The Lost Girl

  Pepper didn’t move. I saw her eyes go wide. I saw her expression turn from surprise to anger. She uttered a sharp cry—and dove at Lizzy like an attacking tiger.

  Lizzy raised one gloved hand in the air. She moved it in a tight circle.

  And Pepper froze. Her eyes locked in a wide-eyed stare. Her mouth hung open. One fist hovered in the air. Pepper froze in place. I mean, like a statue.

  Lizzy made another circle with her hand. A smile spread over her face, a pleased smile.

  I stared in shock at Pepper, frozen in front of me, frozen as if someone had hit a Pause button. She didn’t blink. She didn’t seem to be breathing.

  It took me awhile to get over my shock. Finally, I stepped up to Pepper and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

  Her eyes stared blankly ahead.

  I shook her. “Can you hear me? Can you?”

  She gave no sign.

  I spun around to Lizzy, my heart throbbing in my chest, the blood pulsing at my temples. A wave of dizziness swept over me, and I struggled to fight it off.

  “How did you do that?” I cried. “What did you do to her? How? How can you freeze someone like that?”

  The smile didn’t fade from her face. Her dark eyes shimmered in the dim light that filtered down through the trees. “I know a few little tricks,” she said. “People shouldn’t mess with me, Michael.”

  “Did you kill her?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “Can you bring her back? Unfreeze her?”

  She laughed, a cold laugh, sharp like the tinkle of cut glass.

  “Answer me!” I cried.

  “Forget about Pepper, Michael,” Lizzy said. “You’ve got bigger worries than Pepper.”

  My mind was spinning. “You hypnotized me or something, didn’t you!” I cried. “You cast some kind of spell on me? Like what you just did to Pepper? Is that why I had to come here tonight?”

  “So many questions,” she said. “I asked you to kill Angel, remember? And you agreed.”

  “I agreed because you did something to me. You have powers. You—”

  “Don’t try to figure it out, Michael,” she said. “I think it will all become clear … very soon.”

  “Why are we here?” I repeated. “Tell me, Lizzy. Where is Angel? What is this about?”

  She made a pouty face, sticking out her lips. “I’m afraid I lied a little,” she said in a whisper.

  “Lied? What do you mean?” I cried.

  “Yes, I lied. Sorry about that. Especially since we’re bloods.” Her eyes flashed with sudden excitement. “But, Michael, the truth is, we’re not here to kill Angel. Angel and I are going to kill you.”

  42.

  My mouth dropped open. I uttered a startled cry. For a moment I felt paralyzed, frozen in place like Pepper beside me.

  Run, I told myself. Turn around and run.

  But I couldn’t leave Pepper. And if I tried to run, Lizzy would probably raise her hand and freeze me, too.

  My thoughts were a jumble of fear and disbelief. I stared at Lizzy’s excited face, struggling to understand what was happening here.

  Before I could move, Angel stepped out from the trees. His head was bare, his stringy black hair hanging down over the sides of his face. He wore the same long, black overcoat I’d always seen him in. His boots crunched over the snow. He stepped up beside Lizzy, his eyes locked on me, his expression sour, threatening.

  “I-I … don’t understand,” I stammered, my voice high and shrill. “Tell me what this is about. Why are you doing this?”

  Lizzy linked her arm in Angel’s. He kept his eyes trained on me.

  The moon appeared again, its pale light making Angel’s face silvery white. Like a ghost, I thought. They both appeared to fade in the moonlight, their skin papery and pale.

  “Poor guy. You’re so confused,” Lizzy said, sneering the words. “Let me give you a hint.” She squeezed Angel’s arm and leaned her cheek against the shoulder of his overcoat.

  “Tell me,” I demanded.

  “For one thing, his name isn’t Angel,” she said. “I made that name up. His name is Aaron. Aaron Dooley. Does that give you a clue, Michael?”

  Aaron Dooley?

  “No,” I said. “No, it doesn’t.”

  Lizzy tossed her head back and sneered again. Her dark eyes flashed with anger. “You and Aaron are related, Michael.”

  “Stop teasing me!” I cried. “Just tell me—”

  “Aaron is Martin Dooley’s nephew,” Lizzy said, squeezing his arm again.

  That name clicked in. I felt my heart skip a beat. “Martin Dooley?” I cried. “My grandfather? Th-that’s crazy. Grandpa Dooley died years ago and—”

  “Shut up and listen,” Aaron spoke up for the first time. Lizzy had hold of his right arm. He clenched the fist on this left and raised it menacingly.

  Lizzy narrowed her eyes at me. She took a step toward me. “Your Grandpa Dooley murdered my father,” she said. “He murdered my father in 1950.”

  “You’re crazy,” I said. “That was almost seventy years ago. You couldn’t have been alive in 1950. My grandpa never murdered anyone. He—”

  “Shut up! Shut up!” Aaron screamed. His eyes went wide with fury. His whole body tensed, preparing to attack me.

  “Listen, Michael.” Lizzy’s voice cracked with emotion. Her eyes burned into mine. “Your grandfather had my father torn to pieces. I was there. I watched. Your grandfather owned a stable. He starved his horses so they would be hungry enough to devour my father. They tore him apart, Michael. Do you understand? Tore him apart and ate him while I watched and listened to his screams.”

  My mouth hung open. I struggled to make sense of this. I shook my head hard as if trying to clear it. “No,” I said softly. “Grandpa Dooley was a quiet man. He was nearly blind. He had some kind of accident when he was young. It burned his face and he lost one eye.”

  “He wanted to murder me, too,” Lizzy continued, ignoring me. Her face shone in the moonlight, the anger making her chin tremble. “But I ran. I don’t know how I found the strength, but I ran.”

  “Lizzy, this is impossible. Why are you making up this story? Are you totally crazy?” The words blurted from my mouth. I regretted them instantly.

  Aaron roared forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. He spun me around roughly and wrapped a strong arm around my chest. He held me in place and pushed his fist into my back.

  I struggled to free myself, but he was surprisingly strong.

  “Let go of me!” I screamed. “You’re crazy. You’re both crazy!”

  Lizzy raised a hand. I gasped, thinking she was going to freeze me. But she only wanted to silence me. “Let me show you where I ran, Michael. Let me show you how I escaped from your grandfather’s men.”

  Aaron gave me a hard push. I stumbled and started to fall. He caught me, stood me up, and gave me another hard shove.

  “Where are you taking me?” I cried. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” Lizzy said, leading the way. “You’re not going to live happily ever after, Michael. You’re never coming out of the woods.”

  43.

  They forced me through the line of birch trees, then past it. The moonlight washed down on us through the bare tree limbs overhead, casting dim shadows on the snow. The wind had blown the snow into low hills and valleys. Some of the drifts were high enough to cover the shrubs that lined the path. It made them look like cartoon ghosts.

  Aaron had my arms pinned at my sides. He kept shoving me forward, showing me he was in charge.

  In my panic, Lizzy’s story kept repeating in my mind. She had to be crazy. The story couldn’t be true. But how, I wondered, did it get in her head? She couldn’t really believe that she was alive in 1950. And, what would make her think that my poor half-blind grandpa Dooley had murdered her father?

  After we passed through another clump of trees, Aaron gave me a hard shove that made me cry out. And I gazed at the black opening of a cave. It looke
d like a dark, open mouth cut into a mound of stone.

  “Here we are,” Lizzy said. “This is where I ran that night, Michael.” She motioned to the cave opening.

  “I-I … don’t understand,” I stammered.

  Aaron gave me a hard shove in the back that sent me sprawling against the snowy side of the cave. “Just shut up and listen.”

  “This is how I escaped,” Lizzy said. “You won’t believe it, but it’s true. I’m not insane. I’m not delusional. Every word I’m telling you is true.”

  I brushed snow off the front of my coat. I opened my mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Behind me, Aaron was ready to give me another shove.

  “The cave you are staring into is a time tunnel,” Lizzy said, her eyes burning into mine. “It’s a direct connection between the past and today.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I’m not into science fiction.”

  “Neither am I,” Lizzy snapped. “But what I’m telling you is true. I ran into this cave the night my father was murdered. It pulled me in and shoved me through time, and I ended up here, far in the future.”

  She stepped up to me. Her breath steamed against my face. “Do you know how frightened I was, Michael? Here I was, still sixteen, but over seventy years in the future. Here I was, and I had nothing. Do you know why I had to steal food from that market?”

  She sneered at me. “Yes, I know you saw me. I had to steal that food because I had nothing. No money. Nothing at all. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  “Not really,” I said. “You don’t seriously expect me to believe this, do you?”

  Her eyes flared angrily. “I’m telling you the truth,” she said through gritted teeth. “Here I was, far in the future, and I had nothing.” The wind rustled her hood. She pushed it down and let her hair fall free.

  “Well, actually, I did have one thing,” she continued. “I had my need, Michael.”

  I squinted at her. “Your need?”

  “My need for revenge. My need to avenge my father’s death. To pay back Martin Dooley for destroying my family. That’s what I had. Something burning in my chest … burning all the time.… The need to make Martin Dooley pay.”

  “But my grandfather—” I started.

  “Shut up!” Aaron gave me a hard slap that sent my head spinning. The sound echoed all around. The pain made me shut my eyes. “I warned you,” he said, both fists still curled.

  “But your grandfather died in 1985,” Lizzy continued. “Is that what you wanted to tell me, Michael? Yes. Martin Dooley was long gone when I arrived here. Too late. I was too late. Isn’t that sad?”

  I didn’t reply. I was still trying to rub the pain from my face. I gazed around the dark woods. If I had to make a run for it, which way should I run?

  “So you see, Michael, I had no choice,” Lizzy said. “I couldn’t pay back Martin Dooley. But I could pay back his grandson. You. I could make you and everyone close to you pay for what he did.”

  “You’re crazy!” I shouted. “You’re totally nuts!”

  Aaron grabbed my arm. I ducked my head to avoid another slap. “Do you hear yourself? Do you hear how insane that story is?” I shouted.

  She clenched her jaw. “It’s … all … true,” she said, pronouncing one word at a time. “All … true.”

  In my panic, I’d forgotten about the old yearbook photo Pepper and I had found. The photo from 1950 with the girl who looked just like Lizzy. No. Oh, no, I thought. Her crazy time-travel story is true.

  “Are you Beth Palmieri?” I blurted out.

  She nodded. “That’s my name.”

  Beth Palmieri from 1950. And her gravestone is in the old cemetery.

  “But … you’re dead!” I screamed. “We saw your tombstone. They buried you. You’re dead.”

  She shook her head. “They never found me. They must have assumed I died like my father. They must have buried an empty casket.”

  She brought her face close to mine. “I’m alive. I’m alive and sixteen. Didn’t you think I was alive when you kissed me?”

  “Yes,” I said. “But…”

  “I’m alive and sixteen, thanks to this time tunnel.” She motioned to the cave. “But do you want to hear something sad? You can only go into the cave once. You can only take it in one direction. I’m stuck here, Michael. Stuck nearly seventy years in the future. I can’t go back. But there’s one thing that is making me happy. Having my revenge. Hurting you and your friends.”

  She kissed my cheek. It wasn’t an affectionate kiss. It was an angry kiss. A spiteful kiss. She kissed me, then licked my cheek.

  It sent a shiver down my whole body. The coldest kiss anyone ever got.

  “I’m not an evil person,” she said. “But after seeing what your grandfather did to my father, I have no choice. Do you understand? Do you understand why you have to die?”

  “No,” I said. I squeezed my hands against the sides of my throbbing head. “No. This is too much. This is too crazy. You—you’re Beth Palmieri, and you went to Shadyside High in 1950.… And you’re like a witch or something?”

  She nodded, her dark eyes suddenly dull and dead. “My grandmother taught me some little tricks.”

  “What are you going to do to Pepper?” I demanded. “Are you just going to leave her like that?”

  “That’s so cute that you worry about her when you are the one in so much trouble,” Lizzy replied. “Don’t worry. The spell will wear off. Maybe it will wear off before she freezes to death.”

  “Can we hurry this up?” Aaron interrupted. “It’s cold, you know?”

  I spun around. “And who is this guy? Angel or Aaron, or whatever you want to call him. Does he come from the past, too? Like maybe caveman days?”

  “Not funny,” he said. “You’re in a world of trouble, buddy. Why make jokes?”

  “I explained that you and Aaron are related, Michael. Aren’t you pleased to meet your great-uncle?”

  “No. I hate him,” I said. “I hate him for what he did to my friends.”

  “I hated Aaron, too,” Lizzy said. She smiled at Aaron. “I hated him with all my heart. I thought Aaron was a loathsome creep. I saw him.… He watched my father die. Aaron stood there and watched my father suffer and die.”

  Aaron took a step toward Lizzy. She motioned for him to stay close to me.

  Maybe she could read my mind. Maybe she knew I was looking for the best way to run, to escape from these two lunatics.

  “That night, I didn’t realize the truth,” she continued. “That Aaron was too horrified to move, that he was too sickened by what he saw … so sick and frightened by what they did to my father, he was paralyzed.”

  A gust of cold wind fluttered her hair. Her eyes remained on Aaron. “Then Martin Dooley’s men spotted me. I turned and ran, ran for my life. They wanted to kill me, too, the only witness to their horrible crime. Aaron came chasing after me. I thought he wanted to capture me and drag me back to them.

  “I had no reason to trust him,” she continued. “We … we had a bad time.… A bad moment a few days before. I actually hated him. But I was wrong about him. Aaron loved me. He loved me so much, he followed me into the cave. He followed me to another time. And he’s been helping me ever since we arrived here. Helping me get my revenge. We planned it all. The snowmobile accident. Everything.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You used your powers? You forced me to crash my snowmobile into him?”

  Lizzy tossed back her head and laughed that cold, tinkling laugh. “You catch on quickly.”

  “Enough explaining,” Aaron chimed in. “Save it for the movies. I’m freezing here. Let’s finish this guy. Mission accomplished.”

  I didn’t give Lizzy a chance to answer. I took a deep breath, swung around and, bending low, charged forward—and butted my head as hard as I could into the pit of Aaron’s stomach.

  44.

  He opened his mouth in a startled grunt, bent in two, and went down hard. He sat in the snow, hands pres
sed against his gut.

  I whirled away from him and took off running. My shoes slapped the crusty snow as I picked up speed. I leaned into the wind, ran low like a running back, my heaving breaths noisy, heart booming.

  I’d run several yards when I stumbled over a fallen tree limb hidden beneath the snow. I fell hard onto my stomach. My breath burst out in a painful whoosh. Gasping for breath, my chest aching, I tried to push myself to my feet.

  But Aaron landed on my back with both knees.

  “Smooth move, ace,” he said.

  I groaned. My face sank into the snow. He grabbed the back of my head and held it under the surface. Held it … pressed it down with all his strength.… Held me down until I felt my lungs about to burst. I opened my mouth, struggling to breathe, and got a choking mouthful of muddy, icy snow.

  Finally, Aaron wrapped his fingers in my hair and tugged my head up. I choked in breath after breath, my chest throbbing. He pulled me up roughly, gave me a hard shove, and forced me back to Lizzy.

  She stood in a beam of silvery moonlight with her arms crossed in front of her parka, eyes on me as Aaron dragged me back, her expression cold now, angry. “Cave time, Michael,” she said softly.

  My face felt frozen from being under the snow. My whole body shivered. “You … you’re both crazy,” I shouted. “You can’t really expect me to believe you came from seventy years ago. You need a doctor. You’re both sick!”

  “Well, you’ll find out if we’re telling the truth or not,” Lizzy said. “You’re going into the cave now. You’re going back in time.”

  Aaron grabbed me from behind and pulled my hands behind my back. “Too bad you won’t be able to give us a report on how you like it,” he rasped in my ear. “It’s a one-way trip. You can only go in the cave once.”

  “Aren’t you excited, Michael?” Lizzy said, stepping closer. “Aren’t you excited to visit a time in the past?”

  I didn’t reply. I tried to tug my arms free, but Aaron held on tightly and shoved me forward.

  “Only one small problem,” Lizzy said, eyes flashing merrily. “If you travel back too far, you might land in a time before you were born. So it probably means you won’t exist.” She tsk-tsked. “No more Michael Frost. No more Martin Dooley’s grandson. So sad. But, come on, Michael. Aren’t you going to say goodbye? Do you want a goodbye kiss? I know you enjoyed my kisses so much.”