Ch. 78: A Girl Caught Masturbating

At the Home of Abused Women, Julia struggled with a decision.

"Here, why I don't help you get into your clothes." Ellen offered. "I bet that ankle still hurts pretty bad."

Julia watched Ellen get up from the foot of the bed, picking up the stack of clothing she had brought to her. She made a look of doubt when Ellen unfolded the white button shirt and dark blue skirt, laying them on the bed, and then holding the pair of panties and bra in her hands.

"Do you know where Angela took Lara?" Julia asked.

"Not really. But I can ask Angela." Ellen answered.

"Will you?"

"Sure."

Ellen put the panties and bra on the bed and walked away out of the room.

Julia watched and then threw the blanket off of her, partially covering up the clothing and exposing her naked body. She carefully moved her ankle, testing her range of motion. She winced at the pain. Once again, looking across the room at the doorway, she swung her body around and hung her legs off the bed. She attempted to put weight on them.

She took in some deep breaths, and used her hands and arms to carefully push her body up into a standing position. Her leg buckled from the pain, but managed to stand up putting most of the weight on the other leg. She tried a few steps. It was very painful, but she was able to walk, albeit slowly.

"Julia?" Angela spoke, entering the room with Ellen.

"Hi." Julia said, expressing discomfort on her face.

"Hey, take it easy!" Ellen said. "Sit back down, and don't hurt yourself."

"No, it's okay. Maybe it's not really broke. Maybe it's just sprained." Julia reasoned.

"Well, you better not let Dora or Miss Woodrow see you standing!" Ellen added.

"I think I want to get out of here before the Sheriff gets here." Julia explained. "Can you take me to Lara?"

"What?" Ellen asked.

Angela looked exasperated, as if put in a tough spot. "She's supposed to be at my aunt's house. But I don't think you're going to make it there right now. There's Deputies out there already waiting for Sheriff to get here."

"Is there someplace I can hide in here?"

Angela made shook her head, making a half-smile. "Nah. Not here. Miss Woodrow has this whole place locked down against boys and drugs and you name it. You can't hide anything here."

"I'm not going back!" Julia insisted.

"Here... Put your clothes on. Maybe we can get you out the kitchen and into the back. You'll have to hike back up the creek on your own though. That won't get you to my aunt's house, but it will least hide you for a day or two if you can get back deep into the woods."

"I'm not putting those clothes on." Julia swore.

"You're going to have to. If anyone around here sees a naked girl, they'll know it's you right away."

"Fine, but just the shirt and skirt. Skip the bra and panties."

Both Angela and Ellen managed conceal Julia in between them as the three walked slowly out of the room. Julia sucked up the pain and did her best to walk gingerly on her sprained ankle without making a scene. The girls had to walk down stairs, past a living room where several other girls socialized, and then through a hallway into the kitchen, and out the back door.

"I'll go into the wood with you Julia!" Ellen offered.

"Don't you dare!" Angela warned. "Dora already knows you've been with her. She'll tell Sheriff."

"Sheriff ain't going to do anything to me!" Ellen said, waving her hand. "He's known me since I was a baby."

Julia continued hobbling slowly away from the back of the Home, back towards the stream where she and Lara had originally come from.

"You just tell Dora and Miss Woodrow you don't know anything!" Ellen said, looking back at Angela. "I'll get her over to Lucy's!"

***

Lara opened her eyes and could see nothing. It was pitch black. She had fallen asleep and now had no sense of what time it was. She could only feel the soft fabric of the couch underneath her naked body.

Lara remembered there were candles and kerosene lamps, but could no longer find them in such darkness, let alone find matches. She sat up and looked around. She could see only black.

Standing up, she felt her way around.  She knew where the front door was, and sought to find it, carefully putting her hands out front, and talking short steps.  She felt the cold pot bellied stove in front of her and knew the front door was on the other side.

When she found it, she opened it up, and could see only the night sky filled with stars, and a black outline of hills. She was pinpoints of lights across the lake. Carefully, stepping  out of the door, she walked straight ahead, hoping not to step on anything sharp.  She got out enough of a way, and squatted down to pee.

The night air was cool, but not too cold. There was still no sign of Lucy.

Slowly and carefully walking back into the house, Lara found her way back to the couch, and laid down. She thought of Julia again, and recalled the precious moments of when they made love. She began touching her clitoris, and closed her eyes thinking of her.

Years ago, when she was 13, in her last of year of middle school, she recalled the time when she and Teresa slept in the tent at the nudist camp.

Teresa's mother originally didn't approve of tent-camping, knowing full well that the two girls would spend the night touching each other in the privacy of their confines. But yet she was wary of Teresa testing her tolerance, and by this age Teresa had grown nearly as tall and was far more agile as her mother. Her mother often relented to Teresa's aggression, taking the belief that Teresa was better off having sex with a girl than risk pregnancy. And she was also more interested in Teresa growing up liberated than having to fall prey to an abusive man like her ex-husband.

Lara and Teresa zipped their sleeping bags together and crawled inside. They giggled as while they played together. Teresa immediately took control. Teresa loved the idea of controlling Lara's reactions. She experimented with ways to tease her, manipulate her, and make her either beg for more or beg to stop. Teresa loved power, and Lara was willing to submit to it.

Inside the sleeping bag was pitch black. Lara only knew Teresa was in charge and could not tell what she was up to. It was her best guess as to what Teresa would do next, and her responsibility to accept it.

Resting on the couch inside the cinder block house in full darkness evoked a similar feeling. Lara could see no clutter, only darkness, and the darkness created an empty, lonely space. Lara opened her eyes to find herself rubbing her clitoris more aggressively. She had become wet, and was now intent on finishing the deed.

"What the Hell is going on!" cried out an elderly lady, pointing a flashlight at the couch where Lara laid.

Lucy had finally arrived home.

Lara had her fingers buried into labia as her body twitched in orgasm and her voice heaving in moans, yet at the same she tried controlling herself knowing someone had walked in.  Lucy kept her flashlight pointed at Lara and watched in amazement to see a naked girl writhing in her home.

"Are you alright Miss?" Lucy asked.

Lara sat up, but still couldn't control the twitching of her muscles and the contractions in her vagina.  She found herself putting fingers back between her labia, and then pulling them back out of modesty, seemingly unable to control her reactions.

"Oh Dear Lord." Lucy spoke in disgust.  "Who the Hell are you, and why are you in my house?"

Lara settled down, yet still breathing hard and twitching.  She put her hands on her head and looked down, as the twitching became fewer are far between.

Seeing Lara was still trying to gather herself, Lucy opted to put her bags away.

"I was told by Angela that it was OK I could stay here." Lara explained.

"Angela told you that?" Lucy said walking to the cupboard and pulling out a box of matches. "How do you know Angela?"

"I was at Miss Woodrow's House, and Angela called her Annette to have me taken here. She said you wouldn't mind."

"Miss Woodrow?  Who the Hell is she?"

"I don't know, I guess she owns a house for abused women."

Lucy lit up a few candles and illuminated the room.

"What, were you raped or something?"

"No, I had a friend with me who needed help, and we went to her house."

"OK, so explain to me why you need to be somewhere safe, when you were already at a house for abused women?"

"Because the police were after me. Look, it's a really long story, and I just need a safe place to stay and I was told it would be OK with you that I stay here."

"Well that all depends on your story, Hun. You better start from the beginning."

Lara took in a deep breath, and began telling Lucy her goal of going to California fully nude with no money and no possessions.  Meanwhile, Lucy spent her time lighting the pot bellied stove and making a couple cups of tea.

"So then you're a nudist, you're a young girl, and you're traveling alone in the middle of the  Appalachians. That don't sound very smart, now don't it?"

"Well, I guess not." Lara murmured.

Lara felt defeated. Lucy was no pushover, and was not going to settle for some kind of generalized answer from Lara. Lucy took charge in getting the facts and understanding what was going on. It started conjuring the sense of submission and subservience in Lara. It didn't take much for her to regard Lucy as a parent-figure.

"OK. You're welcome to stay here. I could certainly use the company. But you're going to have to do some work around here."

"That's fine, I'd be glad to!"

"Just remember, this is my house. I make the rules here. If you cross me I'll kick you right out!"

"Yes Ma'am."

"OK. Well, you'll have to just sleep on that couch."

Suddenly, Lara's attitude of being independent and self-reliant had flown out the window. Having been caught masturbating by Lucy somehow made her feel guilty and small. She was now placing an importance in obeying Lucy's wishes, and felt afraid of upsetting her. Lucy's command and dominance had an eerie familiarity that conjured up the six-year old girl inside Lara.

Ch. 77: Floating Adrift in Memories

Lara stepped outside the cinder block house to find something to occupy her mind while waiting for Lucy to arrive. Not having anything to do was driving her crazy with the thought of Julia weighing on her.

The afternoon sun was directly overhead as it burned down on Lara's nude body. There were sparkles of light flashing across a large lake in front of her as they caught the beams of sunshine. Loons and ducks waded in the shallows.

Lara walked down to the lake. It was a large lake. In either direction it seemed to go forever. She carefully walked over some wet, mushy earth, step by step towards the water's edge. The water wasn't at all that cold, but considering how warm the sun had heated her body, she tightened her muscles and slowly waded in.

She could see a boat way off in the distance speeding by, yet there was no one else visible that she could see. She continued to wade in further until she was finally deep enough to push forward for a swim.

Floating on her back, with the midday sun shining on her face, she closed her eyes and thought of the time she and Julia made love in the tent. She could still smell her, taste her, feel her, and hear her. The way Julia depended on Lara made her feel needed.

***

At the Home for Abused Women, Julia was still laying in bed. She had just finished a lunch that Ellen had gotten her, and was listening to Ellen talk about life at the Home.

"You poor thing." Ellen said to her, sitting at the foot of the bed, rubbing her feet.

Julia was still traumatized after having been held down by other girls with Miss Woodrow performing a rape evaluation and having an IUD placed into her.

"Why do you stay here?" Julia whispered.

"Well, because I feel safe here." Ellen answered. "I know it ain't all that great, but it ain't all that bad either. It's still way safer and nicer than where I came from."

"It should be illegal what she did." Julia spoke softly.

Ellen found it hard to answer. Having grown up in this area, just minutes away from the Home, the concept of individual rights seemed lost on her.

"I guess you do what you're told." She answered. "The Sheriff told me to stay here, and that's all I know."

Julia thought about it for a moment. The look of exhaustion from howling in agony combined with an introspective expression at how girls perceive life in this part of the country, made her realize that Lara was right. Even her own perception of life was shaped by her own parents.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Julia asked.

Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I haven't really decided."

"But you can leave anytime you want."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I guess I don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"That people choose to stay here when there's so much to see and do out there. I learned a lot in the past few days of living naked with Lara."

"Lara? Is that the other girl you were with?" Ellen asked.

Julia nodded her head yes.

"Well, but you all were educated." Ellen said, nearly chuckling. "I grew up here. This is all I know."

"But you went to school too?"

Ellen laughed. 

"Yeah, but that's not education! Listen, my father started having sex with me when I was ten years old. He got me pregnant when I was eleven, and I was forced to get an abortion. When I was twelve, I ended up with my uncle and he started having sex with me too. He made me stop going to school because he didn't want me telling anybody. He started charging his friends $60.00 to have sex with me. I was getting abortions once or twice a year. I ran away from him at fifteen and started living with various people. I had a baby at sixteen and gave it up for adoption. I've been living here ever since. It's all I know."

Julia's facial expression changed. Somehow she didn't feel so violated anymore.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Julia spoke softly, putting her head down. "I had no idea."

"I know, it's OK, I understand."

"Julia?" A voice called out from the doorway to the room. It was Dora. She walked towards Julia's bed. "You will need to put your clothes on right away. Sheriff will be here soon, along with Dr. McInnes.

***

Small ripples of water lapped up against Lara's ears as she remained floating in the lake. They made gentle pats against her eardrums and often covered over her mouth as she focused on slow breathing, watching the blood circulate inside her closed eyelids.

When she opened her eyes, Lara righted herself upright to stand, except found she could no longer touch the bottom. She looked back at the edge of the lake and it seemed much further away. The breeze and current had drifted her further out into the lake. She began swimming back to shore.

Lara pulled herself out of the water, and shook the drips off of her hands. She pulled her hair back and ringed out the moisture. She wasn't quite back at the same shoreline when she had entered the water earlier, and so began walking along the water's edge until she found the spot, and then began the hike back to the cinder block house.

Still no sign of Lucy, she entered the house and looked in the cupboards to see what food was available. She didn't feel right about eating someone else's food, but she was now famished, having only eaten several wild blackberries earlier this morning.

There was no refrigerator or ice box of any kind. There were jugs of water, boxes of crackers, and several baskets of fruit and vegetables. She picked out a couple of apples and a box of crackers, and then poured herself a glass of water.

Lara sat on the couch and looked up at the ceiling noticing artifacts that had been nailed to wooden crossbeams. After finishing eating, she laid down on the couch and closed her eyes to rest.

Ch. 76: Naked and Alone

Lara never seemed to ask where Tim and Annette were taking her to. She trusted that Angela knew of a good place for her. She didn't really care. Her mind was preoccupied with Julia.

"So where are you from?" Annette asked Lara.

"Charleston."

"Oh, big city girl, huh?"

"It's not really that big. What about you?"

"I'm from Elizabethton, and he's from Johnson City."

"Are we still in North Carolina?"

Tim shook his head. "Nope, Tennessee".

"So why you running from the police?" Annette said.

"I don't know. We were driving through Asheville at night and we got lost. It started raining really hard, and we ended up on some dirt roads. We decided to pull over and sleep in the car. And then the next morning, the car was stuck in the mud. So, we walked down the road and found this house. The people there let us stay overnight, but the next morning police showed up and arrested them. We were already outside wandering around when we saw it all, and I think the police found about us when they spotted our car, and started looking for us. I guess they think we're involved with whatever's going on."

"Wow, you've been running from the cops all this time?" Annette asked.

"Pretty much. We kept on running for a few days through the woods until we finally came here."

"Really?" Annette asked. "All the way from Asheville? To White Rock?"

"Well no..." Lara tried to explained. "We drove from Asheville in the middle of the night and got stuck in the mud somewhere, I don't know where. And we ran from that place to here."

"Well it's like some 70 miles from White Rock to Asheville. So you probably covered a pretty good distance on foot." Tim added.

"Who's we?" Annette asked.

"My friend Julia and I. She's still at that home for abused women."

"Oh! Why'd she not come with you?"

"She broke her ankle slipping on a rock."

Tim turned along a rather narrow and bumpy dirt road that wound itself up a series of hills until it crested over and descended down the other side.  The pickup truck bounced around into a grove of trees until it reached a cinder block house not too far from a large lake.

"Did you ever consider maybe they're just wanting to help you, not arrest you?"

"It doesn't matter to me." Lara explained. "I just don't want any part of them.

Annette grinned and nodded her head. "I don't blame you!"

Tim stopped the truck in front of the cinder block house and everyone stepped out.

"This is Lucy's place." Annette said. "She's Angela's uncle's ex. Everyone around here calls her 'Lucy Goosey' because she's loose as a goose. But no one ever comes here. She's maybe a little crazy but she's harmless and she won't mind you staying."

Lara walked towards the house, which was partially covered with ivy and a galvanized tin roof. There were potted plants surrounding the house, most of which were overgrown with weeds. There were old garden statues, a rusted bicycle, several used tires, and a dusty, dirty patio table and chairs.

Annette knocked on the door. "Lucy? You home, Hun?"

There was no answer.

Annette turned the knob on the door and it opened. Everyone walked in.

The room smelled like an old woman, as if the oils from her skin had rubbed itself deep into the walls and furnishings. There was no electricity and the house was dark. The few windows in the house were covered with dark curtains. There were only candles and a couple of a kerosene lamps but they were unlit. The house contained only a single room. There was a propane stove and counter top on one side, a couch and chair on the other, and a bed on another. Everywhere else was cluttered with knick-knacks, and piles of papers, books, tools, and clothes. Yet, it didn't look unkempt, there was still some sense of order in which they were all arranged.

The floor was concrete, but there was an oval shaped rug that stretched from end to the other.  There was a pot-bellied stove in the middle and a few throw rugs surrounding it.

"I doesn't look like she's here." Annette said. "But I know you're welcome to stay, she's always talking about wanting visitors, and she's really nice."

Lara looked troubled but thanked Annette and Tim for bringing her here.

"You'll be safe here." Annette continued."

"We should be getting back." Annette added, looking at the time on her cellphone.

"Hey, I forgot to ask Angela, but will you ask her to bring Julia here if the Sheriff hasn't already been there yet?"

"Oh yeah! Absolutely!" Annette said. "I will!"

"Thanks." Lara replied.

Lara gave hugs to both Annette and Tim.

"Ha! I just been hugged by a naked girl! Annette said. "Look I'm getting excited already!"

Lara watched the two walk out the door. She stepped to the window and moved the curtain aside to watch them drive away.  The window was dirty and foggy, and Lara was barely able to see.

In a way, she liked being here, simply because she felt confident her life as a wandering nudist would continue. But, she felt sick inside knowing that Julia was at the house and that she was stuck here with no way to get to her.

Lara took a seat on the couch inside the cinder block house and looked around. It was packed with cans, boxes, and tubs, but not in disarray. There seemed to be a system in how it was organized. But still, there was not much room for any kind of work space.

But it offered no distraction for Lara. She ached for Julia. Her head ran several ideas on how to get her back. She feared that the Sheriff was never called and that she rushed away in haste. But the drive from the House to here was far, and it would take all day and into the night to get back. Worse yet, she didn't even know how to get back.

Ch. 75: Going Their Separate Ways

A pickup truck pulled up to the old dock as Angela and Lara stepped out from behind the trees.

The police still had not arrived at the house, making Lara worry if she had left Julia prematurely in haste.

"Do you think Julia will be OK there?" she asked Angela.

"Oh yeah, she'll be alright."

Lara hoped the police would arrive by now, believing they would protect her and return her to her parents.

"Go Lara!" Angela said.

But Lara felt uncertain. She stood watching the house waiting to see some sign of police arriving.

"Miss Woodrow called the police, right?" Lara said to Angela.

"She usually does. Go on! Go."

Lara slowly, reluctantly, crawled into the pickup truck.

"Thank you!" Lara said to Angela. "Look out for Julia for me, OK?

***

Julia remained laid down nude in her newly assigned bed in the house. Dora and Miss Woodrow had left her alone. Her intense crying had settled down but she still drifted in and out of short bursts of softer cries. Her new uniform and underwear had still not been supplied. She stared blankly at the row of beds in the room, thinking about the past few days with Lara as her only source of comfort.

 The door to the room opened.

Julia's blank stare had been broken.

"Hello?" A soft voice called out.

Julia pulled her knees up tighter into a ball and remained on her side.

A young woman walked to the foot of the bed, carrying her new clothes.

"Um, Hi. I'm Ellen Meade". I'll just place your clothes on the bed."

Julia didn't respond and didn't move.

"Can I get you anything?" Ellen asked.

Julia remained motionless, moving only her eyeballs as they followed Ellen's movements.

"I know how you feel, they did the same thing to me when I came here."

Ellen stood for a moment, but Julia wouldn't move or say anything.

"Here, I also brought this blanket, I figured you'd want one."

Ellen unfolded the blanket and placed it over Julia, pulling it across her body and folding it away from her head. Julia clutched the corner of the blanket and held it to her face.

Ellen sat down into on the bed with Julia and touched foot from atop the blanket.

"I don't blame you if you're feeling frightened. I cried the entire time and didn't get any sleep the entire first night." Ellen said. "Miss Woodrow can be a real bitch sometimes."

Julia continued to watch Ellen.

"Hy, they'll be serving lunch here about another 30 minutes, if you want I'll bring you something. You don't have to go out there if you don't want to."

"Hi!" Ellen smiled as Julia moved her head down to get a better look at Ellen.

"What's your name?" Ellen asked.

"Julia." She whispered.

"Hi Julia."

Ellen kept squeezing Julia's foot.

***

The pickup truck drove quickly down the dirt road.  Lara sat in the back of the cab while her friend Annette and her boyfriend Tim sat up front. Tim kept looking into the rear view mirror at Lara, stunned to see a naked girl in public.

"So what's your name?" Annette asked.

"Lara. I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself." Annette replied.

"Well hi!" Annette said. And this is my boyfriend Tim".

"Hi. And hi Tim."

"So, what happened to you?  Where are your clothes?" Annette asked.

"I'm a nudist. It's a long story, but I'm just trying to get to California."

"With no clothes on?" Annette asked.

"Yeah, with no clothes on."

Tim shook his head and kept one hand on the steering wheel while wearing a smile.

"You have any money?" Annette asked?

Lara shook her head, and looked out the side window at the trees passing by.

"No."

"Man, that's wild!" Tim said.

Lara chuckled. "Right?"

Ch. 74: A Violation of Privacy

"OK, Annette said that she and Tim can be here with the pickup truck in about 15 minutes." Angela said after getting off her cellphone.

"Fifteen minutes?" Lara asked. "I don't think I can wait that long. I'm sure the police will be here by then."

Angela stood for a moment silent, thinking.

Lara looked at her while Julia looked at Lara. Julia had to sit back down on the plastic chair while the two figured things out.

Angela pulled her cellphone back out and called Angela back.

"Hi, it's me again. Think you can meet me at the old dock instead?

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Right now."

"OK. Thanks. Bye."

"OK, let's go to the old dock right now. It's across the creek by a dry lake bed. That way we can go now."

Lara turned to look at Julia. Julia stared right back at her. Instantaneously, Lara bent over towards to Julia, placed both hands on her face, and planted a deep, open mouth kiss.

Angela opened her eyes in disbelief.

"You remember me!" Lara said. "I'm going to carry you everywhere I go.

"I will." Julia replied.

The two hugged.

"I love you, OK?" Julia said.

"Yeah, I love you too!" Lara replied.

"Don't forget about my aunt!" Julia begged letting go of Lara.

"OK, I won't!"

Angela led Lara out the back entrance of the house, across the lawn and down into the creek bed. They walked briskly across the smooth, rounded rocks, skipping over puddles of water and mud until they reached the other side.

The dry lake bed was only a few hundred feet away. It didn't look like a dry lake bed, but just a wider portion of the creek. Apparently decades ago, there had been a lake there that went dry due to a dam that was demolished. The old dock still remained, with a dirt road leading up to it.

Angela and Lara hid about twenty feet away behind a few trees and waited for Annette and Tim to bring the pickup truck.

Back at the Home for Abused Women, Dora re-entered the shower room.

"Where's Angela?" Dora asked Julia. "And where's Lara?"

"I don't know. Lara decided she wasn't going to stay anymore. I think Angela may have went after her.

"Come on." Dora said, reaching her hand out to help Julia back up.

Julia had been escorted into the infirmary by Dora. Miss Woodrow entered shortly after to tape up her ankle. Three more girls followed her in.

"Please remove your towel and lay down on the bed so I can look at your ankle." Miss Woodrow asked.

Julia reluctantly allowed the towel to drop, watching Dora and the three other girls. She slowly sat on the bed, turned her body, and laid down.

 "So, tell me where did your friend go?" Miss Woodrow asked.

"She didn't want to stay."

Miss Woodrow inspected her ankle, pressing in various spots and carefully moving it around. Julia winced in pain.

"OK, where does she plan to go from here?"

"I don't know."

"I see you have several blisters on your feet. You two have obviously done a lot of walking." Miss Woodrow noted.

"Did Lara put her clothes on?" Miss Woodrow continued, looking up at Dora.

Dora shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know Ma'am. I didn't see her leave."

Miss Woodrow shook her head and began wrapping Julia's ankle with an Ace wrap. "That girl won't last long."

Julia looked troubled and turned her head to look at Dora, who looked back at her with apathy.

"So, how did you hurt your ankle?" Miss Woodrow asked.

Julia explained that she hurt herself walking on the rocks in the creek bed. From there, Miss Woodrow asked how she and Lara came to walk on the creek bed, and thereafter systematically asked more questions, backtracking until she gathered together a story of how they came to this house. But being without Lara and without any other familiar faces only made Julia very frightened and unwilling to give specifics.

Miss Woodrow looked up at Dora standing by the door, and then looked over at the bed. Dora responded by taking a few small steps towards the bed. The three other girls began moving slowly towards the bed as well.

Dora nodded her head, and the four of them closed in on Julia. Each of them grabbed Julia's wrists and ankles at the same time, pinning her to the bed.

"No!" Julia yelled, kicking her legs and rolling her body and back and forth.

"We won't hurt you Julia." Miss Woodrow explained. "Please remember that rape victims often don't remember being raped. It's very important we find out."

Miss Woodrow spoke in a matter of fact tone of voice. "We're just going to take a small examination, that's all."

"I wasn't raped!" Julia exclaimed shaking her head, bouncing her body trying to break free. "No!"

"You're only going to make it harder on yourself if you fight us!" Miss Woodrow said. "I can get some ropes and tie you down, or you can cooperate."

Julia stopped resisting and but continued to cry with a great deal of fear, hyperventilating and barely able to breath.

"That's more like it."

Miss Woodrow nodded her head at the two girls holding Julia's ankles. They pulled them back giving Miss Woodrow full access.

Julia panicked and wailed, shaking her head left and right.

Miss Woodrow leaned forward just inches from her labia, using her fingers to spread them apart.

Julia howled in fear, opening her mouth wide and rolling her eyes back into her head.

Miss Woodrow, meanwhile, took her time to inspect the outside of her vagina. looking for tears that might suggest rape.

Julia continued howling with streams of tears running down her face.

Reaching into a bag, Miss Woodrow pulled out a tube of lubricant along with a metal speculum. Julia screamed from the feeling of cold steel entering her vagina, howling like an animal in fear. Miss Woodrow began spreading apart Julia's most personal space, exposing it for her own inspection.

 Miss Woodrow peered inside with a tiny flashlight.

"Mmm, hmm." She said.

Julia caught her breath and descended into a deep, deep cry.

"When was your last flow, Julia?" Miss Woodrow asked in a rather dry, unemotional way.

Julia didn't answer, but continued to cry louder.

"Well, we're not going to get anything out of her!" Miss Woodrow spoke sarcastically

She reached back into her bag to retrieve a cotton swap and plastic tube. She inserted the swab and brushed it around and then placed it into the tube.

Miss Woodrow reached into her bag again and retrieved a plastic package, which she tore open and revealed an IUD and an insertion tool.

"Now, hold steady." Miss Woodrow said, resting one hand on Julia's inner thigh and the other hand carefully guiding the IUD tool inside her.

 Julia was so heavily traumatized by the event that she couldn't hear anything or feel anything. She wasn't even aware of what Miss Woodrow was doing at this point. Her mind was preoccupied with the vision of her father yelling at her and spanking her after getting caught touching herself when she was twelve.

"You're going to go to Hell!" She remembered him yelling. "You're going to go to Hell!" 

"OK." Miss Woodrow said, removing the speculum. "You can let her go."

Julia turned over on her side and brought her knees up to her, continuing to cry.

"Honey, we're just doing this for your own good. Dora, get her a fitted for a uniform along with undergarments.

"Yes Ma'am." Dora replied.

"Marianne, escort Julia to an open bed in Room 5, please."

"Yes Ma'am." Marianne replied.

Meanwhile at the dock, both Lara and Angela waited for Annette and Tim to arrive.

"They should be here by now." Angela spoke, looking at the time on her cellphone.

Lara looked out across the creek bed and felt troubled about Julia.

Ch. 73: Help From a Stranger

"What's going on in here?" Dora asked, walking into the shower room.

She saw Lara standing with a towel up to her face, crying. Julia was also crying, but still had the shower on her back. Dora turned off the water, and helped Julia stand up.

Julia slowly got up out of the chair as Lara helped her dry off with a towel.

"Angela!" Dora called out.

Lara tried to collect herself, she didn't want to make a scene and end up Dora or someone else forcing her to stay longer than she had to. 

Dora reached for a towel and began drying Julia off.

"Yes, Ma'am?" Angela said, walking into the shower room.

"Help this girl to dry off and then see them both to the infirmary." Dora ordered, and walked out of the shower room.

"I'll do that." Lara said, walking back to Julia, asking for the towel. 

Angela handed it to Lara and remained standing until the two were finished.

"Are you two really nudists?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. So, what's it to you?" Lara replied.

"I don't know, I guess you just don't see them around here." Angela answered in a higher pitched voice, but with a clearly distinctive North Carolina twang.

Lara kept drying off Julia, even though she was already mostly dried off.

"So were you abused too?" Julia asked Angela.

"Abused?" Angela replied. "Oh, I don't know. I suppose so, it's what everyone tells me. But, it's what I've always known."

Lara sighed, and continued to dry off Julia's legs.

"Do they force you to stay here?" Julia asked.

"No, I can leave anytime I want." Angela answered.

"Do they make everyone wear those uniforms?" Lara asked.

"Oh these?  Yeah, it's just the rules. Miss Woodrow won't let you stay here or give you food if you don't."

"So anyone can leave anytime they want?" Lara asked.

"Yeah, anytime!" Angela answered.

Suddenly, Lara felt just a tiny bit better about the situation, but still knew the police would be here soon. She had hoped to get some food first.

"So where do you get food around here? She asked.

"Well, they won't be serving anything until lunch time." Angela replied.

"Is there a kitchen I can just get something from?"

"No, the only people allowed in the kitchen are the staff.  Well, except Dora, she can go in there."

"You think Dora can get something for me?"

"No way.  She don't listen to anyone but Miss Woodrow."

"Sorry Lara." Julia replied, trying to comfort her.

"Why don't you just put on some clothes and wait until lunch?" Angela asked.

"I can't." Lara answered. "For one, I don't wear clothes, and no one's going to make me. And two, she's probably calling the police. I can't wait any longer."

Angela laughed. "Why don't you wear clothes?  It's not going to kill you?"

Lara rolled her eyes.

"And who's calling the police?" Angela continued.

"That Miss Woodrow."

"The police have been looking for us." Julia said.

"Really?" Angela spoke with a hushed tone of interest. "What do they want with you?"

"I don't know really, it's a long story." Lara said. "But, I can't stay any longer. I have to go."

"So, is this girl going too, or is she staying here?" Angela asked.

Lara looked at Julia, and Julia looked troubled. Julia's eyes were beginning to well up again and turn red. Angela waited for an answer, looking at Julia.

"Julia?" Angela asked, wondering what she had planned to do.

"I'm staying here." Julia spoke quietly, looking sad. "I think my ankle's broke."

"Well, listen." Angela spoke more quietly. "I can call my friend Annette. Her boyfriend has a pickup truck and he can drive you. He's really nice too. I know a place where you can hide out."

"I don't know." Lara answered.  "I think I can do fine on my own".

Angela chuckled. "No way honey, you won't get away with it around here. All the girls who live here will be telling their friends and family about you two. The whole town is going to be on the lookout for a naked girl running around. And when all the men around here find about that? Forget it."

It seemed to make sense to Lara.  She found herself with little choice but to depend on a stranger.

"OK, so what about this guy with the pickup truck?" Lara asked.

"Let me call Annette." Angela replied.

Ch. 72: Naked Girls Showering

"Oh Dear Lord, the smell!" The woman the complained. "Dora stop. Take them to the shower instead."

"What is this place?" Julia asked.

"This is a home for abused women." The woman answered.

"But why is everyone wearing uniforms?" Lara asked.

"Never mind that right now." The woman said. "You two need showers. You smell like the swamp!"

Both Lara and Julia were led down a hallway into a large bathroom with several toilets, sinks, and a large shower hall with numerous shower heads.

"Dora, get this young lady one of those plastic chairs to sit in." The woman instructed. "There's soap and shampoo right here, and a set of towels over there.  When you're finished, you'll put on some clean clothes."

Lara stepped into the shower hall and turned on the water.  She hadn't had a hot shower for several days.

Julia waited for the chair to be brought.

"Oh my God! This feels so good!" Lara exclaimed as she stood under a shower of warm water.

Dora came by bringing a plastic chair for Julia to sit in under the shower. She helped Julia under a shower head, she sat down into the chair. There was a brief moment of cold water, to which Julia tightened and shrieked, but it quickly turned warm.

"Do you think you'll have to put on those clothes?" Julia asked Lara.

"Hell no, I'm not putting them on!" She swore. "I just barely started."

"Started what?"

"My life!" Lara clarified. "No way I'm quitting now."

Lara walked away from her shower and over to Julia. She took a bar of soak, rubbed it in her hands, and began washing Julia's body.

"She's probably calling the police right now." Julia muttered.

"Yeah, probably".

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I can't stay here." Lara replied.

"So this is it then?" Julia asked sadly.

"This is what?" Lara replied.

"This is where we split up?"

"Hell no Julia! I'm committed to you now. I'm never going to leave you!"

Julia took in a big breath of dismay.

"They're going to arrest you Lara. We'll both in be jail at least until my dad comes get me, but you'll probably be there longer until they figure it out. I mean even if they figure out you're innocent they'll probably keep you around as a witness. Nan and her mom will probably go to trial and you'll have to testify. It's going to be a long time until you can be free again." Julia said.

"No, I'll come get you." Lara said. "Maybe you just need some rest for a day or two. I'll come back for you and we'll get out of here."

"She's probably calling the police right now!" Julia remarked. "They're probably on their way! Besides, I think my ankle is broken. It really hurts bad!"

Lara stopped washing Julia and faced her from the front.

"I can't leave you Julia! I just can't. Not after all this."

"You have to go Lara. I don't want to be the reason you had to give up the life you wanted."

"No! You are the life I want!" Lara insisted, turning to face Julia. "Don't you see? I love you! I'm yours, you're mine. We'll figure this out, we'll..."

"How Lara?" Julia raised her voice, weeping. "Maybe when you're settled somewhere, but not right now Lara. Not having to run and hide everyday. Not having to search for food and water everyday. I mean I love you too! But I don't know that I'm cut out for this kind of running!"

Lara crouched down beside Julia's chair and put her hands to her face and began weeping as well.

"You just have to go Lara. I'll be OK." Julia's voice cracked under the emotion. "My dad will get me out this. OK? Just go!"

Lara broke out into a cry, standing back up and walking out of the shower to get a towel. She could no longer contain herself and moaned and wept.

"Maybe some day you can write to my aunt. I'll probably end up there."

Ch. 71: Going for Help

Finally making the decision to get help, Julia motioned to Lara.

"OK, I guess we should go now."

"You want me to go get help?" Lara confirmed. 

"No, I think I can walk if I can lean on you. Let's go to this house. After that, I don't know."

Lara stepped out of the tent and helped Julia out. Julia hobbled using Lara to absorb some weight as she tried not to put much weight on her foot. She did the best as she could through the thick growth of trees and grasses until the girls reached the dry creek bed.

The creek didn't offer any easier walking with its rounded rocks and muddied puddles of water. There were also gnats and flies that pestered them.

"Uhh!" Julia squealed as she hobbled gingerly under Lara's aid.

"It's not that far away" Lara said.

The house finally came into view about 15 minutes later.

"There!" Lara said, pointing her finger.

Julia looked and saw a rather large wooden Victorian style house. The closer they got, the more detail they could see. It was painted white with ornate trimmings and neatly manicured hedges and bushes.  Eventually, they came up close enough where could step out of the creek bed and on to a well-trimmed lawn.

"Ahh! That feels so much better" Julia sighed, relishing the cool soft grass under her bare feet.

The two walked around the house towards the front, where they saw several young women wearing what appeared to be school uniforms of white blouses and dark skirts.

"Help!" Lara called out.

One of the women took notice, and stood in disbelief seeing two naked girls walking towards them. In their eyes, they saw them as dirty and disheveled.

Julia stopped and took a seat on an iron bench under a large walnut tree.  Lara stopped by her side as several young women walked close to inspect the two.

"Can someone help us?" Lara spoke. "My friend has a broken ankle".

One of the women ran into the house, while the others remained staring at the two naked girls.

"Why are you naked?" One of them asked.

"It's a long story." Lara answered.

Julia looked towards Lara with a questioned look.

"Were you raped?" Another woman asked.

"No!" Lara answered.

An older woman wearing a blue coat jacket and dress came running out of the house towards the two girls. The crowd of onlookers parted to let her in.

"Oh dear Lord!  What is this?" The woman asked.  "Are your girls OK?  Who did this to you?"

"Her ankle is hurt." Lara answered.

"Someone get these girls some blankets!" The woman shouted out, turning her head to the side.

"Let me have a look at that ankle."

Julia winced as the woman began feeling it and moving it.

"Ouch!" she squealed.

"What happened here?  How did you lose your clothes?"

Lara looked at Julia, and Julia and looked back at Lara.  Lara finally bolstered herself and said, "We're nudists."

The crowd of young women giggled and whispered to each other.

"Hush!  I said Hush!!" The woman yelled out. "I want all of you to go back inside and into your rooms.  Except for you Dora, I want you to stay here."

The crowd of young women dispersed and went back into the house.

Meanwhile, another girl came running out with a pair of blankets, handing them to the woman.

"Here you go, wrap these around you." She said.

Lara received the blanket but didn't immediately wrap herself in it. Julia, on the other hand, complied and wrapped herself in hers.

"Go on, put that blanket around you", the woman said to Lara.

"No thanks." Lara answered. "I'm OK".

"Dora, take these two to the infirmary right away." The woman instructed. As they all walked towards the house, the woman unfolded Lara's blanket and tried to wrap it around her.  Lara shrugged it off.

"No, I don't need it, thank you." She said.