One thing is certain: we can't trust the police for this. They disappointed us already so unless we put pressure, the truth will be buried once again. The only power we have is the one of social pressure so releasing the clip online is the first step, then making it go viral the next, hoping the media will catch up and like that people will want to find the truth. More than just one person coming back from the dead, this is about police being incompetent and some shady management behind.

It takes just a bit of time to get the video online and then a call to start making people see it. Here it's where Will and his connections are useful because they are in charge of spreading it like wildfire, claiming to have evidence of the false accusations against them. It's a call to boost yet another injustice in this world filled with them.

And while this is happening, Nora, Louise and I head to the hotel where the reporters are waiting for this very important and secretive press conference. Surely they are buzzing now, considering the truth that Laura was behind my attack, that my stepmother tried to kill me a second time was revealed.

When we make it back to the car, Mark is waiting for us and opens the door, giving me one encouraging smile to which I just nod and then he's driving us to the hotel. My breathing is controlled and even as I go over what I have to say in the press conference. Louise is monitoring the activity of what we have released the whole time, and how people are reacting. Nora is by my side, holding my hand but not saying anything, just reminding me that she's with me and we'll make it through this ordeal.

I look out of the window, trying to calm down, feeling just a bit nervous for what's to come.

One thing is revealing to Laura, basically my enemy, that I'm alive and she failed again to kill me. A very different is to come out of my hiding place to everyone who have thought me dead. I know I'll be severely judged and attacked for hiding for so long, for making them believe I was dead. I know I have an excuse and we've planned carefully what I'm going to say to minimise the damage, but it's impossible not to get this to backfire on my face even a little bit.

What worries me the most is my family in Chile. They have believed for these almost six months I've been dead, mourning me but here I am, and I'm going to make it public without having called them first.

Nora and Louise gave me a chance to call them, advised me to do so, but I couldn't bring myself to call Mum. My hands were trembling as I held the mobile and my heartbeat was so loud I couldn't hear anything but that wild roar in my ears. I was scared of the hurt I'd heard, the disappointment and confusion.

I'm not as brave as I pretend to be, and when it comes to my family I'm just again a little girl who was left behind by my mother. Even if I understand things and I don't try to blame her, a little part of me will always feel rejected by her. I'm sure Dad would've never made the decision Mum made, he would've given up everything else for me. He lived for my sake.

My relationship with Mum isn't good and I am too big of a coward to tell her myself I've been alive all this time, drowning in guilt, fear and worry but still too chicken to call her myself to tell her I'm all right.

It's been too long, I should've called months ago. Now I don't know how to do it.

My mind is so busy with all these thoughts that I don't realise when we make it to the hotel until Nora lets go of my hand and tells me it's time to get out. I shift to follow her but my door opens before I do that. I get out and find Mark standing next to my door so I smile at him in gratitude, yet before I take another step forward he speaks up.

"I'm sorry, Miss Blanca," his voice rings. Confused, I focus my attention on him, for a second getting distracted with the fleeting thought that I had a crush on him but now that seems so long ago and that those feelings can't compare with what I feel for Will. "If I had driven you that day nothing of this would've happened. I'm really sorry, I've felt so guilty all this time thinking you were—" I'm surprised at the strangled voice of the driver, the tormented look in his eyes and I feel bad, really bad because I never imagined that here, someone like Mark was feeling guilty for what happened. "Please, do know I'll never let that happen again."

I blink my surprise away and wear a wide and reassuring smile before I place my hand on his bicep, with a light squeeze to get his attention.

"It's not your fault, okay? And I've been well all this time so no need to beat yourself up. We all know who's responsible for all this so let's channel all our energy against them, okay?" I request, keeping my smile and trying to reassure him with my eyes that I never blamed him for any of this. In fact, I'm glad he wasn't driving me that day because who knows what would've happened, maybe Mark would be dead today.

"Okay," he agrees with a feeble smile so I widen mine before giving him the okay sign, doing this nose wink before turning around, squaring my shoulders and following Nora that has been waiting for me.

We head inside the hotel, to the room where the conference will be held. I'm not even in front of all the reporters but I can already hear the buzzing inside, people talking over each other, raising their voices and I start to get nervous. I need to stop for a second before I step out there to collect my wits, trying not to freak out. I know Nora will be next and so will Louise, but I'm still so nervous.

Maybe I've been away from the public eye for too long.

"Ready?" Nora asks, her smile warm and reassuring and I give her hand one last squeeze before I release it and nod my head.

"Ready."

Mark opens the doors for us, because this time he's followed us. Louise steps first and then Nora follows, finally I cross the door and I'm welcome with gasps and flashes everywhere, the buzzing becoming louder and deafening. If they have seen the clip, what they watched last was me falling into the turbulent waters, with no clue if I survived or not. It's to expect they are surprised. But the hullabaloo makes me slightly dizzy yet I keep my footing stable as I head to my spot behind the tables that have been set for us, with a mic and water.

I greet everyone with a nod of my head before I take seat, Nora at my right and Louise at my left. From the corner of my eye I see Mark standing by the door, with the rest of the other security guards. For some reason I find amusing how he is sticking around, but I also feel sorry for him who right now represents all the people who have thought me dead these six months. I can only smile apologetically to him, so I focus on his presence, trying to explain things to him and express my sincere regret.

"In case you haven't seen the clip already, I'm here to let you all know I'm, evidently, still alive," I begin, taking a deep breath and scanning the audience. There are probably thirty reporters with their photographers, already typing as I speak.

"For months I've been away, protected and oblivious to the mess happening here, in a small town where I didn't even remember who I was," I begin, trying to explain the story how we planned it, how the official statement is, as close to reality as it can be. "I woke up in a hospital with no recollection of where I was, who I was and I couldn't even speak in the same language as my doctor. I was told I had severe internal bleeding, that I went under surgery and I had several broken bones. I could barely move or breathe without crying out in pain."

That is the utmost truth, that is how it started.

"The woman who found me took care of me until I could remember who I was or where I lived. No one was looking for me there and soon, as you might recall, I was declared dead so the pieces weren't put together, until later when I did remember."

Reporters type furiously, listening to everything I say before they come and attack me with their questions.

"And it was clear then that it hadn't been an accident, I had been left there to die and burn with the car and someone else was covering that up, even bringing a body to make it look like me. Someone used another girl to make everyone believe I was dead when in fact, I was still alive, lost and scared."

I try to make eye contact with some photographers, trying to make them see my resentment and how angry I am for this injustice.

"That someone knew I had to be somewhere and was looking for me, until I was found and kidnapped, once again with the intent to get me killed. This time, however, I put a fight even when I was drugged, I didn't just fell asleep as the car went down the hill. This time I fought the person who wanted me dead, saw her face and tried to stay alive," I continue, nodding faintly to Louis who gives the command so the video gets projected behind us, showing the very scene I'm talking about. "This got caught in footage and it's being spread on the Internet for everyone to see the person behind my attack, and all this someone is no other but my stepmother."

There's loud buzzing again, the reporters mumbling and talking to one another as the type, more pictures being snapped. I lift my chin, proud and confident.

"Laura tried to kill me, she was behind the false reports of my death. Police closed my case when I was still alive and this is why we are trusting you all and telling you this instead of bringing it to the police. They buried me once, I won't let it happen twice."

I take a breath and look at everyone in the room, my eyes landing on Mark for the longest.

"I'm sorry for not coming out before, but without evidence my words are just groundless accusations. Furthermore, I was recovering post drowning in the river after being pushed off the bridge while drugged, tied and beaten up. But I'm all right now, I'm healthy and it's time to bring out the truth. I'm trusting you all to do your job and not bury me a second time."

My statement is done but silence extends for five seconds before the reporters start throwing their questions.

Where was I? Who took care of me? How did I get the footage? When was this? Who is behind the first attack? Do I have evidence of that? What will happen with BEEB Group now? Am I suing Laura? Was my father's death also her doing? And more, so much more.

I can't answer them all, Louise tries to help me but the reporters curiosity is endless and the accusations are also there.

"Were you hiding because you always knew your stepmother was behind the attack?" one asks, already referring to what I did as hiding. Indeed I was doing that, but that's now how I presented it. So I have to be careful.

"I wasn't hiding, I was recovering," I pointedly state. "And the moment I started to remember I didn't know, I thought it was an accident but things started to look suspicious. Then I saw the face of the people kidnapping me and I knew for sure."

More questions in the same manner are thrown and I try to repeat over and over again I wasn't just hiding. In reality, I was protecting myself, waiting for the right moment because I was under a real threat, but that's not something I'm going to explain.

Nevertheless, it's obvious they'll write what they want, what sells better and I'll be turned into a coward. So be it, as long as Laura is exposed, I don't care how I look for the public. I can clean my image later, I need to stop Laura for now.

It's exhausting, and I have to answer questions for more than an hour, which leaves me drained, but it's necessary. By the time I step out the room I can barely stay on my feet, yet I continue walking, following Nora.

"What do we do now?" I ask, leaning on Nora once we are in the car.

"We let them do their job, and for now we go home. It's been emotionally too much for you today," Louise answers and at her words, I melt against Nora who holds me tight.

"Home, that's good," I mutter, closing my eyes.

Mark drives us to Nora's house because I can't still go to my own place for as long as Laura is there and I don't want to kick her out just yet. I'm just so tired for today, even if it's barely noon.

But I know, this is just the beginning of the storm. We have just released the bomb and now we have to deal with all the casualties and take responsibility, seeing this through, until the end. We have to deal with all the consequences and how the public handles this. Hopefully, it'll end on what we aim for, but we won't be sure until that happens. And for that moment I need energy, I need to prepare myself mentally.

We made our move so now we wait for Laura's, that's how this game goes.

❅ ❅ ❅

How long has it been? Too long, but hey, I'm still alive. I got a new job (now I teach Spanish to foreigns ehe) and I've just been so unmotivated to post my stories on Wattpad, more active on AO3. No idea why, I still can't figure out how to fix this. 

Aaaaaaanyhow, here's the update and I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting. Let's pray it doesn't happen again.

Bel, xx