"Raped?" his voice was quiet, rougher.
"You don't believe me do you---" I say.
I can't cry here. I had to calm down.
"You swear that you're telling the truth?"
"I knew you wouldn't believe me!" I got up from the stump and headed towards the forest clearing. I didn't need this.
Before I could walk further, Piers grabbed onto my elbow, urging me to face him.
A stream of tears started flowing down my face, "I should have known I couldn't trust you!" I shouted.
"Hey," His voice whipped out, low and harsh, "I didn't say I didn't believe you, Mais."
Sure seemed like it when he questioned whether I was being truthful.
"I'm going to make him stop, okay?" He assured me. "He can't hurt you now."
I patted my tear stained cheeks dry and tried to blink the newly formed tears away. "How on earth will you do that?"
"We'll keep trying till he is locked up." He said. "You can't just stop trying because it's not working."
"So like the Little Engine That Could."
Piers nodded. "Gotta keep trying till it works out."
"Nothing is going to change," I sighed. "He's going to win just like he always does."
"At some point, all the bad guys get caught."
"I don't have time to wait it out, Piers." I huffed. "If I have to go back it will just happen again. I tried to fight him but I couldn't stop it from happening."
"Then we gotta sort this out now. You'll have to tell me everything."
I nodded. I'd do anything to make this pain go away. To make Sterling just go away.
**
Piers took the rest of the day off so he could help me devise a plan. It wasn't going to be easy but it was nice to know that I had his support. He was the first person who offered help. Help I so desperately needed.
I sat on the couch and watched him as he flipped through a thick book.
"The DA will need evidence for any charges to stick. We'll need proof to keep him locked away for a long time," Piers said as he sat down at the table. He pulled out a piece of paper and pencil to take notes.
"I don't have any.. I was eight when it started. How was I suppose to know about needing evidence back then?" At 8 I didn't understand what he was doing or that it was even wrong.
"I can't present the DA with just your statement alone." He explained. "They won't even look at your case if all they see is your words verses his. They'll ask for more evidence to prove it even happened."
"I I don't have anything," I said in a shaky voice.
"I wish you would have let me take you to the hospital soon as it happened. We could have got everything we needed." He muttered and threw up his hands in frustration.
I should have covered my basis right when it happened. Took my own evidence so if I had to prove what happened later on I'd have everything I needed. Now we're at a dead end. I've washed away any evidence we could have used days ago.
I'd do everything differently.
"I know you dont want to go home. I'm trying I just," he sighed, "dont have much to work with here." Piers joined me on the couch, sitting with one arm over the back of the couch and the other resting on his knee. "The only thing I can think of is catching him in the act. Then we'd have solid evidence against him."
