"Help! Help us!"

She sobbed as she held her brother's backpack in her arms.

"Help us!"

A young man with blood oozing down his face stumbled out of his pickup truck and gaped at the fiery wreck.

"Please help me, Mister..." she pleaded from afar.

"Shit... Shit!" He ran back to his pickup and sped down the road until he was long gone.

She continued sobbing for help.

***

Genevieve slowly opened her eyes as her phone's alarm rung to the beat of a metronome.

Different day, same shitty dream.

It was six in the morning and she had to hurry if she wanted a good spot on the bank of the river. She stepped out of her panties and threw on a black two-piece swimsuit before stepping back into her shorts and shrugging her jacket on. The sun was as intense as it was yesterday. She tossed her backpack over one shoulder as she exited her room and locked it behind her.

"Mornin'." She heard a voice behind her and turned to its direction. "Oh. Good morning." She said sternly. It was the guy who took her room. David carried a brown paper bag in one hand and a coffee in the other. "Quite the commotion last night, huh?" He half grinned and Genevieve furrowed her brows innocently. "Commotion?" She tilted her head, pretending she had no idea what he referred to. She mentally cursed herself for letting herself be discovered like that and was already thinking about asking Mister Jindal to give her another room.

David raised a brow at her, quite impressed by her poker face. "Yeah, didn't you hear it? Some old hag walked in on a hooker and her client in the middle of their transaction." David snickered at his own joke. "Oh yeah," Genevieve nodded, secretly relieved, yet still certain she was heard. "I heard that. But I believe she was an escort." She half smiled and propped her sunglasses on her face before walking off to her Buick. David watched her as she strutted away and eyed her from her head to her boots. "God damn," He mumbled as he imagined her spread on the motel bed.

He hurried to reception where Mister Jindal argued on the phone in another language. "Hey, Mister," David pressed his hands over the desk. Mister Jindal raised a finger at him as he continued to bicker into his phone. David huffed desperately. He turned to the bell over Mister Jindal's desk and repeatedly rung it for his attention. After 15 rings, Mister Jindal slapped David's hand down against the bell in annoyance. "Yes, Mister, Sigman." He added monotonously with the phone moved away from his ear. "Where's Garcia off to?" He turned back to the glass door and watched the Buick drive away, leaving a trail of dust behind. "The river bank. To swim."

- "But where?" David inquired. "I don't know, Mister Sigman." Mister Jindal sighed in exasperation and went back to his phone call. David exhaled and exited the office. "It's a long river. I better start looking. I'm gonna need to do it in style, too." He smiled to himself as he headed to the back of the motel for his pickup truck.

    Genevieve drove down Smokestack Avenue and onto a bumpy trail towards Dead Man's Float, a little beach right by the river and the 95 bridge from California to Arizona. This was her Dad's favorite location. It was always very empty here, but that was because everyone would go to the shores on Nevada's side. There were much more businesses and casinos on that side that the population on the river banks were always so crowded, whereas in Needles, a little town with old motels and firms, was always so unpopulated. Right on the other side of the river, Arizona residents had the river right on their backyard and they held picnics and parties. Genevieve muted it all out. She undressed to just her swimsuit and walked towards the smooth gravel of the Colorado River.

The water was icy cold since the water supply comes from the Rocky Mountains. She quietly heaved as she moved deeper and deeper into the water, her skin prickling as she did. "Ahh," She sighed happily as she finally dunked her entire body into the river and swam in circles, careful not to let the current of the river take her away. She closed her eyes and performed a couple of backstrokes, the sun beaming directly onto her face. "You guys are so missing out. The river feels better than ever." She whispered to her family. She felt the vibrations of passing boats on the water and occasionally would look up to watch them pass by before going back to her gleeful swimming.

***

"Hmph," David squinted at both sides of the river for a Buick as his red motorboat skidded over the river. He had been moving for almost 40 minutes and still saw no signs of Genevieve's car. He traveled upstream, glancing at the people ashore, barbecuing and swimming under the hot sun without any luck, until he saw the rear end of a black car near the bushes on Dead Man's Float. A single silhouette zipped around the water and he shut off the engines and let the boat move slowly towards them. A closer inspection determined that it was indeed Genevieve and David beamed.

"Look who we have here," He called out and Genevieve looked up. She raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "If it isn't my neighbor," She cooed as she stood up, the water going up to her hips. "Yeah, what a coincidence," David added, resting his elbows on the side of the boat and admiring her body, the clear rivulets of water scurrying down her skin. "A coincidence. Really," She added ironically. "I suppose it is quite the coincidence that you found your next door neighbor on the side of The river when she could've been literally anywhere in the tristate area."

"I know, right?" David said in ironic surprise. "So. Here alone?"

"Obviously," Genevieve snorted and crossed her arms. David chuckled nervously and cleared his throat. "What I meant to say, want to take a ride?" Genevieve slowly grinned. "Where?" She innocently batted her eyes. David swallowed. "My boat. Obviously," He recuperated with a roll of his eyes. Genevieve slowly sunk into the water and swam backward. "I don't know. You're kind of a stranger. I don't usually get in rando's boats, you know."

"I'm not entirely random. I'm your neighbor," David shrugged. "How can I be so sure I won't get hacked to death and have my lifeless, cold carcass deposited on the shore of The Colorado?" David laughed. "Because you'll be riding on this," He picked up a single water ski and Genevieve blinked in surprise. She immediately remembered a memory of her mother and brother waterskiing behind her father driving the silver motorboat. Afterward, she tried it out, and eventually got the hang of it. She became better at waterskiing than her mom. "What's that?" she asked wondrously. "S'a water ski. Wanna try it?"

"Oh, I don't know. It looks kinda scary. Is it safe?" She swam closer to the boat and held onto the rubber fender with both hands. "Of course it's safe! I'll go nice and slow. What do you say, sweetheart?" Genevieve pretended to think. "Sure. And just so you err on the side of caution. I'm not a sweetheart." She said suddenly jumping onto the stern of the boat. "I was hoping you weren't." he murmured with a smile as he handed the ski and a life vest to her. She fastened it on her right leg and shrugged on the black vest before jumping back onto the water.

"Ready?" David turned the engine on and looked back. "Yeah! Be gentle on me, now!" She called out sweetly and David gave her a thumbs up. Genevieve held on tightly to the cord and leaned back as the ski slowly elevated over the water. She bent her other knee like a flamingo and giggled as she remembered skiing with her family. For a brief moment, she felt a deep sadness but quickly shook it away. "A little faster!" She called out to David. He said nothing, but the speed increased a little more, but not enough for Genevieve. "More, more!" She called out.

    David chuckled knowingly, briefly remembering yesterday's commotion with the escort. "You gonna be okay!?" He yelled back and she nodded as the air blew through her damp hair. He sped up even more down the river and heard Genevieve woo merrily behind him. As he steered, he glanced back and caught her mid-cartwheel. He gaped and then turned back around. "Holy Shit!" He yelled in disbelief. Genevieve cartwheeled again, holding the cord with one hand. David turned looked back again, gaping widely at her and she sweetly waved back.

    After a few laps North and South of the River, right before becoming Arizona/Nevada borders, They returned back to Dead Man's Float. "You deceiving little broad..." David shook his head as he leaned his elbows against the bow of the boat and Genevieve grinned as she removed the ski. "How long have you skied?"

- "It's been a while since I've done it. A couple of times in the ocean, another few times here with my family," She threw the ski and vest inside the boat and started floating around. "Wow. Real impressive, Sweetheart,"

- "Not a sweetheart," she added. David chuckled. "Right, right. So then what should I call you?"

- "Gen is fine." She dove into the water and swam to shore. David momentarily panicked. He didn't want her to leave just yet. "Wait-"

- "What do I call you?" She called out, finally reaching the ground and tiptoeing towards dry land. "David," He called out. "David. Thanks for the ride." Genevieve wrung her hair as she stomped towards her Buick and opened her trunk to dress. She pulled off the wet bathing suit off her body, the trunk of the car providing some privacy as she did. She stepped into her shorts and threw her jacket on before pulling on her boots next. As Genevieve closed the trunk, she locked eyes with David, still watching her from his boat. She waved goodbye at David and finally climbed into the car. He watched her as she shamelessly changed and drove away. "Damn," He shook his head in disbelief. "I want that." He bit the inside of his lip as he started his boat.