Casey and Me

What a tangle this has turned out to be

Two days later, the police came to our farm. They told us that Casey and Ellis had been found, but Ellis was refusing to tell them just what had happened during those two days he'd been missing. He was unharmed, at least physically, but whatever trauma he'd suffered was causing him to keep his mouth shut. They were now both in hospital for observation, but no visitors were currently being allowed. The police wouldn't say just why Casey and Ellis were in solitude, but when they left, Mum had an uncomfortable observation to make. 

"There's a criminal case for sure," she said grimly. I felt a shiver go down my spine. 

"What do you think she's going to pull this time?" I asked, already knowing the answer. 

"Her goal is to have you all to herself," Dad said, putting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. "If that includes trying to drive a wedge between yourself and Ellis, she'll do whatever it takes. Up to and including a ..."

"False rape charge," I said, feeling sick. Dad hugged me in silence, and I fought back the tears which threatened to overwhelm me. It was just the sort of sick, twisted thing Casey would do in her neverending "quest". But there was an even more unwelcome thought lurking in the back of my mind. What if that false rape charge wouldn't be so false? Casey was a drug user. And she had an extremely magnetic personality about her, being part Romani and all. And since Ellis had some Romani in him as well, their personalities would naturally line up in harmony. Not that all Romani were manipulative in that fashion; many of them had outgrown that tendency, but there were those roving gypsy families who ruined it for the rest, Casey's aunt and uncle being prime examples. 

"That does it," I said angrily, wiping away my tears as I broke the hug. "I've got to talk to someone, or I'm going to lose the plot altogether."

"I'll drive you up to town," Dad suggested. "Or do you want to hop over the fence and see Marcia?"

"I'll go see Marcia," I decided. "Can I stay there for dinner?"

"If they ask," Mum said, smiling. "Which I know they probably will. Two days home and we hardly see you."

I knew she was joking and laughed. "I promise I'll be here for Christmas dinner," I said, and Mum waved me off with a laugh of her own. It was good to laugh, I decided, as I grabbed my coat and headed out the back door. It certainly helped to distract me from the fresh crop of worries dancing about in my brain. 

After dinner, Marcia and I went for a walk down to the bottom of the east pasture, where a large pond lay. Part of the original farm before it was split in two, it had been a popular watering hole for the animals which had once taken up residence here. Now it lay mostly untouched, but it was good for swimming, being surprisingly clear despite a rather muddy bottom. Not that we planned on going swimming now, but it was a tranquil spot, and also a very good place to have a heart-to-heart.

"I don't think Ellis would be the type to do whatever Casey wanted," Marcia said thoughtfully, looking up at the jewel-encrusted sky. Being a clear night, the Milky Way shone brilliantly overhead, and I wished I'd brought my telescope with me. "I mean, she's as manipulative as they come, but I think it's more her parents than her. But I could be wrong."

I sighed and lay back on the grass. "I don't know," I admitted. "I want to believe that Ellis would stand firm no matter what Casey tried on him. But she's a drug user, and she probably has easy access to drugs. And you know men can easily be just as susceptible to rape as women."

"I know that," Marcia agreed. "But you know the courts will always side with the woman, even if she was the rapist and not the man. And don't forget that Casey is still underage."

"Good point," I said. "But even a false rape charge will ruin Ellis' life."

"Would he be put on the sex offenders register?" Marcia asked, and I shrugged, sitting up.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I said. "But I really hope it's all just a load of hot air. I like Ellis a lot. I don't want to know if he did or didn't. Because if he did, I don't think I'd ever want to talk to him again. And it doesn't matter if he did it willingly or unwillingly."

Marcia reached out and wrapped her arms around me. "He probably didn't," she said reassuringly. "I know he's got better sense than that."

I nodded, but I didn't feel too terribly certain. I just prayed that Ellis really did have the willpower to resist Casey. The alternative didn't bear thinking about.