Read Lost Planet 01 - The Lost Planet Online

Authors: Rachel Searles

Tags: #Retail, #YA 09+

Lost Planet 01 - The Lost Planet (33 page)

BOOK: Lost Planet 01 - The Lost Planet

7.36Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

ads

Chase hesitated, and then he bowed his head and, with the uncomfortable tingle that he was starting to get accustomed to, walked through the door.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The tiny girl sat in her bed and stared at Chase, although he couldn't tell if she was surprised by his unconventional entry. Even in a narrow hospital cot she looked so small, engulfed in blankets. Her skin was no longer as pale, but her eyes were dark and huge, and there were still violet crescents under them. Her short blond hair stuck out in all different directions.

“Hi, Lilli,” said Chase. The name felt foreign in his mouth.

“Hi, Chase.” Her voice was high and slightly hoarse, as though she hadn't used it in a long time. She watched him carefully and did not smile.

Chase took a hesitant step and crossed the room to her bed. His mind raced with questions. Should he hug her? A high five? Did he have a nickname for her?

“I'm glad you're okay,” he said lamely.

Lilli nodded, but the words hung in the air between them. Chase raced through his mind, trying to think of something else to say.

“Last time we met, you, uh, tried to kill me,” he said with a nervous laugh.

Lilli looked down at her bed. “I was following Dornan around. When I saw her talking to you, I thought I was going crazy. I thought someone had cloned you.”

“I guess that's what Captain Lennard thought too,” said Chase.

Lilli gave him a strange look. “Yeah, that's what he told me,” she said slowly. “It's not like anyone thought you'd still be alive. I was the family freak, not you.”

“Yeah, I guess I survivedÂ â¦ everything.”

Lilli looked back up, and her dark eyes pleaded with him. “Do you really not remember anything?”

It was Chase's turn to glance away. He couldn't look at her desperate face. “Nothing,” he whispered. “Not even my own name. I woke up a week ago out of nowhere, with a big wound in the back of my head.” He reached back and touched the spot, long since healed. “I haven't even been able to get hurt since then,” he realized aloud.

Lilli was silent for a minute, and when she spoke, he could tell that she had to force each word out. “It was because you tried to run. They were going to shoot at you, and Dad told you to run, and when you did, they fired at the back of your head.”

“Then what happened?” asked Chase.

His sister stared past him at the wall. “They said some mean stuff to Dad. And then they dispersed you. Only it wasn't like this time, where you were able to stay. You were justÂ â¦ gone.”

Chase gulped. He knew he should stop here, but he needed to know more. “And then?”

Lilli continued to stare at the wall, and after a minute Chase thought she wasn't going to answer. Finally she spoke. “Then they dispersed Mom and Dad,” she said in a barely audible voice. “And then it was just me.”

She sounded so miserable that Chase decided to share the minuscule seed of hope he'd tucked away. “Maybe they're still alive somewhere, like me.”

“No,” said Lilli flatly. “They're not. They weren't like meâlike us.”

Chase lowered his head. “I'm sorry.”

Lilli raised her eyebrows. “Sorry for what? It's not your fault. You fought back. You told Dornan you'd hunt her down and kill her yourself.”

“What did our parents do? Did they try to stop it? What did they say?”

Lilli closed her eyes and said nothing, and after a few minutes it was clear that she was not going to speak any more about the attack.

“I wish I could remember them,” said Chase.

Lilli's head jerked up. “How can you
not
remember? They were our parents!”

“You think I don't wish I could?” asked Chase hotly. “I'd give anything to have my memory back! You have no idea what it feels like to have no idea who you are.”

“And you have no idea what it feels like to watch people murder your whole family, and be left all alone.”

Chase raised his hands to his temples. How was he already arguing with her? Did they always fight like this?

“Neither of us is alone anymore,” he said, sitting down on the bed beside her. “We have each other again.”

Lilli gave him a guarded look and lay back down. “But I still feel alone,” she whispered.

Chase sucked in his breath. “How can you say that?”

“Do you remember the time I fell in the creek and you pulled me out? Dad's stupid jokes? The special cake Mom made every year for your birthday?”

Chase dropped his head. It was painful to listen to the list of memories he knew were probably lost to him forever. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

“For what?” Lilli asked. “Because our lives got wrecked?”

“We've still got each other,” Chase repeated. “Captain Lennard said we can live on the
Kuyddestor
with him.”

“
Uncle Lionel
can't replace Mom and Dad,” Lilli snapped.

“Uncle Lionel,” Chase repeated, embarrassed. The name felt terribly wrong coming out of his mouth.

Lilli stared at him. “He's not our real uncle.”

“Of course.” Chase kept his eyes on the floor.

A few silent seconds dragged out between them. “We've known him our whole lives, but he's a stranger to you now,” said Lilli quietly. “Just like me.”

“You're not a stranger,” Chase protested. “You're my sister. We share the same blood. And I need you.”

She gazed at him for a minute with a tight, indecipherable expression, then turned her head away and rolled toward the wall. “I need to sleep,” she mumbled.

Chase sat beside her, waiting. He had not expected such bitterness from this tiny girl, and her rejection stung like nothing else he had experienced in his short new life.
It's not fair, I lost everything too!
he wanted to scream. He stood up and started toward the door.

“Chase.” Her voice sounded strangled. “Please don't leave.”

“What do you want?” The question came out more harshly than he'd intended.

“Will you stay here until I fall asleep?” she whispered.

He sat for some time on the side of her bed, trying to sort out his thoughts. The adventure was over, but he recognized the long journey that still lay ahead of him. He knew he would have to be patient if he was going to uncover the person he had once been.

He laid a tentative hand on her shoulder. “I'll be here when you wake up.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would be deeply remiss if I didn't thank the people whose support, encouragement, and effort contributed to the making of this book. My heartfelt thanks and appreciation go out to:

My spectacular agent, Joanna Volpe, whose tireless hard work allows me to keep playing around in my imagination. I am so, so grateful to have you on my side. Gigantic thanks also to Danielle Barthel, Kathleen Ortiz, Pouya Shahbazian, and the rest of the awesome team at New Leaf Literary.

My wonderfully supportive editor, Liz Szabla, and my publisher, Jean Feiwel, for their enthusiasm for this book, as well as Anna Roberto, Allison Verost, Mary Van Akin, and everyone else at Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends who worked on the words, design, artwork, production, marketing, and promotion. I'm so thrilled to be working with all of you, sometimes I have to pinch myself.

My reader numero uno, accomplice, and dear friend, Elizabeth Briggs, for keeping me sane and never sugarcoating. I'm fairly certain none of this would have happened if I hadn't met you.

Fabulous beta readers Karen Akins and Cortney Pearson, and the rest of my indisputably awesome support system: Jessica Love, Dana Elmendorf, Kathryn Rose, and Amaris Glass.

My dearly disbanded DFWs, Avi DeTurenne, Kelly Boston, and Deborah Blum, the critique group that kept me going and helped me wrangle my earliest draft.

My parents, Ken and Ruth Searles, who patiently let me keep them in the dark about my closet writing until things really started to pick up. Thank you for making our visits to the Bayliss Public Library a frequent and beloved part of my childhood, and for letting me grow up with the support and love that made me believe there wasn't anything I couldn't do.

And finally, my husband, BÃ¼lent Altan, for his unwavering and enthusiastic support, and for transitioning with good grace when his wife's creative side suddenly came out of hibernation.