Hollow Grace

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ sᴇᴠᴇɴ - ᴇxᴘʟɪᴄɪᴛ

Warning! This text contains detailed mentions of sexualized violence. Read with caution.

The author is not familiar with the procedure for filing criminal offenses of this nature in Oregon and in the United States in general. The presentation and description of this process in the text is superficial and may differ from reality.

November 4th

"The interrogation can be stopped at any point," Eric stated. "Just let us know if you feel like you can't go on."

Evan hugged himself, his arms wrapped tightly around his torso. Even though the chair was soft and the room temperature was comfortable, being there felt incredibly uneasy. Dr. Andrews had forbidden his patient from leaving the hospital grounds, citing a head injury and an unstable mental state. The interrogation was supposed to take place within the hospital, but that didn't make it any easier. On the contrary, the walls of the room seemed to press in more intensely under the gaze of three pairs of eyes. And among them weren't the very ones Evan longed to see most right now. Charlie and the other friends weren't allowed in, and Raine and Nova couldn't be present as they weren't yet his official guardians.

In Oregon, crimes of this nature were taken very seriously, despite their rather behind-the-times county being far from the progressive world. Both sides underwent thorough scrutiny: the perpetrator and the victim. That's why a forensic psychologist had come for the interrogation, to set the tone of the conversation. With her were the sheriff and the doctor, just in case any medical help was needed. Dr. Andrews didn't plan to listen in, so as not to make Evan uncomfortable. He settled into a spot in the corner of the room and simply stayed put. The psychologist, who introduced herself as Rebecca Osborne, sat opposite the boy. Eric pulled up a chair between them to be closer to Evan.

"Shall we begin?"

"Yes," Evan nodded. "Let's get started."

"Alright," Rebecca said, glancing at one of the documents in front of her. "We need to piece together all the details of the event to confirm the suspect's guilt. First off... Mr. Holden. Could you tell us what happened, in your own words?"

"I've already said it. My stepmother, Gloria Holden, raped me. It happened on the third... or fourth of April, twenty twenty-one. I can't remember the exact day, and to be honest, that whole week was a blur for a long time," Evan said calmly. After the sedative the doctor had prescribed, dealing with his emotions had become a little more manageable.

"You can't recall the exact date?"

"I remember my dad wasn't home. He was working a night shift back then, and if we still have the calendar at home where he and Gloria marked their workdays, then I'll be able to tell you for sure. I can't bring it to mind right now."

"It's okay, Evan," Eric reassured him. "Just keep going."

"Try to give us as many details as you can. There's no need to rush."

"It was a normal evening. Dad wasn't home, and Gloria insisted we have dinner together at the table. Usually, I cook for myself, but I was really tired that day, so I agreed. She was more caring than usual. We ate, and then I went to my room. I sat down to do my homework, but after a couple of minutes, I started feeling really unwell and couldn't concentrate."

"Could you describe how you felt in more detail?"

"My body felt really heavy, but at the same time, my muscles had lost all their firmness... they felt like jelly. Everything was spinning in front of my eyes, I couldn't think straight... I felt really detached from everything that was happening..."

"Most likely, there was some kind of benzodiazepine in the food or drink," Dr. Andrews interjected. "A sadly common method."

His fingers instinctively tightened around the edges of his sweater, his fingernails digging into the gaps between the threads. That wretched lump rose in his throat, that familiar constriction stealing his breath, but Evan bravely continued his story after a couple of deep breaths. He mentally thanked himself for agreeing to prepare for the interview beforehand with Raine and Nova, so he knew exactly what to say. The panic was much less intense than before.