"Please speak clearly into the microphone. State your name and age and we can begin."
"Jean, Jean Blue. I'm 17, I'll be 18 next month."
"Your full name, Jean." He sounded a little irritated, but I know it was all for show.
"Jean Megan Blue."
"Okay, where are your parents Jean?"
"They are gone. I live on my own," I said this always with a little shake in my voice.
"Have you been home since the incident?" Agent Ajax Ryan Eller, so professional in front of his colleagues.
"No Mr. Eller, I haven't been there in about a week." The first time he asked me these questions I was scared out of my mind. I've been asked the same questions, in the same way, for two days straight and already all my answers come out the exact same. Mr. Eller asks these questions in the same order too.
Age.
Parents.
Have you been there.
Next he'll ask,
"Can you tell me about the incident."
I've rehearsed this ever since I walked away from my apartment that night.
"They came in through the window in the living room. Rummaged around until they heard me in my room. I uh, I tipped over the lamp while reaching for my cell phone. You never realize how loud something is until you want to be quite." I'd always laugh a little when I told this part. It never was funny to anyone but me. I cleared my throat, "Anyway. When they heard that they rushed in with their guns out. One held his finger to his lips as for me to be quite. I did so, but I reached for the knife under my pillow and threw it at him. It hit him hard in the left shoulder. He switched the gun into just his right hand and he held it how gang members do in movies. He did a little flick motion and his buddy jumped at me. His buddy had been moving towards me while I was distracted with the guy who got the knife in his arm, and at his command the other one jumped on me held me down to my bed. Here, look he left these bruises." I held out my arms to show the deep purple and green marks.
"What happened next Jean?" Ajax had no sympathy durning these sessions.
"Next he was hissing my ear 'Your daddy left us empty handed, didn't he. He use to let us come in and 'play' with your mother. Oh and she was so fine. A little piece of heaven right here for us 'less unfortunate'.' From across the room the other was taking the knife out of his shoulder and he came over wiped it across my shirt."
"Did he say anything to you?"
"Yes," I said, "he told me that my stepdad let them come in twice a week and rape her." That wasn't exactly how he put it but it's what he was meaning." He said how him and 'Mason' were upset when found out mommy had offed herself, and that before they shot 'my little daddy' he said they could take his step daughter. 'He said how you looked just like his wife did, so pretty and white.' The other started to kiss my neck. He said how much they loved the white chocolate. 'Always so much sweeter' he spoke up and went on about how every week until I got old or ugly, they would come in and treat me like my mother. If I resisted they would kill me, and frame someone I love for it. If I tried to run or told anyone what was happening, they said they would find me, make my death look like an other teen suicide." I wiped a tear from my cheek. I knew I was safe here, with Ajax, but still, as I spoke I could hear their voices in my head, could feel their hands pressed against my arms.
"After that they left?"
"Yes, Sir." I was pulled from my thoughts.
"Can you describe them a little more?"
"They were two huge black males. The one holding my arms had tattoos all the way up his right arm. There may have been more on his left but I only saw his right arm."
"What about the other?" Ajax must be so bored during these things. I mean think about it, he's heard this story many times, even more then the record shows because at night I sit up and talk myself through it. Not to mention that I told him at least two times before the official questioning started. "Any tattoos or distinctive features on him?"
"It was too dark to tell, Sir."
"That's alright. Maybe something will come to you later." I remembered that this is towards the end of the interrogation and I started to get antsy. "Now we're getting to the end so why don't you tell me what happened after they left?"
"Well I waited an hour and then I started to pack. I packed a few clothes, some canned food, toiletries like toothpaste and toothbrush, hair brush, those little travel size bottles of soap. I just packed anything I thought I could need."
"Need for what?" When Ajax first asked me to tell this story, like even before it became official with all the tapes and stuff, when I was just at his house, he couldn't understand why I didn't just leave.
"Things I would need to keep my life somewhat normal while I started over. While I hid long enough to be safe."
"I see, was there anything else you packed?"
"Yes I grabbed a knife, but a different one then the one I hit him with, I left my bedroom and anything else they messed with as alone as I could. I even packed everything in the dark in case they still were watching."
"So you ran because you knew they would come back for you twice a week?"
I nodded, "and I was on my own for about a week. I went through the city to get to the woods, I figured that would be the easiest way to lose them for good. I was out of food and couldn't find water, I was getting really scared that I was gonna die out there, that I just started screaming for help."
"And that's when I found you?" A little of his soft side showed.
"Yes. I think that's all I have to say."
"Ok. So what I'm going to do now is, I'm just going to recap what you said and you tell me if anything doesn't sound right." Again I nodded. "Ok so you heard noises from your living room when you knocked over the lamp and they came in. They had guns drawn and motioned for you to be silent. This is when you hit the first guy in the shoulder with your knife. The second man jumped on top of you and restrained you leaving bruises. After this they took turns laying down threats implying that they raped your mother on a regular basis because of a deal made by your step father, and that they would do the same to you. If you resisted they would kill you and if you tried to get help or run away they would kill you but make it appear as a suicide. After they threatened you, they left, did they tell you when they would be back?"
"Yes, they said on Tuesday."
"I see," he made a note on the sheet he always had durning these things, "so after you waited an hour you began to pack. You packed various essential things for starting over. Then you went through the city and into the national park. You were wandering around about a week, running low on food and having no water, you started to call for help. This is when I found you."
"Yes."
"Everything sound alright?" He asked with a small smile.
"Yes."
"Very good! Everything that happened after that is documented in the records already. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Just one, or actually maybe two."
"Go ahead." He looked a little nervous, I never had questions, we hadn't talked about me asking questions before.
"How many more times do I have to go through this?"
Agent Ajax, laughed a little, "This is the last time. And your second question?"
"What happens now?"
