The Mysterious Girl

Raven

Chris broke me with questions till I screamed out what had happened to me.

“What?” he asked after what seemed like an eternity. He was at a loss of words.

“You heard it right Chris. I have been sexually assaulted,” I say now tears rolling down my cheek at a faster pace. I remembered everything correctly. I sat down and Chris sat down next to me.

“It happened about a few years ago, back home in Chicago. I was a senior in my high school. I was happy, I had friends but my two best friends were Lacy Moore and Ella Green and I got good grades. My parents were happy with me.

It was our prom and a guy Jesse Martin, the school’s most popular guy asked me to be his date but I rejected him in front of our whole school. He had prepared a band and everything so he was embarrassed when I turned him down. He asked me why and I told him that he was a jock and that he looked disgusting. He walked away angrily as everybody laughed at him. He was messing with one of the girls of my school so I went up to him and slapped him right across the face for misbehaving with her and again I drew a lot of attention and he was so angry at me.

Jack Richardson, a guy in my grade asked me out for prom and I went with him. On the day after my prom, I woke up to be chained to the wall. My hands and leg, each had different chains, preventing me from doing anything. I didn’t know where I was or how I ended up there. But I remembered one thing. I felt dizzy just after Jack had given me a drink and I had ended up here. I heard few guys come in and I see Jesse, Jack and Jared Harris laughing at me,” I pause because I had to take a break before I continued.

“He said that this was what I deserved for rejecting him and making him look bad in front of our whole school. He took out a cane and lashed at me. He kept doing that till I almost passed out from the pain. He boasted how I fell for his plan of Jack taking me out to prom and how foolish I was.

His two friends walked out of the room and Jesse came close to me and tore my dress apart. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t stop him. He stripped me till I was naked and raped me. My hands and legs were chained so I couldn’t do anything. After he was done, he threw some clothes at me and went out. I fell down crying and what seemed like 30 minutes later, Jack did it all over again.

They held me as a hostage, providing me with limited food, water and some clothes. My chains allowed me only to use the restroom and nothing else. I had given up hope. No one came to save me. They used to beat me up with belts, burn my hands with cigarettes and even hit me with nothing but their hands and legs.

They held me there for more than a year, actually 17 months and once I felt so nauseous that I was throwing up most of the time. This happened for a few months and I started gaining weight, which was surprising. With the amount of food they gave, I would have died but not gain weight.

I was tired all the time and I had weird cravings. The nauseous feeling didn’t stop. A bump started growing and that was when I knew I was pregnant with one of their child. They noticed it too and brought 10 packets of pregnancy tests and all of it came positive. We all were shocked because they used protection and made me take birth control pills which usually made my emotions go crazy and got me depressed.

They didn’t know what to do, neither did I. They didn’t touch me for two months but kept providing me with food and water. They at least had the courtesy to get me tested and it was positive, I was 4 months in and by the time they decided to let me go, I was almost 5 months in and they couldn’t remove the child from me, so they let me go. But warned me against telling people what had happened.

I started walking home, with my baby dump clearly visible since I was 5 months pregnant. I entered my home and my mom, dad and my older sister, Sofia all of them looked shocked but no one was pleased except Sofia. She came and hugged me but mom pulled her away and looked at me disgusted.

She said that she knew I ran away with my older boyfriend to live with him. She said that they found my letter, which I supposedly posted to them from Arizona. She assumed that I am back because I was pregnant with his child and he broke up with me because of it. I had been only 18 at the time but by the time I had gone back home, I was 20.

I tried telling them what actually happened but they never listened to me. They asked me to go to my room, pack up ALL my things. I did as I was told and I came down with my luggage. My mom said that I could stay the night but I was leaving, first thing in the morning. Dad wrote me a check for $25, 000 and gave me a ticket to California, to the college I was accepted into with 50% scholarship and said that I would be never coming back home.

The whole night I couldn’t sleep. My own parents were doing this to me. Sofia came into my room and said that she believed me but couldn’t do anything to help me because my parents banned her from even talking to me. She gave me an additional $10, 000 she was saving up for upgrading her room.

My parents didn’t even bother to ask me about my child. They didn’t even give me a goodbye. Sofia gave me a ride to the airport and I never went back home. I came here, found a place to live. Found jobs to work at and also found parents who wanted to raise my child.

I told them my story and they said that it didn’t matter. They were there for throughout my remaining pregnancy time, paid me and took care of me. I had a beautiful daughter, and we decided to call her Hailey and they took her home. They allowed me to visit my daughter whenever I wanted and I was grateful.

Mrs. Smith advised me to go see a therapist and she even paid for my medicines when I couldn’t afford it. My panic attacks, depression and anxiety were under control then.

That is why I never talk to anyone or even trust anyone because you can never know how they turn if things change,” I end my story as I could barely talk. I was in so much in pain and anger and everything came back to me like it happened yesterday.

“So the daughter of Mrs. And Mr. Grey, Hailey is your daughter?” he asked after a long time and I looked at him. He was in tears too.

“Hailey Rex Grey,” I say telling my daughter’s full name. They gave her my last name because they wanted me to be a part of my daughter’s life too. They were very generous and kind to me.

“Jesse and Jack never showed me mercy. They were always so aggressive and violent but Jared was better. He always asked them to stop it and let me go but they never listened to him. At the beginning he was harsh but he had a change of heart later on. He was nicer than them,” I say and he looks up at me.

“I fell for him and I think he fell for me too because he would come over and talk to me when no one else did and we had a real connection, so one night I gave him my consent and that was the only time he ever laid his hands on me. He was very respectful but after what happened, I had to move away from everyone and he couldn’t be involved with someone like me so we never spoke,” I say confessing about my past relationship to Chris.

“I am so sorry Raven,” he said and I slowly nod. I have started to feel a little but comfortable with Chris even though he annoys me because he feels like a genuine guy.

“I am sorry for treating you like this,” I say and he smiles.

“Did you file a complaint?” he asked and I nod.

“I did but since their parents are rich, they got away with it and I do not have any money, patience or power to file another one,” I say and he thinks.

“Raven, can we be friends?” he asked and looked at him, confused.

“Chris, it was nice that you wanted to listen to what happened to me but you do not want to get involved with me. People will start talking shit about you too,” I say and he shakes his head.

“I don’t care Raven. Will you let me be your friend?” he asked again and he sounded so genuine so I nod.

“Chris, I have to go. My shift at waitressing is starting in about 30 minutes. Thank you for listening and also please do not tell anyone,” I say and he nods.

“I promise Raven, your secret is safe with me. See you later in college,” he called out as I drove away in my bike.

I was overwhelmed with all the feelings I was feeling right now but I was glad that I could say this to someone because it was around this time of the year I was taken away and held as a hostage.

Hopefully, I can move on with my life happily.