Chapter 37 – Too Much Information
*Esme and Terri stare at each other for several seconds. The two of them look exactly alike (though Terri's nose isn't broken), and Esme feels like she is looking in the mirror at the person she used to be. She decides to be the one to break the increasingly intense level of awkward silence*
Esme: What are you looking at me like that for?
Terri: You really should see a doctor about your nose. I can't imagine it healing incorrectly and needing to get a whole bunch of expensive plastic surgery to have it fixed!
Esme: Maybe you should see a doctor about your nose! Your sense of smell seems to be impaired as you wear WAYYY too much perfume! But then again maybe you just stink.
*Nelle comes out of the room*
Nelle: Okay that's enough!
*She turns to Terri*
Nelle: You need to leave. Now!
Terri: Okay, I'm leaving! Geez.
*Terri gives Esme one last scathing stare, then marches out the door, while Nelle turns to Esme*
Nelle: Are you okay?
Esme: I'm fine. Just in shock. That girl looks and sounds just like me!
*She enters the room and sits down on one of the couches. Nelle sits down next to her*
Nelle: Yes, I'll admit I was thrown for a loop. She definitely looks a lot like you. I can't really say she sounds like you though.
Esme: I recently found some old videos of me and Spence when we were at school in France, and the way I used to talk to people sounded just like her. The inflections in her voice sounded exactly like how I used to sound. It's like I have a twin, just like my father! My serial-killer father!
*She begins to cry*
Nelle: What's wrong?
Esme: I don't want to turn back into the person I used to be!
Nelle: And you're not! You've come such a long way since then!
Esme: I don't know about that. You saw me and Joss at Spence's memorial. I was getting ready to break both of her arms! I wasn't lying about beating up those two guys when I was sixteen. I was fully prepared to put both her and Trina in the hospital, and you stopped me when you reminded me that I'm pregnant, and of course I don't want to put the baby in danger. At least I got to see Joss taken away in a police car, so that made up for it.
Nelle: I know. That was so satisfying to watch. You know she beat me up once.
Esme: Oh my god, really?
Nelle: Yes. After I had just been in a car accident too, which caused me to go into premature labor!
Esme: Oh my god!
Nelle: And this is the same girl who received one of my kidneys!
*Sigh*
Nelle: Sorry. I'm glad that karma finally is catching up to her, but we're talking about you. You instinctively felt the need to defend yourself after someone walked up to you and punched you.
Esme: I know, but I was preparing to fight Trina along with Joss, and Trina didn't even do anything to me! It's just like when I framed her for revenge porn. I mean, yeah, I was jealous that Spence had seemingly fallen out of love with me after everything we'd shared, and it seemed like from the moment he laid eyes on Trina, all he could think about was her. And while it's true that I initially became close to Spence because of what my…what Ryan…was making me do, I developed genuine feelings for him, and it hurt to see him with another girl. That's why I was jealous. Trina seems like a nice person and I should never have done what I did to her. But the fact that I was tempted to hurt Trina again, and physically this time, when she never laid a finger on me let alone punch me in the face makes me really worried that I'm turning back into my old self.
Nelle: Esme, again, you were preparing to defend yourself after someone walked up to you and punched you. Joss and Trina are best friends, and it's understandable that you would feel like they both would attack you, so it's natural that you would fight back. That doesn't mean you're turning back into the person you used to be.
Esme: Okay. But that girl who was here just now reminded me so much of myself, and since my father is a twin, it makes sense that I'd be a twin too.
Nelle: She's not your twin, Esme. She's not related to you at all.
Esme: How do you know?
Nelle: Because her ex-boyfriend told me about her. He and his pregnant girlfriend came to the office earlier today and I met with them. They're from Pine Valley and had heard about us from when we were there for the feast. They are looking for a place to stay. He was worried about her following them here, but I assured them that I'm not going to allow her anywhere near them. And I'm not going to let her go anywhere near you either, which is why I paid her to leave Port Charles and never come back.
Esme: Well, I hope she stays far away from me, because I could feel myself resisting the urge to snap her neck!
Nelle: But you resisted, and that's the important thing.
Esme: *Sigh* I guess so. Who is she anyway, if she's not my twin sister?
Nelle: According to her ex, her name is Terri. He says she grew up in foster care and didn't know who her parents were-
Esme: Neither did I when I was growing up.
Nelle: But, he said that she had been told that her mother had her when she was a teenager and named her after her own mother, before giving her up for adoption. Unlike Heather, who was in her late-40s when she had you.
Esme: But that's the thing. I'm still not sure if Heather is actually my mom. I know it's possible for a woman in her late-40s to get pregnant, but it comes with greater risk for complications.
Nelle: That's true, but like I told you before, it happens.
Esme: But I can't shake the feeling that Heather might not be my mom. I heard that she's tried to pass off other people's kids as her own.
Nelle is reminded of how Oliver said that Terri had tried to pass herself off as other people's relatives, but chooses not to say anything. After all, Terri had been consistent about who her mother was*
Esme: I know I said a while back that I don't think I look like either of my parents, but I definitely think I see a resemblance to Ryan when I look at myself in the mirror. Our eye color is different, but we otherwise have the same face, and even the same hair!
*She gives a slight laugh in between her tears*
Esme: People often tell me I have nice hair…
Nelle: Which you do. Your hair is gorgeous!
Esme: Thanks. I remember all the girls at the boarding school in France were jealous and said that they wished they had hair like mine. But I've seen pictures of both Ryan and Kevin when they were younger, and its very obvious that I get my hair genes from my father's side. But I don't think I look very much like Heather at all.
Nelle: Well, children don't always look like their parents, or act like them.
Esme: I know.
Nelle: In any case, I feel very sure that Terri's father, though he also was responsible for many people's deaths, isn't Ryan.
Esme: And you know this how?
Nelle: Whenever anyone comes to me saying that they're trying to get away from someone who's stalking them, I like to do my research on the person they're on the run from, and that way I can be ready in case they follow them here, which Terri unfortunately did. I'm pretty sure that her father was a man who followed Terri's grandmother to Pine Valley with a bomb in his luggage. It exploded and killed everyone on board save for Terri's father and a few other people, though one person was saved thanks to Project Orpheus.
*Esme is shocked to hear Nelle mention Project Orpheus*
Esme: Project Orpheus?
*Nelle realizes her mistake, and tries to backpedal*
Nelle: Yeah, it's, uh, well it was a project that was started by a doctor in Pine Valley. It saved a lot of people's lives before it was shut down.
Esme: Why was it shut down, if it was saving lives?
Nelle: I don't know.
Esme: Oh.
Nelle: Why do you ask?
Esme: Leann thinks her father was the doctor who started the project.
Nelle: *Hesitates* I see.
Esme: Jan, are you okay?
Nelle: Oh yeah I'm fine. I'm just wondering what made Leann arrive at that conclusion. She obviously was led to believe that her parents didn't want her due to her heart condition, but has discovered that this most likely wasn't the case, and that instead her parents were led to believe she had died. But her parents could be anyone. If Leann's father was the doctor who started Project Orpheus, he would never have abandoned his daughter and would've been able to save her no matter how serious her condition was, and Leann would've been able to grow up in a loving home rather than spending a good portion of her childhood in a clinic because nobody wanted to adopt her. In any case, he died about five years ago.
Esme: I know. She's trying to see if there are any potential relatives in Pine Valley who would be willing to do a DNA test, but so far she hasn't had much luck.
Nelle: Aww, that's so sad.
Esme: I know. And I really miss her. Aside from you, she's one of the few people who didn't see me do all the horrible things that I did, and because of this doesn't have a negative opinion of me.
Nelle: I'm sure she'll be back.
Esme: I hope so.
*Esme's phone rings. She looks and sees that it's Leora who's calling*
Esme: It's Leann!
Nelle: Please tell her I say hi.
Esme: I will.
*Esme leaves the room to answer the phone, while Nelle steps out onto the parapet on the verge of a panic attack. She hopes that Esme won't mention anything about her mentioning Project Orpheus.*
Esme (on the phone): Hey Leann!
Leora: Hey Esme, how are you?
Esme: Well, my nose is still bruised, there's a creepy guy at PCU who won't leave me alone no matter how many times I tell him to, and just a little while ago a girl who looks and sounds exactly like me stopped by the house and I overheard Jan talking to her. And when I say that she sounds like me, I'm not just talking about her literal voice, but also her tone. She sounded exactly like I did before I lost my memory from the recordings I've heard of myself. And Jan had to pay her in order to get her to leave.
Leora: Oh wow!
Esme: I know. Apparently she's stalking her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend, who had heard about our group from when we were in Pine Valley, and they came here in order to get away from her. I'm just glad they got here first. Otherwise I'm pretty sure this girl would've made him out to be the bad guy.
Leora: Well, even if she had, Jan is pretty good at figuring out when someone is lying. I've seen her interviewing various people, and there have been people who have shown up claiming that they're looking to get away from an abuser, when it turns out that they are the abuser. They usually will put on some overly-dramatic act to make themselves out to be the victim, but every now and then there will be someone who's more convincing, but Jan still is able to see through their act. So don't worry.
Esme: Okay, I'll try.
Leora: And I'm sorry to hear that there's a creepy guy stalking you at PCU. That's horrible!
Esme: I know. It's the last thing I need, especially given everything else that's happening. I unfortunately accepted his insistence to give me a ride as the rideshare driver I normally have wasn't able to take me, but thankfully I was going over to the Quartermaines so I could babysit for a couple of hours, so at least he doesn't know where I live, and since the babysitting was only a one-day thing, he doesn't know where I work either. I wish I had just booked a rideshare with a different driver than the guy who normally takes me, even if it meant having to wait longer. Not only is he a horrible driver, but I found out what he does for a living, which makes me even more determined to stay away from him.
Leora: Well if I were you I'd report him to the campus police. Have you told Jan about him?
Esme: I have. As much as I trust her, I feel like the less she's involved with this particular situation, the better, purely because I don't want him to find out about where I live, or any other details about my personal life. He already knows that my parents are serial killers, he knows about the revenge porn, and that doesn't really surprise me even though it's not something I'm proud of, but he also knows that I "bedded my ex-boyfriend's father," which is super creepy! He doesn't seem bothered at all by the fact that I did all these things, and if anything, I think he actually finds it fascinating. I think he also thinks that him telling me about his own legal trouble as well as his stay in the mental hospital is somehow going to impress me. I feel bad that he had to go to the mental hospital and the way he described it made it sound like a really horrible place, but that's it.
Leora: Yeah. Even if he does have legit mental health struggles, that doesn't mean you should feel pressured into spending time with him. Please promise me that you'll tell someone if he continues to harass you, including Jan. Wyndemere is on an island, so there's no way that he'd be able to drive there, and I know Jan has beefed up security with the launch, so that if they aren't a Trusted Member, they must obtain permission in order to be allowed on board.
Esme: Well, I hope you're right. Jan has told me she's sealed off the entrance to the catacombs on Spoon Island, so aside from the launch, the only way he'd be able to get here is if he were to swim. And the water is very rough, as I can't go on the launch without becoming seasick, so unless he's a good swimmer, he'd probably drown.
Leora: Well, I don't think it will come to that. You should tell the campus police about him, but you should trust Jan. She won't let him hurt you, or Ace.
Esme: Of course I trust her.
Leora: Good.
Esme: So how are you?
Leora: I'm okay, aside from being frustrated. I spoke to Brooke English again and showed her the article that you found. According to her, my father insisted that she not publish it, and to delete it from her archives.
Esme: Oh my god!
Leora: I know. Somebody must've gotten their hands on the article before it was deleted from the archives, but unless anyone still has it, I don't think I'll ever see the full interview. But that's actually the reason why I'm calling. Brooke told me that, while they most likely won't be able to figure out for sure what happened to my father, it's highly unlikely that Ryan Chamberlain was the one who killed him.
*Esme hesitates, unsure of what to say*
Esme: Okay, well thank you for telling me.
Leora: I'm incredibly frustrated but when she told me it wasn't your father I felt somewhat relieved, as I know it was something that was weighing heavily on your mind, and you weren't sure how to tell me.
Esme: That's right. Well, I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been able to find out more about what may have happened. Are there any, I don't know, theories about what may have happened? I hope you don't mind me asking.
Leora: They say it was likely someone wanting to get their hands on the profit money from the drug ring that his mother operated, though there are a lot of holes in this theory. The reason why he didn't want the interview published is because the same day he did the interview, he found out that he had a son he didn't know about, and was worried about these people taking him hostage unless he handed over the money. Brooke said he mentioned the drug ring briefly during the interview, and that's why he insisted they not publish the interview. It's a shame, because she said that once the interview was over, he seemed much more relaxed than she had ever seen him, but this didn't last long.
Esme: I'm so sorry Leann.
Leora: Thanks. If it's true that these drug operatives are looking to get their hands on this fortune, that means that both my parents have a bunch of enemies, so maybe I should just give up this search.
Esme: Or you could come back to Port Charles and tell Anna that you think you might be her daughter. It's true that she has enemies, but it's not like she isn't capable of defending herself.
Leora: But what about what happened to Charlotte Cassadine?
Esme: Well, Charlotte had broken into her home, and Anna didn't see who it was when she shot her. It's not like she'd deliberately hurt a child. Besides, Charlotte survived. You saw her in the park.
Leora: I did, and I honestly didn't get very good vibes from her.
Esme: Neither do I. But anyways, I honestly don't think you should let your fear get the better of you. It's true that the way Anna was staring at us when we were at the park was unsettling, but she likely was in disbelief because you honestly look a lot like her. She would keep you safe.
Leora: *Sigh* You're probably right.
Esme: So does that mean you'll come back?
Leora: Oh I definitely plan on eventually coming back to Port Charles, but I still want to find out about what happened to my father. Especially since I know I have relatives on his side out there who are still alive. I just don't know what their names are, or where any of them live.
Esme: Have you given any more thought about doing one of those 23andMe tests?
Leora: I might at some point, but I have some reservations about doing it. It's sensitive information that could fall into the wrong hands.
Esme: That's a very valid concern.
Leora: Yeah. Anyways, I should get going.
Esme: Okay, well thank you for telling me about the article.
Leora: Of course. I hope you can feel better knowing that Ryan wasn't involved with what happened to my father. Honestly when Brooke told me I felt relieved.
Esme: It definitely has. If I can help in any way with your research, please let me know.
Leora: I will. Have a good rest of the day Esme.
Esme: Thanks, you too.
They hang up*
THE NEXT DAY
Cameron was sad to be leaving his friends behind given everything that happened, but he nonetheless needed to return to Stanford. He had just boarded his flight to SFO and was seated next to the window. He felt someone sit down in the middle seat, and looked over to see a young woman around his age, wearing a red business dress and high heels. Her brown hair was pulled back into an uncomfortably tight-looking braid. She was looking at her phone, scrolling through an Instagram profile, so he could only see the side of her face, but it was enough to make him do a double take.
Cam: Esme?
*The woman either didn't know he was speaking to her, or was deliberately ignoring him*
Cam: Esme?
*The woman looks at him*
Terri: I'm sorry, were you talking to me?
Cam: Oh my god!
Terri: What?
Cam: You look exactly like Esme!
Terri: Who's Esme?
Cam: Nevermind.
Terri: No, who is she?
Cam: My late friend's crazy ex-girlfriend. But you obviously aren't her, as she's recovering from a broken nose.
Terri: Well, I most definitely don't have a broken nose, and I don't think I'm crazy. Though there are of course some people I'm crazy about.
*Her voice has a flirty tone albeit very insincere-sounding, which makes him uncomfortable given her stunning resemblance to Esme*
Terri: Did you say that your friend died?
Cam: Yeah. His memorial was a few days ago.
Terri: I'm so sorry to hear that.
Cam: Thanks.
Terri: Do you mind me asking what happened to him?
Cam: He fell into the Seine River. They never found his body but it's unlikely he survived.
Terri: Wait, was your friend Spencer Cassadine?
*Cam looks at her suspiciously*
Terri: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything that was insensitive.
Cam: You didn't, but yes, my friend was Spencer. He was also my cousin.
Terri: Is that right?
Cam: Yeah. And what's really stunning is that you look exactly like his ex.
Terri: Oh, well I'm pretty sure I'd know if my boyfriend was Spencer Cassadine. That's so sad that he died so young. You and your family must be devastated!
*Cam wishes he hadn't said anything about Spencer*
Cam: Um, yeah.
Terri: So…what's your name?
Cam: Cameron.
Terri: Hello Cameron. I'm Terri Thomasen. It's so nice to meet you!
*She holds out her hand, and Cam feels super uncomfortable as they shake. He now wishes he hadn't bothered talking to Terri at all. Not only did she look exactly like Esme, but her sultry tone of voice gave off the same unsettling vibe that "Old Esme" had, if not even worse. Was this how Esme was like when Spencer first met her? He was almost wishing he could find another seat on the plane, but nonetheless wanted to be polite. Maybe after some small talk, she'd go back to looking at her phone*
Cam: Terri. That's the name of one of my mom's best friends. She's the co-chief of staff at General Hospital.
*He immediately wishes he hadn't volunteered this information*
Terri: Is that right?
Cam: Yeah.
Terri: Are you close with your mom?
Cam: Yeah.
Terri: Aww, that's so sweet!
Cam: Um, yeah, I suppose it is.
*He laughs nervously*
Terri: I'm guessing that you're no longer living in Port Charles?
Cam: I, uh, no I just was in town for Spencer's memorial.
Terri: I'm so sorry.
Cam: Thanks.
*He tries to look at his phone*
Terri: So I'm guessing you live in the Bay Area now?
Cam: Yeah. I'm going to Stanford. I play on the soccer team there.
*Once again, he immediately wishes he hadn't volunteered this information.*
Terri: Nice! Do you like it there?
Cam: Yeah, I like it. I miss my friends in Port Charles though.
Terri: That's understandable.
*Cam feels he might as well keep the conversation flowing, and maybe shift the focus towards Terri so he can learn more about her. It occurred to him that perhaps Esme had a twin whom she had been separated from at birth, since her father Ryan was a twin*
Cam: How about you?
Terri: Oh, I'm currently attending UC Berkeley. I'm studying criminology there.
Cam: Cool.
Terri: Definitely! It's one thing to investigate crimes, but it's another thing to try to prevent them, and in order to do that, one must understand a criminal's behavior. As a matter of fact, that's why I was in Port Charles. I wanted to talk to Anna Devane about a case she had been involved with during her time as Chief of Police in Pine Valley.
*Cam now feels scared and isn't sure what to say*
Cam: That sounds…interesting...
Terri: Oh, it sure is! It's fascinating!
*Terri was holding her phone so that the screen was facing away from him towards the isle seat, and therefore he isn't able to see the Instagram profile she had been looking so intently at, which belonged to Emma Scorpio-Drake*