11
Time and Again - Part 1: In The Beginning
A long time ago, in a land far, far away…
Waking up began as a struggle. Cordelia strained and battled but found nothing to fight against. As she reached the groaning stage the fog began to lift. She was a little cold but not too uncomfortable. Bright sunlight shone through her still closed eyelids and warmed her skin. A light breeze was gently stirring her hair and whispering through nearby plants. She could hear a stream burbling away quietly nearby, perhaps the same cold water her fingers were dangling in. Blearily batting at the small insects that were buzzing irritatingly near her face, Cordelia suddenly sat up straight in surprise as what she was doing registered on her conscious mind.
//What the hell?// she stared at her hand in disbelief. Twisting and turning her arm to look at it from all angles. //There's not a mark. It WAS broken – wasn't it? Or was that a dream?// Gazing at the unblemished tawny skin, she could feel a broad grin spreading across her face. But something odd was tickling at the edge of her awareness and she frowned a little as she tried to get her still muzzy brain to work. //I can't see any injuries. Why do I think something's wrong?// Cocking her head this way and that she surveyed her body. //No, nothing wrong. Not a mark on my skin anywhere. Wait a minute – since when have I had an all over tan…//
With a small shriek, Cordelia curled up hugging her knees to her chest. //Oh my God! Oh my God! OH MY GOD! I'M NAKED! Where're my clothes?// A quick frantic glance confirmed that she was alone and she took a deep calming breath. //OK think Cordy. You're alone, nobody's going to see you.// Slowly uncurling, she took a couple more deep breaths feeling the pounding in her chest subside. "And well, even if someone did, I've got nothing to be ashamed of. I am beautiful after all."
Feeling more or less composed once more, Cordelia took a longer look at her surroundings. She saw nothing familiar at all and there was definitely no sign of her clothes.
She was sitting on a sandbar jutting out into a small river surrounded on all sides by tall banks of reeds. The sand around her totally undisturbed. Not even a single footprint breaking the pristine surface. Seeing nothing threatening around her she relaxed further. //Was I just talking to myself? Well this day just can't get any more disturbing.//
Standing up to try and get a better view of her surroundings proved futile. She still couldn't see anything beyond the three to four metre tall reeds.
Suddenly, Cordelia jumped out of her skin as a group of birds erupted from the reeds nearby, chorusing out alarm calls as they flew. Faintly she heard the sound of voices, male voices, coming closer. Cordelia thought about running, but where? And would the noise attract their attention anyway and make them chase her?
She strained to make out what they were saying, but the language they were speaking (although pleasantly melodic) was totally foreign to her. The rustling in the reeds was coming steadily closer and Cordelia fought to suppress a startled squeak when a dog suddenly poked its head through the stems virtually right in front of her. The dog yipped excitedly as it rushed over to examine the slowly retreating girl, but she was releaved to see it seemed to be quite friendly.
Cordelia stopped backing away when she felt the sand turning wet beneath her feet and crouched down, reaching out a hesitant hand to gently pat the happily tail wagging dog. The act of stroking the animals fur was very calming for the worried teen and her breathing and heart rate had almost returned to normal when the dog's owners arrived.
Four boys, not even Cordelia's age, burst out of the reed bank with a suddenness that made her flinch away in surprise, overbalancing and tumbling into the river. The boys had obviously been out hunting, but they quickly tossed down their spears gabbling excitedly to one another on seeing just what their dog had found for them this time. Looking around for someplace to escape while trying futilely to cover herself with her hands, Cordelia began backing away deeper into the cold river. She really did not like the way they were all looking at her, and although they were all shorter than her, the small loin cloths each boy wore revealed leanly muscled bodies and slightly olive sun bronzed skins.
One boy was a little older, perhaps fifteen, and he gestured for the others to spread out to either side while he lunged straight for the now seriously worried brunette. She tried to dart to one side, but one of the younger boys easily intercepted her and pushed her back towards the leader. As he grabbed her arm, Cordelia tried to kick out at him, but he blocked her ineffectual blow and pulled her in tight against his body. She could feel hands stroking her skin in places they had no right to be, and the rising excitement of the boy holding her was becoming ever more obvious as her hips were pressed firmly against his.
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