The Lost Boys by Lilian Carmine Read Free Book Online Page B

you see this?” he asked in awe.
    “See what?” I asked, my voice still wavering a little. Everything was pitch black.
    “You’ve … so much light coming from you, blindingly bright, covering me … so beautiful.” He let go of my hand then and my heart whimpered at the loneliness and cold his absence brought to me.
    “I-I can’t see anything. I can’t feel anything.” I sensed him moving closer.
    “Can you feel this?” he whispered, just a breath away from me now. Something brushed lightly against my lips, so soft I thought I was imagining it. Pinpricks of electricity spread through my whole body, making my heart beat furiously in overdrive, and then something jolted, like the earth itself was running back in time.
    If I’d been drowning, I had now surfaced. Bright colorful lights burst through my eyelids like fireworks lighting up from inside. The sound of their explosions filled my ears, deafening me. I felt so dizzy, like I could faint at any second. I heard my mom speaking, along with other voices, all talking at once. Time crashed in on me, running by rapidly, claiming back its lost moments in a fury. The wind rushed back on cue, thrashing and slashing, ice cold, cutting through everything in its path, freezing my bones and my soul. Pain pierced my head, stabbing hot needles in my hands. I grunted loudly.
    “Joey? Honey? Are you all right?” I heard my mom’s concerned voice and I felt her shaking me gently.
    “S-stop, Mom!” I said, sitting up on the grass and holding my throbbing head. I breathed slowly, trying to control my beating heart. I looked at my hands and there were scratches on my palms from when I’d fallen.
    My mom continued patting me, a relieved expression on her face now that she saw I was okay. “What’s happening?” I asked, a little disoriented. I watched as the three old ladies hunched over someone on the middle of the lawn.
    “You fell down and hit your head a second ago,” my mom said, kneeling by my side, “and the next second this boy appeared right there on the lawn! He just popped up out of thin air, Joey! One second there was nothing there, the next there was a naked boy lying on the grass!” she whispered, completely freaked out.
    I scrabbled to my feet, standing up too fast and feeling a little nauseous as I walked over to the three old ladies. As I got closer, I could see Miss Violet’s hands resting on a boy’s black smooth hair. He was turned away from me, so I couldn’t see his face, but he was lying on the ground, shaking spasmodically. He was totally naked. A numb fear started to rise in my chest. I knew that smooth, black hair.
    It was Tristan.

Chapter Seven
    Closeness
    My mom took charge straight away, taking off her long black coat and handing it to Miss Violet. “Here, please, cover him up, it’s freezing cold!” I couldn’t see his face very well from where I stood but I could see that he was trembling. But how could he be here? He’d said he was a ghost and now …? Nothing made any sense!
    I tried to steady myself and gather control over my churning thoughts. Now was not the time to panic.
    The three old ladies were whispering intently to each other. “We need to get him out of the cold first,” Miss Violet said at last.
    “What we need is to take Megan back home! You know she’s not well and this has taken it out of her,” Margaret hissed.
    “But we can’t just leave him. Not now,” Miss Violet replied.
    “Bring the girl over. She can help him!” Megan said, speaking for the first time. Her voice was melodic and very low.
    All three old ladies turned to look at me. I took a step back, scared.
    “Joey, come over here! Don’t be scared, dear. It’s all right, everything will be all right!” Miss Violet said reassuringly.
    I looked at my mom, and she nodded in consent. I walked over to Tristan and kneeled down on the grass, watching as his beautiful pale face contorted in pain. “What can I do?” I said in a small voice, feeling