. Ethel rocked her gently.
"You are such a bad mother you can't even calm your baby, she hates you like everyone else" the woman said to Ethel clearly trying to upset her but Ethel was surprised that it didn't affect her at all.
If her mother had said that to her a few months ago she would have taken it to heart but now she felt nothing, she knew it was not true and she knew Prue didn't hate her at all. She had finally realised her parents were pathetic and nasty people who tried to knocked down anyone who was out of their control. They were wrong.
"You made her cry and you are wrong, Prudence loves me and so does everyone standing around me and this adoption is going to go through" Ethel stood up to them.
"I will like to see you try and save it" Triton told Ethel and the blonde girl smiled as Prue started to calm down.
"Oh we have everything we need to prove it don't you worry" Ethel told her parents as she took the picture from Esmerelda.
Ethel smiled as she looked at the picture, glad she was holding the prove she needed, but as she looked at it she came to a realisation and her chest became tight and her body became so numb she nearly dropped Prue in shock, Josephine grabbed the baby quickly before she could fall. She knew something was wrong as Ethel was always so careful when holding Prudence and had never nearly dropped her before.
"Ethel?" Sybil said worried as Ethel felt the air leave her lungs and her ability to stand stop. She was wide eyed in horror as memories flooded back to her and she fell on the floor as if she had fainted only she was still awake. She suddenly felt cold and scared and was shaking all over.
"ETHIE!" Esmerelda shouted rushing over to help Ethel up. "Are you okay?" Esmerelda asked so worried about her.
Ethel was pale and her breathing was rapid and Esmerelda could not help but worry that her parents had somehow drugged her too, but she was acting different than she had. Ethel was acting like she had just seen a ghost.
Ethel was suddenly sick on the floor as bile rose to her throat. Mrs Hallow looked ready to murder Ethel for bring sick on the carpet. Everyone gasped knowing something was horribly wrong.
"GET OUT NOW" Mr Hallow shouted and the family started to leave but Ethel was frozen to the floor.
"Ethel come on, it is alright" Esmerelda told Ethel leading her out of the door. Once they were outside the house everyone looked at Ethel concerned. Josephine gave the baby to Mildred so she could rush to her granddaughter.
"Ethel what is it darling?" Julie asked as she also rushed to her.
Ethel opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, she had forgotten how to form words and didn't know how to say what was bothering her.
"Ethel please tell us, we can only help you if we know" Julie told her adoptive daughter, really concerned about her as she had never seen Ethel like that before.
"It was him…..he was the man who…..raped me..." Ethel said still with the same horrified look on her face.