A New Beginning. Joycee Clark
outfit. “Stop” Maranda screams as she is jumping out of the truck. Maranda runs to the fence and slams past the gate, then stops dead in her tracks. “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Tyler call 911, now Tyler NOW!”
As Maranda leans over her twin sister, Mariah tries opening her eyes, but she has been beaten so badly she can barely see, but knows it’s her twin. “Maranda, help me please” is all she says before she passes out.
The ambulance along with the local police show up and did a great job of keeping onlookers away while the EMT’S did what they had to do to get Mariah ready for transport. The forensics lab was already on scene and getting pictures and samples. As they were all doing what needed to be done, Maranda texted her two older sisters and her parents. Maranda answered questions about allergies, medical background, and anything else they needed to know. Completely numb both mentally and physically, Maranda prayed for her twin, for it looked like they didn’t leave a single square inch of her body untouched or unabused.
As they rushed the gurney into the emergency room, both Mariah’s parents came rushing across the parking lot. Mom in a panic and Dad looking completely pissed. They wouldn’t let any of us in right away, then they finally sent for me, knowing we had a twin connection and I was suffering in Mariah’s place as she had receded into a comatose state.
Both parents and both older sisters got to come in when the test results came back, so the doctors could explain to us all at once and answer questions.
Mariah was hooked up to several machines, there were tubes running everywhere, it was a nightmare seeing her like this, for all of us.
“I’ll be blunt” the doctor started.” There are a lot of test results to get through so if you will hold your questions until I have finished, it’ll be faster and easier. “Mariah was both raped and sodomized. Raped by at least three and sodomized by at least two. Along with the multiple abrasions to her face, she has sustained 27 bite marks, many breaking the skin, 17 pinch bruises many in sensitive areas, multiple scratch marks and apparently the perpetrators saw the need to stand on her outstretched arms while actively violating her because her left wrist is broken in two places and her right badly bruised but not broken. Mariah has 3 broken ribs and is extremely lucky to be alive, however I’m not sure how. She has lost a lot of blood and we are going to give her a live transfusion from her twin, if you’ll agree, as they won’t be 18 for another month. We’ll need signatures on all the treatment paperwork. We are crossing our T’s and doting our I’s on this one so there is no questions when they catch these guys. As to be unconcious, I believe it was her escape route to what was happening to her. She should awaken soon once she feels she is in a safe enviroment, so any and all of you please talk to her, touch where you can and let her know you are all here.
There will be security guards assigned not only at Mariah’s room but downstairs and out front. Now, questions?
John jumped in first. “Is she being medicated to keep her asleep?” Replying the doctor told them Mariah was given some medication, but not enough to keep her comatose. I suggest we put her twin in the other bed in here, sedate her and start the blood transfer. Although Maranda wasn’t the victim she has suffered tremendous psychological and pain trauma herself since the twins records show they have a very strong connection. This has been excruciating for Maranda.
“Of course,” replied. “If Marnada wants to be with her as well as medicated, it is her decision, I’ll sign if that is what she wants.
So this was the trauma that shaped out entire family forever after.
Chapter One
Seven years Later…
Three of the assailants were caught and in prison…the other still at large. Three months after the court hearings John and Marilyn were killed in a strange car accident. While traveling down the interstate a cinderblock was thrown off the bridge as they passed underneath, smashed their windshield and caused a major accident. Still under investigation, nearly seven years later, it was considered a cold case and rarely looked at…life goes on for the Marten girls.
Skeeter and Sparky moved back home to be with the twins and they could all help each other any way they could. There was enough insurance money for all four of the sisters to finish their college education with the older two also working to take care of household expenses. Maranda finished her degree at the university campus, and Mariah finished hers mostly online, taking only the required classes for her degree at the University.
After over four years of therapy and many sit-down sessions with her three sisters, Mariah was finally back into public life. She still didn’t like large social gatherings, but then she’d never liked those anyway. After getting her degree in animal biology, she worked on her Masters concentrating of the American Wolf. She needed a job that would put her out in the field so she could experience the application of her studies and get her doctorate. After looking for several months, Mariah finally found just what she was looking for and needed to finish writing her doctoral thesis, although it was 500 miles away. The job was perfect. A government job with ARM, animal relocation management, on government protected land in the tri-state area of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. The company was supplying her with a four-wheel blue SUV, had payed the lease on a cabin for a full year and it was within a 2 mile drop-range for the wolf pack she would be studying to insure the location could work with the right circumstances. The area had already been surveyed for water and food resources, as well as caves and such for living spaces for them. Other than her three sisters flipping out on he. all was perfect.
Chapter Two
Maranda was working at the local zoo. It was small but she loved it. Skeeter was an Accountant Office Manager while Sparky had mastered in fire science and forensics, but she also helped with dispatch. Mariah had been the last to get a job. So while explaining her new job to her sisters, to save confrontation, Mariah also said her good-byes. They all had cell phones, and thanks to the government they all had a vehicle to drive. The twins had shared since getting their licenses, this would be handy for both and any of them could come visit anytime they wanted. Mariah hadn’t had a panic attack in over two years, she was ready.
Mariah had gone to the office to fill out all her paperwork, ran errands, filled the SUV with gas, got snacks for the road. Everything was ready accept for packing.
When Mariah had asked for a family meeting, she was hoping it would just be the four of them. They had several friends that lived close to them and spent many hours at their house, and they showed up too for the meeting. So now her new life would be an open book to all those she loved and cared about, Her support group, so to speak, over the years.
As Mariah got on the road after putting in the GPS information, she thought about that meeting. It went well, accept for Maranda, she kept crying. The twins had never even spent a night apart. Skeeter and Sparky went to bat for Mariah and helped Maranda see the sense of it all. It would be an adjustment for all of them. Who knew, maybe Mariah could eventually convince all of them to move north away from the bad memories and trauma.
Country music blairing, a diet coke in the console, Mariah made her way through Oregon. She soon met rain, and hated driving on new roads in bad weather, especially being in the forest in the dark. So she pulled over for the night, she stopped and got something to eat and found a safe and secure room at a decent looking motel. She patted herself on the back for a successful first day away from home. She could do this!! A few silent words to Mom and Dad to keep a protective eye on her, she settled for the night.
Chapter Three
Meanwhile…
The retired members of an Elite Special Forces Group had their own meeting. The close knit group of twelve men had pooled their money and had their leader invest the fund in land near a small mountain town of Cedar Creek. One of the twelve had grown up there and his family had started the town long ago. Building a sawmill to provide wood and other provisions to get the remote area established.
Dean Harper, the leader and Alpha of the group, had taken Sawyer Mills, the local, and found