For legal reasons, his name has been changed.

In my last article, I briefly talked about hiding under my covers to get away from the monster. Here I am to tell you why I was ever hiding in the first place

Growing up most kids had to worry about the monster under their beds or in their closets... My monster wasn't a made up figment of my imagination. He was real and his name was Jay. I will be the first to tell you I would not wish what happened to me on anyone else. All the nightmares, therapy sessions, the constant fear of not knowing if you were about to be in pain or not, and doctors appointments are enough to make you feel like a crazy person, like maybe something is wrong with you and that is why this happened to you. That is not the case. None of it is your fault.

Now I was about 4 or 5 when Jay happened. I remember he told me if he saw me move I would be punished after I got home from school. I learned to hold my breath for a very long time, because I knew if I moved even the slightest I would have another bruise to hide and another story as to how I got said bruise when someone asked me, "What happened there?"

Now I know what you are wondering, "Where was your mom?" She was working two jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over our head. I didn't want her to worry. She found out when she came home from work early and caught him in the act. She got my brothers and I out of that house as safe as possible and called the cops.

Here I am about to be 21 and I still have problems with trusting people completely and, you know what, I will always, in the back of my mind, wonder what if.

Although what happened to me was horrible it's helped me grow into the person I am today. I see the world differently. I take each day as it comes. I'm becoming comfortable in the body that I have. I have embraced what happened to me and I have decided to not let it have any power over the person I am to become in the future. My monster helped me overcome the situation and become the brave young lady standing in front of you now an opened book.