Esme Platt Cullen
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
But that's all right because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
But that's alright because I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie
The sounds of chatter filled the room. It was the endless hum that exists in a crowd where no words are distinguishable. Next to the stage sat a woman studying the cards in her hands. Her caramel hair was styled to match the business suit that she wore. Both were "elegantly sensible" as her daughter had told her.
"Mrs Cullen?" a soft voice asked her drawing her attention away from her notes. She looked up to see that it was one of the professors at the university. She was one of the organizers of the event. "It's about time."
Mrs. Cullen nodded and stood straightening her skirt before following the woman up to the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen. I thank you for making your way out here today. It's my pleasure to introduce to you tonight's key note speaker. Esme Cullen."
There was a polite amount of applause as Esme stepped up to the microphone. "Thank you." she said smiling at the woman as she left her there alone on the stage. "You all are aware of the reasons you're here, what cause it is your supporting. The money you've given today will help but I'm going to ask you do something more. I'm going to ask you first to listen and second to act. Hopefully by the end of the night you'll understand the importance of both."
Esme took a deep breath. "There are times in our lives when we have to take a step back and evaluate where we are and how we got there. How events in our lives shape who we are and how we see the world. Some of us have a harder time than others. Some live in nightmares, day after day, with no sign of a way out. No one wants to admit to the problem so it's often ignored, pushed aside to a corner of your brain and mostly forgotten until it's too late.
"All that's left are the what if's. What if I was in that same situation? You think, 'that will never happen to me', 'I'd be stronger than that', 'I would never allow it', but the truth of the matter is you don't really know how difficult it is until you've been in that situation. I've been there. I know the devil wears many faces and crosses every social line. I see it every day of my life. Every morning when I wake up, I have to remind myself that he's real and he lives among us. I'm not here to share my story though. Today, I want to share the story of three very special young women. First someone who was about as innocent of a victim as there could be.
"A child caught in the crossfires of love and hate."