Bikini Beach: The Runaway Part 2/3
Ib12us

A young boy has run away from home. Breaking into Bikini Beach in search of food, he is caught trespassing in the morning and given a week's worth of community service. Why did he run away in the first place? Something has prevented Grandmother and Anya from seeing his past. Maybe a detective who is the great grandson of someone from Grandmothers past can help unravel the mystery.

The author is grateful for the help, ideas and editing done by ElrodW. Without his help and support, this story may not have been possible.

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Bikini Beach: The Runaway

This story is copyright by the author. It is protected by licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Jozef scanned through the computer file once more before he decided to call Jana over. “Elaine Montgomery’s file appears to have a code that I’m not familiar with. There's another report along with Elaine’s, it seems. Only, I can’t find any record of it.”

Jana looked over Jozef’s shoulder, more at ease with the new detective since their discussion that Thursday. She had found the ‘Rookie’ to be quite pleasant and down-to-earth. She had listened to some of his stories while they passed the time before taking David home. Not once did he question her decision on why she chose to become a woman; he only asked if she was happy.

“That’s a reference to where the Military handled the matter.” Jana answered. Mystified, she added, “It’ll take some time to find out why. We’ll have to file a request through JAG, their legal channels. This incident appears to have happened _after_ the death of her husband." She wrinkled her nose, a sign that she was perplexed. "They shouldn’t have even been involved.”

“I don’t follow you.”

“You’re not familiar with the military are you?” Jozef shook his head.

“When a soldier leaves the service, they’re no longer bound by the military’s judicial system, or UCMJ as it's known. They fall under our jurisdiction. How, or why, they became involved is unknown. Still, it could take weeks to find out what happened and with Mel’s community service only for a week we may never know. Let me talk to Roy over in admin. He knows some people there, and might be able to pull a few strings to speed up the process.”

“This Roy, do you trust him? Does he know about you?”

“Yes, I trust him. He was my partner at one time, but he’s not aware about my change. He’s aware of the park's magic and Grandmother from a case we both worked on. I’ll just give him enough info to work the case, and I'll leave out what you can do.”

“Fair enough.”

“Unless…,” Jana said thinking of past unsolved cases and being secretive on Mel’s case. “Look, I know you want to keep what you can do quiet, but I think you should let the Chief in on what you can do, and possibly Roy. It may actually make your job easier here, and honestly, there have been some cases we don’t understand where your ... talent ... might be useful.”

Josef thought of his last precinct and why he had left, “I’ll take that into consideration, but for now, I’d like to keep it between the two of us, if you don’t mind.”

“I understand. Why don’t we both visit him and you can decide for yourself? You seem good at judging peoples characters on who to trust.”

“You mean like yours,” he quipped.

“See, a good judge of character. Now come on, ‘Rookie,’ it’s time you meet the guy that taught me the ropes.”

David couldn't run fast enough in his heels, which slowed him down. His short skirt billowed behind him, threatening to expose his panties, as he tried to keep ahead of the monster that he knew was just behind him. A part of David screamed inside at how unladylike it was to be running, but another part said run faster, motivated by a primal fear, as he turned a corner leading down another street.

David ran past several people who just stopped and stared at him, offering no assistance as he passed by them. David tried to maneuver around those that blocked his path, but that slowed him further, allowing Nathan to catch up to the hapless girl David dreamed he was.

With the sun behind him — and his pursuer, Nathan's shadow grew larger in front of David, taller than it had been before as the figure behind him closed in on him. Soon, it seemed, he could feel Nathans hot breath on the back of his neck as the fiend finally caught up to the young girl.

With a sickening malice in his voice, Nathan didn't even sound winded. "Nice panties, girl, very nice," Nathan sounded pleased when David's skirt rose higher than it should have, exposing his bottom for all to see. He took a panicked look behind him; the sun seemed to surround the dark, shadowy, and evil figure of Nathan. Temporarily blinded by the bright sun, David screamed in a girlish voice as he stumbled to the ground, while Nathan loomed over him, leering wickedly. Nathan slowly bent over, reaching for him with one arm as he unzipped his fly with the other hand so he could rape the helpless girl. Nathan only laughed when David's attempts to punch and kick him failed to have any effect. David's heart seemed to beat loud like the banging of a drum as he let out a high pitched scream when Nathan roughly pulled down his panties.

The loud knocking on his door woke David from his nightmare. When he opened his eyes, the sunlight streaming onto his vanity mirror temporarily blinded him. Outside his room, David heard his mother's frantic voice as she jiggled the door handle. "Melody! Melody! Open the door honey."

In a very shaky voice, David called out. "I'm okay, Mom. I ... I just had a nightmare. I'm fine."

In a worried voice, Elaine pleaded with her daughter, "Melody, just open the door please."

After unlocking the door, David backed away quickly, just in time, too, since the door nearly hit him when his mother burst through the door into his room, her face a mask of worry. Brad stood in the hallway, a worried expression on his face after having been awakened by his sister’s screams.

Elaine clutched hold of her daughter tightly, and as she did so, David realized how badly he was shaking. Still wrapping an arm around him, Elaine guided David to sit with her on the edge of the bed. "I thought I told you not to lock your door, baby," she said, trying to scold him but failing in her concern for how shaken he was by his nightmare.

With a quiver in his voice, he held tightly onto his mother. Slowly, the trembling lessened. "I, uh, I guess I was really tired from the park, Mom, and forgot."

Comforted by his mother’s loving embrace, David pushed the nightmare as far away from his thoughts as possible. He'd felt so weak and vulnerable in the dream, and he shuddered involuntarily when he realized that, in the dream, Nathan had had every intention of raping him.

He sat, content in his mother's embrace for several minutes, until finally the alarm went off, reminding him that he needed to get ready. He had nearly forgotten how much his mother cared for him when he had been a boy. "Mom, I need to get dressed. Officer Jozef said he'd pick me up by seven."

"Honey, I don’t think you should go," Elaine said in a worried voice. "I'll call your boss, or her granddaughter, and let them know you're not feeling well."

"Mom, no, I have to go. It's my punishment and I gave my word I'd be there early. It was only a bad dream, really," David said reluctantly, not really wanting to let go of his mother's comforting embrace, but still feeling obligated by his sense of duty to keep his promise.

Elaine wasn't willing to let him go either, but she relented, and said, "Well then, hurry up and get dressed. I'll have breakfast waiting for you.’" She hugged him for another few moments before David rose and walked to the bathroom.

*****************

David pushed another container from the side of the moving van, while several college boys continued to unload its contents. "Take that one over to the Ladies' shower, Mel," one of the guys, Anya's boyfriend Greg, told him.

As he struggled with moving the large box through the employee's gate, several college students passed by him and headed to the Men's showers to change, literally. He had witnessed several very curvy blondes, redheads and brunettes exit the locker room, along with an occasional toddler or teenager. Disgusted, David wondered if what he was doing was right.

"I'll take that," said a long haired blonde, with an enormous set of breasts, as she grabbed the container from him as he neared the showers. "Girls are waiting for this one. Hurry up with the others. We don't have much time."

Several containers later, David's arms and legs ached as he pushed what he hoped was the last container next to the restroom by the Junior Lifeguard Academy. Tired, David grabbed a seat and rubbed his sore legs.

"Hey, you don't have time to sit down!" a voice called to him. "Get over to the locker room and change." A teenage girl with curled sandy blonde hair approached him when he didn’t move.

"Come on, they're starting the shoots," the girl repeated, taking hold of his hand.

Tired from a restless night and sore from moving the equipment, David yanked his hand away. "I'm not one of the 'girls'," he spat, anger evident in his voice. "See my shirt? It says 'Staff' on it. I was volunteered to help out." David snarled. "You’re the third person that thinks I'm one of you dweebs. I’m not here to get all pretty and have my picture taken." David spun and left the stunned girl standing there. "I'm not one of you perverts."

******************

"You're sure she's still over there, Rob?" the buxom redhead asked, camera in hand with a telephoto lens attached. She followed the girl David had earlier yelled at.

"Sure, I'm sure, Greg. Come on, and tell me what you think."

Greg followed the teenage girl past several other girls in skimpy bikinis sitting around the Junior Lifeguard Academy, waiting to be photographed.

The setup looked quite professional to David when he helped setup the equipment. Reflector lamps made sure there were no shadows from the sun. A table allowed the girls to touch up their makeup, which was smudged from the posing and the heat of the sun and lamps. Waiting girls sipped from cold water bottles, while others practiced provocative poses as they waited for their turn in front of the camera.

Further away, Greg noticed the lone girl sitting on the edge of the one meter springboard with her feet dangling above the water. She was dressed in the park's official swimming uniform, and she seemed to be staring longingly at the diving platform to her left.

"Okay, so what's so special about her?" Greg queried.

"Wait until she starts practicing again, then tell me what you think."

Several minutes later, David stood up and walked over to the practice diving boards. "Is she planning to dive?"

"No, there aren't any lifeguards. Mel knows the rules and won't dive, but she will practice. There,” he pointed out, “that’s what I wanted you to see. There's a fluidity and grace to her movements."

With a critical eye, Greg focused his camera on David, before he snapped several pictures of him on the practice board. "How do you know so much about her?"

"After she chewed me out earlier, I talked with Vicky and Holly. It seems she's being punished for something, but neither would say what. Anyway, they say she's good. Real good."

Both watched as David stood close to the end of the board, bent over into a handstand, turned around to fall over the edge, bringing his feet down to the ground on the other side. "We couldn't use all those videos and stills we did for updating the Junior Diving Course, remember?"

"Sure," Greg replied, continuing to take more pictures while David practiced, "none of them were good enough. We could go through the motions, but we couldn't do the dives themselves, and it showed."

“So what if we were to have her do the dives for us?” Ron suggested.

"And how do you propose to have her cooperate and do the dives for us?" Greg asked his friend, knowing where he was going.

"Simple Greg, we ask her, or more precisely, have the coaches ask. Vicky said Mel doesn't mind helping others, and we both know a group of coaches who've been dying to get good videos. And if she won't do it for them, either, we can remind her that the stills would be great ad copy for Grandmother."

*************

"I was hoping I could do some diving," David pouted, when he was called to the office before his lunch break.

Officer Jozef, seated next to him on the couch, tried to console the sulking girl. "I understand, Mel. As the officer assigned to follow you through your ... work, I'd like to talk with you. My treat."

Skeptically, David hesitated. "I don't know." David didn't like the idea of being alone with the officer.

Anya, with a mischievous smile, suggested, "How about the 'Tiki Hut'? There's an area reserved for small pool parties, and it's away from the normal patrons, so it should provide you with enough privacy."

"I am kinda sore from moving boxes back and forth this morning," David admitted. He looked at the officer and gave him an impish grin, as if he dared him to go into the park. "I guess that would be okay with me," David said. He knew the water park was a safe place to meet, and the food was good, if yesterday's lunch was the standard.

Jozef returned the grin and to the amazement of the young girl, "I don't see it as a problem; Great-Grandmother did say it was a life-changing experience."

*************

Alone in the showers, Jozef couldn't help but feel a little trepidation when he undressed and donned a pair of swim trunks Anya had provided. Even with the knowledge of what to expect, he braced himself for the expected cool water when he turned the handle. Instead, he was surprised at its warmth when it sprayed forth. Jozef relaxed considerably and noticed the pink mist form around him from the water, followed by a tingling sensation throughout his body.

Within a few seconds or possibly a minute Jozef observed the changes his body was going through. With his hand held before him, he watched as his fingers became slimmer, more delicate, the hairs on his arm thinned and disappeared. French-style fingernails appeared at the end of his fingers; muscles toned by years of training workouts diminished, but remained firmed from steady exercise.

When he looked down, he noticed the swollen nipples atop small lumps of flesh where his breasts were. Quickly, they emerged from his chest to balloon outward into a pair of healthy breasts, not too large, but finely proportioned. His areolas darkened and grew to the size of half dollars, with small eraser pointed nipples.

Mesmerized as he was with his breasts, it was the development, or rather the metamorphosis, his penis had undergone which next caught his attention. His manhood, which had once been prominent in the tan shorts, seemed to devolve while his swim trunks morphed before his very eyes.

Material shrank and changed shape to rearrange itself in size and color from large tan male swim trunks to a double-tied striped string bikini, which covered his now smooth groin area. His hips had widened against the material and his waist decreased in size, giving him an hourglass figure which accentuated his breasts.

Finished, Jozef stepped out of the shower and moved over to the doorway, only to stop and stare at the figure in the mirror before him. Intrigued by her appearance, Jozef studied the figure with a critical eye. Always the ladies’ man, he couldn't help but notice the prominent orbs that protruded from her chest. He guessed them to be a size thirty-six C, and for some reason, he felt the need to confirm her measurement.

Her rear was heart shaped in the barely modest bikini she now wore. Her legs, smooth to the touch, were long and slender, kept in shape from running and working out.

Thick, black hair, cut short adorned her oval face styled in a short modified bob. Long side-swept bangs moved across her gray eyes, as her thick hair had been layered to complement her face. Gone was his rugged chin, while her cheekbones were higher, and her eyes seemed larger. Fuller lips along with a upturned nose completed a very pretty if not beautiful face.

A name overtook his thoughts when Jozef turned from side to side to examine her body. She marveled at how the magic had changed her perspective into being Josslin. 'Was this what Great-Grandmother experienced when she changed?' Josslin wondered when new thoughts and memories overtook her old ones, pushing them aside but not erasing them.

Josslin had gone to her locker to retrieve her sundress and sandals when Grandmother entered the locker room.

In one hand Grandmother had a matching bikini top, "I don't allow topless ….,"she began, only to pause when Grandmother saw Josie's appearance. "You look more like her now than when you were Jozef," Grandmother commented and handed the top to her.

Josslin took the offered top and, with an expertise of someone who had done it her whole life, covered herself. "Thank-you, Grandmother. It seems a few of my relatives noticed the similarity, too. A few cousins seemed a bit jealous when she took favor to me."

Again, Josslin marveled in the powerful magic used. "Is this what Mel should have experienced when she changed? Memories of Melody’s life and her male self, like I have memories of being Josslin, but I can also remember my male self?"

"Yes, along with a few minor restrictions, such as being unable to mention your former name. I’m glad you're handling the changes well, Josslin. Most men require a little help with magic to accept the change or, at least, a little further explanation on what's happened."

Josslin gave a light laugh, "Please call me Josie, Bunica. Anya did inform me of what to expect. Maybe having heard Great-Grandmother's stories, and the possibly that I can sense magic, helped also. Still it was a bit unnerving. Nothing can truly prepare you for the change."

“Most do have trouble accepting. So what are your plans after your done interviewing Mel?”

“Technically, it's my day off. Maybe I'll combine a bit of business with pleasure and enjoy myself. I can watch Mel in the park while she works for you and get to know her better. Mel’s been unwilling to talk with me as Jozef. Perhaps now that I'm Josie, she’ll open up more. Anya did suggest a weekend pass, and it would be a shame to waste an opportunity to enjoy your park, also.”

Happy to hear how Josie accepted the change, Grandmother smiled. “Enjoy the park, then, Josie. Business usually picks up around this time of the day, so I’ll be a little busy. Try not to keep Mel too long, though. I’m sure I’ll need her help in a little while.”

*************

David tried not to stare at Officer Jozef as the two silently ate their meals. His memories seemed to be conflicted when he first saw the officer approach him. One part told him she had been a male, while a more assertive version informed him that was no longer true. He was now a she. His mind settled on the female version. When he thought about the officer’s name a new one overtook the old one.

David watched how Officer Josslin, dressed in a yellow and white sundress, moved with self-assurance when she finally caught up with him at the Tiki Hut. She had chosen a chicken salad with papaya sauce and a diet soda, while David had selected the roast pig with Hawaiian sweet bread and a Mango smoothie.

In what had become a normal occurrence when he worked in the park, David ignored the feeling of either Grandmother or Anya checking on him periodically. His curiosity piqued by the change, he asked in a low voice, unsure if the officer would understand the question, “What’s it like? I mean, how does it feel to be a woman?”

Josie set down her fork and contemplated for a moment, while she rested her chin on top of her hands, “I’m finding it interesting, if that’s what you’re asking, Mel. But from what I’ve observed these past few days, you’re having trouble adapting to the change.”

“I’m managing,” David said, amazed that she did recall from the way she had been acting.

"Are you, Mel? I remember the look on your face when we first took you home, and I'm a little concerned."

"It’s a little better," David said, relieved that he could talk to someone that knew about his problems. He’d found Grandmother and Anya too busy with running the park, and while he liked Holly and Vicky, he didn’t think they would have understood what it was like since they’d both been born girls, or so he assumed without knowing one way or the other. “Mom gives me a funny look when I mess up on something that Melody should know, and Brad….” He stopped abruptly, as if unsure of what to say.

In a gentle prodding voice, Josie asked, "What about Brad, Mel?"

"Well, Brad treats me differently. I kinda expected it from Mom, but when I wanted to play catch or video games with him yesterday, he looked at me all crazy like, and he expected me to do things for him."

“Like what?”

“Well to get meals for him or clean up after him. He’s not like the brother I grew up with. We shared in the household chores and played together. Now it’s like he bosses me around, and expects me to do all the chores while he sits around.”

"Maybe that's what his sister did before the change. Perhaps her interests are different from yours and she never played the same games as him. Now he sees that you're acting different," Josie speculated.

"Maybe."

Josie couldn't help notice something different about David, a small difference in the magic about him. She reached out with her ability to detect its source. Ever so subtle, she concentrated more on the location of the change. She found herself focused on the pendant hanging around his neck. "That's a lovely pendent, Mel. May I take a look at it?" She could see the reluctance in his face when asked. "I promise to give it back."

Reluctantly, David removed the pendant and handed it to her, saddened by the memory it invoked. "It was a gift from my Dad. It's the only thing I have left ... from him."

Josie examined the pendant, and found that she could detect magic from it. Around the pendant, small inscriptions were written which she couldn't read. She reached out with her sense once more to examine David, and she noticed he carried a trace of the same magic on him as well. "I'm sorry to hear that Mel." She was unsure on whether to press the issue or not when she handed the pendant back.

"It's okay. They said he died a hero."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," David said in a sad yet proud voice on what his father had done. "They were in a convoy heading back to camp when and explosive went off in front of the convoy and blew up the lead truck. They said Dad led a group of soldiers up to the truck to look for wounded survivors when snipers started shooting at them. Two of his soldiers were hit badly. He and another man dragged the two to safety while the enemy kept shooting around him. While he waited for a medic to treat the wounded, they say that he saw something moving in what was left of the truck. He and another person, a sergeant, were the closest to the vehicle and both headed back to rescue whoever was still alive."

Josie's heart seemed to go out to him as she heard how David’s father died. "The other guy had grabbed the wounded soldier, with my dad providing cover for them. When the sergeant made it back to safety, he turned around to find my dad wasn't with him. He’d seen where my Dad was pinned down at the truck. He ... didn't make it." David sniffled as he fought back tears. "He wasn’t just my dad, he was my hero. I looked up to him."

Josie moved closer to the distressed girl, and let Mel lean against her, trying her best to comfort him. “I’m sure he was a good man and father to you, Mel.” Josie said in a gentle tone.

David wiped away his tears. “Yeah, he was the best. I still miss him a lot.”

Several minutes passed before David moved away from Officer Josie, slightly embarrassed at finding himself unable to control his emotions. As a boy, he had more control of his feelings, yet as a girl they seemed to rule him. Without saying another word, he went back to eating his food.

Josie seemed to sense the conflict David was having, and realized that David wanted to sort out his feelings alone.

*************

David didn’t understand, but he had a strong impression Grandmother was looking for him. He had finally regained his composure, and listened to Officer Josie, as she wanted him to call her, provide some insightful tips on how to handle the situation at home. Josie noticed how David turned his head in the direction he knew Grandmother would be coming from. Josie, sensing Grandmother's magic, wasn't surprised when she appeared, accompanied by Coach Lisa and Liz.

“I hate to interrupt your conversation Josie, but I was wondering if we could have a word with Melody for a few minutes?”

With a wave of her hand, Josie gestured for them to be seated. “It’s no problem. We were just finishing up.”

As the group gathered around the table, Lisa asked in a pleasant voice, “Mel you’ve helped several of our students, and we were wondering if perhaps you would be willing to help us out?”

“What am I volunteering for now?”

“Mel, this is has nothing to do with your service,” Grandmother stated simply. "You don’t have to, but it would really help us out if you would,” Grandmother clarified.

“We’d like it if you’d allow the NRD’s to videotape and photograph you diving, as a favor to us,” Liz explained.

“I don’t think so.” David's voice was firm.

“Why not Mel?” No-one had expected him to say no.

“They're perverts! They change into sexy girls and have their pictures taken in skimpy bikinis for guys to stare at.” David glared at Grandmother, “You lied to me. You told me this was a safe place for girls to hang out, to be safe, and here I am helping guys acting like girls take provocative pictures.”

Shocked, the accusation hurt Grandmother deeply, “Mel, it’s not what you think. It _is_ a safe place, I would never allow my park to be depicted in such a manner.”

“No? Then what am I supposed to think Grandmother?”

“Come with me Mel”, Grandmother said. She stood and led the group over to the souvenir and clothing store. She moved past racks of different style bikinis, shirts and hats advertising Bikini Beach before stopping in front of a small turn-style display. Pictures, postcards and calendars were placed inside for those wishing to purchase, next to key chains and buttons. She removed two different calendars and handed them to David. “I want you to look through them Mel, and tell me what you see.”

David flipped through the calendars with their various pictures of the park. Girls, young and old were shown having fun going down slides, coming out of tubes or frolicking in the water. Postcards showed the glee on little girls faces when they exited from the Glass Slipper Slide and Fairy Godmother Tube Slide. None showed the type of girls he had seen earlier in the morning.

“Mel, the NRD’s are very respectful of what I will have in my park. Yes, I admit I allow them to take slightly ... provocative pictures. “But,” Grandmother stressed to him making a point of the matter, “I _don’t_ allow anything indecent! Unfortunately, pictures of sexy girls sell, and the boys were in dire needs the first time I allowed them to use the park. We both learned what sold and what didn’t. They do a calendar every year as a fundraiser, and a lot of the money goes to charities they support. They’re very selective now in what they print and sell, or I won’t allow them to use the park. And none of the boys who’d been changed are below the age of consent.”

Liz and Lisa moved David over to another part of the store. Posters hung on the wall which advertised swimming lessons, but several of the posters looked dated. “This, Mel, is what we were hoping for you to update." None of the pictures showed the diving platforms in the Junior Academy section. A small screen LCD showed girls diving from both the diving boards, but their attire looked wrong and outdated.

“Why not use the girls in your classes?”

“Mel, you’ve watched them. None are as good as you are. They can do simple dives, but we want to show them what they can really learn. And besides” Liz gave the girl a playful nudge, “you’ll be allowed to use the Diving Platforms. Lisa and I agreed to let you, if you’d do us this favor.”

“I don’t know …I really don’t like my picture taken.”

“Mel, if you do this for us, for me, I’ll be willing to take off one day of your community service,” Grandmother said to sweeten the deal.

David seemed interested as he considered the request, still unsure. “The NRD’s — they're not perverts?”

“No, Mel, they're very decent, well-mannered boys. It was my fault for not explaining to you what they were doing. You can talk with anyone of them and judge for yourself.”

David’s eyes seemed to glaze over as he mulled over what they wanted, and then a small smile formed at the opportunity to finally be able use the platforms.

“Do I have to get all girly?”

“I can’t answer that, Mel. Greg and Randy would have to decide. They'll probably insist on a little makeup to take the shine off your face for the photographs. And you’d have to wear a different swimsuit like these,” Lisa said, handing over one that was more formfitting then the one he was currently wearing.

The idea of being able to use the platforms and the extra day removed from his punishment was too tempting. “I’ll do it, Grandmother, only after I talk to them.”

“Fair enough, Mel. I’ll have the necessary forms available in the morning. I’m sure you’ll agree once you hear from them.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon David could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of diving when he went about doing the tasks set before him. Holly and Vicky noticed his cheerful mood when he helped them, barely complaining when instructed to clean the bathrooms and deliver more goods to the concession stands. He even went so far as to ignore the unbelieving stares several girls gave him when both coaches allowed him the chance to do a few practice dives off the platforms. Nothing could shake the euphoric mood he was in.

Only once did he get called to the front office, and then that was a reminder from his mother she would be taking his brother to a football game. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you, Mel” Josie said as she drove them to the school.”

“Are you kidding?” David said in an excited voice. “Me and Brad used to practice together all the time. He was the best. This Brad may be different but I’d still watch him play.”

Josie didn’t miss how David referred to his brother in the past tense.

*************

As the players ran onto the field when their names and numbers were announced over the stadium PA system, David could barely contain his excitement. He was waiting anxiously for his brother's name to be called. While the game wasn't a "Friday Night Lights" high-school football spectacle, it was, to the families and friends, still important to watch and cheer as the junior-high Panthers team competed.

The announcer continued through the roster. "Number eighteen, middle linebacker Shawn Davis." Cheers echoed for the young man. "Number twenty-three, defensive end Brad Montgomery." David jumped and hollered gleefully as Brad ran onto the field and lined up with the team. From the time Brad's name was announced, David quit noticing any other players.

Several rows behind David, Elaine watched in amazement as her daughter showed more enthusiasm than she had ever seen. "I swear, Josie," she said to the woman beside her, "I've never seen her act this way. It's like she's another person."

Josie took a small bite of her hotdog. "Oh? In what way?" curious on how Elaine viewed her daughter.

“I can't quite place my finger on it," Elaine said cautiously, "but ever since the incident with the water park, it's like her whole personality has changed. She doesn't care to wear skirts or dresses. She's been forgetful on some things, like setting the table or where to put away the clothes. It's all minor things, but the way she talks and acts lately, it's more like ... like she's a different person." Elaine thought more about it as she took a sip of her drink. "If Brad had been a girl, this is how I'd imagine him to be - a tomboy."

"Are you sure? Maybe it's just a phase she's going through."

Before Elaine could answer, David bounded up the stairs leading to his mother, taking a seat next to them. "I can't wait to see him play. It's been like forever." Mel's excitement was obvious to the two of them.

Elaine gave Mel the strangest look as they waited for the game to start. "Honey you've never cared about his games before. What changed?"

David dampened his enthusiasm as he realized his mistake. "Nothing. I'm just excited."

"Maybe it's just all those sodas and candy you had at the park today, Mel," Josie hinted, giving David an excuse, "Too much sugar in your system."

"Maybe," David agreed, feeling relief inside that Josie was helping cover for his error. "I did have more than I should have," he lied.

"I'll just have to let them know not to give you so much. For someone who's being punished, you're sure being given a lot of privileges," Elaine noted cautiously.

"I'll be sure to tell Grandmother about your concern, Elaine," Josie offered. "A lot of the girls have taken a liking to her, and maybe they're bending the rules just a bit."

"I'd appreciate that Josie," Elaine answered. "Maybe you're right, and she's just hyper from all the sugar."

David breathed a sigh of relief when Josie squeezed his shoulder. "I’m sure that's it — just a sugar high."

*************

David tried to control his excitement when the game started. Every time Brad took to the field, David would rush down to the railing to see better and cheer him on. In his excitement, David would bounce and yell, "Go Brad, go," whenever Brad made a great tackle or sacked the opposing quarterback.

Soon, though, the excitement faded as David focused on his brothers movements. David made mental notes on everything Brad did, from his stance, to how he shoved past the offensive players on the other team, to how he tackled. Only on a few passing plays did David watch his brother fail to make it past the offensive line, even when the opposing team realized that Brad was a threat and adjusted to compensate.

When Josie noticed that Mel didn't go down to see Brad's plays for the third time in a row, she asked, "Is something the matter Mel?"

Deep in thought, David shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking, that’s all."

"Brad's been playing an awesome game, don't you think?"

"Yeah, awesome, did some amazing plays,” David replied halfheartedly. For the rest of the game, though, David never went back down to the front to watch his brother play.

David clicked through the photos on the computer screen, girls in various poses flashed across the monitor, only a few appeared to border on the provocative. “These, Mel, are the ones we took yesterday. Some come pretty close to crossing the line, but that can’t be helped. We have a committee who approves or disapproves which picture is to be used.”

“And none of them are under eighteen?”

“Absolutely. We separate into teams. When Rob spotted you yesterday he thought you were part of Grandmother's group. We keep separated so we don't interfere with each other. Greg explained. So what do you say? Will you do it?”

“I guess it would be okay.”

“Great, you just need to sign these papers and we’ll be all set.” Greg said when he placed several forms in front of David.

“Uh… which name do I use?” David asked.

*************

“Just sit still Mel, this shouldn’t take too long” Rob said looking like a rather shapely girl with wavy chestnut hair down her back.

Earlier David had moved equipment around the park before he headed over to the Junior Lifesaving Academy. Girls of different ages hurried to assemble and setup video cameras, lighting, and reflector screens around the pool. Now seated, Rob and an Asian girl were busy applying makeup to his face and fixing his hair.

David complained, “Why do I have wear lipstick and makeup?”

“Think of it this way Mel,” Rob said when he applied a dark shade of red waterproof lip-gloss. “All actors have to have some form of makeup on, or else they look pale or bland. It allows their features to appear better onscreen. Now smack your lips together like this,” and brought his lips together.

David copied the movement, “Yuck, it takes like wax,” he said, not liking the taste. “So after this is done, I can take it off?”

“And whatever else doesn’t wash off, so don’t be upset if we have to do touch-ups.” Rob patted him on the back. “Mel, we really appreciate you doing this. You don’t know how this will help us out.”

“As long as it’s not for some perverted reason. You don’t really like doing this either?”

“For me personally, no. I’ll just be glad when this is over. Putting together an annual calendar is very time consuming. A lot of the other guys feel the same way, but we do what we have to do - not for us, but for those charities we like to support.”

“So you’re really helping others out? Cool.”

“About yesterday…, Vicky told me what you thought about us.”

“I’m sorry for calling you a pervert, I didn’t know what was going on.”

“Don’t sweat it, Mel. It was a simple misunderstanding. I’ve been called worse.” Finished, Rob turned David to the mirror. “Well what do you think?”

David looked at his reflection in the mirror. His lips glistened from the deeper shade of red and his eyes seemed to stand out more from where Rob had applied eyeliner and mascara. Bits of rouge highlighted his cheekbones and his hair had been brushed out, held in place with a single barrette. David didn’t like the look, “Can we just hurry and get this over with so I can take it off.”

“Spoken like a true boy,” Rob laughed, “Come on.”

*************

David stood next to Coach Lisa under the hot lamp, only to flinch when the camera flashed.

"Dammit, Mel!" the photographer yelled, frustrated at the young girl. "This isn't going to work," Ralph complained for the umpteenth time.

"What's the problem?"

"She keeps fidgeting, turning away from the camera or has the wrong facial expression. I can’t get a decent shot."

Greg watched when David flinched just before the picture was taken. Several ruined pictures later, he spoke “Give me a few minutes Ralph. I know what the problem is.”

“Okay, let's take a break.”

Greg signaled Lisa over. "Listen, I need you to have a real conversation with Mel. Keep her distracted from us."

"What's her problem?"

"She’s camera shy. She’s trying, but she can’t seem to help it.”

Greg grabbed his camera and followed Lisa when she and David moved to the next setup by the diving boards.

"You wanted to talk to me, Miss Lisa?"

In a casual voice, “Yes Mel. I want you to focus on me, can you do that?”

“Focus on you?”

“Yes Mel. “Just how shy are you, Mel?”

“Not too shy, really. It just bothers me to have my picture taken. I’m trying really.”

David started to turn when he noticed movement to his side. "Don't look at her, Mel, look at me. I’m talking to you. Why don’t you like your picture taken?"

“I don't really like it. I look stupid in the pictures.”

Liz brought two lounge chairs over and placed them next to each of them, one in front of the other. "Have a seat. You never told us why you like to dive. Why don’t you tell me?"

"It's freedom for me."

"Freedom? Why’s that?"

“It's like I'm away from all my troubles, and there’s only me when I dive. There's nothing to bother me when I spring into the air. It’s like I’m in a different world."

“Is that why you dive, Mel, to get away from your troubles?”

“Sometimes, but it's what I love to do. I... I remember when I did my first dive." David's eyes seemed to drift away, lost somewhere in the memory, "It wasn't really a dive. We were at a lake, and Dad was in the water with his arms outstretched, telling me he'd catch me. I was standing on the lower end of a small ledge. Only I didn't want to do it. Brad was in the water with Dad and he said I was scared, a fraidy cat. I wasn't scared, I just didn't want Dad in the way, so I ran further along the edge of the ledge away from Dad and jumped in. Only the water was deep and the ledge higher, and I couldn't stand up after I jumped in. I heard Mom yelling and then I felt arms around me. Dad had grabbed hold of me and pulled me out of the water. He was pissed, yelling at me because I could have drowned. I yelled back at him I could swim on my own and dive on my own. He looked at me for, I don't know, maybe a minute before he said, 'Are you sure?' I didn't back down. Then he grabbed hold of me, lifted me in the air, while Mom was yelling at him. He said, 'Elaine, if he says he can swim, he needs to prove it to me.' Then he threw me high in the air into the water. Only it wasn't very deep. When I started to stand up he yelled 'You said you can swim, so swim back.' and I did. Mom was mad at Dad and when I climbed out she wanted to leave. I ran up to Dad all excited 'Do it again Daddy, do it again.' and Mom was telling him not to. 'Are you sure?' Yeah, Daddy do it again.' and then the next thing I knew I'm flying through the air once more. Over the years Dad made a game of it."

Coach Liz moved to the side of David and knelt down between them. "Turn towards me, Mel, as if I’m doing a quiz. “What are the different heights of the platforms? Tell me the different heights there are.”

“Well most platforms have three different heights, sometimes four.” David ticked off each one on his fingers, "There's the five meter, seven and a half, and the ten meter. Some have a three meter but it’s not common.”

“You seem to know a lot about diving Mel. How did you learn?”

“Books mostly, plus some video's. I'd watch a video on how a certain dive was, and I'd try copying it. Some were trickier to learn than others, like doing a twist rotation.”

“Well there is equipment you can use to learn,” Lisa said.

“I learned mine the hard way. I did a lot of bad dives; belly flops, and landing sideways while learning to twist in the air. Dad and Brad would laugh, but they both kept encouraging me not to stop. I guess Mom learned to take it all in stride. She never stopped me, but I think she worried nonetheless.”

Finished, Greg moved towards the group. “Mel, do you think you can show me some of your moves on the practice board with Lisa and Liz acting as instructors?”

“Sure,” David said. He turned and practically ran over to the board. “Okay ladies I’ll leave it up to the three of you.” David became more relaxed as he practiced his moves with both coaches acting as spotters. His expression changed to one of complete concentration focused on the task.

*************

Equipped with wireless headsets and camcorders, Greg, Randy and another student named Anthony had taken up positions on where best to video tape David. Greg checked the reception on his headset after Randy moved to the first platform. “Can you hear me Andy?”

“You’re coming in fine at my end Greg,” Andy replied along with a wave of his hand. He was the furthest of the three doing the long range camera work. Andy checked the wheel mounted camera once more, making sure one last time not to encounter any snags while they taped.

“Randy, be sure to sure to signal us once Mel tells you she’s starting her dive. Remind her that she needs to give us about three seconds from the time she says she's starting until she actually starts so the tape is rolling.”

“Roger that.”

“Okay, Mel, Randy’s going to tape you going up the stairs, so don’t be bothered by it. I’ll be positioned to the side of the platform taping you. Remember, signal to Randy that you're ready, then wait three seconds so the cameras are ready. So once you’re ready to start, I’d like you to begin with some simple dives, understand?”

Greg heard the chuckles from both Lisa and Liz. “You’d better define 'simple dives' to her Greg,” Liz laughed with a knowing smile.

David leaped upward and out, away from the platform, arms outstretched to his sides, his body straight, letting himself fall through the air. Once clear of the platform, his arms reached forward, thumbs interlocking. He bent forward and touched the tip of his toes before arching backwards, arms reaching skyward , his body dipping downward in a horizontal position towards the water. Not once did he lose sight on where his hands would make contact with the water. He felt the water glide around his body once his hands entered the water. As was his habit, he quickly did a self-assessment of his dive as he made his way to the surface; once more back in the element he loved.

David slowly rose to the surface; letting his head break the waters plain, just high enough to expose his eyes like a crocodile and looked towards the group of people standing by the pool. Underneath the surface a broad grin crossed his face knowing he’d caused just the minimum of a splash, the pinnacle of any dive, hard even for him. He could see Lisa's and Liz's grins, their thumbs up in the air in congratulations.

Further away, he heard the sound of applause from a small group of woman and girls who had gathered to watch his performance. Embarrassed at having an audience, David’s face went flush from the attention.

Time was irrelevant to David; he was in his element, doing what he loved, and enjoying every possible moment of it. Slowly, the audience and cameras faded out of existence as he focused on the dives, and his critical self-analysis of each and every movement.

Once more, David signaled Randy before he moved to the edge of the platform ready to start his dive. He sprang forward, twisting his body as he cleared the platform to twist even as his body rolled forward. Once he'd completed a full twist, he brought his legs upwards, toes pointed straight as possible; head close to his knees in a closed V shape, arms wrapped around his calves to complete the final rotation of the one-and-a-half with a full twist. After he entered the water, he surfaced and smacked the surface of the water twice to express his frustration at his performance.

Greg looked perplexed at the coaches, not understanding what the problem was. From his perspective, he didn’t see anything wrong with the dive. “What’s the matter with her?”

“She’s been at it for close to two hours, Greg, and she’s getting tired.” Lisa answered before she walked over to David, towel in hand for when he exited the water. “She entered the water wrong and created too much of a splash.”

“She’s right” Liz agreed in the assessment. “I think it’s time we stop. Between the dives and swimming, we should have enough video to work with. I don't want to risk her injuring herself.”

“You’re right, we do. I guess we got caught up in watching her dive and I lost track of the time.”

They both heard the argument between Lisa and David on their way back. “Please,” David begged, “Just this once. I know I’m getting tired, but its fun to do it from up there.”

Lisa refused to budge. “I said ‘no’. You could hurt yourself. If you want to do one, you can do it from the springboards, but not the platforms.”

“What does she want to do?” Greg asked.

“A cannonball, if I know her, from the top platform,” Lisa said, “She nearly gave us both a heart attack yesterday when she did her first one.”

“What’s wrong with her doing one that high?”

“It’s like doing a belly flop. If you enter the water wrong, or with your hands improperly placed, you could severely bruise or injure them, it’s very painful.”

“We wouldn’t want that now would we,” he said and gave Liz a knowing wink. “Hey, Mel,” Greg called out. “Let’s do one more shot. Why don't you do a cannonball for fun from the springboards? You know, as a way of showing the girls some fun in diving. Then we’ll call it a day. Of course, you still have to help put the equipment away.”

*************

Lisa, waited by the side of the pool, just far enough to the front of the diving boards, the expression on her face showing how happy she was to finally have the much-needed videos. She watched Liz take another dive as she waited for Mel to come by. With the photo shoot over, Liz had taken the opportunity to take a few dives before the park opened.

“Mel, we can’t really tell you how much we really appreciate what you done for us.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Lisa,” David said, blushing slightly at the compliment as he tried to wipe off more of the makeup that hadn’t come off from the water.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Lisa offered. She turned David towards the diving boards. She watched as Liz stepped onto the one meter board, an impish look on her face for a brief moment. “You know, Mel, getting us, especially Liz, drenched with water from your cannonballs isn’t very nice.”

“It’s not my fault that she’s close-by when I do them,” he said through the cloth.

“Well, she’s beginning to think you don’t like her,” Lisa replied as she continued to scrub his face clean.

“Of course I like her, and you too, Miss Lisa. But you both don’t seem to like to have any fun.”

Lisa had a smirk on her face, “Oh, we know how to have our fun, Mel. It’s just that we can’t get too playful when we’re working. We take our responsibilities around this area very seriously,” she said as she gave a small wave with her hand.

David watched as Liz sprang off the board, wondering what dive she was going to do, only to see her go into a tight tuck. Too late to react, both he and Lisa were hit with a wave of water from Liz’s cannonball. “Hey!” David yelled as Lisa laughed. Both were now drenched from the deluge of water.

Liz swam towards the edge of the pool and leaned on it, a grin on her face. “Gotcha, squirt.”

************

Tired from the day's activities, David was glad for the chance to crawl into bed. Fresh from the shower, and wearing a clean pair of panties, David started to put on his pajamas when he heard his phone ring. Though he couldn't remember having a phone before, he found it easy to figure out. Several messages were waiting for him when he opened the cover.

He figured out that a few were from Melody's friends asking why she hadn't been on her social page. Others wanted to know why she hadn't called. He had no real way to answer them, as he didn't know who they were and he had to ignore them.

"What the hell is this," David asked himself as he looked at the picture attached to a message.

Beneath the picture, the message read, "You miss this, baby? I missed our time together. I know it was as special for you as it was for me." The picture was of a man's genitals.

Alarmed at what he saw, David deleted the message, only to find another waiting to be opened.

"Hey Melody, I bet you can't wait for the taste of this sweet lollipop's filling. I know this sucker is just waiting for you to wrap your sweet tender lips around it and claim its prize. With love from your cherry popper."

"Who the hell are you?" David wondered anew. The name on the message was different, but the picture looked the same.

With trepidation, David looked at another one with the hand wrapped around an erect penis. He thought he noticed a familiar marking on the hand. Shuddering with fear, David zoomed in on the picture, to the hand. His mouth dropped open in shock as he realized where he had seen it.

David ran to the living room, "Mom?" His voice was anxious, even trembling.

"Yes honey?"

"What happened to Nathan?" David asked cautiously, unsure how to broach the subject.

He watched his mother's expression change instantly at the mention of the Nathan's name. Brad, too, became visibly upset at the name.

"Don't ever mention that asshole's name, Mel," Brad said angrily as he looked at his sister, dumbfounded she would even speak that name.

"Brad Montgomery," Elaine cried out, shocked at Brad's choice of language.

"But what happened to him?" David persisted. His voice trembled with fear. "Did they find him? Take him to prison?"

Elaine gestured for David to take the seat next to her. "Melody, honey, the police are searching for him."

David was alarmed at the news. "So he's still out there?"

Deeply concerned, Elaine pressed the question. "What happened, sweetheart, that would make you bring his name up?"

David pulled out his phone and showed his mother the messages he'd received.

Elaine's mouth dropped open in surprise, and then shock, as she started through the messages. She raised her hand to cover her mouth. "We have to notify the police if he's back..." Elaine left the statement hanging.

"Mom, we can call Officer Josslin in the morning. I'm sure she'll help," David suggested urgently. "She comes by to take me to the park anyway."

Elaine nodded her agreement. "Honey, I know this is ... disturbing ... to you. Are you okay to go back to bed, or do you want to stay up a little bit to calm down?"

David shook his head. "I'll go back to bed," he said uncertainly. He gave his mom a good-night kiss, and then walked back to his room. He pulled the covers up higher, clutching the blankets for reassurance as if they were a shield that could protect him, as he lay on his pillow. "Why?" he pleaded softly to himself, "why won't he leave me alone? Why won't he go away?" Tears were forming in the corners of David's eyes as he fought sleep, knowing that the images might make the nightmare return, and yet afraid of staying awake and trembling at every little sound in the house. It was late when sleep overtook the frightened child.

Morning came too early for David, tired as he was from the night’s events. He was thankful that none of the strange nightmares had returned. Slower than usual, he headed to the bathroom to get ready once more for work. He didn't hear the front door open.

“Thank you, Jozef, for meeting me earlier than usual,” Elaine apologized, still upset from last night. “I hope you don’t mind, but I think we should discuss this matter before Melody gets here.”

“I understand, Elaine, from the urgency of your call, something happened last night that scared Melody. What happened?”

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” she asked before she began.

“Please," he answered as he took a seat at the table.

Jozef looked through the pictures for clues after Elaine handed him the phone. “She insists it was Nathan who took them, even though they appear to be from different phones.”

“It’s possible that Nathan could have used several pre-paid phones, Elaine. I’ll put in a request to trace them, but I’m sure we’ll turn up empty on these. Still, it’ll give us a basic idea of his location and where he purchased them.”

“I thought for sure he’d leave us alone once he took what he could. After Brad chased him off, we hadn’t heard from him. He seemed to have disappeared.”

“What can you tell me about Nathan? From the report, I understand he nearly ruined you financially, but that’s about all.”

“Nearly isn’t the half of it,” Elaine said, wondering where to start. “After Phil died, I was overwhelmed with paperwork and grief. I dealt with the family finances with Phil being gone most of the time, but the paperwork involved with the military was frustrating. Arranging the funeral and having to file other claims took a toll on me.”

Elaine tried to keep occupied while she talked to the officer. “I met Nathan at one of the financial meetings. He had a keen grasp of what paperwork needed to be filled out and where. He was so friendly and knowledgeable about who to see and what forms needed to be filled out. Afterwards, he'd call to see how I was doing and if I needed more help. Nathan seemed to be strong and sympathetic, something I needed. Soon after, I started dating him. He’d been kind to Brad after the loss of his father and played football and roughhoused with him. That was something that Phil would do when he had been around. Brad soon took a liking to him. He fooled not only me but Brad also.”

“And Melody? What about her?”

“Nathan tried to be friends with her, but Melody’s very picky on who she chooses to be friends with. She was as close to Phil as a father and daughter could be. He loved her and supported her in swimming and other activities, but she’s always been my girl. She didn’t really care for Nathan. Not one little bit. She absolutely didn't want anything to do with him. They didn’t have anything in common, but she tolerated him for my sake.”

Elaine set a prepared plate down for Melody, “Anyway, as time went by I let him take control of the family finances while I searched for work.” Elaine wondered how the officer would perceive her; she knew it had been foolish of her to be so trusting, and she assumed that Jozef would be judgmental.

Jozef could see how telling him this was upsetting to her. He understood the dilemma she was going through. He could see her fear of being judged for making a mistake that a lot of women had made. Sympathetically, he said, “Elaine, you’re not the first person to be tricked out of their money. Many predators look to take advantage of those in their weakest moments. You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened.”

Relieved at his understanding, Elaine relaxed. “Thank-you.

“How did you find out what was happening?”

“I didn’t at first. It wasn’t until … until Nathan… and Melody.” Elaine struggled with the incident that occurred between the two of them. It was still too painful for Elaine to deal with, let alone to discuss with anyone, even an officer of the law. “It wasn’t until after that…incident that I filed the report and found out the true nature of the beast.”

Suspicious, Jozef realized that Elaine was leaving a _lot_ out of what she'd told him, and he suddenly dreaded what he would find in the missing report after Elaine’s refusal to discusses the matter in more detail with him.

“I discovered bills hadn’t been paid for months. Phone calls were answered by Nathan when they called. He had hidden bank statements from me. I couldn’t check online because he had changed my passwords, claiming hackers had compromised the accounts, and that he'd need to talk to the bank. He said he’d handle the matter... I was such a fool to trust him like that."

“I went to the bank, and found he had forged my name to have access to withdraw funds from my accounts. He transferred over two hundred thousand dollars to some other account. He not only took Phil’s life insurance money, but the money the kids receive from Social Security.

“Phil had stipulated in our will that any money the kids received from the military would be placed in a special account for school. Nathan couldn’t touch that, thank God. Unfortunately neither could I. Don’t take me wrong, I believe they should have an education, but with bill collectors and hardly any money, I could have used it to help tide things over.”

From the corner of her eye Elaine noticed David enter the living room and stopped the conversation. “Hurry up honey; I have breakfast waiting for you. Did you sleep well?”

“I’ll be fine Mom, thanks.”

“Jozef, I can’t thank-you enough for helping me with Melody. I hope you catch Nathan. He’s a lowlife... _bastard_," she angrily and involuntarily spat the word, unable to contain her hatred of the man, despite not wanting to curse in front of Melody, "and he needs to pay, pay dearly for what he did.”

Jozef waited till Mel was inside the park before pulling out his phone. “Jana, I need to see if Roy can speed up the process. Pull anymore strings and get that file from them. No, I need it as soon as possible. Something’s come up and I have a feeling it’s going to matter. I was just talking to Melody's mom, and I get the very distinct feeling that she's hiding something. I'll meet you at Roy’s desk? No problem.”

David scarcely heard his door open in the middle of the night. A shadowy figure walked into his room. David thought, at first, that it was his mother checking on him. But the night light showed the figures outline to be taller with shortened hair and muscular build. Blurry eyed and barely awake, David watched as the figure closed and locked the door behind him before he approached the side of his bed. Even in the dim light of the nightlight, David instantly recognized Nathan clad only in boxers and a muscle T-shirt.

He was wide away now; he lay still when the bed creaked from the strain of Nathans weight as he lowered himself to his side.

"Hey cutie, ready to play a game?" Nathan said in a low tone as he removed the blanket which covered David's body. "You have to be real quiet, or else I'll hurt your family, understand?"

Scared, David didn't move when Nathan slowly raised his nightgown exposing his panties and placed his muscular hand between his legs. "Nice girl, real nice," Nathan said when he rubbed a finger along David's covered vagina. Slowly the hand moved upwards moving his nightgown past what appeared to be smaller breasts. David shivered as tiny goose bumps formed over his body, followed by pain when Nathan gave one, then the other small breast a squeeze.

David knew something wasn't right. In a moment of clarity, David realized this wasn’t one of his dreams; he was witnessing a terrifying memory from Melody's past. Even in his dreams, the memory appeared to be real, too real. David tried to wake up, only to have the memory play out; he was unable to stop what he was going through.

Taking Melody's small hand, Nathan placed it inside his shorts. "That's it, girl," he coaxed in a sickenly-sweet, evil voice. "Let's make Nate happy, sweetie," he continued while he removed Melody's panties with his free hand.

Even in the memory David attempted to scream and move away, when Nathan climbed over top of him, spread Melody's legs and placed himself between them. With his penis pulled through the opening of the boxers, Nathan guided the tip to the opening of her vagina. With one hand, Nathan covered Melody's mouth as she began to whimper slightly, while with the other lifted her butt slightly into the air. Slowly Nathan began to push himself inside the terrified girls' small vagina. "Oh yeah Melody, your pussy is nice and tight, just the way I like them."

David felt as if Melody's groin was being split apart as Nathan forced his way into her.

David felt her throat constrict when Melody tried to scream as the pain from Nathans entry became unbearable. Melody's body began to thrash about while Melody screamed into Nathans hand. Unable to hold the squirming girl, Nathans hand slipped far enough for Melody to bite into his fingers.

"Bitch!" Nathan cursed, trying to keep his voice from carrying.

Melody screamed in a piercing voice, "Mommy! He's hurting me! Get off of me! MOM, MOM!" Melody continued to scream as she tried to fight Nathan.

"Quite down girl,” Nathan said in a menacing tone, when he managed to cover Melody's mouth once more.

David heard the banging against the door followed by the sound of wood breaking around the door knob, letting light flood in from the hallway. As his mother screamed, shocked at what she saw, Brad rushed into the room, a baseball bat in hand, yelling, in a forceful command, "Get _away_from_my_ sister."

Now desperate, Nathan shoulder-blocked Brad before the bat could make contact with him. Nathan's momentum carried him past Brad and Elaine and into the hallway, leaving a shocked Elaine behind while Brad took another swing at him. David could see his brothers half of the pendant around his neck.

Whimpering in pain from the assault Melody had clasped her hands over her vagina as something warm and wet seeped between her fingers.

Appalled and sickened at what he had witnessed, the memory changed, and David found himself standing along the sea shore in the middle of the night. Dressed in the same clothes he first worn when he found himself at the water park, David couldn't stop himself as he sobbed uncontrollably. "Mom I'm sorry. I tried, really I did, but I can’t forget, I can never forget it. My friends have turned against me and strangers now hurting me. I can't take it anymore. The memories, they just won't go away."

Dropping her purse, David found himself walking into the water, the waves almost making her stumble. When the water reached her waist Melody started swimming away from the shore. Further and further she swam until she couldn't swim another stroke. Turning over to float on her back, her body rose and fell with the waves when they moved under her.

Melody's wet clothes started to weigh her down and, exhausted from swimming, David found she was sinking; unable to keep herself afloat. Several times Melody struggled to the surface as she panicked at what she had done, only to submerge one final time when a large wave overtook her. As his vision blurred, her body still sinking, her last thoughts were of his mother and his brother.

David bolted upright with a start, gasping desperately for air, yet trying not to scream out in terror. Quickly he rolled over to bury his face into his pillow, so not to awaken his mother and brother. He began to sob uncontrollably from the repulsive nightmares.

"AAAARRRGGGGG, AAARRGGGG" he screamed into his pillow. "That son of a bitch, that mother fucking son of a bitch." David pounded his small fist over and over onto his bed, angry and frustrated. "Get the fuck out of my head! Leave me the hell alone! It's not mine, it's not, it's not!"

"Why Dad?" David moaned, "Why did you have to give me this fucking pendant? Why?" David sobbed, knowing that he'd never get an answer. After a few moments, his sobbing slowed. He sat upright in his bed, his pillow between his body and his knees. He bit into it. "Get the hell out of my head! Please just go away," he begged.

David removed the pendant from his neck and walked purposefully into the bathroom, "Stupid, fucking pendant!" David flushed the toilet before he dropped the pendant, chain and all, down into the swirling water. He was shaken and horrified at how Melody solved her problem, as she, too, had run away that night. The altered reality was confusing — it seemed like it was only a few days ago — the same as when David had run away. The difference was that when Melody fled, it was her choice, where David's flight had been for pure survival.

Emotionally drained, David plodded back to bed as he tried to force the images of what Melody had done away. Exhausted, he bent forward to pick up the comforter from the floor, where it had been dumped in his hasty flight to the bathroom. As he did so, he felt the accursed pendant slip out from beneath his pajamas top. Too tired to fight what he knew he couldn't defeat, he crawled into bed. Once more, in a final but futile gesture, he ripped the pendant from his neck and dropped it on the nightstand, knowing that when he awoke, it would be once more around his neck.

Restless from a fitful night of sleep, David barely heard the alarm go off. As he dragged himself out of bed, his mind refused to let go of the memory he had been force to live; making himself go on autopilot he readied himself for work.

Showered and dressed, David picked at his breakfast while he awaited the arrival of Officer Jozef when Brad pulled a chair out beside him. "Hey Sis how about if I visit you today?" Brad suggested before he reached over to fix himself a plate of food. "You barely talk about the place, and I heard the water park's got some pretty cool rides."

In a lower voice so his mother wouldn't hear, "A few of the guys said it's a great place to meet some cute girls."

"Sure Brad, why you don't do that," David said irritated, "I can guarantee you'll meet one the minute you step out of the showers," David snapped. "I'll even wait for your butt outside the men's showers with either Miss Anya or Grandmother when you're done."

Brad was troubled by his sisters’ reaction, "You okay Sis?" he asked, caught off guard by her attitude.

"No. Just don't visit, okay. I get enough questions and stares as it is. If you come, it'll only make it worse."

"Sure Sis, maybe some other time after this is over."

David grumbled under his breath. "Sure, whatever."

*************

With the morning's cloudy sky, Jozef noted only a third of the parking lot was filled when he pulled to the front entrance to drop David off. Jozef found David quieter than usual, and even a bit short tempered when David nearly snapped at him for asking how he was doing. David had caught himself, and seemed to crawl into a shell, refusing to speak further. In the short time Jozef had known him; he'd never seen the girl in such a foul mood. And when David stepped out of the car, he slammed the door harder than usual and walked away without even a thank-you.

David swiped his badge and ignored the cheerful greeting Holly, who was staffing the booth, had given him, before he headed over to the locker room to finish changing into his uniform.

With the morning gloom, David's mood only seemed to darken as he waited for something, anything, to keep him occupied and distracted from thinking about what Nathan had done to Melody.

With arms crossed on the table, David rested his chin on them, and only grunted to Vicky and Holly, who'd seated themselves next to him. He stared at nothing in particular; barely paying attention. "Mel? Why don't you head over to the diving boards or take in some of the rides until you're needed." Holly suggested.

"Not interested," he said between clenched teeth, his thoughts elsewhere. Both girls carried a worried look, concerned with how he was behaving.

"Are you sure? We're not very busy at the moment. I'm sure Grandmother wouldn't mind. Maybe there are some girls who could use some helpful tips," Vicky hinted as she tried to pull David from his foul mood.

Infuriated, David had enough, and in a fit of anger fired back, "Look, I'm not interested in swimming; diving or helping some dorks who don't want to listen to me, okay? Hell I don't even want to be here right now!" He rose abruptly. "So leave me the fuck alone!" he snarled before he stomped out of the room, leaving two shocked girls behind.

Grandmother found David seated alone by the volleyball court, "Would you care to explain why you were cursing at Vicky and Holly, young lady?"

Sulking, David looked defiantly at Grandmother, not caring about the consequences. "No."

Grandmother softened her stance when she sensed how troubled David was. "Something's bothering you, Mel. It's not like you to act the way you did, especially towards Vicky and Holly."

"You or Officer Jozef could have warned me, Grandmother," David said accusingly.
"You could have told me what happened to Melody with Nathan. Just how screwed up is Melody’s life?"

"What do you mean, Mel?" Grandmother asked, concerned how distressed Mel was behaving.

"I know you can read people's minds, and see people's lives. I heard several of the other staff talking about it. Why am I different?"

"I don't know, Mel. Something's preventing us," Grandmother answered truthfully.

"Well, I dreamed about Melody last night, and what happened to her. Even here, Nathan's hurt me, and my family, and making my life hell."

In a soothing voice, Grandmother tried to calm the troubled girl, "Let's go to the office, Mel. It would help us understand if you tell me and Anya what you'd seen, and the office is private."

*************

Grandmother held the pendant in her hand, while she studied the unintelligible writing. "Jozef couldn't tell what it was, Mel?" She wondered if it might be the source of David's problems.

“No Ma'am. I think he thought it was a just part of the magic when I became Melody. He said he could only detect it was connected to me."

Frustrated from the images, David complained, "I can't push Melody's memory away, Grandmother. They're not like my own memories. Those I've learned to push aside, to keep them away from me, but these - they keep coming back. It's like I'm reliving a part of her life over and over."

Grandmother handed the pendant to Anya to examine. "And you say this was given to you by your father, and you can't get rid of it?"

"Yes, ma'am. Dad gave me it when I was about eight years old. It's the only thing I have left from him. Nathan had taken everything else from us. Ever since I became a girl, it keeps coming back."

“The parks magic and the pendant seemed to have merged, Mel. For now it’s a part of you.”

"Grandmother, isn't there something more we can do?" Anya inquired while she comforted the distraught girl.

"Without understanding how the pendant works, I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do, Anya, its magic is nothing I’m familiar with,” Grandmother reluctantly told her.

Grandmother turned to the girl. “Mel, go home, try and get some rest. Since you're calmer, maybe you can handle the ordeal better."

"But Grandmother, my commitment ...." David started to protest.

Grandmother cut David off. "Your attitude toward your commitment is commendable, Mel, but the magic will only last so long and you’ll be too upset to work again. Besides, it seems I'm going to have to close for the day. The forecast is calling for morning and afternoon showers. With attendance too low to break even, I'll have to send you and the others home anyway."

"Yes, ma'am."

“Mel I wish you would have come to us, trusted us enough on what your pendant could do.”

“You don’t understand Grandmother. I had to keep it a secret. If Nathan figured out what it could do.”

“I understand Mel but any magic mixed with others can be dangerous. Still what’s done is done.”

"And Melody," Grandmother added in a sympathetic, but firm voice, "I want you to apologize to both Vicky and Holly before you leave. They're very upset and hurt by what you said to them." Grandmother admonished the girl.

Contrite, David bowed his head at what he had said to them. "Yes, ma'am. It was wrong of me to do it, and I’m sorry. I really like them."

“I can assume Grandmother that with the bad weather I’ll have to make up the extra day?” Grandmother nodded her head in agreement. David tried to put a better spin on the situation somehow. “At least it's still only seven days.”

*************

With nothing to do David plopped onto his bed after Anya dropped him off at home. He ignored the look his brother gave him when he entered the house, distracted by the thought of how Nathan always seemed to be lurking in the shadows, waiting for him.

David held the picture of his father in his hands as he contemplated what to do. "Dad, he's in both of my lives, hurting me. What am I going to do?" After a while he put the picture down when he knew there was only one thing to do. He was going to make sure Nathan never bothered him again.

David moved off the bed and headed to the living room. In as much of a sweet voice as he could possible muster, he said, "Brad? Can I take a look at your half of the pendant?"

Brad hadn’t forgotten how his sister had treated him earlier that morning, “What for?”

“I just wanted to see it, we each have a piece and I wondered if you still had yours.”

Brad wasn’t having any of his sisters sweet talk. “I still have it, Sis, and no, you can’t see it, so _go_ away.”

David headed out of the room only to stop himself. ‘Did Brad just do what I think he did?’ David thought, pissed at what just happened. “I know you have it now Brad, and I'm going to make Nathan pay.”

**************

With Mel gone for the day and the announcement of the parks closing Grandmother placed a call. “Jozef we need to talk, can you and Jana meet me here? I’m afraid I know what Mel’s mother wasn’t telling you. Yes, it’s just what you suspected.”