Forgotten (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  I blinked back the tears before anyone saw them. Putting the bracelet back in the pocket, I zippered it carefully closed. I did that every time after I admired the small piece of jewelry, so I knew I wouldn’t lose it. The chain was so fragile. A sharp snag and I knew the clasp would break.

  I stood and slung my backpack over my shoulder. It was time to head out. Little Raven waited. “Thank you, Pete and Val. I really appreciate the great meal, but I best be going.”

  “Go where?” Val asked.

  “Back to Little Raven.”

  “But your friend just booked two cabins for the night,” Pete said. “Besides, I told you that you could stay here.”

  “What friend?” I asked.

  Flint crossed his arms. My body turned toward him, as if on its own accord. I felt it again, that strange feeling of safety. What is it about this guy?

  “I booked cabins for all of us,” Flint said. “Including you.”

  All I did was stare. My tongue refused to work.

  “You don’t need to leave,” Flint added quietly. Something flickered in his gaze, but it disappeared before I could decipher it. “You can stay here tonight, and we’ll give you a ride back into town tomorrow.”

  “You will?”

  “Yes.”

  My will instantly crumbled. I was surprised at how quickly it happened. I forgot that I was dirty and unsightly, and I completely forgot how important it was for me to get back to Little Raven. Unconsciously, I took a step toward him. Realizing what I was doing, I stopped myself.

  “Um, okay.” I tried to sound more coherent, but his eyes disrupted all electrical activity in my brain.

  “Glad that’s settled,” Pete sighed. “Now, if y’all follow me. I’ll take you to your cabins for the night.”

  One by one, everyone stood. Slowly, the tension eased. I didn’t know why everyone was so tense to begin with. I sneaked a glance at Flint again. Even though he walked on the other side of the group, I still felt him, actually felt him, like a subtle undercurrent of energy flowed out of him.

  I shook my head. I must be more sleep deprived than I thought. Nobody could pour out energy, and whatever it was that caused my strange reaction to him, it couldn’t create energy between us.

  Or could it?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  After Pete led us to the cabins, he bid us goodnight. The entire group crowded into the living room of one cabin, even though the guys had rented the cabin next door.

  I shuffled uncertainly among them and tried not to admire Flint’s height. He was easily the tallest in the group. I barely came to his shoulders. Luckily, he and Di were whispering again so he didn’t notice my curious stares. Everyone else eyed me, though. Mica seemed particularly interested in cornering me, if her grin and shining brown eyes were any indication.

  I scooted out of the room to check out the sleeping arrangements before Mica could pounce.

  There were two bedrooms. One with two sets of bunk beds, the other with two queen beds. Plenty of room for Jacinda, Mica, Di and me. I spent longer than necessary in the bedrooms, giving everyone time to break up for the night. When I returned to the living room, though, they were still there. Except now everyone sat. Apparently, nobody was turning in.

  Mica and Jacinda both looked up expectantly when I stepped into the room. Jacinda even scooted over to make room for me on the couch.

  Great. Now what do they want to know? I groaned inwardly thinking about the questions to come.

  “Um, I think I’m gonna clean up.” I made a beeline for the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Part of me wanted to sink against the door and crumble to the floor. Between the stress of today, my reaction to Flint, and this strange group, I was exhausted. However, if I did pass out again that would bring the cavalry running.

  I sighed and pushed away from the door.

  The only good thing about being trapped in this tiny room? I could shower. Crisp, white towels and complimentary soaps and shampoos garnished the shelves. My eyes landed on the tub, shower combo.

  I didn’t waste any time stripping my clothes. When I stepped under the shower’s hot spray, I understood for the first time what bliss felt like. I was currently well fed, had a roof over my head and was now taking a hot shower. Never in the four months of my known existence had I ever experienced any of those three.

  I showered for a long time. Longer than I needed to. Partly, because it felt so good, but also because I wanted to avoid more probing questions.

  By the time I got out, the water had cooled and thick steam covered the mirror. I ran my hand over the glass. The image staring back at me left me dumbstruck.

  I was clean, actually clean.

  My complexion was paler than I’d realized. White skin with a dusting of freckles across the nose and large green eyes stared back at me. I turned my head a few times. It was the first time I’d been able to study myself like this. Before, I’d always been covered in dirt and grime.

  Turning my torso, I was surprised at how long my hair was. Long, crimson locks hung down my back in damp waves. Without filth coating them, they sprung up when I pulled a few strands. Since I didn’t have a comb, I ran my fingers through my hair. Luckily, since I used so much conditioner, they easily threaded through.

  Despite being clean, my face was still frighteningly thin and my ribs and hip bones jutted out. Sighing, I put my filthy clothes back on, turned off the light and eased the door open. I stopped short when I rounded the corner. All of them still waited in the living room, even Flint.

  Jet let out a whistle. “Look at you, Red. You sure clean up well.”

  “Oh, um, thanks.”

  Di sat near Flint. Her dark eyes trained on me. “Want to talk for a little bit?”

  I gulped. Talk? Is that what they call the grilling questions? “Ah…I’m going to turn in. It’s been a long day.”

  I hurried past them and escaped into the first bedroom off the hallway. It was the room with bunk beds. Stripping everything off except my shirt, I leaped onto the top bed and dove under the covers. The feel of them temporarily distracted me. They were soft and smooth. I sighed. They felt so nice.

  Turning on my side, I stared at the wall. A few minutes passed and my heart rate slowed. My lids actually started to close as exhaustion set in when I heard the door open. I stiffened but made myself relax and fake a few snores.

  “Lena?” I recognized Mica’s voice. Quiet footsteps approach the bed.

  “Lena?” she said more loudly.

  I let out a few deep breaths and another snore or two. I felt her presence close to the bed and had no idea what she wanted. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

  Mica eventually sighed and turned. She padded to the door and closed it. Darkness once again enveloped the room. I let out a sigh of relief. A few more minutes passed and when I realized nobody would be bothering me again, I sank into oblivion.

  I BOLTED AWAKE. Darkness surrounded me. It took a second to get my bearings. I wasn’t outside. That was obvious from the lack of wind, smells and nighttime sounds. So if I wasn’t outside, where was I?

  I ran my fingers along something rough yet soft. Whatever it was, I lay on it. Frowning, I felt the bumps and grooves and eventually deduced that I was on a couch. How the heck did I get on a couch?

  Fumbling in the dark, I found a light switch on a table lamp. The room flooded with harsh light. I was in a living room.

  The cabin!

  It all came crashing back. The ride with Pete, meeting the group and going to sleep in the cabin. But I’d gone to sleep in a bed. I was sure of it. The top bunk in one of the bedrooms to be precise. I groaned as I realized how I’d gotten out here.

  I sleep walked again.

  Over the past four months, I’d sleep walked a few times, usually when I went to bed late in a particularly strange place. I sighed. At least I hadn’t wandered outside.

  I turned the light off and fumbled my way back to the bedroom. Soft snores greeted me. It appeared Mica was asleep i
n the lower bunk. Red, glowing numbers on the bedside clock drew my attention. 2:17. It was essentially the middle of the night.

  Instead of returning to bed, I paused. My thoughts drifted to what I’d discovered only twelve hours ago.

  Little Raven.

  I knew Flint said they’d give me a ride into town this morning, but morning felt like a long way off. Answers possibly lay in Little Raven roughly fifteen miles away. Fifteen miles. That was it. That distance would only take about five hours of walking, maybe a little more since the terrain varied so much. And even though this group said they’d give me a ride, what if they slept in? Or, what if they changed their minds? Then what? I’d have wasted another half day waiting for others to help me when I could have done it myself. Five hours from now, the group probably wouldn’t be up, but I could be striding into the town center.

  I silently collected my things.

  THE WALK BACK to the county road was cold and filled with nighttime sounds. Crickets, distant owls, an occasional coyote or wolf. The chilly breeze felt alive in its own way. It caressed my skin, getting shivers out of me until I set a steady pace. I’d put my warmest clothes on. A ragged sweatshirt, knit cap and my worn jeans. They kept me warm enough until I disappeared into the forest. Then, darkness was everywhere and the temperature plummeted.

  I kept my eyes on the light colored line in front of me. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating the road. Still, it was so dark. Without city lights and interstate traffic headlights, the world became an inky sea at night.

  As gravel crunched underfoot with every step I took, my thoughts inevitably drifted to Flint. His image swam in my mind. That beautiful, chestnut colored hair, those dark eyes flecked with gold, and a firm mouth that seemed ready to tense at any moment. I sighed. I had no idea why he pulled at me like he did, but there was no use thinking about him. I’d never see him again.

  I abruptly stopped. My feet skidded in the gravel. I’ll never see him again.

  I breathed in and out deeply a few times. I even closed my eyes. Cold air pierced my lungs and eventually cleared my head.

  Just forget him, Lena! The instinct had led me to Little Raven. Therefore, answers lay in Little Raven. It didn’t matter that my heart wanted to run back to the ranch. What mattered right now was finding answers. I needed to know what happened to me.

  I resumed walking and pushed thoughts of Flint farther and farther behind me with every step I took. When dawn finally crested the horizon, the blister on my heel split wide open again. The pain helped. It kept me from thinking of him.

  About an hour later, the end of the forest appeared. I hurried until the tree’s branches and canopy released me. Morning sun shimmered off the town’s rooftops in the distance. I grinned.

  I was here.

  I PICKED UP a jog and didn’t stop until I reached the road going into the town center. A few cars passed me on the street. The sound of distant vehicles starting filled the quiet. People were waking up, getting ready for work, heading out for the day. The town was coming to life once again as a new day was born. A day full of possibilities.

  I turned down the first street and ducked into a store. A clock hung on the wall. Just past eight. For a brief second, I pictured Flint waking up, stretching in bed, his large hands running through his hair. I pushed the image away. Not important, Lena!

  Bright sunlight pierced the store’s eastern windows. It appeared I was in an outdoor store. Bicycles, kayaks and rows of gear stacked the walls.

  An eager shop assistant approached me when I stood there, unmoving. She was dressed in a navy vest sporting the store’s logo. She didn’t look older than sixteen.

  “Morning,” she said.

  “Good morning,” I replied.

  “Can I help you with anything? We have sales stuff in the back.”

  “No. I’m not here to buy anything.”

  “Oh.”

  She turned to leave, but I reached out. She’ll do. “Ah, wait, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure!” Her smile revealed a mouth full of braces.

  “Do you recognize me?”

  Her head cocked. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” I leaned closer. “Have you ever seen me before? Or do you know anyone that looks like me?” I pulled my hair around my shoulders. It’s color was pretty noticeable. Maybe she’d recognize that.

  Her eyebrows rose. “Um, no. I guess I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Well, do any of your parent’s friends have a daughter, or sister, or niece, or know someone, that looks like me?”

  She shook her head. “Uh, no.”

  “Are you sure? No one even remotely like me?”

  She shook her head again.

  “Do you know everyone in town?”

  “Yeah. Except for the tourists.” She hooked a thumb at a couple standing in front of a mirror. They were trying on hats. Rather large hats.

  “But you don’t know me?” I persisted.

  “No,” she said firmly.

  Her answers weren’t what I hoped for, but I smiled brightly and reasoned she was too young. She probably didn’t know everyone.

  “Okay, never mind. Thanks for your time.”

  “Sure!” She scurried away.

  I frowned at how stupid I’d been. It would be someone older, who’d been alive longer than a decade, who would know me. All I needed was one local who recognized me and could tell me where my family lived. I spun around and searched for another employee.

  Not spotting anyone, I wandered through the store, dipping between racks of outdoor jackets and peering around walls of biking equipment. At the back of the store, a sales assistant was stocking tent bags into cubby holes. Gray hair peppered his head. He also had glasses. Failing eyesight was a good sign.

  “Um, excuse me.” I tapped his shoulder.

  He turned and smiled pleasantly. The movement lifted his bushy mustache. I waited for recognition to spring into his eyes, but he maintained the same bland expression. “Yes, can I help you?”

  “Um, I just wondered, if…you…err, recognized me?”

  He frowned and pushed his falling glasses up his nose. “Sorry, no. Should I know you?” His wrinkles deepened into a frown.

  Perhaps I’d gone too far in the opposite direction. Maybe he had Alzheimer’s, so didn’t recognize himself in the morning. I paused. I knew I was being ridiculous. The guy couldn’t be older than sixty. He obviously didn’t know me, and he obviously didn’t have Alzheimer’s.

  “No. I thought I recognized you. My mistake,” I replied.

  He smiled again and turned back to the shelf he was organizing.

  I didn’t move. Surely he would know something. I waited a moment and then tapped his shoulder again.

  He turned. “Yes?”

  “Can I ask you something else?” I asked bluntly.

  “Okay.”

  “This is a small town, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where everyone knows everyone?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you don’t recognize me?”

  He shook his head warily.

  “And nobody has gone missing here?”

  He shook his head again. “No. Miss, what are you talking about?”

  I could tell he was trying to stay polite. “So nobody that meets my description went missing about four months ago?”

  “No, not that I know of.”

  “No? Are you sure?”

  “I’m fairly sure.”

  I paused for a minute. No? Really?

  “Miss, are you okay?” His voice took on a concerned note. He stepped closer.

  I forced a smile and backed up before I made a bigger fool of myself. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you get back to work.”

  I turned and ran to the front and out the door. The morning air hit me with cool force. I inhaled a few deep breaths and told myself that maybe the sales assistants at this store were new to town. Maybe they weren’t from here despite what they cl
aimed. That had to be it.

  I waited on the sidewalk and tapped my foot on the ground. Surely someone would know me. I knew this place held something. It had to.

  I just had to find it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  An hour later, I stopped asking people if they knew me. I’d wandered into coffee shops, restaurants and other stores, intersecting dozens of people, some tourists. I only talked to the locals. They all claimed to not know me.

  I’d kept trying regardless, hoping those I asked had simply forgotten me. However, when I practically scared the socks off an elderly woman, who claimed she’d been born in this town, had never left it, and didn’t recognize me or anyone who looked remotely like me, I gave up. Apparently, my anxiety was starting to show. People took one look at me and hurried away.

  Fresh air carried in the morning breeze as I stood on the sidewalk. Biting my lip, I considered my options. Maybe Little Raven didn’t hold people I knew. Maybe there was something else here. Perhaps an object that I was supposed to find?

  My shoulders slumped as a pang of remorse struck me. I had hoped for something else entirely, something much more precious.

  I had hoped my family lived here.

  I buried that longing as deep as it would go. Another sharp stab rocked my core. I ignored it.

  It had to be mid-morning by now. Patio furniture was being set up outside at the café across the street. Doors were being propped open to touristy shops, and chatter from people talking within filtered out. With each second, the foot traffic increased as the town grew more alive.

  Taking a deep breath, I focused. So if it was an object I was supposed to find, the only way I could possibly locate it was through the instinct – that subtle feeling that had led me hundreds of miles from Rapid City to here. I could only hope it would lead me to whatever I was supposed to find.