The soft bed sank when Emily Quest lay on it. She casually kicked her shoes off and kicked her legs in the air gleefully. “It’s much better at home. There’s no way I could sleep on the worn-out bed in prison any longer.”
May Conner lay next to her, turned onto her side, and tugged one hand under her chin while hugging Emily with the other. “Isn’t your mother smart? I came up with the idea of getting you to fake depression so that you could be bailed out to receive treatment.”
“Exactly. If it wasn’t because of that, how could I be freed so easily? Mother, you’re the best!” Emily exclaimed as she hugged May tightly.
“You were great too. I didn’t think you could do exactly what I said. You did such a cruel thing to yourself to make it seem more realistic and to make your father feel even more sorry for you. Girl, you sure are something!” May complimented.
“How did you come up with the idea of having me fake depression with a caffeine overdose? The caffeine tablets you gave me made it seem as if I was really depressed. Even the screening devices couldn’t identify whether I was faking it or because I really was depressed,” Emily said with a look of admiration as she looked at May.
“This goes back to the time when I was much younger. Back then, I liked drinking coffee a lot. One day, I couldn’t help but drink a few extra cups. After that, I started experiencing irritability, anger, depression, and cardiac arrhythmia. I got so scared that I quickly went to the hospital, and the doctor said those symptoms were caused by excessive caffeine intake. According to the doctor, caffeine poisoning could happen to people who consumed too much caffeine, resulting in temporary depression, mania, and the likes,” May explained earnestly.
“I see…” Emily nodded slowly.
“That’s why, when I came up with the idea of getting you to fake depression to get out of prison, I thought of using caffeine tablets so that you could fool the screening devices. Hence, I bought a bottle of caffeine tablets, took two out from the bottle, and bribed a correctional officer to deliver them to you under the guise of delivering clothes. Of course, before I sent you the caffeine tablets, I did a lot of research and looked up the approximate amount needed to ensure your safety while achieving my objective at the same time. In the end, I found out two tablets were needed to do just that,” May added.
“Mother, you really are awesome. We are awesome,” Emily crossed one leg over the other and said with a beaming smile.
“Since you know that I’m awesome, you should listen to me more from now on. In the days to come, you have to keep pretending to be sick… Keep pretending until the final day of your jail sentence… That way, you will never have to go back,” May said as she gently stroked Emily’s hair. She had a scheming look in her eyes.
“I know, don’t worry,” Emily said confidently. Faking depression was something she was very good at.
“You must act especially well in front of Xyla Quest. Make sure you don’t expose yourself. That girl is very smart,” May said through gritted teeth.
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