LITTLE GIRL LOST by SARAH BETH LEE (bill gates books to read TXT) 📖

the person hiding inside.”

“You got that right; I can still see the pain in those big hazel eyes. Wait a minute you got all that from seeing her at the store?”

Zach fidgeted in his seat and debated telling him the rest. He knew that he would do whatever it took to help Nick as well as Hannah and they seemed as if they needed each other. He opened and closed his mouth several times trying to find the words to say.

“Nick I followed her home.”

Nick went bug eyed as he jumped off the couch and began to pace by the fireplace.

“What are you stalking her now?”

“Gees calm down. I am not stalking her but I just felt like there was more to her and I wanted to talk to her without her defenses up.”

Nick placed his hands on the mantle and hung his head watching the flames lapping at his feet. He felt cold down to his feet and even the glowing embers couldn’t give him the warmth he needed. He finally raised his head and turned to meet Zach’s eyes.

“Ok so what happened next? Did you talk to her? Is she married? Does she have kids? Come on Zach what the hell happened?”

“Do you remember our buddy Carson, from College?”

Nick looked at Zach as if he had gone mad, “Yeah Carson and Mackenzie, so what?”

“Well it seems that Hannah lives in one of his pricey sky rise apartments.”

“Wait a minute do you still have the security contract for those apartments?”

Zach grinned at Nick, “As a matter of fact I do,”

Nick could see Zach’s face and was afraid to ask what he had done, “Zach please tell me you didn’t take advantage of your inside connections?”

Zach shook his head no “Absolutely not, I just dropped by to catch up with Carson. I offered to check a couple of feeds and cameras, just routine stuff since I was there.”

“What did you do?”

Zach watched as Nick resumed his pacing and walked out of the room. He heard Nick rummaging in the kitchen and then the refrigerator door open and slam shut. He then entered the living room with a coke, a spoon and jar of Peter Pan peanut butter.

Nick tossed the lid on the coffee table and plunged the spoon into the jar and swirled it around. Zach knew he was nervous and filling a little ill because peanut butter was his comfort food. When he felt out of sorts or put out with the world he had to have peanut butter and it didn’t matter what kind it just had to be peanut butter, crunchy or creamy peanut butter was peanut butter. He took the spoon out and started to eat. He then forgot about the peanut butter using the spoon as a baton waving it around and talking ninety miles an hour.

“Ok so I know you and there’s more, so what did you find out about Hannah?”

Nick stuck the spoon back in the jar and slide to the floor waiting for Zach to tell him everything. He ate his peanut butter as he tried to envision what Hannah must look like now. He could see her as that sweet little girl with the shoulder length wavy brown hair that curled around her face. Did she still wear it long or had she cut it over the years? He knew that her eyes would still be the same, so big shining in the light and always the hint of mystery hiding in the sparks of green. He didn’t really care what she looked like because he had seen the real Hannah and she had had a beautiful soul that had touched him in a personal way that he would never forget. He wasn’t sure if it was because of where she had been and the fact that she too had lost her father. He had lost his entire family and he knew the pain that was festering inside and why she felt so lost and alone. Her whole world had been ripped in two and she felt as if she was drifting on a raging sea with no light to show her the way. He knew because he had been there too and he hated the thought of anyone feeling the loss and abandonment he had. He wished he had been able to tell her that everything would be okay but he had no way of knowing that and he would not lie to her. He looked up at Zach and prayed that she had made it through those treacherous waters safely to a better time and place.

“Zach I need to know what happened to her.”

Zach moved to the couch and made himself comfortable. He then placed his hand on Nick’s shoulder offering some small bit of comfort. He then opened the coke and took a drink then placed it on the coffee table.

“She is an amazing woman even though she can’t see it herself. I spent an hour with her but it didn’t even seem like it was that long.”

Nick looked at Zach and continued to eat his peanut butter. He waved his spoon in the air for him to continue.

“I knocked on her door and told her I was doing a survey and would she mind helping me out. She didn’t really want to but she finally agreed to let me in. I could tell she was shy and nervous but she seemed to relax as we talked. She told me her name was Peyton so I have no doubt that had she known I knew who she really was I would have been out on my ass.”

Nick replaced the lid to the peanut butter and looked at Zach. How had his best friend managed to talk to her before him? Oh yeah Zach was the computer god and he knew how to get information at any costs that was what the world did to you, it took a good kid and turned them into someone you didn’t recognize anymore.

“You’re probably right but what did she say? What did you say?”

“She is a very bright and funny girl. I swear she reminded me a lot of Beth.”

Nick nodded his head, “That’s good Beth is the greatest girl I know.”

“Yes she is but Hannah isn’t as well rounded as Beth. She has various interests, likes and dislikes but she doesn’t let people in.”

Zach thought of how withdrawn she had been when he first saw her enter the store. He then recalled how she had blossomed right in front of his eyes when she approached the little girl. Zach knew it was completely crazy but he somehow thought that something had changed in her psyche in the short drive home from the book store. He was sure that had he knocked on her door earlier in the day that she wouldn’t have opened the door.

“Nick you said earlier that you moved once or twice today, so where did you goes besides to Fillmore Street?”

Zach watched Nick’s face as he studied the pictures on the wall. He could see that Nick had a secret that he didn’t want to share, oh boy what had he done?

“Nick please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.”

“How about you tell me what you think I did.”

“You snuck into the lab and went back to see her.”

Nick shook his head no, “Not exactly, more like I went to work and another glitch took over the system.”

“Wait a minute hold the phone, what the hell happened this time?”

Nick looked at Zach’s penetrating stare and could feel his hands begin to sweat. He hated lying to Zach and he knew he would need his help if he was going to pull this off.

“I met Lucas at the lab and he agreed to some test runs. He wanted to run some diagnostic checks so he sent me back exactly one year ago today. The thing is I didn’t go back to one year ago today, I went back to December 1993.”

Zach looked at Nick in disbelief how was that even possible? Maybe Nick changed the date in purpose or maybe Lucas entered the wrong date.

“Nick you swear you didn’t change the date or that Lucas didn’t enter the wrong date?”

“Zach I promise on my life that I did not change the date and I checked the date before I entered the chamber.”

Zach shook his head in disbelief, “How is it possible that it happened twice and in such a short time? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Nick knew how he felt. He had already run every possible scenario with no plausible answers.

“Ok Zach we are talking about time travel here, a totally new frontier. I mean really until the last few months no one would have ever thought it would happen.”

Zach nodded his head in agreement, “Ok so how do you explain it?”

“Well what if we messed with something that wasn’t our place to mess with? I know as scientist and all we aren’t supposed to believe in a higher being, but what if God decided we were stepping on His toes and He decided to teach us mere mortals a lesson?”

Zach looked at Nick in shock, “This coming from the guy who thinks that the sun only rises for him?”

“Ok I know but what if we’ve been wrong our entire lives? What if there’s something more? What if there is hope even for the likes of me?”

Zach was at a loss as to what Nick was expecting him to say. He shrugged his shoulders in defeat for he had no easy answers.

“I don’t know but I have a sinking suspicion that you need my help here.”

“Yeah actually I do. So Lucas caught on to the fact that something was off this time and he is trying to fix it. I don’t know if it will happen with a different test subject or if it’s just me. I have this funny feeling that maybe fate is trying to tell me something.”

Zach laughed at that, “You think?”

“I just think that maybe for whatever reason fate has plans for me and Hannah.”

“Gees it took you long enough to figure that one out Sherlock. Ok so explain to me how I fit into this?”

Nick gave Zach his neediest smile, “Well Lucas is hell bent on fixing the problem so I may be off this assignment. I may need you to help me get into the lab and go back to visit Hannah.”

Zach knew that Nick must really be in deep if he was asking him to do this. He looked at his brother, his best friend and he knew that he had no choice but to say yes.