Riverdale: What no one saw coming...

Chapter Forty-Nine

"It was the power. I think that's what pulled me back..." Toni Topaz, Betty Coopers estrange half sister , sat beside her- understandably an emotional wreck. Darks bags had formed under her eyes, not from lack of sleep but from the running trail her jet black mascara had left, misplaced from her tear. Her body was slumped back against the old oak tree, the wind had blown her perfectly curled waves into a curly mess. But Betty wasn't much better herself, so wasn't one to judge.

"I threw away a possibly perfect life, a fresh start.." The fresh swig of red, bringing out her confidence.

"Trust me no life is perfect..." Betty assured her , placing a warm hand on her bony back.  She smiled in return.

"I snook into the hospital, told them I was an off duty doctor from another town over and while there were checking my authenticity , I walked into the room, looked her right in the eyes and set the life support to a twenty four hours delay. That way it gave me chance to get out of Riverdale, change my name and number all before she even died. It was when I reached the woods, just before the "welcome to Riverdale" sign that it hit, I never actually found my parents. The sole purpose of my adventurous escapade to Riverdale. So I stayed, on the Southside of course. But I still followed you and Jughead, I wanted to make sure my past never caught up with me, I couldn't let either of you discover that it was me who killed Penelope." She continued.

"I followed you both to the Sheriffs office that night, it was then I found out that one of the files recovered from the memory stick that F.P kept as insurance against your Dad, maybe to hold against our mother if she ever wanted to find out. To this day I will never know why he blacked out my name, but I recognised the print, the hospital, the weight. It was my birth certificate, except with Alice Cooper listed as my mother. I panicked, I thought they were onto me. I took everything, from the countless interview to the unknowing, nosey town folk to the key piece of evidence. Including finger prints, at least that part was a good idea for a cover up." 

Betty pulled her knees closer to her chest, tightening her grip. She was always so close, quite physically a breath away at times. Yet it some how took sixteen years for them to meet.

"I thought they had found information on me for another crime..." Betty was gob smacked... she didn't think the sweet , innocent girl affront of her could be capable of any crime, let alone multiple.

" A couple weeks prior , I made a few connections and found out where our Mom was and who I thought was my Dad. I found him first, lurking around an old, washed out bar at the edge of town. I introduced myself, but didn't tell him who I was yet, I didn't want to give him the chance to turn me away before he got the chance to know me. I think he mistook my kindness for something else entirely. He offered to take me back to a motel around the corner. I had to tell him then, I remember crying out that I.... I was his daughter, why..why would he do that to our mother?" Toni could only choke out the final statements between sobs, Betty felt the tears well as she understood what Toni was about to confess to.

"I told him I was going to tell his wife, my mom. He freaked out and came at me. I panicked ! It was an act of self defence." She trembled, her body began to shake.

Betty didn't want to believe it. She kept herself in a inescapable state of denial , but had to ask.

"Wha.. what did you do?" Betty asked, voice shaky. Her Dad may of been a bad man in some respects, but he didn't deserve what he got.

"I killed him , okay? I didn't mean to.. I mean at the time I still believed he was my Dad. It was self defence ! He came at me.. I don't know of he would have hurt me or not but . but I pushed him back and he fell. He cracked his head on the hard cobble stone pavement. I.. I saw the blood trickle from his head.. I knew from the South side what it meant to get involved with the law... I was scared so I ran. I didn't check if he was ..."