Twice

I was 5 years old when I was first molested by my second step dad. My mother use to work at the prison. She left us alone with my step dad we was watching wrestling. I was in my pink and white night gown. I was sitting between my brother and my step dad. He told my brother to go play in his room. So it was just my step dad and myself. He started wrestling with me he stopped and went grabbed a cover. He started wrestling with me. I thought he was playing he put the cover over us. Where our whole body was submerged underneath the covers. He grabbed my waist pulled me down. I was trying to get up when I felt his hands touch my private area. Before he could go any farther my brother came to the room. I ran to the room and cried.

I was 9 years old. I was at home with my brother and my older cousins. My mother was at work. I never would have thought my own cousin would hurt me. We was playing hide and seek my cousin asked who wanted some pretzels. We thought it was a game we had to follow the trail. My cousin lead me to my mothers closet. I told him we can not be in her room he pulled my pants and underwear done entered me I told him stop it hurts. He never stopped. I saw a lot of blood. But, my mother came home early. My cousin repeatedly raped me for 8 years. I finally told my mother when I was 15. At the time it all came out my grandfather was dying from cancer. I ran to my dad house and blacked out in my father’s arms. My mother told me to lie to the cops so my cousin won’t go to jail so no one at her job would find out. I was so scared.

— Survivor, age 26