Pale, slender feet slipped into the cool water of the creek. It was early morning and everyone up at the campsite was still sleeping. Lindsey wasn't sure what had woken her, but felt an overwhelming urge for a quick dip in the creek.

She now stood waist-deep in the clear water. The creek was more like a river, one of the small, rock-bottomed, clear water rivers that Missouri was notorious for. Early morning sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees which lined the banks of the creek. A warm breeze swept over her naked torso, her blood-red curls flying and swirling about her head. Leaves fell from the trees like confetti, making small ripples on the surface of the water.

It was beautiful – the breeze, the clear water, the rays of sunlight – and Lindsey lost herself in it. She was so wrapped up in her surroundings that she didn't even hear the approaching four-wheelers.

"Whoooo! Ain't that purty?" a strongly southern-accented male voice cried.

Lindsey gasped and clutched her arms over her chest. It took a minute to recognize the boys standing on the bank, staring at her.

"Jonah and Cody Johnson!" she growled. "Get your rude asses off my property!"

"No, I don't think we will," Cody said over the fat wad of chew in his bottom lip. He spat into the creek.

"We heard you drug your sorry ass back here. I told you we'd get revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Lindsey demanded.

"After you stole that horse and flew off to China –"

"Japan, you idiot."

"They confiscated the animals," Jonah continued. "Shut us down and arrested Pa."

"Good. Your dad deserves everything he gets," she hissed.

"Get her," Cody said in a low voice and both boys jumped in the creek and grabbed her arms, even as she made to get away.

"Goha-" she screamed for her fiancé, but one of the boys grabbed the hair on the back of her head and shoved her face into the creek. She struggled and kicked, grasping desperately at the boys' shirts in an attempt to pull her head up for air. She could hear them laughing and thought wildly 'they're going to kill me!' She felt herself being pulled up by the hair and gratefully sucked in lungfulls of air.

"What are we gonna do with her, Jonah?"

"I wouldn't mind tappin' that," Jonah grinned and smacked her bare ass.

A new panic swept over her and she began to scream again. Tears streamed from her eyes as her head was shoved under the water again. Just when she thought she was going to pass out from oxygen deprivation, she was allowed up again.

"Now you shut your mouth or I'll kill you," Jonah hissed in her ear before sinking his fist in her stomach.

"No," she whined, trying to think of an escape.

Cody spat in the creek again and punched her right eye. It became a free-for-all. The Johnson boys' hatred for her overcame them as they began to punch, slap and kick every inch of her that they could reach. A few minutes later, she collapsed, unable to defend herself. Jonah dunked her quickly, rinsing away the blood that covered her face, then dropped her on the creek crossing, which was an enormous sheet of flat, red rock where the water was shallow and made it easy for trucks to drive across the creek. Her head hit with a sickening smack.

She drifted in and out of consciousness for a few minutes, until the weight of Jonah's body on top of her brought her sharply back to reality.

"No," she moaned.

"Oh, you're gonna take it," Jonah said, his hands forcing her legs open. "And you're gonna like it." He wadded up a handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth, then pinned her arms over her head. "You deserve every bit of this, bitch," and he plunged himself into her as she bawled through the wad of fabric gagging her mouth.

Gohan awoke first that morning. He laid flat on his back on the outside of his sleeping bag. The warm spring breeze blew against his face, carrying with it the smells of the morning dew, fresh earth, horses and clean air. It was humid, but comfortable.

Nearby on a bale of straw, lay Trunks, his head hanging backwards off the bale and his arms draping off to either side. A pretty girl, Catie, with long, golden brown hair was sprawled on his chest, both of them sound asleep. Catie's long legs dangled down to the ground as she slept. It amazed Gohan that they hadn't fallen off the bale in their sleep.

Piccolo was sleeping, propped up against a large log, with his girlfriend, Jenny, lying on the ground beside him. Jenny laid on her side, curled up next to Piccolo's leg, his arm resting on her shoulder. Jenny had Lindsey's "MOBERLY SPARTANS" blanket thrown over her. It was red, white, and blue with a large Spartan head on it. Her dark brown hair lay in pools around her as she slept.

Seventeen lay with his head in his girlfriend's lap. He was clad only in his favorite jeans. His girlfriend, Leelee, leaned back against a straw bale, her short, dark hair falling across her face. Seventeen's eyes were open and he stared straight into the sky.

Gohan yawned, stretched, and sat up. He looked around and it was then that he realized that Lindsey was no where in sight. "Lindsey?" he called loudly.

Catie opened her eyes sleepily. "What?"

"Lindsey's gone," Gohan said, standing up and scanning the field. There was no sign of her, nor anyone else, anywhere.

"I thought she was with you last night," Jenny said groggily.

"She was," Gohan said. "I never heard her wake up."

"Maybe she went up to the house for something," Leelee said nervously.

"Maybe . . ." Gohan agreed uncertainly. "Let's go up and check."

Twenty minutes later, the group arrived at the house. Trunks paused to knock on the door, but Sabriena hip-bumped him out of the way and walked in like she owned the place. Shayne was sitting at the kitchen island, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Shayne, have you seen Lindsey?" Sabriena asked.

"No, I thought she was with you."

"She was," Gohan said, yet again.

"Hmm. She'll turn up," Shayne shrugged, unconcerned. "She does this from time to time."

"You're not worried?" Gohan asked.

"Nah," Shayne replied. "It's a big ranche. She's here somewhere." Shayne set down his cup of coffee and met Gohan with a stern gaze. "Unless you think she's somewhere else."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Shayne said into his newspaper. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and slid it across the counter. "Xander's number is in there."

Gohan sighed and stared at the closed phone.

"Gohan . . ." Catie started, but cut herself short at the hurt look he gave her.

Gohan picked up the phone and called Xander's number. A groggy voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Xander?"

"Yeah."

"Is Lindsey there?"

"Shayne?"

"No, this is Gohan."

"Dude, I haven't seen her. What's up?"

"I don't know where she is."

"Well, if she's here, I haven't seen her yet. I'll tell her to call you. Don't worry, dude, she's around. She'll turn up."

Frustrated, Gohan slammed the phone down on the granite counter top, shattering the phone. "I'll buy you a new one," he told Shayne darkly and left the room.

Author's Note: WOW! I haven't written in nearly 5 years! I forgot how good it feels. ^_^ Well, an update with me. I got married, I got divorced. I got married again, and this time I think I got it right! I am back living in my hometown and I now have two beautiful little boys. The oldest is nearly 3 years old and my youngest is close to 8 months old.