Three days Later in court in LA
"welcome Vanessa Daniels to the trial to determine the fate of your brother Ryder Daniels, when you're ready please tell the court what you experienced" says Judge Theodore Valeries
"I have a muscle condition that if I get too cold my muscles lock up, the first time my brother raped me was one of those days, tanning oil helps spread the heat of the sun across my body helping loosen my muscles back up, normally I'd have had one of my friends do it but they'd gotten a headache so I'd asked Ryder to put some oil on me, I was wearing a bikini, I wasn't trying to seduce him, in the blink of an eye he went from putting the tanning oil on me to pinning me down and raping me, I was terrified, the one thing my dad taught me was to care about others before oneself, I was proud of that, as a result I gave into Ryder's creepy perverted desires in an attempt to save other girls, I let him rape me whenever he wanted hoping he would spare other girls my age, I was unsuccessful in that endeavor, he got to other girls, I felt like I wasn't trying hard enough, him attempting to Rape Cat was the last straw" says Vanessa
"why didn't you tell anyone for those two years" asks the prosecutor
"because nobody would believe me, by the time I thought I could tell someone it was already too late, he'd made copies of my phone so he could manipulate evidence, texts and phone calls were monitored, if I attempted to tell someone over text or phone call he'd turn off my phone or delete the message before I could send it, there was no way out, he'd backed me into a corner, besides Ryder doesn't come off as the type to rape, not even our dad noticed his possessive behavior, my only option was to obey his every command and hope he didn't hurt me more than usual or worse kill me" says Vanessa
"what lead to the discovery of his twisted ways" asks the prosecutor
"Andre Harris, he and Beck Oliver had been in the same class where the Hollywood arts fire started and were in the hospital, I don't know how the topic came up, all I know is my dad and David Vega came over and confronted him, it was unusual for Ryder to be confronted like that, Ryder had become very defensive, I saw my chance and told Dad and David the truth, the truth I'd held for two years out of fear, Ryder had no way to keep me in line while they were watching, if he'd hit me for telling them the truth he'd have been arrested for hitting me, at the same moment my little brother came out as trans, she's the best sister I could have asked for" says Vanessa
"what were his methods for keeping so many victims quiet, it seems like a big hole in this trial" says The Prosecutor
"he'd make them tape him raping them with their phones, he used our dads post as an LAPD police officer as leverage, the assumption on their part was that Ryder would be seen as the victim of rape if the recordings were found on their phones, he'd tell them that they'd be arrested for slander and rape if they tried to call the police on him, it forced them to keep quiet out of sheer fear, Sadie Briana Castle was the only one willing to share the horror in secret with Andre" says Vanessa
"so he set them up by making them record him raping them, do I have that right" asks the Defence lawyer taking his turn to cross examine
"that is correct, you look familiar sir, is your daughter's name Valerie Winston" says Vanessa
"ya so, what's your point, it has no relevance here" says Defense Lawyer Frank Winston
"because my brother had plans to kidnap her, today in fact, he'd boasted to me about raping her twice, he wanted me to force her into agreeing to be a slave to Ryder" says Vanessa as Frank's blood boils as he turns back to glare at Ryder
"hey hey she's lying, I don't even know who your daughter is" says Ryder
"then explain how she knows her name, your honor I would like a recess please" asks Frank Winston
"we will reconvene tomorrow at nine AM" says Judge Theodore
At David's house 45 minutes later
"you didn't lie about that defense lawyer's daughter did you" asks David
"I never lie David, Ryder wanted me to do stuff with her while he raped us, he was evolving, becoming an even worse person, my fear was he'd make Lexie join in, he was obsessed with making her look like a boy, solely based on the fact that they shared similar characteristics and were both, at least on the outside both men, Ryder cared about that more than anything, he's severely transphobic, he constantly kept Lexie's hair short against her will" says Vanessa as Robbie walks over
"Lexie isn't like him is she, my sister has been through enough, she hasn't left Lexie's side since you guys arrived" asks Robbie
"see this is what Lexie was afraid of, this is why she feared coming here, Maria doesn't trust you Robbie, far from it, she doesn't trust any boy or adult man, Lexie had been controlled by Ryder for years for being too girly, she's on hormone replacement therapy now, her male hormone was already always low as it was, she told Cat no person in LA would trust, you just proved her correct Robbie, do you not trust your sister at all" says Vanessa nostrils flaring
"no, I do it's just I'm afraid people will judge her, Maria barely speaks to anyone but Lexie, I'm afraid people will think Maria was forced into a relationship, though I admit they do look adorable together it doesn't stop me from worrying" says Robbie
"Lexie is like the negative image of Ryder…. Maybe that's not the best way to put it, they're polar opposites, Lexie couldn't be any more different from Ryder, Ryder destroyed my camera, I thought my pictures went with it, I recently learned Lexie took the card out of the camera before Ryder could destroy it, she posted some of my best photos online in an attempt to raise money to surprise me for my birthday with a new one, she does things on her own accord and thinks later, she kept her distance from Maria out of respect for you, she understood the rules laid out before her, she understood it as not having the pass to trust, being related to an ass like Ryder didn't help, as close as they were as friends Lexie purposely kept her distance at school, she's geeky, maybe more than you Robbie, she's never been understood by her teachers or fellow students, Maria is the only one she'd trusted with the knowledge that she was trans, Lexie wouldn't hurt a hair on Maria's body, besides she was just diagnosed with brittle bone, she couldn't cause harm to Maria even if she wanted to" says Vanessa
"I'm sorry for judging her, our parent's don't believe in people being transgender, though I have to admit I've never seen Maria smile so much" says Robbie
"how do they explain it then, to not believe in it they must have an alternate explanation" asks Vanessa
"I might have worded it wrong, they're strictly jewish, they don't deny the mental and emotional struggles someone who is transgender go through, they don't believe in the use of the word itself, they assume while in the womb some sort of trauma causes cells to form the wrong stuff as they say, if my parents hear that Maria is dating Lexie, they will ask that she get an MRI of her waist, because of how they describe being transgender, they will assume she has a phantom uterus, whether it exists or not" says Robbie
"her male hormone levels have always been low, it's one of the reasons Ryder was as rude and controlling of her, she had an MRI back in London, the doctor said there was evidence of smaller than normal female sexual organs even for her age, they estimate that on estrogen the female organs will grow to normal size, all the surgeon would have to do it 'open the pocket' as Lexie has come to call it" says Vanessa
"so she has a fully functional female system" asks Robbie shocked that his parents in at least this case could be right
"fully functional isn't the word I'd use, not yet anyway, she's only been on estradiol for a few days, the doctor said after a few months her body could start producing estrogen on it's own and would only need a booster if things drop, having both is rare, the doctors have found out that the food she ate when she was a baby determined what organs took priority, that her body just needs to learn how to make the proper hormone" says Vanessa
"wait so you're saying that she didn't have either organ on the outside when she was born" asks Robbie
"correct, the doctor called it the redistive organ disorder, as in redistribution, it's a condition only one in four million people are diagnosed with, those with it often don't know they even have it, growth is fast once one hormone is selected, usually within hours of the starting of breastfeeding, most parents don't even notice the absence of said organs as at birth they'd be small anyway" says Vanessa
"does Cat resent me" asks Robbie
"why, because she's not here, Jade and Tori have a court date in a few days to determine the cost of the repairs, the brits have a thing about fiscal responsibility, especially when it comes to Airport damage, trust me Cat would let you know if she wanted to break off contact and she has made no mention of having an intention of doing any such thing" says Cassandra
"you really do love Vanessa huh" asks Robbie
"Miley picked up her camera's before we left the hospital, she took her first picture of me on the plane, I can't believe I'm saying this but given I'm in a wheelchair for five more days and she makes even that sexy somehow, I know it's not me, I can make many things sexy but wheelchairs has never been one, trust me I've tried" says Cassandra as Vanessa shows Robbie the picture
"wow, you are a master with a camera Vanessa, if I'd been on the board of admissions at Hollywood arts and I'd seen a photo like that, you would have been accepted, no question about it, the school did you wrong by denying you a performing arts education, we had news people, people interested in documenting the school, I don't see how a photographer should have been any different, especially with your level of skill, your mastery of angles and filters is unmatched" says Robbie
"are you trying to charm me Robbie, because I don't swing that way, never have" asks Vanessa
"do you think Ryder will go down, do you think he will be thrown in jail, I mean he certainly deserves it" says Robbie changing the subject
"all I can do is hope, I don't think that defence lawyer is happy with him, Ryder manipulated him, having raped his daughter I wouldn't be surprised if Ryder had probed for weaknesses or manipulation points, I just know no girl will feel safe if he is allowed to be free" says Vanessa
"my parents will ask if Lexie is willing to convert to Judaism, Lexie needs to be prepared for that" says Robbie
"she won't need coverting, she believes in the multi God theory, like I said she's a nerd, she's of the belief that all life is sacred, though if your parents push the issue and insist or force her to convert as the only way to love, Lexie will walk away, she doesn't like being forced to do anything" says Vanessa
"then they won't be allowed to date, look I don't like it either but our parents are very strict about it" says Robbie
"they would doom Maria, she'd told Lexie that she'd kill herself if anything happened to Lexie because of her, would they really put their own daughter's life on the line for religion, I'm a Catholic myself, I understand religion is important but not more important than someone's life" says Cassandra