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?Who are you?? Helen asked, her voice crackling. She jerked her
mouth away from the suspicious glass of liquid and felt her arms
strain against bonds. She was tied to a bed. Still unbearably weak
from whatever drug she had been given, Helen knew it would be a
while before she was strong enough to break free. She looked
around frantically. She was in a hotel room that was lit by candles.
It was still night, and she could hear wind and rain battering the
window behind the closed curtain.
?Look at me, Helen! Who do you think I am?? the woman asked
so forcefully it momentarily stopped Helen from panicking. ?Here,
I know you?ll need proof. I would.?
The woman took out an envelope full of pictures. They were pictures
of herself, when she was in her late teens. In one picture she
was holding a tiny baby. In another she was sitting and talking to a
young Mrs. Aoki while two baby girls, one blonde, one blackhaired,
played together on the floor. In yet another she was kissing
Jerry over her swollen, pregnant belly.
?Beth,? Helen whispered, her eyes darting over the pictures that
she had spent a hefty portion of her childhood searching for.
?My real name is Daphne. Daphne Atreus. I guess it would be too
much to ask for you to call me ?Mom?, huh?? Daphne said with a
wry smile.
Helen gestured to her bound wrists. ?You guessed right,? she
replied, starting to get angry. ?You want to tell me why you
knocked me out and tied me up??
?Because we are out of time, and if I were you I would hate me so
much I wouldn?t even give me a second to explain,? Daphne replied
with a loving look on her face. ?Unless I had been knocked out and
tied down first.?