Unraveling Sarah Cresley by Marisa Maichel (best summer books .txt) 📕

Lawrence looked angry at me. My father looked proud. Bill was nodding at me, and Mike was staring at the table in front of him. Sarah had let a few tears fall.

"You said "she or he", Mr. Emerson. Have you been raped before?"

"No, I haven't been. But there are male victims out there as well."

"You're a very smart young man. Who taught you all this?"

"My father," I replied.

"What about your mother?"

"She left after I was born."

"To where, exactly?" This woman's done her homework.

"She moved back to Greece."

"Greece? Is that where she's originally from? That's awfully far away."

"Your Honor, is there a point to this?" Bill asked.

"Is there, Mrs. Lawrence?" Judge Sawchuk asked.

"There is. Reese, is it possible that you know all this because your father did the same thing to your mother?" HOW THE HELL DID SHE FIND OUT ABOUT THAT?!

"Objection!" Bill piped up.

"Sustained."

"No further questions," Jo said. "I call Mordecai Emerson to the stand." I took my place quickly while my father went up to the witness stand.

"Mordecai," Jo said, "Did you rape your son's mother?" Father looked from Sarah, to me, then back at Jo.

"I created a love potion that caused her to break up with her fiance. Then we married and conceived. Shortly before our son was born, she found out and divorced me. That's why Reese's mother is not in his life." Jo was looking at him like he had lost his mind, as was everybody else. Bill looked like he had a stomachache.

"Your witness, Bill."

I tried to see Sarah's face. From her posture, I could tell she was surprised. Aphrodite help me.

"Um...no questions," Bill said.

"You may take a seat, Mr. Emerson," Judge Sawchuk said. My father resumed his position. I sank into my seat. I felt like this was somehow my fault. My father squeezed my hand. Bill spoke up again.

"I would like to call Sarah Cresley to the stand!" My love went up to the witness stand. I got a good look at the dress she wore. It was well-fitting, but not tight. It showed off lots of leg, although it wasn't too short. It was as black as a cloudy night sky. Her hair had been straightened, her makeup lighter than usual. My princess looked like a queen.

"Please state your name for the jury."

"Sarah Cresley."

"And why are you here, Sarah?" Bill Chang asked.

"Because I was raped."

"Objection!" Jo Lawrence piped up.

"Sustained."

"How do you know the defendent, Ms. Cresley?"

"We go to the same school."

Have you ever spoken with the defendent before?"

"We were friends," Sarah said "And we went on a few dates."

"What were those dates like?"

"They were fun. He seemed really sweet, and I though he liked me."

"I do like you, Sarah!" Mike quipped.

"Young man, please control yourself," Sawchuk said. Bill turned back to Sarah.

"Did he give you any sign that he was dangerous then?"

"No."

"No, he didn't, But did he give you a sign that he was at all normal?"

"No."

"Give the court an example."

"He kept saying how pretty I was. He paid close attention to when and what was on my cell phone and laptop throughout our friendship. Not even my best friend did that." That was fucked up, and I'm glad she realized that.

"And what did your best friend think about it?"

"She thought it was weird, too." Bill took a drink from his glass of water.

"Thank you, Sarah. Before this, what was your favorite novel?"

"Objection! Relevance," Lawrence responded.

"I'm curious to see how this is relevant as well," Judge Sawchuk said. He looked at Sarah.

"To Kill A Mockingbird," Sarah said. Interesting. This time, she was the mockingbird, and she understood the ramifications if she was caught lying.

"Now, can you please describe how that night, the night when everything changed for you." She paused before answering.

"I was invited to a party by some girls I know," she began.

"Was the host one of them?"

"No, but the host was one of their boyfriends. He was also a friend of mine." She was starting to tear up now. I saw and smelled her tears. Instinct told me to go comfort her, to let her know how I felt, even though I confessed.

"I was trying to find them," she said. "When these girls I didn't know surrounded me and started beating the shit out of me." She winced. "Sorry."

"I think we're all full of emotion right now," Bill said. I could feel Jo Lawrence rolling her eyes. Something wasn't right. Something nudged at my subconscious.

"When those girls were done with me, I went into the bathroom to wash up. That's when Mike showed up and told me he'd take care of me. He..." She closed her eyes, allowing a few tears to fall. "He led me into a bedroom. It smelled strange, like cigarettes and weed. I mean, marijuana." She started full-blown crying now. It broke my heart to see her so upset, and there was nothing I could do.

The judge offered her some tissues. She wiped her eyes, smearing her makeup.

"I think it's time for a fifteen minute recess," Judge Sawchuk said.

I went into a stall in the men's room and drank a vial of blood. My father made sure we were prepared. I put the stopper on the vial put it in my pocket, and washed my hands. I noticed an older man staring at me.

"You have the weirdest eyes I've ever seen," he said. "Are those real?"

"I get that a lot," I said. "And yes, they're real."

"Dad, are you ready?" a man asked, coming into the bathroom. He saw me, and his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. I quickly dried myself off and left. Father was waiting for me in the courtroom.

"Do you know that girl?" he asked, gesturing to a black-haired girl sitting with a blond girl.

"That's Scarlett Swift and Mia Alexander. Mia used to be Sarah's best friend, and Scarlett was also her friend."

"Was? Used to be? What happened?"

"I don't know. I do know that Sarah lied when she said that she didn't know who beat her up and why."

"She could get in trouble for that! I barely know her, but I know that you care for her. Therefore, she means a lot to me. I've seen the way you look at each other. You love her, and whether she admits it or not, she likes you, too."

"Does she really?" My heart soared.

"She does, even if she does not realize it." Sarah Harper Cresley liked me? Me, the Lone Goth? (My classmates had graciously bequeathed me with that nickname.) Me, whose father has embarassed me in front of her on numerous occasions? Sure, I was a prince, and a vampire, but I was still a vampire. It didn't matter how badass being a vampire prince made me seem, I was still a danger.

That was one of my biggest insecurities. If I didn't keep my secret until she was turned, our relationship could be ruined. Yet if I kept it from her, I could lose her.

The judge came in, and she took the witness stand again.

"You were saying before the recess?" Bill asked.

"He took me into the bedroom," she began again, "and he started taking my clothes off. I told him to stop, but he kept doing it. He said that since I was dressed like slut, I should act like one and that I obviously wanted it. I kept begging him to stop, but he wouldn't. And then he...raped me. Repeatedly." She took a deep breath.

"Your witness," Chang said. Jo stood up as Bill sat down.

"Sarah," she said, her voice laced with venom. "Do you know the penalties for making false accusations?"

"Yes, I do," my princess stated firmly.

"Oh, really? Because I don't think you do. I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into." I heard Mike chuckle.

"Give it up, Jo," he said.

"Young man, remain silent until you are spoken to," Judge Sawchuk said. "The jury will ignore that." Lawrence began again.

"Is it money you want?"

"No," Sarah said.

"Is it a boyfriend? I hear you have gotten close to Reese Emerson."

"No, I don't want a boyfriend, and certainly not Reese." Ouch. "How did you hear about that, anyway?"

"I'll ask the questions!" Sarah had a point, though.

"Actually, I'm curious to know that as well," the judge said.

"One of the detectives told me," Jo said after a pause. What the fuck? A shock went through the room. "If you were raped a few days earlier, why did you accept a date with another boy?"

"It wasn't a date!" Sarah cried.

"Not according to my source. You are under oath, Miss Cresley. Did he promise to protect you?"

"NO!"

"Mike was just scaring you so much that you needed protection? Why didn't you go to the police?"

"Half of the people who are helping me don't believe me!"

"Hmm. Isn't it more likely that what happened between you and Michael was consensual?"

"No. Not at all. What happened was NOT something I wanted."

"Did Reese know about your intentions to use him?"

"No." Jo had a smug look on her face.

"The defense rests." I looked down at my lap. Sarah was using me? It didn't matter - I still love her. I would forgive her.

"You may step down." Sarah stepped down, fighting tears.

"Prosecution calls Michael Nales to the stand!" My rival took the stand. He looked right at me and smirked. I growled under my breath.

"Reese. Calm," my father said. My stomach took a dive when Mike smirked at Sarah. Violent thoughts went through my head. I bared my teeth at him in warning and nearly hissed. I closed my mouth when my canines started growing. My father squeezed my hand.

"Michael," Bill Chang said, "Why did you rape Sarah?"

"Because I wanted to and because we're meant to be." That was an answer no one expected.

"Stay calm," Father whispered in my ear. "Reese, are you still listening to me?"

"What makes you think you're meant to be?" Bill asked.

"I love her and what she can do for me," Mike said. "She said she liked me, too."

"And that gives you the right to rape her?"

"No, it doesn't."

"Well, then, why did you rape her?"

"Because I wanted to."

"The prosecution rests."

I had expected Mike to put up more of a fight. Instead, he was digging himself into a hole. I wondered what his plan was. No, I knew what it was. Play the lovestruck guy angle. How sickening.

Jo Lawrence approached the witness stand.

"You told me that you never touched Sarah. Is someone paying you to say this?"

"No, I'm saying this because it's the truth. I love Sarah. I never meant to hurt her." Bullshit. Total malarkey.

"No further questions." Jo sat as Bill stood up.

"Please describe what you did."

"I did exactly what Sarah said I did. I took her into the room and I screwed her over and over again. I even kissed her." He was smirking at me now. "We smooched up a storm. She told me to stop, but I knew that she wanted it. We were made for each other."

It took all my strength not to run over there and bite him.

"So you admit that it was not consensual?" Bill asked.

"Like I said, she told me to stop, but I knew what she really wanted, and what she really wanted was a man who could do what women are made for."

"She wanted you to stop."

"That's what she said." I looked at the jury. Most of them looked astonished.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you've heard all the evidence," Bill said. "Please, do the right thing." The jury went into a room to deliberate. Approximately thirty minutes later, they came back.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Sawchuk asked.

"We have, your Honor."

"And how does the jury find?"

"Guilty, your Honor."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the state of New Jersey thanks you for your service. We will reconvene tomorrow at one thirty for sentencing." And then it was over.

Cameras flashed when I stepped outside. My father shielded me. Or, he tried to as we hurried to the car. We had decided to take the Rolls Royce that my father was