Elizabeth Smart

I mean, it was, it was terrifying.

It was horrific.

And yeah, you're right.

It did force me to grow up in a span of hours.

I mean, I had heard the word rape before, but it always seemed like such a,

far away, distant word.

It didn't really seem like that was a word that would ever be a part of my life or the life of anyone that I knew because nobody ever talked about it.

No one that I thought I knew had ever experienced it.

So I just, I mean, I'd heard it on the news, but that was the news.

Was that really real life?

I mean, was that really...

I don't know.

Did it really happen?

It just seemed so far away.

It just didn't seem like it was possible.

And initially, I kept going through my head as to what could happen, why they might.

I mean, I think my mind, it was very innocent and it kept trying to explain things or give possible reasons and comfort me into thinking that it would be okay.

So, as the situation progressed, my mind kept on trying to shield me.

And finally, the thought just came to me was that... Because he had said that we were now married.

We were now man and wife.