The Complete Lost Children Series Read online

  THE COMPLETE LOST CHILDREN SERIES

  BOOKS 1-6

  The Lost Children Trilogy

  Forgotten – Book 1

  Remembered – Book 2

  Reborn – Book 3

  The Lost Children World

  Retribution – Book 4

  Creation – Book 5

  Illumination – Book 6

  KRISTA STREET

  Copyright © 2019 by Krista Street

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, scanned, transmitted or distributed in any printed or electronic form, or stored in a database or retrieval system for any commercial or non-commercial use, without the author’s written permission.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any places, business establishments, events or occurrences, are purely coincidental.

  This electronic edition first published September, 2019.

  eASIN: B07XPJ4TCW

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PREFACE

  MAIN MENU

  AWAKENED

  FORGOTTEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  REMEMBERED

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  REBORN

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  EPILOGUE

  RETRIBUTION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  CREATION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  ILLUMINATION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  THANK YOU

  AWAKENED

  THE MAKANZA SERIES

  PREFACE

  The Complete Lost Children Series is a collection of upper YA Paranormal Fantasy novels and novellas. Due to mild profanity, some violence, and several mature scenes including non-graphic on-page sex, the recommended reading age is 17+.

  MAIN MENU

  FORGOTTEN – Book 1

  REMEMBERED – Book 2

  REBORN – Book 3

  RETRIBUTION – Book 4

  CREATION – Book 5

  ILLUMINATION – Book 6

  AWAKENED

  If you’re new to The Lost Children Series, you may want to start with the fast-paced prequel, Awakened, book 0. While it’s not necessary to read this prequel before beginning the series, this is still a book you don’t want to miss!

  Download Awakened

  After waking in an alleyway with no memories, a strange tattoo, and a supernatural ability, Lena knows something extraordinary happened to her. When a deep guiding instinct hums to life inside her, she sets out into the unknown in hopes of unlocking secrets to her past.

  Now, hitchhiking around the country with nothing but a personalized bracelet as proof of a life she once led, Lena must decide—seek answers to her past at any cost or accept that the truth to who she is may never be known.

  Download Awakened

  FORGOTTEN

  The Lost Children Trilogy

  Book One

  THE LOST CHILDREN SERIES—BOOK ONE

  CHAPTER ONE

  The cowboy’s cloud danced and swayed around his shoulders, its color pure white. Clouds didn’t get much better than that. He’d be a safe ride.

  “Where you headed?” The cowboy’s arm draped across the steering wheel in the old diesel. The truck grumbled softly in the quiet morning.

  “West.” I snapped my vision back to normal. His cloud disappeared.

  “Well, that’s where I’m goin’ too. Hop in if you want a ride.”

  I pulled the door open and slipped inside. With relief, I dropped my backpack at my feet. “Thanks for picking me up.”

  “Not a problem. I’m Pete.”

  Smiling, I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Pete. I’m Lena.”

  I guessed Pete to be in his early sixties. He had darkly tanned skin and dressed simply in jeans and a red patterned flannel shirt. A larg
e cowboy hat covered his head. He even had a big belt buckle.

  I settled into the seat. The soft fabric felt wonderfully comfortable after the hard, cold ground that had been my night’s bed. Pete didn’t seem in any hurry to drive despite a lone car honking when it passed. The old cowboy hadn’t completely pulled onto the shoulder.

  “You thirsty?” He popped the top off a thermos. The delicious scent of hot coffee wafted my way. “It’s already sweetened with cream and sugar. Want a cup?”

  I perked up. “Are you sure? Is there enough for you?”

  He poured a cup. “There’s plenty.”

  My fingers curled around the mug. I gulped the coffee. It burned my throat, but I kept swallowing. The wonderfully rich brew filled the clawing hole in my belly.

  Pete finally put the truck into drive and pulled back onto the road. The truck rumbled every time it switched gears.

  “Music too loud?” Pete asked. Soft country music strummed through the speakers.

  I smiled and set my empty coffee cup in the console. “No, it’s fine.”

  “You from these parts?”

  By these parts, I assumed he meant here, in eastern Colorado. Good question. If only I knew. “No. How about you? You grow up around here?”

  “Sure did. Lived just outside Little Raven my whole life, just like my father and his father before him. We’ve been ranchin’ that land since the eighteen hundreds.”

  “That long? You have kids?”

  “We got three girls. All the girls settled in the state. Fiona married a farmer, and Shelby married another rancher, but Haley, she moved to the city. Denver.” He shook his head. “I can’t imagine livin’ in a city that size.”

  I nodded, pretending to understand, even though I had no idea if I’d ever lived in a city or not.

  “Now Val and I,” Pete continued. “She’s my wife. We’ve lived out here our whole lives. Can’t imagine livin’ anywhere different. It’s like what they say about puttin’ down roots. When they grow, it’s hard to pull ‘em up . . .”

  I fingered my snarled red curls as I listened to the old cowboy. A content feeling washed through me. I liked Pete. He hadn’t commented on my dingy appearance or skeletal figure. That was a first.

  “What ‘bout your family? Any of ‘em live out here?”

  I tensed, sitting straighter. “Oh. Um . . .”

  A long moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Pete reached into the backseat. “I’ve got sandwiches too. What do ya prefer? Beef or ham?”

  While Pete was rummaging for sandwiches, I turned toward the window and took a deep breath. The sliver of peace and happiness that the cowboy’s kindness and generosity had provoked faded like the sun behind storm clouds. I hated personal questions. They put me in an awkward position and reminded me how scary my life was. The only thing I knew about myself?

  My name. That was it.

  I stared out the window as the landscape flew by. Fields of wheat surrounded us. Their tall tawny stalks rolled in the summer breeze like gentle swells in the ocean. Mountains loomed in the distance, their snowy peaks promising cooler temps to come. I concentrated on the landscape. My breathing still came too fast. Pete hummed along to the music, oblivious to the unease and fear bubbling up inside me, like a geyser that threatened to blow.

  Not knowing my identity, and being reminded of that, brought back that terrifying day in April.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I hated thinking about that day. Hated it.

  Four months ago, I woke up outside on the street in Rapid City, South Dakota. I still remembered that day like yesterday: the cold, hard pavement chilling me through my jeans, the smells of rotting garbage from a nearby dumpster and the absolute panic that made my eyes widen in terror. I had no idea where I was or how I got there. The scariest thing, though, was when I realized I had no memories. None. I didn’t know my age, who I was, where I came from, how I got in that alleyway, nothing. And strangest of all—I had a supernatural ability.

  So that was the beginning of everything. Now, I was trying to figure out what happened to me.

  Luckily, Pete had stopped this morning as I stood alongside the barren county road, my pale skin burning in the hot, unforgiving sun. The desolate road wasn’t an ideal location to find a ride. Unfortunately, the trucker I’d been hitching with last night turned south. My instinct told me to go west. So I got out.

  In the middle of nowhere.

  Not my smartest move, but I hadn’t known what else to do. At least, it had turned out okay. Once again, I was traveling in the right direction. My gut instinct, that steady subtle feeling I’d been following since leaving Rapid City weeks ago, told me to go west right now. So west I went. If only I knew what west was leading to.

  Pete set a sandwich in my hands. The soft feel of bread snapped me back to reality. “Oh, thanks.”

  “Hope ham’s okay.”

  “Yeah.” My mouth watered. Mayonnaise and lettuce accompanied the meat. I took a bite and lost all control. Wolfing it down, I smiled sheepishly when finished. Pete just handed me a second sandwich.

  “Try the beef. Val smokes it herself. It’s darn good.”

  I took a big bite. “Wow, this is fantastic.” I took another bite and said in between chews, “So, tell me more about your ranch.”

  Pete’s eyes lit up. “Well, we got about ninety thousand acres, although some is leased from the National Forest Service. We raise mainly Black Angus . . .”

  IT WAS LATE afternoon when we approached a small town. A sign declaring Little Raven passed on the right. Large mountains framed the community, their tips covered with snow. My eyes wandered across the buildings. It didn’t appear to be a big town. Maybe a few thousand people.

  “Last stop before my ranch,” Pete said. “Or if you’d rather, you’re welcome to stay with us for a while.”

  Stay at a home? Under a roof? His words were so foreign it took me a moment to process them. For four months, I’d slept outside as I searched for answers to what happened to me.

  “Really?”

  Pete tipped his hat up. “You look like you could use a good night’s rest and some decent food.”

  “That sounds great, although I don’t want to burden—” My breath stopped short when the strangest sensation grew inside me.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Um.” I gripped the door handle tightly. The feeling grew. It felt as if someone banged a tuning fork inside me, the strong vibration demanding my attention. What’s happening?

  We’d almost passed Little Raven, when an abrupt realization came to me. Is this the instinct? That possibility occurred to me just as we pulled onto a county road heading out of town. It made me grow cold.

  “Can you stop?” I blurted.

  Pete slowed and pulled onto the shoulder. I scanned our surroundings. Little Raven was probably a quarter mile behind us already. Distant rooftops shimmered in the sunlight. My eyes darted back and forth. Do I know this place? Have I been here before? Is that why I feel this?

  I unbuckled my seat belt and tentatively opened the door.

  “Lena?”

  I stepped out, closed my eyes and concentrated on the feeling. I took a step toward town. The feeling grew exponentially. My breath stopped, and my eyes flew open. That had never happened before.

  I whirled around. “I think I’ll check out Little Raven.”

  Pete propped his arm across the steering wheel. “You sure? My ranch isn’t too far up this road. You could stay with us for the night. Even a couple if ya want. Little Raven’s not goin’ anywhere.”

  Just at the mention of Little Raven, anticipation oozed through me like warm honey. Something was waiting for me there. I could feel it. “Thanks, but I’m going to head into town.”

  “All right, but you come up to our place if you need somethin’.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  Pete tipped his hat back into place. “Best of luck to you, Lena, was nice meetin’ ya.”

  “
You too, thanks.”

  After I slammed the door, the old diesel rumbled off. I spun on my heels in the direction of town and reached down to grab my backpack. Once it was strapped to my back, I’d be off, striding toward the town center, searching for the cause of this feeling, maybe finding the answers I so desperately sought.

  But my hand only grabbed air. Nothing but dirt and dust surrounded my worn shoes.

  I twirled in a circle. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Lena, you idiot!”

  Pete was already a half mile away. His rumbling truck headed into a thick forest. I knew exactly where my bag sat—on the floor of the front passenger’s seat, right where I’d left it.

  I cupped both of my hands around my mouth. “Pete!”

  Of course, he didn’t hear me. I started running.

  “Pete!” I yelled again. I waved my arms overhead. The old cowboy continued driving. A second later, his truck rounded a turn and disappeared into the forest. I kept running, as if by some miracle I’d eventually catch him.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I didn’t catch him. Obviously.

  Of course, that reasonable thought didn’t prevail until I’d been running after him for at least half an hour. By the time I reached that point, I figured I might as well keep going. He said his ranch was up the road. That means it’s close. Right?

  I kept telling myself his ranch was probably around the next bend. Only thing, it had been at least ten bends now with no sign of it.

  If it was anything but my backpack, I would not have been doing this. But I needed my bag back. It held everything I owned. My cash, clothes, map, water bottle . . . everything. All of those things would be essential if it took me a few days to understand why the instinct led me to Little Raven.

  However, that wasn’t the real reason I wanted my backpack. That stuff could be replaced, but what I had in the small, zippered front pocket could never be replaced. The irony was that I took it off and put it away to not lose it.