Cause I'm Five Minutes Older

“So, Abigail. Can you tell me your birthday?” The woman asked her notebook ready. I shook my head. “Do you remember your family at all?”
“Well, Kevin told me I have four brothers. I remembered Nick sort of, but he doesn’t come anymore.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Because I kissed him. I didn’t know he was my brother.” She nodded and scribbled on her paper. “I know that my brother is getting married tomorrow. And that Danielle is going to be his wife. He told me this morning that he will send pictures to me in the mail. That he wishes that I could be there to see everything. Kevin’s my best friend.”
“Do you remember your parents?”
“Kevin has said things, but they haven’t came and visited. Kevin said they are scared that I will be different. Which means that they think they won’t see me as the Abbi they raised, but as the Abbi I was made. When am I allowed to hear what happened to me? I mean the visions confuse me.”
“Visions?”
“Like day night mares of the most horrible things happening to me. Worst pain imaginable. I can’t sleep. The mattress and the floor scare me. I sleep on the table across the room.”
“Can you draw some of your visions for me?” I started drawing on the paper. With each drawing I gave her, her eyes got wider. She picked up the phone and started talking as I finished the worst picture, him. His face with blood smeared across it drinking from a bottle. She gasped at the picture.

“And here is what we picked out for you to wear for court today honey.” Kevin handed me a garment bag and pointed me in the direction of the bathroom. And opened my bedroom door when someone knocked. “I told you to stay in the car, Danielle. She needs time to get used to the idea of meeting you.”
“I thought that she might need help getting ready. A sister would be a nice change for her. Any womanly help would be good for her. Your mom is too scared to be close to her because of the accident. Some one who’s a clean start for her could help.” A sweet female voice drafted in. Kevin nodded and walked over to me.
“Abbi, would it be okay if Danielle came to help you get ready?” I smiled and he took that as a yes. “Dani, you can come in.” I skinny, tan, Italian looking woman entered the room slowly her smile lighting up the room. I could see why he picked her. I ran over and hugged her. She was family, my new sister. I stepped away from her and grabbed the garment bag from my bed. Walking to the bathroom I stripped down and caught a look at myself in the mirror for the first time since I could remember. I screamed at the sight. The door opened and Danielle’s eyes widened. She shut the door behind her and soothed me. She readied me encouraging that everything would be fine and that I was still beautiful. It made me feel much better. She fixed my hair up and did my make-up. Things I couldn’t really figure out any more. It took her awhile with my hair it was a matted curly mess. When she finished she whisked me out of the bathroom and into the next room. Kevin smiled at us.
“There are my two favorite girls!” He put an arm around each of us. I instinctively flinched, but didn’t push him away. “We have somewhere to be.” He guided us through the halls and checked me out at the front desk. I waved at the woman behind the desk as we stepped into the sun. I haven’t seen the sun since before I can remember. I don’t remember much, though. He opened the door to a black SUV. Danielle and I climbed in and Kevin shortly followed closing the door.

He entered the room. I didn’t turn to see. I felt his eyes staring directly at the back of my head. Kevin protectively put his arm around me. Pulling and shielding me from him, the beast man. The judge called the court to order. He read the list of crimes that beast man committed against me and stated that his crimes against David Henrie and the state of New Jersey will be presided on at four o’ clock sharp. She went through a few other motions before we got into my case. Kevin held strong to my hand when they showed the pictures of the basement where I was kept and me in the hours after I was found naked and almost overdosed, tore open, and chained down. Flashbacks hitting me hard in the face. They eventually got to “witnesses”.
“First to the stand I call Miss. Jonas’s psychiatrist, Dr. Martha Keels.” She moved from a chair on my side of the courtroom to the chair up front. They talked of the pictures and dreams I had been having about the beast man. She held out the pictures. Everyone saw them. Next came the police officer who found me. I didn’t want to listen to what he was saying! I don’t like any of this at all. I clenched my fist and started crying. Kevin held on to me and told my lawyer that he knew he shouldn’t have let them talk him into having her come. He whispered to me. Calming me down. When I was called Kevin told my lawyer to tell them I was unstable, but I stood and walked up despite my tears.
“Abigail, the doctors gave you medicine to forget what had happened how did you start to remember?” They asked.
“I. I was scared of my bed. I started seeing it tore up and bloody and stained. Then came the chains. Every time I slept there I had dreams. I would wake up screaming and sweating.”
“How did Mr. _______ find you on September 18th?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you remember where he took you that day?”
“No. I only remember being chained like a dog. I had a collar and everything. I remember the television on with a continuous report of my disappearance. I remember him raping me as my family watched from the TV as they pleaded for my safe return. I remember him hitting me and threatening me to act like I like what he was doing to me. I remember the bottles and bags of magic that made my mind melt away. It made me forget who I was or where I was. I remember the lights from the cops who found me doped up, naked, and chained by the neck to the floor on a mattress. That’s what I remember. All the pain. I barely know who I am. I didn’t know my own brothers. My name. But I remembered his face and the pain.” They took me off the stand and I limped back to my seat. Hell I don’t even remember how I got this limp. I made a mental note to ask Kevin later. I shivered as they had the beast man got to the stand. He pleaded guilty, he really didn’t have a choice. Too much evidence against him. They asked him questions. I plugged my ears not wanting to here his voice. They changed to his other crimes. To David Henrie, the tall handsome man who looked nervously at me as he walked by. I paid close attention to the case trying to see how this fellow was attached to me and the case. I didn’t find out until he was on the stand telling his story.
“Abigail and I had stopped at a diner to talk after we got out of the city about who Kayden was because the paparazzi were asking about him. I was angry. I thought that she was cheating on me. We were together before all of this happened.” He made it clear things were different now. Kevin glared at him and his rude way of breaking up with me.
“We sat at a table and ordered coffee. She told me who Kayden was and what he had tried to do to her. I guess we were just out side of her old town because Kayden entered the diner. He smiled and walked to our table sitting next to me. He asked if I was Abigail’s boyfriend and I replied yes. I didn’t think he was bad seeing him then. I second guessed Abigail’s story thinking she was exaggerating maybe. But then he said Too bad and grabbed my head and slammed my head into the table until I passed out.” He finished and I stopped paying attention to the case. Until the sentence was read out.
“For the assault, kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder of Abigail Jonas 40 years no bail, no parole. For the assault of David Henrie, one year. For possession of illegal substances 15 months, resisting arrest 5 months, assault of officers four counts three years, possession of stolen car one year, possession of stolen property 10 counts one year, and trespassing on private property three months.” Then the beast man was hauled off. Kevin and Danielle hugged me. I saw that Nick was sitting in this row head down. Kevin looked to an aged couple and spoke in a almost harsh tone. Lots of resentment and anger towards them.
“You guys going to go to dinner with us? I wanted to discuss possibly having Abbi live with Danielle and I once she is able to be released from the home, since you guys-” The man raised his hand I command that was silent, but made Kevin stop speaking. My parents I remember them they look older now like they have aged 10 years.
“We’ll talk about this at the hotel. Meet us there after you drop her off.” He stood and went to leave.
“Dad, I’m not doing this anymore. Abbi doesn’t need this. I am tired of you and mom and everyone pushing her away. She’s your daughter! She’s your sister!” Hi pointed to the three boys. “She did nothing to you! What happened to her wasn’t her fault! She didn’t chose this fate! Hell, she doesn’t even remember what you did to her before the accident. You guys are making a very bad first impression!” He took Danielle and me out to the waiting car and drove away.