The smack of wet, cold droplets finally woke her from her slumber. With a soft groan, she lifted her grime-covered face from the muddied earth. Her memories were foggy as she laid motionless on the forest floor. The faint remembrance of excruciating pain and that maniacal laughter, fresh in her mind as she placed a hand to her throbbing skull.

With a weak attempt at lifting her body from the ground, her arms shook wildly as they struggled to hold her weight. With gritted teeth and a fierce growl, she rolled her body onto her back, regret instantaneous as a sharp rock wedged its way into her left shoulder.

“Shit...” With a curse under her breath, she finally managed to stand. The rain that poured heavily was refreshing against her fevered skin as she hugged her body tightly, her skin crawled with bumps as her feet stumbled around the muddied floor. Her mind a blur as she racked her brain for memories that simply weren't there.

The rain cascaded along her pale skin as it fell in heavy droplets, the tender flesh of her breasts cold and stung with every harsh whip of the frigid air the billowed around her. It wasn’t long before she finally reached the forest's edge, her palm slapping against wet black pavement as her body finally gave out. Suddenly, a dim yellow light filled her vision, the sound of something screeching loudly followed soon after.

Breathing heavy, she tried desperately to remember where she was, her hands gripping her sunken cheeks angrily as her nails dug into her skin.

“I-I don’t remember…Why don’t I remember?!” A sob broke from her lips as the realization dawned on her. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember anything, not where she was or why she was here. She couldn’t even remember who she was.

A loud slam broke through her racing thoughts as her eyes tried to see past the heavy rain that poured like buckets from the sky. Thanks to the aid of the strange light that beamed not so far away, her eyes settled on a small silhouette that was making its way towards her. It was only when the strange figure was right in front of her, that her blurred eyes rested on the face of a young woman.

“Hey! Are you alright?! What are you doing out here? And…. why are you naked?!” With a confused look, the other girl glanced around her before returning to the woman who laid nude in the street. Regardless of the situation, Beck couldn’t help but take note of the girl’s figure.

Her breasts were round and perky, one would even say a perfect handful as they laid there just waiting to be touched. Beck’s gaze lowered further taking note of the small waist that rounded out to the women’s wide, pale hips. She had the body woman killed for, and Beck couldn’t deny that she killed to touch it.

With a shake of her head and an awkward clear of her throat, Beck tried to ignore her nakedness and the arousal it had and instead pointed her mind to why she was in this state in the first place.

“My name's Rebecca! But my friends call me Beck. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll get you some dry clothes and a warm cup of joe!” Beck stared down at the girl who gazed at her with wide brown eyes. She couldn’t be any older than Beck herself, probably between the age of eighteen or twenty?

“I promise, I won’t hurt you.” With a shaky hand, the girl finally gripped Beck’s hand tightly in her grasp, her knees shaking as she used Beck for support to stand. As they walked, Beck went at her pace, taking note of the bruises and scrapes that marked the poor girl’s body. Beck’s mind raced with paranoia filled possibilities of what brought the girl out here and left her in this condition.

After settling the girl into the passenger seat, which she eyed with the same fear that Beck gave rollercoasters, Beck jogged to her trunk praying that the navy blue blanket her ex-girlfriend had given her months ago, was still there. Lord knew that if procrastination were an Olympic sport, Beck would have a closet full of medals.

As the trunk opened with a loud pop, Beck nearly jumped with glee as she spotted the blanket nestled right where she had left it all that time ago. Settling herself in the driver’s seat, Beck handed the plush blanket over to the girl who sat practically on top of the car door, her knees pressed into the sides of the vehicle as she clung to her nakedness.

With a soft smile, Beck unfolded the blanket, tucking it gingerly around the girl’s small frame. Beck’s grey eyes catching a glimpse of a faint bit of pink marking the girl’s cheeks as she kept her gaze downcast. Finding the blush cute, Beck resisted an urge to tease the girl and turned her attention back to the road. The sound of her small silver Toyota sputtering along, an all too friendly reminder of the frail state her car was in.

As they rode along the windy back roads of Vermont, Beck attempted to make small talk, her mind racing with questions. Pushing away from the more serious topics, Beck started with the basics, making sure to fill her voice with the same amount of pep her cheerleading ex put in everything, which included cheating on her.

“So, I told you my name. Why don’t you tell me yours?” Giving the girl a side glance, she could see her shift uncomfortably in her seat. Her doe eyes glued to the scenery beyond the window as the rain continued to beat down on the steel roof. Moments ticked by as Beck patiently waited for her to answer. It was clear she’d gone through some things to be found the way Beck stumbled upon her. It was important not to push her into speaking unless she wanted to.

Flipping on the radio, Beck let the soothing tune of Nora Jones fill the car as she drove, her smokey voice making Beck feel at peace as she drove through the rain. It was then that the girl finally spoke, her voice soft and distant.

“I…I don’t remember.” A worrisome look flashed over Beck’s features as she stared at her. Does she have amnesia?! Well, I guess that explains her strangeness towards the car, but…what caused it? With a clear of her throat, Beck tried to sound cheerful as she pulled into the driveway of her apartment complex, the familiar faded red brick building bringing her a sense of comfort.

“Well, what name sounds right to you? It could be anything!” Hoping she wasn’t being too optimistic, Beck watched as the girls eyes roamed the large building in front of us, her eyes wide as a “v” shaped crease filled the area between her brows as she searched her mind for some sort of answer.

“Faye. I think? I think my name is Faye?” Shooting Beck a quizzical glance, the girl looked to her for approval of the name she chose. Whether it was right or wrong, neither girl could say.

“Alright, well then, it’s nice to meet you, Faye. Now, let's get you some clothes and some warm food!”

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The phone slammed with a loud clang as Grayson Tidmoore muttered under his breath. It wasn’t enough that his ex-wife Sheila had already filed for a divorce, now her lawyer was calling up demanding him give her every dime he had! And that included his house! With a few more curse words, Grayson rubbed his temples as his cunt of an ex tempted him with murder, hell, he was a cop. He could do it. With a grimace, Grayson could just hear the echo of his father’s scolding. “I told you to get a damn prenup! You fucking idiot!”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

At the less than flattering age of thirty-seven, Grayson wallowed in his pity as he thought of the years, he’d wasted married to that awful woman. High school sweethearts, Sheila had gotten pregnant while Grayson was in the academy. Shortly after, they were married and were living in the suburbs of Bennington, Vermont. It was twenty years of arguing, cheating, and blaming. Grayson couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved to finally be free of the chains that bound him to her for so long.

“Chief Tidmoore, you’ve got a call on line one.” As the earth-shattering sound of his receptionist’s shrill voice spoke through his phone’s speaker, Grayson groaned audibly as his hand rubbed through the beard he’d been growing. At first, it was just due to the wave of depression that hit him after Sheila had slapped those divorce papers in his face, but now he was kind of growing to like his shaggy friend. With yet another sigh, Grayson picked up the phone, his voice deep and businesslike as he answered the call.

“Chie-” Before Grayson could finish his sentence, a loud, lively voice spoke from the opposite end of the receiver. The familiar tone causing Grayson to inwardly groan, lord knew this girl only called when she fucked something up.

“Grayson, buddy! Listen, I have a situation, and I could really use your help? Meet me at the apartment, okay? Great! See you then.” As Grayson listened to the dial tone, he couldn’t help but smile at the young girl’s gusto. If Beck was anything, it was entertaining. From her quirky outfits to the never-ending optimism she possessed, Grayson found it admirable she managed to see any good considering the life she came from.

With pep in his step, Grayson pulled up the pants that were growing far too loose for his liking and made his way to the sleek black Honda that his father had given him for his sixteenth birthday. She was old, but boy did she run smooth. As he started up the engine, Grayson’s thoughts flitted back to the day he met little Beck.

Back in the day, when Grayson was just a deputy, he had answered a house call for a noise complaint. That’s where he found a tiny Beck. The rain poured much like today, relentless as it beat down on the pavement with loud smacks. The lamps that lined the streets cascaded in faded colors over a small trailer that appeared all but abandoned if it wasn’t for the small girl who stood outside soaked, scared, and alone.

She was only nine then, her brown hair tousled wildly around her tiny face as wide expressive grey eyes stared down the young Grayson. She was barely clothed, just a large shirt covering her small frame as she clung desperately to a beat-up brown teddy. Even then, nothing got past Beck. She was a smart little girl who knew more than she ever should have at such a young age.

Crouching down so that they were at eye level, Grayson stared into the girl’s eyes. She wasn’t much older than his daughter. The sight of her made his heart stop as he thought of what this little girl must have endured.

“Hi there. My name's Grayson. Have you ever been in a cop car before?” The bright-eyed Beck shook her head in awe as she stared at Grayson.

“Why don’t you go with my partner, he’ll show you some pretty cool stuff!”

With the girl secured with his partner, Grayson entered the small home. The air smelled of stale cigarettes, beer, and feces. Grayson would never forget the sight before him as he took in the bottles upon bottles of liquor that covered the floor and the trash the littered the counters and any other crevice they could find.

A pit filled Grayson’s stomach as his booted feet kicked the glasses in his path, their gentle clinks filled the empty room with an eerie feel as the echo of sobs could be heard from the kitchen. As he approached the room, a strange smell crept its way over Grayson as he continued through the clutter. Scrunching his nose, Grayson noted the scent was coppery, almost metallic. The smell was one he knew, but his mind couldn’t quite place it as he placed a hand to the holster that sat on his hip. His .45 at the ready for whatever might lay beyond those small white.

There on the floor, was a man in a stained wife-beater, the delicate cloth all but shredded to pieces as he sat there on the floor, splatters of blood stained his hands and face as tears streamed down his face. He was a man no older than his early forties, a weeks’ worth of stubble raked over his face, as well as a major beer gut that peeked from under his shirt.

“Sir. Are you alright?” At the sound of Grayson’s voice, the man sobbed harder than Grayson had ever seen a grown man cry. There on the floor next to him was a woman no older than thirty, her brown hair was matted with blood as a pool of it swarmed her lifeless body. With frantic eyes, Grayson looked from the man to the woman, instantly connecting the dots.

“I didn’t mean to; I was just so angry!” The man spoke between ragged breaths as his tears continued to flow down his chubby cheeks. A wave of nausea swept over Grayson as he watched the scene in front of him with shock evident on his young face.

“She never listens!” The abrupt scream of the man finally broke Grayson from the trance he fell into. With a quick message to dispatch, Grayson walked towards the man, his eyes searching for any possible weapons the man may still have. Once he was able to deem the man no longer a threat, Grayson quickly handcuffed him, and to his surprise, the man didn’t fight it, he didn’t even ask for a lawyer. He just laid there staring at his dead wife, his lips covered with spit and tears.

To this day, Grayson would never forget that haunted look in that man’s eyes. With no other living relatives, Beck was put into foster care soon after, and Grayson made sure she got adopted by a loving family. The two had an unbreakable bond that was not easily explained, but Beck rescued Grayson in more ways than she would ever know.

It was then that a loud honk broke Grayson from his memories, realizing he’d idled too long at a stop sign, he quickly gunned his car ahead, the sound of Bon Jovi thrummed from his speakers as he pulled up next to Becks beat-up Toyota.

“Gray!” Grayson cringed as he heard the dreadful nickname that echoed in the lot. Knowing it could only be one person who would be brave enough to call him by it, Grayson’s blue eyes fixated on Beck’s small frame, a wide smile spread along her pink cheeks as her short brown hair billowed in the wind.

Jogging her way over, Beck shot Grayson a toothy grin. It had been a while since they had seen each other, and Beck had to admit she loved seeing her grumpy sidekick again. Though she couldn’t help but notice the obvious weight loss since the divorce between him and Sheila.

Granted, Grayson had never been a huge dude, but he was a stocky man who always carried himself confidently. But it was clear from the way the gun holster weighed down his jeans, that he had lost a good sum, leaving him to look sickly thin.

“Ah, Becky. So nice to see you.” At the pet name, Grayson bestowed with a vengeful tone, Beck’s smile was quickly replaced with a fierce glare as she punched her friend playfully, the sound of Grayson’s deep laugh rumbling against her enclosed fist.

“Shut up, old man! Now c’mon, I have to show you something.” With a tug of his arm, Grayson was then dragged into Beck’s place, the smell of lilac filling his nostrils as he watched her brown hair bob back and forth with each step she took.

No sooner had Grayson passed the threshold of the door, was his eyes immediately brought to a young woman who laid on Beck’s couch. Dirty blonde hair fanned the girl’s pale cheeks as her chest raised in slow, soft rhythms. She couldn’t be any older than Beck herself, pale lips parted as she slumbered, her conscious blissfully unaware of his presence.

“Beck...” At her name, Beck stood there with pursed lips as she began to fidget with the cuff of her sweater.

“Yes?” With slow blinks, Beck gave Grayson a look of pure innocence, her freckled cheeks blossoming with a delicate pink hue as her eyes frantically passed from him to the strange woman on her sofa.

“Who the hell is that?” Shrugging her shoulders, Beck made her way to the girl, her eyes soft as she gazed upon the sleeping woman. It was a look he’d seen Beck give stray animals. Repressing an exasperated sigh, Grayson cursed his small friend for her overly kind heart. Beck was a caregiver when something was in need, she was always the one to scoop the poor thing up and nurse it back to health.

“Her name is Faye.”