Her clothes and bag were missing

Chapter originally written by Phantom Pen on writing . com

Mackenzie gave a small sigh of contentment. This little dip had proven to be quite relaxing and fulfilling. Fun as it was, it was probably about time to get dressed and be on her way. With that thought in mind, Mackenzie turned back to where she had left her belongings, only to find empty ground. Mackenzie's heart began to beat like a jackhammer almost immediately. Where were her things?!

"No... no, no, NO!" Mackenzie muttered to herself in a panic, practically sprinting through the water as she raced back to shore. She clambered onto the ground, dripping wet and nude, and began frantically looking around.

"Come on, they have to be here somewhere! They didn't just grow legs and walk away!!" Mackenzie whispered to herself as she scoured every nearby bush and shrub, desperately hoping she'd simply mis-remembered where she put her things. "Unless..."

The gravity of the situation hit Mackenzie like a ton of bricks. Her things wouldn't have just disappeared on their own, of course. But that meant something, or someone, else had moved them! Somebody had stolen her stuff! And Mackenzie had been so enamored with her skinny dipping that she hadn't even noticed! What if they had seen her? Or worse yet, what if they were still watching her?!

The gorgeous and frightened redhead immediately curled up, covering as much of her glistening naked flesh as she could with her own limbs. The idea that someone, anyone, could be watching her from some hiding place was utterly humiliating.

It was then that a small, **** corner of Mackenzie's mind spoke up. Maybe the situation wasn't what she feared? It was possible that somebody had seen her belongings, but not Mackenzie herself, and simply assumed that they were lost. Perhaps someone, believing themselves to be a good samaritan, picked her things up and took them back to the Nature Preserve's Visitor Center? Of course, that wouldn't be without its own downsides. The Visitor Center wasn't exactly close by. In fact it was a good several miles away! Getting there would mean trudging through the forest completely naked, jumping at every little sound, all on the off-chance that her missing things would be there. And that wasn't even considering how she'd actually deal with the people when she arrived at the center...

Mackenzie was at an impasse. She could either continue to search the area in the vain hope that whoever stole her things didn't take them too far, or she could start trekking through the forest to the Visitor Center. Although, perhaps there was another option... There was no telling where that stream led, and the refreshing water also might serve to conceal Mackenzie's nudity. Maybe she'd find other hikers or campers willing to help her in her time of need if she followed it?

All three options were honestly quite unappealing to the nude beauty, but they were the only options Mackenzie really had.