Catherine glared, holding up the article. “What is this?”
Rachel gulped, realizing how shocking it must seem. She hated to bring a news story so close to happening, but couldn’t imagine not doing so, tragic as it would be. This was certainly not something she could possibly dream up were it not true in her own time.
“It really will happen,” it pained Rachel to say, sparing her mother the reality of just how brutal the attack would be. “But it’s nothing either of us can do anything about.”
Besides doubting if anyone would believe her, Rachel was sure her mission was confined to saving Brooke rather than trying to change history in general.
Catherine let that sink in as she lifted another article. This one was captioned: LOCAL TEEN FOUND MURDERED. It was dated: July 4, 2001. Tomorrow. Catherine scanned down till she saw the name Brooke Crane identified as the victim.
Catherine’s heart ached at the mere suggestion, but was still far from convinced it was the truth. She grabbed another clipping. It also told of Brooke’s murder and her killer still on the loose.
Tears filled Catherine’s eyes. Could anyone be so cruel as to perpetuate such a hoax?
Catherine glared at the girl who stood motionless before she reached for a batch of photographs. Immediately she recognized a picture of herself, Brooke, Edwin, and Rachel as a baby. A second photo showed Rachel taken just last week by Edwin before she went to visit her grandmother. As far as Catherine knew, the film was still in the camera—in Edwin’s possession. How was it possible that this young woman had gotten his camera and developed the pictures?
Catherine looked at another photo that showed what looked like Rachel at around age ten, standing beside a big birthday cake. Then a picture of the same girl at probably twelve or thirteen.
Catherine regarded the girl claiming to be Rachel and glanced back at the last photos. One was of Edwin—who looked as though he had aged around ten years—and the same teenage girl who had made herself at home in their house. It was developed in May 2011, according to the back of the picture. In the other photo Edwin had his arm around a tall, attractive African-American woman. While apparently a few years older, Catherine recognized her clearly as Edwin’s old girlfriend, Virginia Tucker.
Rachel felt helpless as she watched her mother examine the articles and photographs while trying to make sense of them. She wanted to reach out to her, but was afraid of being rejected.
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I never wanted any of this to cause you pain. But I had to make you believe me—for Brooke’s sake.”
Catherine looked at Rachel, trying to reconcile how this could be her daughter. Was she really her baby girl now a teenager? Or was she playing games? She had to be sure. “What do you know about me?”
Rachel’s eyes watered. There was no point lying about what had been a losing battle for the entire family. She locked onto her mother’s eyes. “I know you have cancer...”
Catherine’s knees buckled. No one knew except her doctor. She’d even kept it from Edwin while trying to come to terms with herself.
“And...?” Catherine’s tone had a deliberate catch to it, her own fate already determined.
“You’re dying, Mom,” was all Rachel dared to say without getting all choked up.
Catherine closed her eyes, feeling tears squeezing out and down her cheeks. She had prayed there might be a way for her to see her youngest child become a young woman, never believing that prayer would be answered. Now she was looking at the closest thing to that, inconceivable as it was.
“Rachel—” Catherine’s voice clung to the name, wishing she could never let it go.
“Yes, Mom.” Rachel couldn’t help but cry. “It’s really me.”
Catherine didn’t pretend to understand any of this, but somehow had known it was true all along on some level. After all, a mother instinctively knew her own daughter. Didn’t she?
She opened her arms and Rachel ran into them. The two embraced heartily.
“You’re all grown up now, sweetheart,” cried Catherine. “And as beautiful as your sister.”
Catherine was overcome with emotion, along with a sense of being in a remarkable dream—only wide awake. She wondered if this was what came with knowing you were about to die and gaining peace with the inevitable.
“I love you so much, Mom,” wept Rachel. “I thought I’d never see you again...or Brooke—”
Catherine kissed her damp cheek and dabbed at Rachel’s eyes, while thanking God for giving her two versions of her daughter to be proud of. “I love you too, sweetheart. No matter what happens to me, I’ll never stop loving you, Rachel. Always remember that.”
“I will, I promise.” Rachel wished she could somehow put this moment in a bottle to keep forever.
Though Catherine wanted nothing more than to spend as much time as she could with Rachel as a brave, smart young woman from the future, her daughter was here for an even more important reason.
“Brooke’s at her friend Natalie’s house,” Catherine said. “The girls are supposed to go to the mall and maybe see a movie.”
Rachel remembered the article had said Brooke was taken from the Sunset Mall.
“Does Brooke have a cell phone?” Rachel honestly couldn’t remember from when she was six.
“No,” Catherine said apologetically. “We planned to get one for her seventeenth birthday.”
Rachel thought that was nice, assuming Brooke ever reached that age. She could tell her mom was thinking the same thing.
“Does Natalie have a cell phone?” Rachel asked.
“Yes, I believe she does,” Catherine said. “I’ll call her and see if they are still at the house.”
“Okay.” Rachel prayed Brooke was anywhere right now but the mall.
Catherine smiled at her, trying not to show how frightened she was at the thought of Brooke being killed. Or having previously been hit by a car. The fact that she wouldn’t get to see either of her girls much longer was just as upsetting.
Rachel too anguished over possibly losing her mom and sister all over again. She could only hope the Sisters of Time had not led her astray in at least being able to rescue Brooke from becoming a murder victim.
Or was saving her life an impossible task in the unpredictable nature of traveling through time?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Sunset Mall was crowded, as it normally was most summer days with kids seeking to escape the heat or just hang out with their friends. Brooke and Natalie walked out of an ice cream parlor with fudge sundaes.
“Let’s go downstairs,” Brooke suggested.
Natalie, who was seventeen, tall, and more developed than Brooke with a milk chocolate complexion, rolled her eyes. “What’s down there?”
She shrugged. “Nothing in particular. But I have to work off this sundae some way.”
“There are better ways to exercise.” Natalie swung her shoulder length, thick black hair to the other side of her face. “I certainly got enough last night.”
Brooke chuckled. Her friend had little trouble attracting guys who were more than willing to go as far as she wanted, which was usually all the way.
“You already gave me the full scoop, remember?”
“Yeah.” Natalie blushed. “Maybe we can find a place with some really cool shades.”
“I’m game to try,” Brooke told her.
On the main floor, the girls were approached by a guy named Grant Palmer. A Lake Melrose High dropout, he was dark-skinned and square-jawed with dust colored dreadlocks. He had a scorpion tattoo on his shoulder.
“What are you two up to?” he asked coolly, coal eyes darting from Brooke to Natalie.
“Definitely not you!” Natalie snickered.
He seemed unaffected. “That’s not what I heard.”
“So maybe you need to get your ears checked,” she retorted.
Grant looked at Brooke and grinned. “She always that bitchy?”
Brooke resisted a smile. “Only when she’s in a goo
d mood.”
The girls giggled and Natalie grabbed Brooke’s arm as they quickly moved away from him.
Once they were a safe distance, Brooke eyed Grant over her shoulder. He had apparently turned his attention elsewhere.
“Stay away from him,” Natalie warned.
Brooke didn’t need to be told twice. She got bad vibes from him, even if he wasn’t too bad looking. “Don’t worry, he’s definitely not my type,” she insisted.
Natalie batted her lashes. “Or mine—anymore.”
Grant had been in trouble with the law a few times and seemed like he was going nowhere fast. Brooke knew Natalie was usually attracted to bad boys like him. Had she really turned over a new leaf? Or did this one in particular simply rub her the wrong way?
Natalie tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, isn’t that the weird creep who lives next door to you?”
Brooke angled her eyes at the twenty-something, stocky white guy. He was sitting on a bench eating a hot dog, and staring directly at them with menacing dark eyes behind glasses.
She quickly turned away. “Yeah, it’s Travis Pickett.”
Natalie snickered. “I didn’t know his mama ever let him out of the house without her.”
Brooke glanced again at the man whose gaze seemed to follow them. Travis was mentally challenged and unable to work or do anything meaningful. His mother had refused to put him in a home, in spite of the fact that he’d been arrested on more than one occasion for harassing kids in the neighborhood and vagrancy.
“He’s mostly harmless,” she suggested, even though he still scared her at times.
“Isn’t that what they say about all child molesters and serial killers—till they’re caught?” Natalie tossed out.
Brooke chuckled nervously. She tucked her arm under her friend’s arm. “Let’s forget about Travis Pickett and Grant Palmer and see if we can find some cute guys to hang out with.”
Natalie pretended to think about it, before lifting her cheeks into a big smile. “Now that’s an idea right up my alley! The shades can come later.”
* * *
He watched Brooke and Natalie as they sashayed down the mall like they owned the damned place. Of special interest to him was Brooke Crane. She was as sweet as honey and ripe for the picking. On the flip side, she was as cold as Natalie and appeared to be uninterested in him. Not like the way she went after other guys, fluttering those big black eyes, hoping to get something in return.
For her snub, Brooke had to pay the ultimate price—with her life. It was the only way to get Brooke out of his head. And make sure she got what was coming to her.
He began to follow the girls, keeping a safe distance so they wouldn’t spot him or suspect anything. Not till he was ready. By then, it was too late to change what he had planned for Brooke Crane.
* * *
“Well, look who showed up...”
Brooke and Natalie gazed up into the face of Dennis Farrell.
“What are you doing here?” Brooke asked starry-eyed, as if he didn’t have a right to be at the mall. Brooke’s heart was pounding in the presence of the very handsome, smooth talking guy with a cafe au lait complexion, who had gotten her into big trouble with her parents. But staying out past her curfew with Dennis had been well worth the punishment of being grounded.
Dennis ran a hand across his shaved head. “Just hanging out, like you.”
“We were just on our way to find some sunglasses,” Brooke told him, as opposed to their real mission of trying to find hot guys.
“Yeah, that was the plan,” Natalie backed her up.
Dennis grinned. “Good, then I’ll walk with you.”
Brooke smiled. “Okay, if you insist.” She could tell Natalie was not happy their girl outing now included Dennis, but it was difficult to say no to him.
“I’ve missed you, Brooke,” he said coolly.
“Same here,” she admitted, wishing she weren’t so attracted to Dennis. But she was, even if it was probably a bad idea. Her parents would say it was a very bad idea.
Dennis gazed down at her. “So what’re we going to do about it?”
“I’m not sure.” Brooke forced herself to look away from his mesmerizing eyes. She had to take other things into consideration when it came to spending time with him. “I don’t really want to get back in my parents’ doghouse.” Not to mention getting on Natalie’s bad side.
“Who says they have to know?” he asked.
Good point. Brooke looked at Natalie for support.
“Oh no, leave me out of it,” she said flatly. “What you two choose to do is none of my business.”
This left Brooke in a bit of a quandary. Blatantly going against her parents’ wishes again would not be very smart. Brooke suspected Dennis had his own agenda and she was not so naïve as to realize he might not have her best interests in mind. But she still liked his company, more than any other guy Brooke could remember. Even the musky cologne he wore seemed like it was made just for him.
Brooke lifted her chin. “We can sit and talk for a while,” she suggested. What harm could there be in that? It wasn’t as if they were alone in the dark of night. Now that Rachel had given her a new lease on life, Brooke felt like she might as well take advantage of it a little.
Dennis smiled crookedly. “Cool. How about if we go outside? Get some fresh air...”
Brooke hedged, not wanting to leave Natalie alone. But she had done the same to her on numerous occasions when one of Natalie’s different boyfriends just happened to show up.
“Do you mind?” Brooke asked her tentatively.
Natalie shrugged. “Go ahead.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s no big deal,” Natalie said. “I’ll just hang out with some of the guys we ran into from school. Or maybe I’ll meet someone else...”
Brooke was having second thoughts. Never mind the fact that Natalie wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same thing had it been one of her boyfriends. Not that Dennis Farrell is my boyfriend. Not officially anyway.
She promised herself to keep their chat short. “See you later.”
“Bye.” Natalie flipped her hair off her shoulder. “If you can’t find me, it probably means I got bored and caught a ride home.”
Brooke watched her strut off, wondering if she should go after her best friend. After all, there would be other times she could get together with Dennis. Wouldn’t there? Especially now that she had been given a new lease on life, thanks to her little sister’s time travel magic clockwatch.
“Don’t worry about her,” Dennis said. “Natalie’s a big girl. And so are you.” He took her hand. “C’mon, let’s walk and talk—”
Brooke reluctantly gave in, smiling at him. She hoped this wasn’t a big mistake, even if she liked being with Dennis Farrell. Very much.
* * *
He watched as Natalie walked away, clearly less than thrilled someone had come between her and Brooke. That was Natalie’s problem. His attention returned to Brooke. He had her right where he wanted her: vulnerable and soon away from anyone who could help her.
He stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. His pulse began to race with anticipation at what he planned to do to Brooke Crane.
First there was a minor distraction that needed to be taken care of.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rachel felt weird being with her mom again who had died when she was only eight. Yet it also felt very natural that fate had given them a second chance to bond just as Rachel had always dreamt, but never thought possible. Even if it would only last for a short while and under stressful circumstances. Both understood their time together was less about them and more about Brooke and her impending death.
Unless it could be prevented the second time around...
They drove to the Sunset Mall in Catherine’s new Impreza, which Rachel knew her grief-stricken dad had sold shortly after her mom’s death.
Since Natalie wasn’t answering her phone, Catherine, panicked, left her s
everal voicemails asking that she or Brooke contact her immediately. According to Natalie’s mother, the girls had left the house at around twelve-thirty to catch the bus to the mall, about three miles away.
Rachel could only hope the Sisters of Time had allowed her to go back again in order to rewrite history before it happened. Though it scared her that Natalie hadn’t called back, Rachel believed this was most likely because she hadn’t checked her messages, something she too was guilty of at times. Besides, there was nothing in her future research that indicated Natalie had been targeted by the killer or was prevented from using her cell phone to report the crime.
There’s still time to prevent the tragedy.
Catherine was on pins and needles trying to come to terms with everything that had happened and was apparently fated to occur. But she had to be strong for both her daughters. Just as she had to be courageous in facing her own mortality.
She had considered phoning the police about the danger Brooke was in. But what would she say? It certainly wasn’t your everyday 911 call. She couldn’t exactly tell the operator that the future version of her young daughter had come back in time to save the life of her sixteen-year-old sister from an unknown killer—one whose murderous crime committed today was history tomorrow. They would only dismiss her as a lunatic or paranoid mother.
If Edwin were not away on business, he would have trouble accepting that there were two Rachels, each with her own special place in the family. Just as Catherine had difficulty knowing that her life would soon end and her husband would return to his first love.
Her focus at the moment had to be on doing whatever she had to do to save Brooke’s life.
Catherine turned from the road for a second to look at Rachel. Deep in thought, she was every bit as lovely as Catherine imagined her daughter would be at sixteen. She could never have imagined Rachel would be faced with such a burden of time traveling and reliving her past and its painful memories.
“Is your father happy?” Catherine asked, needing to know. Neither of them had been as happy in their marriage as she would have liked in recent years. But she did love Edwin and did not want him to be miserable when she was gone.
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