Sylvia- An American Crime

The Basement

So far, everytime someone mentioned a time where Gerdy hurt me, I could honestly feel the pain all over again. It weakened me, and shook me to my core. I originally only stayed to get my justice, but now I'm also staying to try and catch Jenny's and my parents pain, because they were in a lot of pain.
Marie was still on the stand, and now they were talking about Paula.
"Now I think you stated Marie, that your sister Paula was jealous of Sylvia." He made a clear statement, and I looked over at Paula after he stated it. She was tense again, very tense.
"Every time she looked at her, her eyes looked like she hated her." Marie says.
"Do you know what the word jealous means?" He asks.
"Angry at someone." She said, and I wanted to speak up, but I've already been silenced.
"Can you assign a reason? Why Paula might shoot Sylvia those angry and jealous glances?" He asked again, and I felt like I already had the answer for myself. But, Marie just sighed and began to talk.
"I guess it's because Sylvia thought she was much more important than Paula was." A tear dripped down my cold, pale face. 
"Do you remember a time when you went to Bethany Baptist Church, and they little sandwiches with something to drink?" Marie nodded, and it sent my head spinning again. The most terrifying day of my existence, after the Saturday Picnic.

We were outside, in a line to grab food. It was Church food, but this was my first proper meal since staying with the Baniszewski's and I was starving. It was apparent that her kids were, as well. Going down the line, I scooped some peas and beans onto my paper plate when Jenny turned over to me.
"Look, about yesterday.." She had a tone of worry in her voice, but I cut in.
"It's fine, it's fine." Trying to be tough for her and me, I continued to put food on my plate.
"Sylvia I'm really.." I cut in again.
"It's alright, don't worry about it." I continued to explain but overall being clueless.
"Mama will be back by the end of this week." I said and smiled, trying to calm her down. As we went to our bench, the boy named Eric from the library called me over to sit and eat with his friends so I agreed and was about to go when I ran into Ricky.
"Sylvia!" He yells.
"Just one second." I smiled and said to him and his friends.
"No problem." He smiled and ran over back to them, before Ricky walked right up to me.
"Ricky, remember what I said the other day about Paula?" He glanced around.
"Did you say something?" I asked because I was so curious as to how the rumors got worse. Because, I certainly didn't say anything else.
"No." He shook his head.
"Because, people are talking so Stephanie and Paula are kinda blaming me." I explained.
"No, I wouldn't do something like that." Ricky said, but I glanced over at the cute boy and thought I should just go now.
"I better go." I said, and walked back over to his friends.
When I got there, he helped me lay down a blanket to sit and eat on. I sat, we all talked, and before we could continue, the guy from the alleyway that was six years older than Paula came up to me and kneeled down.
"I've got some advice for you." He says.
"I wouldn't come between Gerdy and her kids, she won't like it much, alright?" Then he winked, tapped my shoulder and walked away. I sat there, confused and uncomfortable of how to react. What did he mean? I thought. But then, Eric sent my head spinning again.
"A bunch of us are gonna cruise down the circle, you wanna come with?" He kneeled and asked.
"Sure I should.. Probably ask Gerdy first." Then I giggled nervously.
"You sure?" He raises his eyebrows.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Then he winked, and I happily stood up and helped him load the Picnic blanket into his truck.

While I was out with Eric, I felt so nervous of how much trouble I was gonna get into with Gerdy so I asked if he could drive me home, which he did immediately. But once we pulled up to the house, my heart was racing a million miles per hour, I honestly really didn't want to go back. 
"You sure you can't come to the Drive Inn with us?" He asks after pulling into the driveway.
"No, I'm late as it is.." My voice was shaking.
"Let's go!" A guy from the backseat shouts, so I hoped quickly out of the car and saw Paula standing there with Shirley and them.
"Well, I guess I'll see you next Sunday then." He says, but all I could do was stare up at the house and Paula before walking in without saying anything.
"Shut that door." Gertrude said after I came in, and she was smoking another cigarette by the railing of the stairs.
"I thought, I taught you a lesson." She says after I shut the door, and she exhales her cigarette smoke into my face.
"I don't understand." I shook my head impulsively.
"Apparently! You've been telling more lies about my daughter." She said.
"I haven't told any lies." I desperately shook my head now.
"And then you flirted with Andy.." I was so disgusted that I looked away, because it must've been that guys name, the one that warned me.
"I saw you!" She shouts.
"It doesn't matter what you want! You just.. You just go and take it!" She cries.
"Gerdy, we were just talking.. That's all!" I begged, but she looked away and at Johnny.
"Who's in charge here?" She asks him.
"You are Mama." He says.
"That's right baby." She whispered. Then Gerdy walked me over to where Jenny was sitting, and started to talk about something that I'd only shared with Paula.
"Paula told me about all those boys in California." She said.
"Ricky, did Sylvia tell you all about those boys in California?" She asks him, as he shook his head.
"Well if you won't listen to me, maybe I can get through to your sister.." I looked up at her, begging to never lay a finger on Jenny.
"Keep her from making your mistakes!" She yelled in my ear.
"Jenny, do you wanna be like your sister?" She asks her, and Jenny also starts to cry.
"No ma'am." She shakes and lowers her head as she cries.
"That's a good girl." Gerdy smiles at her as Jenny continues to cry softly.

Back in the courtroom, I am crying while looking at Jenny who is crying now. I knew what was about to happen and was already feeling it, all over again. Because now, the neighborhood girl Patty has taken the stand.
"Then what did Mrs. Baniszewski do?" He asks.
"She handed her the bottle, and told her to pull up her skirt." Her voice was quiet, shaky.
"And then?" He asked.
"And then, she said to put it up her." I am uncontrollably crying at this point, so much fear.
"Did Sylvia say anything when Mrs. Baniszewski asked her to do this?" I am hyperventilating, and start repeating what I did say.
"I can't." I cried.
"And she said, come on you can do better than that." Patty says.
"And what did Sylvia do?" Bill asked.
"What Gerdy told her to." She says.

There I am, feeling it, I'm there. Stephanie and Coy walk in, and I'm screaming in pain with a glass coca-cola bottle up my vagina. 
"What the hell is going on!?" I heard Stephanie yell, and the bottle fell out and smashed onto the floor and I fell backwards onto the couch still screaming from all the pain.
"Somebody clean up that mess!" Gerdy shouts out loud to anyone who would hear.
"Sylvia get upstairs! Coy get her up there!" She cries, and he grabs me by my arm and drags me towards the staircase. 
"Wait!" I was screaming as he dragged me by my arms, but stopped when Gerdy yelled at Coy again when he stopped.
"I will not have her in the same room with my daughters! Take her to the basement!" She said, and those same feelings of panic came back all over again.
"Please! I'm sorry!" I began to scream at the top of my lungs.
"I'm sorry Gerdy! Gerdy I'm sorry!" Then I got closer to the basement, and just screamed even louder. The door opened, and as I looked down into the darkness, my fate would have it. I kicked and screamed trying to get away.
"She won't go down!" Coy shouted.
"I don't care just push her!" Johnny said, and Coy let go, tossing me down I did one last scream. I felt only the last few steps on the way down, but I fell straight on my back hitting my head. I can still feel the subtle rush of blood going to my head, as I must've cut it open on the cement floor. My knees feel bruised, and my buttocks was so sore. I layed there, tried to get up, but it was too painful. I had an instant migraine from it all. The only thing I could do was move my neck, and when I did, I turned over to see a horsey rocking chair that looked a lot like the merry-go-round horse. All I wanted to do was be there, so I thought hard enough to a very fun day with Jenny on that horse. I could hear the sounds of children screaming and laughing, and the carnival sounds eased the pain in my head.
"Sylvia." Jenny said on the merry-go-round.
"Sylvia." Jenny was rubbing my head, and it woke me up.
"I'm sorry Sylvia, I'm so scared." She whispered.
"I've tried talking with Gerdy, but.." Then there's a pause.
"She said you can have your bible." She put the bible next to me.
"Jenny." Marie was at the top of the stairs looking down at us.
"Mama wants you upstairs." Jenny looks up at her.
"Family meeting." Marie said.
"I'll do it when I can." She whispers to herself.
"She said now." Marie obviously heard her. Jenny gave in, and actually went upstairs for the family meeting. I hoped and prayed Jenny wouldn't end up down here, like me. But I layed there, praying for God to get me out by the end of this week like I told Jenny at the Picnic. Wow, am I ever happy to not be down there anymore.