Samantha was the best person that Julie had ever known. She was certain of that, even though she could not recollect where she had come from. She knew now that she’d never been to the Cliffside Home, and that Mr. Henley (whoever he was) had tricked Samantha. Julie did not even try to understand why. Maybe Marty would explain it all to her, when she saw him.
She knew she was going to see him. No matter how much she protested, there was some power beyond her ability to resist that called her to the place where Marty waited. He had said others were coming too. She had to go. It was the only way to find out who she really was. And she believed Marty when he told her something terrible would happen if they didn’t unite.
A single fat tear rolled across Julie’s nose and onto the bear. She hugged him more tightly. She didn’t want to leave Samantha, but she had to know what Marty knew. She just had to know!
It was a long time before sheer exhaustion finally pulled the little girl into sleep. She dreamt of darkness, and brilliant light, and being in something moving very fast. When she woke up she remembered the roller coaster and the fun house at the park. But somehow she had a feeling that the dreams weren’t about those rides.
When she closed her eyes again, she heard a familiar voice calling to her. Marty came, and as she was drifting off to sleep again, he told her exactly what she had to do.
Samantha was awakened early the next morning by the sound of the dogs barking. It wasn’t their normal “we’re hungry” bark, but something closer to howling. It was so unusual that she didn’t hesitate to get out of bed and investigate. Pulling on her robe, she hurried down the hallway, glancing into Julie’s room as she passed. The bed was empty, and unmade.
Julie always made her bed the moment she got up.
Now Samantha ran, down to the kitchen. She opened the back door and looked out at the yard. The sensation she felt just then was so unexpected, so abrupt, that her breath was taken away. The yard seemed very big this morning; very big, very quiet, and very empty.
Something was wrong.
A chill began to rush through Samantha’s blood. It was almost like the anxiety attacks she’d experienced when she’d tried to call the police. But there was nothing here to provoke such an incident.
She tried to fight it, tried to tell herself it was ridiculous. She was just tired from so much activity. That was why the yard seemed to be floating in front of her, through a mist of gray.
Something is wrong with Julie!
Her own mind shouted the words at her. Samantha ran through the house, room by room, trying to find the child.
“Julie?”
There was no response. Samantha fought the sense of panic that threatened to devour her.
“Julie!”
Surely the child had heard her by now. Samantha was being gripped by an overwhelming feeling of terror. Why wasn’t Julie answering? Where could . . . ?
The barking had reached a crazy pitch, as if Sunday and Lady had gone mad. Samantha left the house and ran to them. Sunday and Lady cowered around her, whining, their tails tucked underneath them.
They were afraid of something.
Samantha crouched down.
“What is it, kids? What? Has something happened to Julie?”
Oh, God, I don’t even want to think. . . .
At the sound of the child’s name, both dogs’ ears perked straight up. Sunday gave one sharp bark.
“Do you know where she is?”
The dogs ran to the door of the kennel. Samantha got up, opened it, and followed them.
When she saw where they were headed, Samantha realized Julie must have gone to the little adobe. That explained why the child couldn’t hear her. But why were the dogs so nervous?
The sense of foreboding fought to come back again, and it was beginning to win the battle. She was certain that, when she opened the door, she’d find Julie lying on the floor, like Henley had been.
Stop it!
Samantha pushed open the door of the little adobe. She was relieved to see that Julie wasn’t in here, but it was questionable relief. The dogs were still whining, still sniffing around as if trying to find something.
She knew at once that something was different in here, but it took her a moment to see what it was.
There was an afghan in the middle of the floor, and two pillows from the couch. For some strange reason, it seemed that Julie had come here last night to sleep. Samantha moved the afghan and found an open book. It was an atlas, opened to a two-page spread of the United States. A large red circle had been drawn to the right side, encompassing a portion of the eastern seaboard and part of the Atlantic Ocean. An arrow had been drawn from Ashleigh Creek, Colorado, to this vast area.
Samantha looked around further and found a flashlight. She picked up the blanket to discover her purse. She picked it up. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised her wallet was gone.