Strap in and hold onto your butts!

This chapter has a trigger warning for mention of a drugged assult of a minor. There is also a minor language warning here too.

Other than that, read on and see me at the bottom!

(Continued from the last chapter)

About an hour later…

They were soaked! Grinning and squeezing the water from their shirts, the teenagers ascended to the safe zone of the amphitheater where the adults sat.

"Look at that, Ish! They look like a bunch of drowned cats." Rocky said with an amused grin on his face.

Kyle gave his dad a look and then launched himself at his parent, getting him all wet. Autumn only shook her head and pulled out the towel from the duffle bag they carried and began to towel herself off.

Sapphire casually stripped her shirt off, still wearing her bikini top underneath and began to squeeze the water out of her top. Instantly she heard a whistle; she looked up to see Leif shamelessly grinning at her. She shook her head and threw her wet shirt at him. He caught it easily and proceeded to wring it out with all his strength. When it was done, he put it in their shared bag and tossed his own shirt her way.

In the meantime, Katsume, in a really chilled mood, reached behind him and pulled off his own shirt, openly displaying his tattoo in public. He was in his own world as he squeezed the water out of the garment. He was not as ripped as his bros were, but he was starting to look really toned from his workouts.

He heard a squeak from behind him and he turned his head quickly to see a blushing girl walking quickly away with her friends. He grinned and shook his head and felt eyes on him. He looked up and saw Ranook giving him a look that clearly said. "Told ya so."

He snorted and shook his head as he put his shirt back on.

Katsume stood casually outside of the men's room. After having some refreshments, they'd all decided to take a pit stop and in the baby's case, to get his diaper changed. This vacation was awesome so far, and he couldn't wait to go on more rides and maybe even play a few of those games. His room at the manor could use a cheesey stuffed animal or something like that.

"Well, look who it is…the sexy Street rat." Said a haughty voice. Katsume shuddered involuntarily as he looked up to see two blonde women, a little older than him, standing too close for his comfort.

They were both sinfully beautiful with blue eyes; at first glance he thought that they must be twins, but a second later, he saw that one of them had at least a few inches taller on her friend.

"You don't remember us?" The shorter one asked patronizingly.

The teenager shook his head slowly, though a blurry memory was starting to manifest in the back of his mind.

"Huh, I'm insulted;" the other said with a pout. "All that fun we had and he can't remember a thing."

Instantly, Katsume's mind was assaulted with more memories. His eyes widened and he suddenly wanted to throw up.

He was laying in the middle of a big bed and he was naked. His wrists were cuffed to something and his vision blurry as one of the girls used his body. He didn't want to be here…they had given him something earlier, he was sure of it…he felt so weak…

Katsume shuddered at the memory and fought the urge to vomit. Still he'd never show weakness infront of his tormentors. In the next moment, Autumn and Sapphire were standing between him and the skanks like protective lionesses.

"Get away from him, ho-bag. You've done enough damage."

"Who the hell are you? His new girlfriend? the other girl asked in a snotty voice. "Wow, he really downgraded."

"No, we're his crew. He's one of us now and that is all you need to know." Sapphire answered.

As the boys, who had come out of the bathroom formed a circle around their friend, the confrontation continued.

"You can leave now." Autumn said darkly. "You have three seconds before I end you."

"Ok, we're out of here." The first girl said. "We just wanted to say hi to the street rat. Have a good life, party boy."

They walked away swaying their hips. Autumn gave them a look of disgust while Sapphire rolled her eyes. "Ugh, the skank stench follows them."

With the confrontation over, Katsume allowed himself to sink to the ground, as he felt himself hyperventilating.

"It wasn't a dream…they really did…" he found he couldn't say the word.

In the next minute, Rocky was kneeling in front of him looking at him calmly. "It's okay, son. Take a deep breath and find your calm center, just like I taught you."

"But they drugged me! They made me…"

"Yeah," Rocky said looking at him. "But you need take those deep breathes for me or you'll pass out. Now, close your eyes, find your calm place, and take a deep breath."

As Rocky walked Katsume through a breathing exercise, their crew stood around them in a group. Autumn and Sapphire were shaking with anger and were being held firmly by their respective boyfriends. Ranook had a stormy look on his face and was looking for all the world like he wanted to punch something, and Aisha was sitting with the baby.

Though she looked calm, she could feel her mate's emotions. He was furious but he was pushing it aside in order to focus on the young teenager who needed him more. He'd release the emotions later when they were alone. It was going to be a long night for the both of them.

While all this was going on, Katsume sat with his back against the wall feeling a little calmer as his new sensei coached him through the breathing exercises. At first, he'd privately wondered why these lessons were even necessary; now however, he understood it.

The dizziness in his head had stopped and his vision wasn't swimming anymore.

When he lifted his head, he saw the relief in his teacher's eyes.

"Feeling better?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah. Thanks."

His souvenir cup was passed to him and he drank the water, suddenly realizing how dry his mouth had been.

A few moments later, Rocky helped him to his feet and he felt the concerned eyes of his friends on him.

"Please, can we just continue the day? I'm not gonna let those bitches ruin things for me."

The girls gave him a long look, but thankfully Kyle came to his rescue. He took a deep breath and then asked, "So, what is the next attraction on the list?"

Rocky got up and joined his wife. He knew this wouldn't be the last time this would come up, but he also knew that it wasn't his place to decide what the next step was. That was a decision that was up to Katsume and Trent. They'd all be there to support them, but that was all they could do. He sure hoped Trent was ready for this.

Twister: the ride was a welcome relief from the earlier drama.

The rest of the day, the girls kept a look out for those bitches to try things again; they never showed themselves. That was a good thing, especially for Katsume. He didn't need the extra drama.

It seemed like they were all on the same page and the boys dragged him to every attraction. They rode the Mummy ride twice as well as making another trip to Jurassic Park. The girls dragged him to every last carnival game and with all of them putting their skills to the test, they made a killing. It was a good thing that they all came in an RV. They would need the room to store their loot, and not just from the games; they'd all made stops at the gift shops too; Katsume especially.

By the time they all trudged back to the RV. They were a tired, happy crew and it was a relief to all involved.

The hotel suite

"Thanks for today."

The teens all sat on the floor of their suite. In the middle of the circle were two extra large pizzas along with two orders of breadsticks. On the table were at least six 2 Lieters of soda in a variety of flavors.

The parents had retreated with their baby brother to their own room after lecturing them 'to not be too loud because other people might be trying to sleep.' It was the usual lecture, but the teens took it good naturedly and after placing their order for this feast, sat down to just relax after the long day of fun they'd had.

"It's all good, bro." Kyle said. "Though you should know that my dad is probably on the phone telling Trent about what happened today."

"Yeah, I know. I've been in the shelter for most of my life; it feels kind of weird to me to have someone concerned for me like that."

"Trent's a cool guy. He won't smother you." Autumn added. "Though he'll want to discuss everything with you and maybe encourage you to get some counseling."

Katsume frowned "I hope not. I really don't think I need it. Until now, I thought it was just a bad dream." He looked up at them. Can we stop talking about this? I only wanted to thank you for distracting me like this, not to bring up those bitches…" He trailed off.

"Got it." Lief answered for him. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"School." Katsume replied. "What are the teachers like?"

"We honestly don't know. Sapphire answered. "We heard that the school board cleaned house, and everyone was investigated, but we don't know who got fired and who was kept around. What we do know, is that we got a new principle and that new councilor you told us about. I'd also mention Mrs. Appleby but she retired last year."

"The only teacher I can think of that is most likely around would be Miss Serena." Leif added. "She's the English teacher; she's really nice and goes easy on the homework."

"I get the feeling that it's going to be like walking into a post-apocalyptic world." Autumn commented. "School was hell last year and things got really nasty. I don't think any of us know what to expect with this new school year."

They got quiet for a few moments as they finished their pizzas.

"We bought a new van." Leif announced with a grin. "It's a sweet ride. Saph and I were working on upgrading the mini bus this last year."

"You bought a mini bus?" asked Kyle. "Like in Scooby doo?"

"It's more like Filmore from that new Cars Movie. Grans helped me buy it from craigslist. It was a little broken down from normal wear and tear, but the engine was in great condition and it just needed a few new parts and now the Lady Moon Racer is finally ready for her debut."

"Lady Moonracer?" Kyle asked. "Strange name."

"It's an homage to King Moonracer from that Christmas movie." Sapphire answered with a grin. "King Moonracer was the ruler on The Island of Misfit Toys."

"And here, I thought you were all about Halloween." Kyle asked with a grin.

"Well, as much as I enjoy Halloween and it's my favorite holiday, I love Christmas too and I will forever love Rudolf The Rednosed reindeer. He's the patron saint for misfits everywhere."

"So why didn't you name it Rudolf?"

"Because we're goth." Sapphire said with a grin. "And Moon Racer sounds really gothic…besides, the night we watched that movie together was the night we kissed for the first time."

At that, Leif grinned at her.

"Ugh, please, for he sake of us single guys, could you tone down-" Ranook said with a grimace.

"Oh please, it's not like we're going to get busy with you guys in the room." Sapphire said with a blush.

"Yeah, neither of us are." Autumn added. "We're not about to open that door with people in the room. I just get the privilege of sharing a bed with my mate."

"We promise to keep things G-rated for the rest of this road trip." Sapphire added.

"You mean PG-13." Lief said with a frown at his girlfriend.

The whole time Katsume was grinning at them and shaking his head. It was a good reminder that love didn't equate to what had happened to him. No, there was apparently a good side to these romantic relationships."

"Hey, if you need to, you can go sleep in the RV…or we can build you a blanket fort." Kyle said with a teasing grin.

He laughed louder when Ranook flipped him off.

"Look, we'll probably just be cuddling and sleeping. Nothing else while you're in earshot, okay?" Autumn stated.

"Yeah, I'll be wearing ear buds tonight. You kids have fun."

"You know, I bet you wouldn't have such a problem if you had a girl of your own." Sapphire said with a calculating grin. "You're a good dude, it wouldn't be that big of a challenge."

"No thank you. I don't need you ladies playing match-maker." Ranook protested. "If I want a hot date, I'll go get one."

Katsume laughed even louder at the silliness going on. It felt wonderful to laugh after all the drama from earlier.

"So, what movie are we going to watch tonight?" Autumn asked a little while later. The pizza had been consolidated to one box and put in the mini fridge along with whatever sodas remained. The breadsticks, of course had all been consumed.

Now, after making up the two extra cots and changing into their pajamas, they all sat facing the flat screened TV.

Kyle, having found the Pay-Per-View list scrolled through the menu and stopped on a movie that had been out for a few years.

"How about Jurassic park? He asked. "We haven't seen that in a while."

They all seemed to be okay with it, but they all looked over at Katsume. He shrugged. "It's on my list. I've never seen it."

"Then man-eating dinosaurs, it is. I'll get the lights."

About 15 minutes into the movie, Autumn's phone vibrated with a text message. She picked up from the side table and opened up the message. It was from her dad.

Dad: Hey Sweetie. How's the trip going?

A: It's great, Dad. We all had a blast!

Dad: That's great Sweetie. What are you doing now?

A: Watching Jurassic Park.

Dad: Great. You guys totally planned this, didn't you?

A: What do you mean Dad?

Dad: I'm surprised that your Uncle Rocky hasn't told you that story yet. Let's just say that it's a throwback to something I said during out ranger days. It all makes sense now that your aunt and uncle took selfie of themselves infront of the ride and sent it to me, with the caption. "Having a blast! And thank goodness there won't be any possessed dinosaur bones waiting for us."

A: Ok, now I'm curious about that whole thing.

Dad: It can wait. Your mom and I just wanted to see how you were doing. Are you ok money wise?"

A: I think so, but I did spend a little bit more than I expected to in the gift shop. I've added a few stuffed animals to my zoo. I also bought a couple more T-shirts and a stuff. Uncle Rocky has been feeding us this whole time.

Dad: That's fine sweetheart. We'll let you get back to your movie. Just call me if you should need anything before you get back.

A: Will do, love you guys!

Dad: Love you too! Be good!

When Autumn put the phone down, Kyle grinned at her. "We're definitely going to ask my Dad about the possessed Dino bones."

Autumn laughed softly and leaned into her boyfriends arms as the terrified characters on the screen ran away from the scary T-Rex.

She never really got tired of this movie; even more, she found that she loved the ride after watching it.

Even with the drama today, this trip was still loads of fun!

Angel Grove

Trent's House

Trent walked out of his master bathroom with a luxury towel wrapped around his waist. He'd just taken a really relaxing shower and was now ready to catch the evening news before going to sleep. He'd checked in that morning with Rocky and was pleased to hear that everything was going good so far.

The furniture had arrived that day and he'd been busy getting things set up the way he wanted it. The only room he didn't touch was Katsume's bedroom and bathroom. When they came back from the trip, he'd ask for at least a day so that he could settle in and get him ready for school.

After pulling on his sleep pants, he pulled back the covers and got in adjusting the soft pillows behind his back. Just as he reached for the remote, his cellphone went off.

When he flipped it open, he saw Rocky's number on the ID. Instantly warning bells went off his head. It was pretty late for a check in. if anybody should be calling him, it would be Katsume…but not Rocky.

Hesitating for a moment, he swiped the screen and put the phone up to his ear.

"Hey, what's up?"

It took a few minutes to get the story out, but when it did, Trent's eyes widened in shock.

You've got to be kidding…is Katsume okay?"

"This is not something I would joke about. He bounced back pretty quick once the initial shock wore off, and he seemed to care more about continuing with the day than about anything else. I don't think you need to come running up here, but I didn't want to spring this on you all at once. I wanted to give you time to figure out what you want to do since this is in your wheelhouse. Like I said, I don't think you need to come running up here, but you should probably think about what your next move will be. I can't even guarantee that he'll want to talk about what happened."

Trent blew out a breath. "I think when you guys get back, I'm gonna bring him to the house and spend some time discussing this. I won't pressure him, but I want to gauge how he's dealing with this. I'll have him back to the manor on Sunday night, so he can go to school with his friends."

"Sounds good to me. While we're here, I'm going to follow through with my plans as we had them. If anything, else happens, I'll let you know."

"Yeah, keep me posted. See you guys when you get back."

When the phone call ended, Trent set his phone down and put his head in his hands. When he first agreed to be the kid's benefactor, he'd only thought about 'paying it forward' for the way that his dad had adopted him. If he were honest with himself, he'd known when that whole confrontation with that asshole parole officer went down that there was nothing simple about Katsume's situation.

And now there's this…

Trent took another deep breath. Well, if Rocky said things are ok, then he'd let it be.

But he'd definitely keep an eye on his ward.

So, what did you guys think?

I know it was pretty rough, and I hadn't really planned on going down this road, but I needed to get his backstory in somewhere. It really sucks for him, but let's face it. In this screwed up world, stuff like this goes down all the time.

I promise that all will be well and our friend will recover and come out stronger than you'd think.

Anyway, I'll see you on the flip side when the crew returns from their vacation.