Julie and the Jungle Girl

Washed Ashore

The next several minutes were a blur.

In a way, of course, but mostly because Kimi had no idea what was going on. She didn't know what was going on, just that she felt wet, hot and her head hurt. Before long, a crowd had gathered around her. But she was dizzy and her head hurt like a kangaroo had kicked her with both feet. She tried to move, but someone placed their hand on her shoulder and gently moved her themselves, leaving Kim wondering who it was and what they were doing.

She looked up at the clear, blue sky, hearing the surf washing against the shore while the crowd that had gathered around her looked down right at her. Someone put their finger in front of her eyes, which she followed, albeit with some difficulty. Then a light shone in her eyes and it made her want to close those eyes, because of the already-bright sky making it difficult to concentrate.

"Hey," a soft, American-sounding voice called out. Where was she? "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she choked out.

"How is she?"

"I think she may have a concussion," the American responded. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Kimi," she choked out.

"Alright Kim, just hold still," said the American. "We're going to help you out. Do you know how you got here?"

There wasn't much she could remember, but what she could remember, it wasn't pretty.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"KIMI! GET YOUR ARSE IN THIS ROOM, RIGHT NOW!!!"

Kimi sighed as she closed the magazine with Julie Vidic as the main feature and climbed off the bed. The cruise ship rocked just a little bit, making her stumble and try to regain her balance. Her foster brother laughed in the bed next to hers, a derisive and bratty laugh.

"Oh, you've done it now, Kimi," Jake laughed again. "You're gonna be in so much trouble!"

The temptation to argue with Jake crossed the 16-year-old's mind, but she repressed that temptation and instead walked out of the room and into the stateroom next to her and her foster brother's. Her foster parents sat on their bed, reading a book and magazine respectively. They both looked up at her, but only for about a second each and neither of them did it in unison. Whatever was on the pages of those books and magazine was far more important than their foster daughter.

"The ship's captain is going to be sitting at our dinner table this evening," her foster father Henry said without even looking up from his book. "I'm going to need you to be on your best behavior. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," she said weakly.

"I said, do you understand!?" his voice was more hostile and forcible.

"Yes, sir," she said weakly.

"That's a good girl," her foster mother Joan said. "I love how she knows what to do."

"Of course, dear," he replied. "Now then, go back to your room. And don't let me catch you reading that rag about the savage girl, understand?"

"Yes, sir," Kim replied, bowed and shuffled out of the room.

"That whore," she heard Henry say. "Playing Tarzan and showing off skin like that."

Kim ignored what he was saying and returned to her room, where she hid the magazine issue from Jake, but not before getting one last look at her idol's picture before stashing it away. Kim may have been 16, but she understood sexuality enough to know that her foster father was dead wrong about Julie. Who doesn't love a woman who's comfortable in her own skin and owns her sexuality like a cool car? It also helps that Kimi got some good sex education in school, even though Henry and Joan weren't happy about how frank it was.