Somethin's not right.

I awaken, but things seem...different. I'm not at home. At least I don't think I'm at home...too dark to tell.

Ah. Thunder. That explains it...the storm must have knocked out the power.

Where am I?? The air is close. Really sticky. I hate it when the danged a/c goes out...

The smell of livestock is thick upon the humid air. I hear the sound of cow bells. Mooin'. The rich scents of cattle dung and urine combined assails my nostrils.

I know the odor of livestock...I'm from Texas. I live on a farm, where my Daddy owns three hundred head. Been 'round cattle for all of my seventeen years.

But somethin's not--right.

Where's my alarm clock? Oh, that's right...the power's...I reach for it, but it's--gone. I fumble around. Where's my nightstand?

Where's my...bed?? Where's my room??? Where's my...HOUSE??? It's so dark, I can't see--oh, God, I'm blind!!

I think I'm blind...my eyes are open, but I can't see a thing. Funny--I've heard of darkness so black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, just never thought I'd experience it.

I find myself on the floor. A hard, dirt floor. A scratchy woollen blanket has been haphazardly tossed over me. It carries odors of sweat and cattle, and other smells I've never encountered before.

For some reason, I know with a certainty I'm not in Texas anymore. I can just sense it.

I just don't know where I am, or how I got here.

The last thing I remember is goin' to bed. My bed. In my room, in my house. It was thundering when I went to bed. Maybe I fell off the bed, maybe I hit my head...maybe a twister...

I come full awake. Sweat breaks out all over my body.

Cows.

In the HOUSE.

Oh, shit. How'd the cattle get in the HOUSE??

Cows are not supposed to be in the house!! My Daddy's gonna throw a pure T-fit...I'm sure I locked the gate last night.

At least I think so...for my sake, I better've locked it! Awww, shit, my ass is grass now.

I must have forgot, and now the cattle are loose in the house, they're gonna destroy everythin' and my Daddy's gonna KILL me.

Might as well face the music...I call out. "Daddy? Daddy?? DADDY?!?? We've got a problem!"

Daddy doesn't answer.

Someone else does.

I can hear them stirrin' nearby...I'm not alone. I'm don't know where I am, but I have my own room...my twin sisters share a room, but as the oldest girl, I get to have my own space. Who's in my room???

Wait a minnit...you're not at home, at least, not in Texas. I'm in someone's home, and they're gonna be seriously pissed to find a stranger there...me.

This someone comes near, speakin' in a language I've never heard before. It isn't English. It's not...Spanish. It's not even Texan. I oughta know...people's always teasin' me 'bout the way I "tawlk."

It's not my Daddy. It's a female's voice, by the sound of it. Daddy's got a big ol' deep voice, as big as Texas.

Especially when he's mad.

"Where am I?" I ask. "Where...am I?? Wh--what have you done with Daddy?"

Soothing tones caress my ears. Soft hands gently touch my face. I quickly back up against a wall, but not before realizin' that these hands are rough...like Daddy's. They've known hard work, but Daddy's never touched me in such a tender way.

Oh, God...what in the hell has happened? I start to cry.

(END OF PART ONE)