LITTLE GIRL LOST, SARAH BETH LEE [epub e ink reader .txt] 📗

Nicolas wasn’t sure where he had ended up or why. He looked around the crowded city sidewalk and tried to listen for some sign or clue as to what had brought him here. He should be getting used to this by now, jumping from place to place at unexpected times, but it never got any easier. He sometimes wished he had not volunteered to be the test subject for this experiment. He was the only one without family or any ties so it made sense for him to be the one, he was expendable who would miss him if he never returned? He knew Zach would wonder what had happened to him but really Zach would be fine.

Nick glanced at his surroundings and knew that something had gone terribly wrong this did not look like 1893. He had no idea what the date or time might be and all the planning and preparation had been in vain. He was suddenly caught off guard by an annoyingly high pitched bitchy voice.

“Please stand up straight and stop dragging your feet before you scuff your shoes.”

He looked around trying to find the face that went with the voice. Nick shook his head as a hundred voices invaded his head at once. He tried to focus on the tall blonde walking in front of him and willed the voices in his head to be silent. He really didn’t care who Jonas was sleeping with or what dress Marla would wear on her date tomorrow night.

“Remember big girls do not cry.”

“Yes Veronica.”

That’s when he heard the softest sweetest voice that had ever tickled his ears; the voice that he would never forget and spend countless hours trying to find. He followed the sound of their voices at a distance until they entered a building. He waited for a moment before casually walking into the unknown place and the overwhelming scent of flowers assaulted him. As he entered the room he was oblivious to everything around him, it all dimmed and seemed to fade into nothing as he searched the room for her. He wasn’t sure who she was or why he felt so drawn to her but for reasons unknown even to him, he had to find her. He scanned the room, where had she gone? Then he spotted her sitting in the corner in a high backed chair that seemed to make her look smaller than she was. It looked as if the chair was swallowing her as her world was closing in around her. Her eyes were screaming for help, as if they were saying ‘look at me, I’m right here.’ But no one seemed to notice the pretty little girl in the black velvet dress and patent leather shoes. She had soft brown hair with soft curls framing her heart shaped face. Her most stunning feature was her hazel eyes, they seemed brown until the light hit them and then the flicks of green flashed bold and beautiful.

Nick was drawn to her as if some force beyond his control was pulling him through the crowd to where this lost little girl sat alone and scared. She was in a sea of blurry faces that paid no attention to her at all. His feet seemed to have a mind of their own as he moved through the crowd until he was standing in front of her. She was staring at the floor beneath her feet as if she had no idea that anyone was near her. Nick sat down in the chair adjacent to her and waited. She tried to act as if he was of no importance to her but finally she raised her eyes to meet his questioning stare. He offered her a smile that she tried to return but it never reached her eyes. He tried to read her thoughts but it was as if her mind was a blank canvas.

“Hi there my name is Nick, are you okay?’

She looked at him and shook her head no. He ached for the pain that radiated from the deep pool of sorrow in her eyes that he now found himself drowning in. He wondered why such a lovely young girl would be so sad.

“Why are you talking to me?”

“Well you looked like you needed a friend and I thought I would apply for the job.”

She giggled nervously as she relaxed a little,” Well then your hired by the way I’m Hannah.”

Nick smiled it was a soft, gentle name and it seemed to suit her. He studied his surroundings and wondered exactly where they where and why no one had noticed Hannah. Her vulnerable voice brought his attention back to her, “So did you know my daddy?”

Nick continued looking around the room and saw several floral arrangements, plants and plaques. He then saw an exquisite ornate gold framed 22 x 34 inch picture of a man looking lovingly down at a little brown haired, hazel eyed girl dancing on his feet. It nearly took his breath away at the look in his eye as if this one little girl was the only reason he had for living as if she alone was the only thing of worth in his entire world.

“No I am sorry I didn’t but I wish I had.”

“He went away and I will never see him again, but Veronica says that it’s just part of life. I don’t like her very much but I think I like her more than she likes me.”

“And who is Veronica, a sister an Aunt?”

Hannah shook her head furiously no, “No she’s my mother but she makes me call her Veronica because she doesn’t want anyone to know how old she is.”

Nick found that disheartening. He looked around the room and saw so many people who had no concern at all for the lost little girl who was hurting over the loss of her daddy and not one of them seemed to notice or care. He realized that no one seemed the least bit upset about the passing of a man much too young to have died and it seemed more like a party than a wake.

“I’m sure she loves you.”

Hannah looked at him horrified by his words, “No she doesn’t, trust me. I have only two people who really love me one was my daddy and the other is my Aunt Ann she was my daddy’s sister. She is the greatest person I have ever known and I truly love her. She will be here soon, I hope.”

Nick sighed as he tried to make sense of it all. He watched as people walked from one group to the next laughing and smiling and occasionally dabbing at fake tears. So many people dressed to the nines and not a hair out of place and he realize they all exuded money, he could all but smell it. He cringed at this unreal world that Hannah was destined to be a part of. A world he had once known so well.

“Hannah I know that wherever your daddy is he is looking down on you and loving you still.”

She smiled at him and for a moment her whole face lit up, “Nick are you an angel?”

He shook his head no, “I am no angel but I am a good listener.”

“I think you are an angel that my daddy sent you to help me.”

He knew if Damien or Mason every found out about this He would be in huge trouble but he didn’t care. Nick knew that despite his best intentions he was about to cross the line, “Hannah I know that things are kind of messed up right now but one day everything will make sense. I promise that one day a long time from now I will explain who and what I am to you; for now I want you to know that I care about you and I will always be here for you.”

She climbed down out of her chair and stood in front of him, “Thank you Nick.” She then leaned over and kissed his cheek. Nick raised his hand to touch the spot where her lips had been.

“Hannah I have to go now but remember that whenever you need me I will be there even if you can’t see me I will be there.”

She nodded her head and watched him as he stood to go. He slowly walked out of the room and into the lobby. He saw the guest book and the memorial leaflets. He crossed the entryway and picked one up and read,

Memorial Service

Davis William Roberts
May 14, 1961-June 19 1993

Loving husband and father
Survived by his wife Veronica Roberts,
His eight year old daughter Hannah Nicole Roberts
And one sister Annis Joy Martin
He was preceded in death by his father Jackson William Roberts
His mother Anna Pearl Roberts.


Nick put the leaflet in his pocket and walked out of the dim oppressive room. As the sunlight hit his face he knew that for some reason it didn’t shine as bright as it once had. He looked at his watch and saw that he only had minutes left until he would be traveling home. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began to retrace his steps back to where he had been. As he rounded the corner suddenly he was spinning wildly out of control at extreme rates of speed. He closed his eyes and floated along as time speed up faster and faster until it finally began to slow down. He kept his eyes firmly closed until everything grew still. Slowly he opened his eyes to see Lucas unhooking his safety harness and lightly checking his reflexes, temperature, pulse, heart rate, oxygen levels and blood pressure.

He could feel Lucas patting his back as he helped him out of the chamber.

“Welcome back Nick so what was 1893 like?”

“All I can say is it wasn’t at all what I expected.”

Nick felt shaky on his feet as he walked to the de-tox center to be cleared. He knew he should tell the team of the mistake but he knew he had violated several security protocols and endangered the project by his actions. The number one rule do not talk to anyone and stay inconspicuous. He continued down the hall and kept his secret to himself. He knew he could talk to Zach about it later. He smiled as he thought of his friend; Zach was the only person he trusted implicitly.

Zachary Ryan was the closest person he had to family. He had met him when he was nine years old and his family had died in a car wreck Nick had been the only survivor. He had been placed in numerous foster homes but none of them had fit until he was sent to live with the Ryan family. Nick could still remember the day