The Fundraiser:

The Lake:

Booths had been set up the previous day and the Boathouse was being used as a place to cook the food. Trixie and Charlie were still at the Belden house with Bobby & Heather. Mr. & Mrs. Belden had not called Adam per request of Charlie. Charlie wanted to surprise her brother when he showed up for the fundraiser. Since it was still spring, the lake would be open for relay races for the best swimmers.

Honey's cousin Ben had agreed to help with the fundraiser by being the swimmer for the Bob-Whites as Honey had said she didn't want to. And since most of the kids were pretty good cooks, they would be manning the food booths.

Regan and the Wheelers were donating the horses for the fundraiser so the younger kids could ride on the horses as they were led around the property. And according to Mr. Belden, Adam would be bringing some of the tame horses from his property so that there could be trail rides.

Now that Trixie, Heather & Charlie were home, the three girls were getting into more appropriate clothing. Mrs. Belden was lending some clothes to Charlie as Charlie was about the same height as Mrs. Belden. Trixie was back dungarees and a T-shirt and the three girls had showered. Heather was borrowing some of Trixie's old clothes that hadn't been taken to the Salvation Army, just in case anyone needed them.

When Trixie, Charlie & Heather emerged from the house, Mrs. Belden gave them their jackets and told them to cover up if they wanted to surprise everyone that they were home and safe. After putting their jackets on, Heather picked up the wolf pup and then the three of them walked to the lake and entered the Boathouse to help with the cooking.

Having cooked for Frank for ten years, Charlie had some recipes that even the Bob-Whites didn't know about. Mr. Lytell and other grocery stores had donated most of the food for the benefit and it had stayed in the Wheeler's kitchen so it wouldn't go bad. Miss Trask, Tom, Celia & Mr. Lytell were now bringing all the food down to the boathouse so the kids could cook it.

Inside the boathouse, Charlie got Heather comfortable in a corner with blankets, pillows & the wolf pup. Bobby would soon join her, without Reddy, as none of the Belden's or Bob-Whites wanted Bobby to tell everyone that Trixie was safely at home until Adam was at the lake. And since Bobby wasn't so great at keeping Secrets, it was better if he stayed in the Boathouse.

Besides, now that the three girls were home, it would be hard for the Bob-Whites to keep sullen faces as they were all smiles at the moment. They would have to remember to hide the smiles when everyone showed up for the Benefit. With the food preparations now under way with all the kids in the Boathouse, all the adults got busy fixing up some of the booths for the games and a booth to sing up for the trail rides. And that's about the time the kids started to talk amongst themselves.

The Boathouse Talk:

"So, how did you guys get away, anyhow?" Dan asked.

"Trixie was grooming Levi in Mr. Jackson's barn while I went to talk to Mr. Jackson. At first I only wanted to talk to Mr. Jackson if we could borrow the horses for a little ride in the woods, but when he asked about how Trixie happened to be living with us, I caved. I knew that Trixie belonged with her family & that you must have been looking for her so I told him all that I knew. When I was done telling about Trixie, he asked about Heather & me and I told him that Frank had taken us as well. That's when he told me that he was a retired cop and had heard about a missing girl that looked like Trixie from a friend of his when he went to town for his daily coffee meeting with his friends. He hadn't said anything to his friends because he knew that some of them were friends with Frank. Anyways, he had me help him pack three bags with clothes, food, money and canteens of water and told me to go get Heather from the house and the he would help us. In all honesty, I thought he was going to take us into the city to a police station so we could tell the cops what had happened to us but that's not at all what happened."

"Gleeps, that had to have felt wonderful for you guys." Mart said.

"Almost, but since I didn't know about the conversation at Mr. Jackson's house, I was afraid of him when he walked in and asked who I was. I thought for sure that Frank would find out and stop us before we got away. When Charlie told me who Mr. Jackson was, I about fainted. When Mr. Jackson gave us Levi & Bolo to ride all the way home, I was astonished and excited; Charlie, not so much. She had a look of apre…apre…apprehension on her face and I asked her about it. That's when she told me about her family and that she only remembered living in the country part of New York. She didn't even remember that she had lived in Sleepyside or hat she was in the same class as Brian."

"Yeah, well when everyone found out you had been kidnapped March 16th, Tad about fainted." Brian said.

"How come?" Trixie asked.

"Cause that's the day that Adam asked Sgt. Mollinson to reopen the missing person's case of his sisters, Charlotte and Heather. Adam thought he had seen Charlotte in the city on Monday afternoon while he was running some errands. When he got back from the city, he went straight to the police and had them reopen the case. His sister had finally resurfaced; he wasn't going to let it go." Jim finished.

"Adam had our case reopened? But I didn't think anyone was looking for us." Charlie stated.
"You'd be surprised to hear how many people were actually looking for the three of you. Like you said earlier, Charlie, it was a good thing that Trixie was kidnapped, well sort of, because then nobody would have found you or Heather." Diana said.

"Did Mr. Lytell tell your folks anything about us?" Charlie asked.

"He just said that he was brining friends to the Fundraiser. I guess he wanted you all to be a surprise and boy you sure were. I think everyone stood staring for about two whole minutes when the three of you walked into the house." Mart said.

"Hm…well we are a surprise. But I still don't know all of your names and I've kept forgetting to ask."

"Oh, sorry about that; I guess we were sure Trixie would have told you who we were." Honey said.

"Sorry, no she didn't. I refused to let her talk about her family when we were with Frank. It did no good thinking about the past when everyday was a fight for survival."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good point. Well my name is James Winthrop Frayne Wheeler; this is my sister Honey Wheeler, and Trixie's brothers Brian, Mart & Bobby, Diana Lynch & Dan Mangan. Diana lives in the estate before your house. And Dan is our horse groomer's nephew. Our horse groom is Regan and he's the red haired man out there next to the horses. And, oh look, that looks like Adam on one of his horses guiding a long line of horses. Looks like you'll get to see your brother sooner rather later."

"Oh, no, I want to surprise him at the end of the Benefit. That way he won't be able to yell at me."

"Why would he yell at you? He's done nothing but try to find you since he got out of the military." Brian stated.

But the look on Charlie's face told them that she was afraid that he would yell at her. Trixie tried to talk to her but she just backed away from the door and went to sit next to Heather. And that's when Trixie remembered the last few days and what Charlie had figured out about her condition. Jim was looking at her weirdly.

"Out with it, Trix. What is Charlie so afraid of her brother for?" Jim asked.

"Because, she's pregnant." Trixie whispered.

"But she's only sixteen. How can she be pregnant?" Mart asked.

"Frank used to make her sleep in the same room as him and I remember that every time she came back from his room, she had tears in her eyes and she never wanted to talk about it. It was as if it was a huge secret that she was afraid of."

"Okay, I get it. Frank must have figured if he couldn't get any from say a 'prostitute/hooker' then he should try for Charlie. Charlie wouldn't have been able to fight back the way a prostitute would have. She was Frank's prisoner, if she fought back, Frank would have killed her or Heather or the both of them. And it was easier for her to go along with what he wanted or fear death." Brian whispered.

"So that's why she kept putting herself between me and Frank. Every time Frank made a move towards me, Charlie would go with him instead. She saved me in that retro…retro…"

"Retrospect," Mart finished for her.

"Thank you."

"I didn't want you to lose your sole to him Trixie. I wanted you to stay a kid for as long as possible. And you're right; I do believe my brother will be mad at me for being pregnant. But I can't change what happened. It was survival for me and that's how I see it."

"And that's how I also see it. The whispering did no good, especially when Mr. Belden stopped me and told me what had conspired this morning. I don't care what you did to survive Charlotte, you're my sister and I will love you until the day I die."

"Adam!" Charlie exhaled before throwing her arms around his neck. They hugged for a few minutes before she pulled away.

"I want you to meet your sister, Heather. She doesn't remember who you are, but she does know that she has a brother."

"Of course, lead the way." Adam said, letting his younger sister lead him to where Bobby & Heather were playing.

"Heather, sweety, this is your older brother Adam. He's been looking for us."

"Hiya Adim. Wanna play wit me puppy?"

"Not right now sweety, maybe later."

"Okey." And she went back to playing with Bobby & her wolf pup.

"What's wrong with her Charlotte?"

"I don't know. All I know is that mentally she stopped growing at the age of five. She's a five-year-old trapped in a twelve-year-olds body. That's why I was so protective of her when we lived with Frank. The way he got with her sometimes almost made me want to throttle him. He tried telling me he was going to keep her in his room instead of me one time. That's the only time I allowed myself to get angry with him. After my rage, he told me he'd never go near her again. I don't think he thought that I would be so protective of her. I on the other hand was not going to let him take advantage of her like he'd already don't to me."

"Well, when this is all over, I'll take the two of you into the city to see a doctor. It shouldn't take that long to find a doctor for the two of you."

"Thank you Adam. But this is far from over. Frank was arrested almost five days ago. There's definitely going to be a trial and both Trixie & I will have to testify. And you can count on the fact that everything that happened, from ten years ago to the day we escaped will come out into the open. Do you really want everyone to know what happened to Heather & me? Not to mention the little girl that Frank took before Trixie? Everything will come out Adam."

"What little girl Charlotte?"

"Oh will you stop calling me that? I go by Charlie now. Besides, I like it better than the old lady's name. Charlie suits me better anyhow."

"Alright, Charlie is it. Are you three going to come out of the Boathouse at all?"

"Moms and dad think it's best if we stay in here till the end of the Benefit and then reveal ourselves. That way people will feel like they accomplished something by donating the money. Besides, whatever money we don't give to pay back the man that helped us escape will go to a charity group that helps families whose children have either gone missing or were kidnapped." Trixie said.

"And what about Bobby?"

"He's not so great about keeping secrets so he's going to stay in here and help keep Heather entertained. My friends said that they would eat their food in here so that no one would be suspicious as to why they were bringing food into the Boathouse. That way, we really will be a surprise."

"I see, well it looks like Regan could use some help so I will be back after the trail ride. You girls stay strong."

"Thanks Adam. Thank you Mr. Fowler." Charlie & Trixie said together.

"You can call me Adam, Trixie. The rest of the Bob-White's already do, so I want you to feel welcome to as well. I will see you later." With that Adam left and Charlie & Trixie were left to take care of Bobby & Heather.

The Benefit:

All the Bob-Whites and Adam managed to hide their smiles, though at times it was hard. When something was funny, they laughed but not too much. They didn't want anyone thinking that they were having too much fun. But they needn't have worried. Everyone could tell that they were just trying to get through the day without crying.

When the trail ride & the swim contest ended, it was nearly 6pm and almost time for the bonfire. Marshmallows and roasting sticks were brought out for everyone and Mr. Belden grabbed the microphone. After he got everyone's attention, he began. The Bob-Whites were in the Boathouse helping Trixie & Charlie get Bobby & Heather ready to let everyone know that they were alive and safe.

"Now, I know everyone here came to show how much they care for my family. And I know that you were expecting that any money we raised tonight was going to fund another search for my daughter & Adam's sisters but I have some news for you. This morning, thanks to a little help from Mr. Lytell, our daughter Trixie & Adam's sisters Heather & Charlotte were returned safely to us via two horses borrowed from a retired police officer. They fled the house they were being kept in almost five days ago and showed up last night before the power outage at Mr. Lytell's store on Glen Road. They are here, they are alive & they are safe. Please show your appreciation for these three brave girls who went through hell to get back to their families." Mr. Belden stopped as he spread his arm towards the Boathouse & the Bob-Whites as they emerged with Trixie holding a sleepy Bobby and Charlie leading a bewildered Heather holding her wolf pup.

Almost immediately, clapping and cheering ensued. Sgt. Mollinson moved through the crowd with a very determined old man. When Charlie saw the old man, she gasped. Trixie had stopped next to her father and looked back to see what Charlie had gasped at. Mrs. Belden took Bobby as Trixie moved next to Charlie.

"Mr. Jackson, you didn't need to come so soon. We were going to write in a few days."

"I know Trixie, but I figured you young folks would want to hear what has happened right away."

"What has happened Mr. Jackson?" Charlie asked.

"Frank wasn't arrested."

"You mean he got away?" Trixie asked, disappointment showing on her face.

"No, he didn't get away. Apparently he had a gun in his hand when the FBI & Police raided the house. Well he woke up and aimed it at a few officers and all hell broke loose. What I'm trying to say is this: Frank was killed the night of the raid. There won't be a trial and you won't ever have to worry about the likes of him coming after you ever again."

From behind him, the cheering got louder. Both Trixie & Charlie hugged each other, then Heather and then everyone else around them. It truly was, for sure and for certain, over.

More to come in next chapter…

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