Song: Sound of Surviving By Nicole Nordeman

The day of the trial that I have to attend, he holds my hand in the waiting area. I have jitters so bad that he holds my hands tightly in his grasp o help calm me. Sarah allowed Raine to come with me for moral support. And I'm sure I am going to need it.

I had mentioned it to my dad and at first he was not that happy about him coming but I convinced him into letting him. At the moment he is inside the court room. I am to wait for him to come back out to get me when it is my time. He says that I don't need to listen to everything that is being presented and maybe he is right.

When my dad comes out to get me he looks at Raine and then back at me because he is holding my hand and I am leaning into him. I know what he is thinking but I don't really care at the moment. I just can't do this not on my own.

Walking into that court room and seeing him sitting off to the side makes me go weak in the knees and my stomach starts to knot up. I see his face and then flashback of that night come in to my mind. God I just want him out of there.

Raine helps me walk so far and then the lawyer is nice enough to help me the rest of the way. I try to look the other way. I just can't look at him and that smart ass grin of his. God he makes me sick.

"Ms. Katana Harlow. We brought you here today so you could tell your story of the night that you were assaulted. Can you please tell the jury how you came to the Harper house?"

"The band and the cheerleaders at school go around to all the houses in the community every year to do caroling. I was there with others...it's not like I went just to be going."

"And while you were there; what led you into going into the house."

"They had this little boy. He ran out and I didn't want him to get hurt, so I picked him up. While the band played I danced with him but he fell asleep on me. I took him to the front door. I tried to hand him off to Anthony and his dad yelled at him. He requested that I take him to his bed because if he woke up and he cried he was going to be pissed off. I remember looking at Anthony. He was my friend, well I thought he was but he didn't warn me that his dad was evil."

"What happened once in the house?"

"I...I looked around. I had never seen a house that nasty before. I just wanted to get out of there. I debated going in and even asked my friends to just walk in with me. But they promised to wait outside for me. Anthony's mom and sister were sitting on the couch so I figuredwith them there I should be alright. I was shown the back room. It was down this hallway. I remember having to step over trash and toys that were in the way. There were bugs that scattered around everywhere when I moved the trash out of my way. I tried to get out of there quickly however I heard the door shut behind me once I was in the back room." I pause.

"Go on..."

I look over at my dad and a tear silently trails down my cheek. My dad knows that I was raped but I have never gone in detail. More tears come to my eyes and there is no stopping them from coming. I don't want to relive that night. I don't want to recall what happened in those moments that followed after I heard the door shut.

"Katana you can do this. What happened next?"

I gasp, "I...h...heard the door close and I remember thinking what did I get myself into. I told him over and over that I had to go. My friends were waiting for me outside. He told me that they would wait for me. I...I...had a feeling that I was not going to make it out of there."

"Why did he confine you? Did he force you to stay?"

"The door was shut and locked so yes. I felt trapped. He started to take his belt off and before I realized it he was unzipping his zipper. I kept begging him that I needed to go home. I remember smelling the alcohol on his breath...god he was so close to me." I sniffle again and wipe the few tears from my cheek. "The only thing on my mind was if I was going to die I was going to make sure that they knew he was the one that killed me. So I tried fighting him off. I scratched his face to make sure his skin was on me somewhere." I touch my neck. "The belt...his belt was suddenly around my neck, chocking me out. I clawed and clawed to relieve some of the tightness. I'm sure he would have raped me either way but when Anthony told him who I was, I saw the spark in his eyes. I knew then he was going to hurt me or even kill me to hurt my father."

"What does it matter who you are?"

"My dad is the sheriff of the town; apparently they don't get along. It was payback. My dad caused him trouble and so he was getting back at my dad. Maybe that's why he let me live."

"What happened next?"

"He laughed at me and said, 'you Harlow's girl...this must be my lucky day. He owes me so much for all the bullshit he has put me through....this is going to be fun.' He raped me. I remember screaming for help, hoping that Anthony would save me but he never came." I bite my bottom lip, bringing more freaking tears.

He knows he won; he got exactly what he wanted.

"When he was done with me he called his son in to finish me off."

"Finish you off? Anthony, you never mentioned this before."

"I know...he...he...forced Anthony to rape me. I thought he was my friend. I keep thinking about that night...hell he was just as scared as I was. I don't blame Anthony for doing what he did. He had no choice. He was just as scared of his dad as I was, maybe even more."

"So Anthony, did he say anything?"

"He tried to argue with his dad that it wasn't right. I don't remember exactly all that was said because I was like zoned out by then. I just wanted the pain to be over. I kept thinking how much longer was I going to be alive before they really finished me off. Mr. Harper kept nagging the shit out of him until he did it. I kept fading in and out and I heard them talking about getting rid of me."

"And how did they try to get rid of you?"

"Anthony carried me out of the house. When he picked me up there was blood everywhere. I closed my eyes and then sa aw his mom and sister they were still sitting on the couch. No one said a word as if this was a normal occurrence. He took me outside then. I remember the cool breeze of the winter against my skin. He left me to die in the cornfield; he left me to freeze to death."

"We have photos of the night Katana was found." He flips on the TV and shows several slides of my bruised up body. "Is the person responsible for assaulting you in this courtroom?"

I look up at Me. Harper and he is staring right back at me with this really fucked up smile as if staring me to say yes. I reluctantly nod my head yes.

"Can you please identify him for the jury?"

My hand trembles as I point over to him. I tried to avoid making eye contact with him again but his eyes fixate on mine. I tense up and almost puke right there but I held it in. I won't let him have that satisfaction of getting to me again. I am dismissed and as I am walking out he is glaring at me the whole time. I decide to glare right back at him. He will pay for what he did to me.

I was shocked when they came out to bring everyone back in so soon. The jury had made their verdict within two hours. At the end of the trial, the jury found him guilty on all counts. Twelve first degree murders on the bodies that were found in the well and then attempted murder of me, along with sexual assault. He got life in prison with no intent to get out early.

He smiles wickedly back at me. "You think you won, you fucking bitch? You will never win; I will always win."

My dad stands up in front of me so that he can't look at me. "You got what you deserved you filthy animal; guys get him out of here," he tells the officers on duty. And I watch as they take him away. Hopefully forever.

Hopefully, I will never see him again.