Perfect Insanity

I wish today was here and gone that way I wouldn’t be so nervous about this trial. What if the jury doesn’t see that I am the victim and let him go free? There are a lot of questions running through my mind as I lay here in bed. I know I should be sleeping but I just can’t. Ever since he came for me that day at the beach, my nightmares have gotten worse and it prevents me from sleeping. It’s like every time I close my eyes his face pops up with that sadistic smile he always has on that twisted face.

I tossed the covers off of me and looked at my phone. Damn, 4 in the morning. I got up and went over to the bathroom flicking the light on and splashing some cold water on my face.

Can’t sleep huh?

I looked back into the mirror and Damien was there and he was sitting on the edge of the tub with his arms crossed over his chest.

“No, I guess it’s from the anxiety of this trial. I wish it was already over and then maybe I could get some sleep.” I whispered as I dried off my face.

Are the nightmares coming back?

“Yeah…and I wish they would leave me alone for good.” I said running a hand through my hair.

You know that won’t happen unless you tell someone about them.

“You know I can’t do that.” I said shaking my head.

You can but you choose not to.

“I can tell them about it anytime I want.” I said getting annoyed.

Keep telling yourself that Rayven…but I know the truth. You’re scared to let anyone in because you’re afraid of being judged.

“No I’m not Damien. Don’t tell me how I feel.” I said turning my back. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked back to the mirror.

I can tell you exactly how you feel because I am you. You can say all you want that I’m not but I am. I will always be here. I always was there with you.

“Then why didn’t you take control and stop that monster from doing what he did to me?” I said almost having the urge to yell.

If I did and he over powered you would be dead. I would be dead.

“I didn’t need you then and I sure as hell don’t need you right now so please just leave.” I said and I pushed the wall back up where Damien had been and I watched him leave the reflection in the mirror. I left the bathroom and flicked off the light. I opened my door and quietly went downstairs and sat down in the kitchen. I looked over at the microwave and I had 3 hours before I really had to wake up. I rubbed over my forehead and set it gently down on the table.

I could feel the exhaustion pulling me over to sleep and I tried to fight it but couldn’t. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

----------------------------------Brian’s POV---------------------------------------

My alarmed blared throughout my bedroom and seen it was 6:30. I pulled myself up and out of bed and grabbed some nice clothes to change into after I shower. I went into the bathroom and turned on the water and combed out the rat’s nest in my hair before stepping into the hot shower. The water rolled down my back waking me up and making my muscles feel so much better. I finished my shower and stepped out and dried off before leaving my entire room and heading downstairs. I could hear soft snores as I got to the bottom of the stairs. I went into the kitchen and seen Rayven with her head laid down and her eyes closed. I wonder when she came down here and fell asleep. I shook her gently and she swatted my hand away,

“Just 5 more minutes please.”

“Honey you got to wake up please.” I said smiling as she opened her eyes.

“Dad what are you doing in my room?”

“Honey you’re in the kitchen. How did you get in here?” I asked laughing slightly.

“I came down here because I couldn’t sleep and I guess I kind of fell asleep.”

“It’s alright baby girl. I was going to wake you up in an hour anyways. Why don’t you go up to your room and take a good long shower and I’ll have some breakfast waiting on you?” I said and she nodded before leaving the room. I heard her footsteps go up the stairs and he door shut quietly. I hope to God that this son of a bitch is put away for a very long time.

-----------------------------------Rayven’s POV-------------------------------------

I finished with my shower and dressed into the only pair of good clothes that I had. It wasn’t a dress or anything but a good pair of jeans and a nice shirt. I put on my converse and headed downstairs where I was greeted by a wave of delicious food. I went into the kitchen and dad had a plate sitting out with food and I snuck up behind him and grabbed it and sat down behind him at the bar.

“Rayven the guys are going to meet us at the courthouse.”

“They’re coming?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah…do you not want them too?”

“No I do want them to come but I don’t want them treating me like a mental case. If you know what I mean.” I said eating.

“What do you mean exactly?”

“What I mean is that I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.” I explained as I ate some of my toast.

“I’ll explain it to the guys. I’ll let them know not to be overprotective or anything.”

“Thanks dad.” I said smiling as he sat down and ate as well. He finished eating before me and started working on the dishes and when I finished I helped him put them away. We soon headed our way back to the courthouse and my nerves were getting the best of me. Dad parked beside Jimmy’s SUV and they all piled out and went with us into the building. We met up with our lawyer and waited for the officer to call us in.

“Are you ready for this Rayven?”

“I guess I have to be.” I said rubbing my hands together. I guess I do that when I’m nervous.

“Just remember all you have to do is answer each question honestly.”

“Okay.” I said nodding as the courtroom door opened and an officer let us in. I followed my lawyer up to the desk as my dad and the guys sat behind us. I looked over at the door and again Bill’s lawyer came in and sat down getting his papers in order and then Bill walked in with handcuffs on and in shackles. He sat down beside his lawyer and as his lawyer talked he was staring at me with a burning hate. I turned my head away from him and a bailiff came into the courtroom.

“All rise, the honorable Judge Semble now presiding.” We stood to our feet as the judge came into the room and sat down.

“You all may be seated. This court is here to see if the defendant Bill Aumor should be indicted on the charges of 2 counts of Murder in the 2nd degree, torture, rape of a minor, and abuse of a child. We’ll start with opening arguments. Mr. Reynolds please start us off.” The judge said and Bill’s lawyer stood to his feet and started speaking.

I zoned out as he opened his mouth because he was saying some of the stupidest bullshit I’ve ever heard in my entire life. He finished talking to the jury and he sat down and Carl stood to his feet. I watched as he slowly walked around the desk and over to the jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are all gathered here today to fix a problem. A murderer is on our streets and he has victimized 2 people. 2 very innocent people. One a mother and the other a child. I’m here today to show evidence that Mr. Aumor is the man who killed Rayven’s mother and did all those horrible things to this sweet young girl. I hope you can find it in your hearts to do what is right in this situation. Thank you.” Carl said and he sat down in his seat.

“Mr. Reynolds, please call your first witness.”

“I call Mr. Haner to the stand.” Reynolds said and I watched the man go up to the stand and was sworn in. He took his seat and the lawyer went up to him.

“Mr. Haner, what were you doing on the night the plaintiff was dropped at your house?”

“I was with my wife in our home watching a movie.” The man said watching the lawyer.

“Now in the report you gave to police you heard a crashing sound and when you got up to investigate you seen a brick lying on the floor. Is that correct?”

“Yes.” He said nodding.

“Did you see who threw it?”

“No I didn’t.” he said shaking his head.

“No further questions.” The man went and sat down behind his desk. Carl got up and approached the older gentleman.

“Mr. Haner, you said you heard the brick crash through the window, did you hear anything else?”

“I heard tires screeching.” He said.

“When did you discover Rayven out on your front lawn?”

“When the brick was thrown through the window there was a note attached to it.” He said and Carl grabbed something from his briefcase.

“Is this the letter?”

“Yes sir.” He said and Carl took the paper from the plastic bag and handed it to the man.

“Will you please read what it says?”

“It says, ‘A very special delivery is waiting for you. Courtesy of Jaydee Claye.’ He said reading the paper.

“Do you know a Jaydee Claye?”

“Yes sir I did. She was my son’s girlfriend at the time and she is the mother of Rayven.” Mr. Haner said as he handed the paper back to Carl.

“In what state did you find Rayven?”

“She was battered and bloody. She had papers stapled to her chest and a picture of her mother stapled…to her cheek.” He said and rubbed my tongue on the inside of my mouth and I could feel the round scar.

“What did you do then?”

“I held her in my arms while my wife called the police.” He said with the look of anger on his face. I wanted to get up there and hug him and tell him I’m alright now but I couldn’t. Maybe I can when this is all over.

“Thank you. I have no further questions.”

“You may step down Mr. Haner.” The judge said and he got up and went over and sat behind me.

“You can call your witness Mr. Stanton.”

“I call Miss Rayven Claye to the stand.” He said and I stood to my feet and went over to where the man had sat and placed my hand on a book.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?”

“I do.” I said as I sat down. Carl came over to me and smiled at me.

“How are you doing today Rayven?”

“I’m just fine.” I said smiling.

“Can you start at the beginning and tell the court everything that happened to you?” I nodded and took a deep breath before starting.

“When I was 3, mom my left with me and headed to Missouri where she was dating a man I didn’t know. When I was 10 she married the man. Not long after they were married he started hitting her and I tried to stop it but he turned his anger to me and started beating me.” I said remembering that day.

“What do you mean by beating?”

“He punched me hard several times.” I said looking down.

“Please continue Rayven.”

“When he would hit me I would yell for my real dad and it would make him angrier and he would hit me harder. When I turned 13, his beatings turned to...him raping me. As the days turned into months and then years, I wished for death to come to me. I couldn’t take it anymore. When I turned 15, neither the rape nor the beatings stopped. They got more sadistic. He started torturing me.” I explained as I fought back tears.

“Where did he do the torture?”

“In the basement of my home. He would always keep it dark so I couldn’t see where he was.” I said as I flashed back to that day.

“Please describe the torture to the court.”

“When he would drag me down to the basement by the hair, he would slam me up against the wall and cuff my hands and feet the wall and shut the light off and leave me there without food or water for days. Then when he came back, he would make me eat to the point where I would throw up. If I did throw up, he would punch me hard in the gut and yell at me for doing it. Then…” I stopped and took a deep breath to keep the tears back but it didn’t work, “He would undo my leg restraints and…pull down my pants and panties and rape me repeatedly. If I screamed he would punch me in the face. If I were to struggle, he would dig his fingernails into my legs until they bled.” I explained as I wiped the tears that had fallen. Carl handed me a handkerchief and I thanked him before wiping my eyes and nose.

“What happened after the week of torture?”

“He would throw me out of the basement and I would go to my room to clean myself up.” I said sniffling.

“Where was your mother during this?”

“I would never see her until I was released and going to my room.” I said clearing my throat.

“Did she ever help you clean up?”

“No. All she would do is avoid me like a plague or stare at me like she was jealous.” I said hanging my head.

“What happened the next morning?”

“I got up from my bed and I was so sore from that whole week so I took a shower and scrubbed on my body but I couldn’t seem to get all the dirt off of me. I felt like what he did to me made my soul dirty. When I was finished with my shower I dressed and noticed the house was quiet. When the house is quiet, it means he’s either gone to work or is planning something against me.” I explained taking another deep breath.

“What happened next?”

“I left my room and quietly made my way down the hall but I stopped when I spotted a note on my mom’s door.” I said wiping my eyes again.

“What did the note say?”

“It said that she wasn’t feeling well and she didn’t want to be disturbed so I wasn’t going too. I continued on to the stairs and when I was about to take a step down a felt a blow to the back of my head and I passed out.” I said sniffling again.

“What happened when you woke up?”

“I was chained to the wall in the basement in the dark. I had no idea what was going on and I was afraid he was going to it again to me. The door swung open and the light from the door burned my eyes so I closed them and he flicked on the light in the basement. He told me to look at him and I did. He came down the stairs and over to me with a sick smile on his face and told me I was going to have some company for this round of sweet pleasure. He went next to me and pulled a sheet off of my mom as she hung on the wall next to me.” I said as I turned my gaze to Bill.

“What was your mother’s condition?”

“She was dead. Her throat had been slit and she was so pale. Blood was all over the front of her shirt. I turned my head away but he grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. Before he let me go, he scratched my face.” I said tearing my gaze away from that monster.

“What happened after he let go of you?”

“He left the basement, telling me he would be back to pleasure me just like he did my mom’s dead corpse.” I said holding in the anger.

“When did he come back?”

“He came back a week later.” I stated.

“How do you now this?”

“He said well I see you lasted the week.” I said reliving each moment.

“What happened after that?”

“He went over to a desk where he grabbed a knife and he came back over to me. He cut the shirt I was wearing down the middle and cut me over and over again. The more I struggled, the deeper he cut.” I said feeling the anger rise up.

“What did he do to you next?”

“I told him to let me go. I said I would never speak a word about what he’s done and he said he was going to make sure of that. He balled up his fist and punched me hard in the throat. I tried to talk but only pain shot through my neck. I knew something was seriously wrong. He went back over to the desk and grabbed a staple gun and several papers and stapled them multiple times to my chest. He then showed me a picture of my mom before stapling that to my cheek. I could feel the blood pouring from my mouth and chest from what he did to me and I watched him take something out of his pocket. He stuck it into my arm and I blacked out.” I explained as he looked at me with a sick half smile.

“What happened when you woke up?”

“I seen I was in a hospital bed. I thought someone had found me at the house and took me to the hospital.” I said looking over at my dad.

“You honor I have pictures of Rayven’s injuries that the jury need to see.”

“Objection! Those could be fabricated.” Bill’s lawyer said standing to his feet.

“Your honor these pictures were taken not only by a doctor but by one of Detective Joey Morgan’s female officers.”

“I’ll allow it.” The judge said nodding as the bailiff took the pictures and handed them to a member of the jury who passed it around.

“What were your injuries?”

“I had a crushed larynx and voice box, several puncture marks from the staple gun, and the word Whore was carved into my collarbone.” I said as the jury handed the bailiff back the pictures and the judge looked through them.

“Now you spent you’re time out of the hospital at your father’s Brian Haner Jr., what happened the day after the court was trying to keep him in jail?”

“I was at the beach trying to enjoy myself and keep my thoughts away from what happened when he came up to me and told me did I really think I could get away. That’s when he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me over to a wooded area on the beach and threw me up against a tree where he put his hand around my throat and punched me in the mouth making it bleed. He pushed me down and was about to rape me again or worse but there were police officers coming down the road and he ran off. When the cop cars passed by, I got to my feet and ventured my way over to the recording studio where my dad was at and that’s where I passed out from what he did to me.” I explained rubbing my hand.

“I read on the doctor’s report, which stated you put up one hell of a fight.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me. I don’t remember hitting him. My dad said I must have blacked out with rage.” I stated and I was proud of all the things that I supposedly did to him.

“I only have one question.”

“Yes?” I asked as I looked at him.

“Is the man who did all of these unthinkable acts to you here in this courtroom with us and can you point him out?”

“His name is Bill Aumor and he’s sitting right over there.” I said pointing my finger at Bill and the look he gave me could burn a hole right through me.

“No further questions your honor.”

“Miss Claye you may step down.” The judge said and I nodded while getting to my feet and going over to the desk with Carl.

“Do you have any more witnesses Mr. Reynolds?”

“I would like to call Mr. Bill Aumor to the stand.” Reynolds said and Bill got up and went to the stand where he was sworn in before seating.

“Mr. Aumor, we’ve heard what she had to say, now what do you think of the words she had to say?”

“They are all complete lies.” He said as he looked over at me.

“What is your relationship to the plaintiff?”

“I’m her stepdad.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“How was your relationship with Rayven?”

“It was really good. I taught her things that her father wasn’t around to do. I don’t know why she would make up such a story like that for. I would never do anything to hurt that child. I considered her like my own daughter and for her to say that I did all those horrible things to her, breaks my heart.” He said lying right through his damn teeth. Every word that came out of his fucking mouth was a lie.

“I have no further questions.”

“Please step down Mr. Aumor.” The judge said and he got up and walked back over to his lawyer where he sat down.

“We will start with closing arguments. Mr. Reynolds please give the jury your final statement.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, my client Mr. Aumor is innocent. The defendant has made up this story so he is the one looking bad here. He’s loved this little girl like his own. I want you all to ask yourselves, if it was as bad as claims it was, then why didn’t she leave?” Mr. Reynolds sat down beside Bill and Carl stood to his feet.

“Fellow members of the jury, this man Bill Aumor is a criminal whose acts against this innocent child has went unnoticed until now. What would happen if he’s to be let free? I’ll tell you. He would come after this young girl just like he did when he escaped from the jail and he would kill her. What if this happens to another family? How would the families feel if they found out this has happened before? What if it was your daughter, mother, or sister? Would you want this man, Bill Aumor, to run the streets a free man? If this man is found guilty, then Rayven wouldn’t have to sleep with one eye open every night just to make sure he isn’t coming back to finish her off. Thank you.” Carl made a really good argument and I could tell in the jury members faces that they were all agreeing with Carl. He came back over to me and sat down.

“There will be a recess until the jury has made their verdict and I will make it clear to what happens to the defendant.” The judge said and he slammed down the gavel. I turned around and my dad hugged me.

“You did very good baby girl. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks dad and in some weird way I feel better.” I said smiling.

“That’s what happens when you tell your story. I’m very sure the jury will do what’s right here.”

“I hope so. If he gets let out, I don’t know what I’ll do.” I said hanging my head.

“He won’t get out Rayven and if for some reason he does, then I’ll personally make sure he never comes around you.” Carl said patting my back. I nodded and we talked for a little while as the jury and the judge came back into the room.

“Will the defendant please rise.” The judge said and I watched Bill and his lawyer stand to their feet.

“How does the jury find the defendant?”

“We find the defendant Bill Aumor on the 2 counts of murder in the 2nd degree, torture, rape of a minor, and child abuse…guilty.” One on the members said and the word guilty played back over and over in my mind. Was this really happening?