LITTLE GIRL LOST - SARAH BETH LEE (tharntype novel english .TXT) 📗

He sat up and rubbed his back.

“Morning Zach, how’s Beth?”

“She’s good. She sends her love, I told her you didn’t deserve it but she seems to have a thing for you.”

Nick laughed. He was really happy that Zach had found such a great girl and the fact that she loved him was proof that miracles still happened.

“Tell her she could still have me if she ever realizes what a loser you are.”

“Yeah, yeah sorry to disappoint you but that’s never going to happen.”

Zach positioned himself in front of the coffee table with his back resting on the couch. He began to fiddle with a stack of papers piled there.

“So how did the experiment go last night? I assume it worked or you wouldn’t be here right now, so how was the past?”

Nick looked at Zach and rubbed his head, “It worked fine except for one minor glitch.”

Zach was now reading the leaflet Nick had brought home last night.

“Jesus H would the glitch be that you went to the wrong time and place?”

Nick refused to meet Zach’s eyes as he shifted nervously on the couch. He knew he needed Zach’s help if he had any hope of finding Hannah but the look in his eyes was not one offering help.

“Look Zach I need your help. So please just listen before you start telling me how crazy I am okay?”

Zach nodded his head and relaxed against the couch waiting for Nick to begin his story.

“Everything seemed to be working just fine until I realized I was not in 1893. I was walking down a street and with the telepathic drugs they gave me I was being bombarded with all these voices. I began to walk trying to figure out where I was and why.”

“Ok please tell me you did not talk to anyone or make contact with anyone.” Zach knew the answer to his own question by the way Nick avoided making eye contact. “Gees Nick what’s wrong with you?”

“As I was saying I was minding my own business when I heard this nasally high pitched voice, it reminded me of finger nails on a chalk board, and then I heard a sweet angelic voice. I don’t know why but I found myself following the voices. I ended up at a wake for a man who had a lovely eight year old daughter.”

Zach had already read the leaflet and done the math.

“So this girl is the same age as me and she lost her dad the same time you lost your family? Please tell me you didn’t talk to her.”

“I couldn’t help it. She looked so lost and scared in that room full of people. I knew exactly how she felt and I couldn’t stand by and watch her hurt like that. I know it was wrong on so many different levels but it was as if I was pulled to her by some force beyond my control.”

“Oh Obi wan and here you sit safe and sound, but what about her? Just making contact with her could have changed everything from that point in her life.”

“Trust me I know that and I know how crazy I must sound. Will you please help me?”

“Ok so what exactly did you say to her?”

“Nothing really just that I knew her daddy loved her and that even if she couldn’t see me I would always be there.”

“Wow Nick you really made a mess of things this time. I guess you want me to run a search on her?”

Nick raised his eyes and gave Zach his sad eyed look, “Well since you brought it up that would be great.””

Zach was already turning on his lap top and waiting for it to load. Nick watched as his fingers flew and information began to pop faster than he could read.

“Well it seems your mystery girl is Hannah Nicole Roberts, she is 25 years old. She graduated with honors from Brown with a double major in Journalism and English literature and a minor in high school English. She is the only daughter of Davis William Roberts and Veronica Blakemore Roberts. She now owns the majority of stock in the family business a publishing company and a book story on Fillmore St. It seems that your girl spends most of her time at the book store.”

“Ok so what’s the name of the store?”

“Hannah’s Corner shelf, her father opened the store when she was born. He focused on children’s books and as she grew he expanded the line. When he died in 1993 his sister Ann took over and ran the store until she passed away at the age of 36 that was in 1999. It was then run by Hannah’s cousin Justin until Hannah took it over in 2004. It seems she is a brainchild and skipped several grades in school and graduated from Brown in 2004.”

“Wow she must be really smart. I wonder what she’s doing now. I hope she had a happy childhood.”

Zach studied Nick’s face as he thought of Hannah and rambled on about her. Zach was almost certain that he was too self absorbed to realize how caught up he was in his prattling about this one girl he had never really met. Zach smiled to himself as he watched Nick’s face light up every time he said her name.

“So Nick how does it feel?”

Nick stopped mid sentence and looked at Zach, “How does what feel?”

“Being in love.”

Nick stopped talking and looked at Zach as if he had just gone mad, “Love what does love have to do with anything?”

“Well it sure sounds a lot like love to me.”

Nick shook his head no as the words reverberated through his mind. Love? Could it be love? No not Nick he didn’t fall in love, did he?

“Look I am not in love. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Sure that’s all it is.”

Zach smiled to himself as he watched the emotions on his friends face. Nick might not know it yet but he had fallen and fallen hard for a girl he hadn’t even met yet. Zach would do some more in depth research about Hannah and find out exactly what her story was. He needed to make sure that Nick didn’t get hurt so he would keep this to himself unless he found something worth telling.

“So Zach what are you and Beth up to today?”

“Oh you know the usual lunch at The Overlook and a walk through the park. What about you, any big plans?”

Nick rubbed his eyes and shook his head, “Not really just catching up on my sleep that was so rudely interrupted. I guess I have a lot to figure out.”

Zach patted his back, “Dude that is an understatement and sleep is highly overrated.”

Nick looked at his friend the closest thing he had to a brother, “Honestly Zach, all jokes aside, do you think I am crazy?”

Zach knew that his words would determine how things progressed so he chose his words carefully, “No I don’t think you’re crazy at all. Do I think this little endeavor is highly dangerous? Hell yes but sometime things are set in motion and we have no control over what comes next.”

Nick knew he was right and he should just forget Hannah all together. She might be happily married with a family or in love about to get engaged or divorced and heartbroken? He knew there was no way he could leave it alone, he had to find her and know that he hadn’t ruined her life. He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes and let the visions of her so lost and alone fill his head.

“”Look Nick, I know this isn’t something you planned and for whatever reason you connected with this girl but promise me you’ll be careful.”

Nick laughed a sarcastic laugh, “Oh I have that number down pat, you know me careful is my middle name.”

Zach knew that Nicolas O’Brien was a great guy and everybody’s best friend but he never let anyone in and he never opened himself up to the possibility of love. Zach watched his brother and sighed was it possible that Hannah was the reason he had never tried before? Had he, without even knowing it, been waiting for her all this time? He could see the emotions flickering in his eyes every time he said her name and he realized that Nick was already gone.


“I know Nick what I mean is don’t do anything stupid.”

“Oh you mean like go back in time and talk to a complete stranger and screw up life as she knows it?”

“Well yeah something like that. I don’t want to see you end up getting a court martial for a breech in security or going back and trying to change one thing only to screw something else up. I know you care about this little girl but just think this through before you try to jump in and be her savior.”

Nick sat up and took in Zach’s words. He knew Zach was right but how could he just walk away from something he had set in motion? He buried his head in his hands and tried to figure out exactly what the next step would be.

“Nick listen take it easy and just relax. I know things will work out because sometimes despite our best intentions love just happens.”

Nick raised his head and looked at Zach with fear shining in his electric blue eyes. Zach smiled as he shook his head; leave it to Nick to go about things the hard way. He couldn’t just find a nice normal girl in the here and now, oh no he had to go back to 1993 and find a girl who was just as broken as he had been. The more he thought about it Nick was still broken he just didn’t know it.

Hannah straightened the magazines on her coffee table again as she tried not to look at the clock. She straightened her shirt and ran her fingers through her hair as if a strand was out of place, not likely. She stood and crossed the room to gaze out the window that looked over the bustling street below. She knew that Maddie wouldn’t judge her but she also knew that Maddie knew her better than anyone so she would see through any attempt at lying. She sighed as she thought about her friend. Hannah was certain that she was the reason Madeline had gone into psychiatry and she had broken all ties with Maddie because of it. She refused to feel like someone’s science experiment or a failure. She knew now that she had been wrong about a lot of things and she hoped she and Maddie could work through their problems as well as the unresolved issues that she had tried so hard to bury. She was brought out of reveries by the ringing of the door