The Lost One Quotes

“That's when she noticed that Serena, Jimena, and Vanessa each wore matching silver charms.
Corrine caught what she was staring at.
"They never take them off," she whispered. "Not in P.E., not for dances. Never. They had another friend, Catty, who wore the same amulet, but she's gone now. Someday when we're alone, I'll tell you what happened to her."
Tianna looked at the face of the moon etched in the metal on the charms. Sparkling in the morning light, the charms didn't seem silver but more like a strange stone that reflected a rainbow of colors.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“That's when she noticed that Serena, Jimena, and Vanessa each wore matching silver charms.
Corrine caught what she was staring at.
"They never take them off," she whispered. "Not in P.E., not for dances. Never. They had another friend, Catty, who wore the same amulet, but she's gone now. Someday when we're alone, I'll tell you what happened to her."
Tianna looked at the face of the moon etched in the metal on the charms. Sparkling in the morning light, the charms didn't seem silver but more like a strange stone that reflected a rainbow of colors.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“She had heard about telekinetic phenomena. Where she had heard about it she didn't know, but she knew telekinesis was the ability to move objects by thinking about them. She felt thrilled with the possibilities of her newfound power.
She wondered if she could move larger things, too. She glanced at the Dumpster, narrowed her eyes in concentration, and strained. The side of the Dumpster buckled with a sharp pop. She gasped. Could she bend objects, too?
A noise like rattling chains startled her, and she peered back down the alley. Justin and Mason were shaking the double gate in the fence as if they were trying to break the chain lock. She turned back to the trash piled at the dead end and raised her hands like a great conductor of an orchestra. Soon lettuce leaves, orange peels, coffee grounds, and papers were flying everywhere. With a flick of her wrists, the garbage bounced away from her, heading for Justin and Mason.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Minutes later the waitress brought back a cup the size of a soup bowl filled with steaming chocolate-flavored coffee and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Tianna realized she hadn't eaten anything since the bite of muffin early in the morning.
She sipped the brew, enjoying the rich, sweet taste, and listened to Serena recite a poem about her demon lover. It made Tianna think more than ever that Serena was some kind of witch or worse. How could she know so much about temptation and choosing between good and evil? The words sent chills through Tianna.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Let's go home," Vanessa said.
Tianna sighed. More than anything she wanted to go home, but she didn't have a place to go. She walked slower and fell behind the others.
Derek took her arm. "What's wrong?"
She couldn't look at him.
"After what we've been through tonight, I can't believe you have a secret you're not going to tell me." He put a comforting arm around her.
She looked up. “I don't have a home to go to. I guess I can go to a shelter or the nearest police station."
He thought about it. "My older sister is away at college. I bet my mom would let you spend the night in her room."
Jimena was suddenly beside her. "You can stay with me. My abuelita would love to have someone living with her who hasn't heard all her stories."
"Or you could live with me," Vanessa offered quickly. "We'll clear out the bedroom where my mom stores all her clothes. She could use another daughter as a model for her dress designs."
"We have room, too," Catty put in. "My mom will say yes to anything once she sees that I'm okay."
"See?" Vanessa said. "You have plenty of homes."
Tianna took a deep breath. "Thanks.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Can I stay here?"
In response, Mary smiled and opened the door wide. Tianna walked inside. Flames flickered in the hearth, and the smell of popcorn wrapped around her.
Shannon and Todd looked up in surprise when they saw her. Shannon ran to her with arms spread as wide as wings, and Todd did happy wheelies around the room.
Hours later, stomach filled with popcorn and Pepsi, Tianna crawled onto the soft cotton-flowered sheet and pulled the comforter over her head. Her bed smelled fresh and new, and she had a cozy feeling that she hadn't felt for a long time. Tears stung her eyes. She missed her parents and Jamie, but now at least she had a chance to start to live a normal life after so many years of running and living on the street.
She stared out the window at the dark night sky and touched the amulet hanging around her neck.
"Goddess," she murmured. The word felt so right.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Tianna felt happy. Since she had lost her family, she had wanted to belong somewhere.
"That mysterious voice that seemed like an inner guide," Tianna asked. "Was that Selene?"
Maggie nodded. "Selene was always guiding you. She looked down on you that first night and felt pity for what the Followers had done and for what you were going to endure. And now because you have proved yourself, she is allowing you to become-"
"A goddess," Tianna whispered.
"A Daughter of the Moon." Maggie corrected her with a smile.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Selene, the goddess of the moon-"
"She's real, too?" Tianna knew at once that Selene was the mysterious force who had directed her to run. That also explained why her internal guide was strongest during the full moon and weakest during the dark of the moon.
"Selene saw the creature that had been sent by the Atrox to devour hope," Serena said. "She took pity on the people of earth and gave her daughters, like guardian angels, to guard hope. We're those daughters. We're goddesses.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She had liked him from the moment she had met him Monday at school. No wonder he thought she had been acting weird on Wednesday when she couldn't even remember his name.
But other memories came to her now. Ones that filled her with sadness. She saw her mother, father, and sister. Tears burned into her eyes. Having her memories suddenly restored made it feel as if they had died all over again.
"You're crying." Derek pressed her against him and rubbed her back soothingly.
She remembered the way she had struggled through the woodlot that first night and finally found shelter in the trashed boxes behind a liquor store. She had fallen into a deep sleep and was awakened the next morning by the woman who owned the store.
That began her first foster placement. More than anything she had wanted a home. She had lived in so many different houses and towns. West Covina. Ontario. Long Beach. Wilmington. She had kept a key from each one. That's why there were so many on her key chain. She felt suddenly sorry for herself, sorry that she had lived like a stray.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“She stood and tripped over something in the dark, then stumbled and fell on Derek.
"Ouch," he moaned.
"Are you all right?" she whispered, and realized she was lying on top of him. She liked the way his body felt so familiar and comfortable beneath hers. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, suddenly regretting all the mean things she had said to him.
"Aren't you going to get up?" he asked.
"Sure," she answered, and let her hands smooth down his chest and then his arms. She was surprised by the feel of his rock-hard muscles.
"I work out," he murmured unexpectedly.
"What?"
He snickered. "The way you're feeling my chest and arms-"
"I am not." She jumped up, indignant, then knelt beside him. "I was searching for your ropes."
"Liar," he whispered.
She felt a blush rise to her cheeks and was glad it was dark so he couldn't see.
"The ropes are tied around my ankles and wrists," he said, but there was still laughter in his voice.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“You and Derek are good together," Vanessa added. She looked so sincere.
Tianna wished she'd smirk or give her the slightest reason to hate her. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Vanessa was too genuine and good for anyone to dislike.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“An hour later Tianna was walking toward Planet Bang, wearing a sweater shell with sequins and an ankle-grazing skirt slit up the sides to the top of her thighs. She glanced at the waning moon and stopped. There was something important she had to do before the moon turned dark and it was in some way connected to Justin and Mason, but what? She stared at the sky as she continued, hoping the memory would come to her the way soccer and skateboarding had.
When she rounded the corner, the music grew louder. A neon sign throbbed pink, blue, green, and orange lights over the kids waiting to go inside. She recognized some of them. It seemed as if everyone had come with a friend or friends. Their heads turned and watched her as she walked to the end of the line.
She spread her hands through her hair and arched her back. As long as they were going to stare, she might as well give them a show. She twisted her body and stuck one long leg out from the slit in her skirt. Guys smiled back at her as she stretched her arms in a sexy pose. The girls mostly turned away, pretending they hadn't been checking out their competition.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Shannon took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "We're here for you, Tianna. We're family now, just like Mary said."
"You were an emergency placement-" Mary began.
"Placement?" Tianna asked.
"I'm a foster mother," Mary explained.
"I have no home?" Tianna felt her heart drop, but it wasn't as much of a shock as it should have been. Part of her had known she had been running for a long time. Still, she had hoped.
"I'm sorry," Mary answered with true concern. "They called two weeks ago and asked if I could take..." She stopped.
"What?" Tianna asked, wondering if there was something wrong with her.
Mary regarded her kindly. "The social worker wanted to know if there was any way I could handle a problem teen."
Tianna waited for Mary to explain.
"She said you kept running away from your placement homes and she thought maybe I could make a difference because I had been so successful with others in the past."
Tianna knew immediately that there was something Mary wasn't saying.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Shannon took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "We're here for you, Tianna. We're family now, just like Mary said."
"You were an emergency placement-" Mary began.
"Placement?" Tianna asked.
"I'm a foster mother," Mary explained.
"I have no home?" Tianna felt her heart drop, but it wasn't as much of a shock as it should have been. Part of her had known she had been running for a long time. Still, she had hoped.
"I'm sorry," Mary answered with true concern. "They called two weeks ago and asked if I could take..." She stopped.
"What?" Tianna asked, wondering if there was something wrong with her.
Mary regarded her kindly. "The social worker wanted to know if there was any way I could handle a problem teen."
Tianna waited for Mary to explain.
"She said you kept running away from your placement homes and she thought maybe I could make a difference because I had been so successful with others in the past.
Tianna knew immediately that there was something Mary wasn't saying.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Do you have a driver's license?"
"Of course," she said, not knowing if it was true or not. She was already sitting behind the steering wheel.
He tossed her the keys and she turned the ignition as he climbed into the car.
She pressed hard on the gas pedal and the car shrieked away from the curb. The back end fishtailed. She needed to get to school quickly and find some answers. She had a feeling that Catty wasn't going to last long in that place.
The light turned yellow ahead of her.
"Slow down!" Derek shouted as the car in front of them stopped for the light.
She didn't let up.
"You're going to rear-end it!" Derek cried, and his foot pressed the floor as if he were trying to work an invisible brake.
She jerked the steering wheel, swerved smoothly around the car, and blasted through the intersection, ignoring the flurry of horns and screeching tires.
Derek snapped his seat belt in place. "Why are you in such a hurry to get to school?"
"Geometry test," she answered, and buzzed around two more cars.
At the next junction she needed to make a left-hand turn, but the line of traffic waiting for the green arrow would delay her too long. She continued in her lane, and when she reached the intersection, she turned in front of the car with the right-of-way. Angry honks followed her as she blasted onto the next street.
"We've got time, Tianna!" Derek yelled. "School doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."
Would fifteen minutes give her enough time to get the answers she needed? She didn't think so.
She pressed her foot harder on the accelerator. The school was at least a mile away, but if she ignored the next light and the next, then maybe she could get there with enough time to question Corrine. She didn't think her powers were strong enough to change the lights and she didn't want to chance endangering other drivers, but she was sure she could at least slow down the cross traffic.
She concentrated on the cars zooming east and west on Beverly Boulevard in front of her without slowing her speed.
"Tianna!" Derek yelled. "You've got a red light!"
She squinted and stalled a Jaguar in the crosswalk. Cars honked impatiently behind the car, and when a Toyota tried to speed around it, she stopped it, too. She could feel the pressure building inside her as she made a Range Rover and a pick-up slide to a halt. She shot through the busy intersection against the light.
Derek turned back. "You've got to be the luckiest person in the world.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Derek!" she shouted, and realized suddenly that she only had the sheet covering her.
"You were out here running like crazy," he explained, and released his hold. "You didn't hear me when I called your name. I figured something was wrong, so I caught you. What were you running from?"
She felt grateful and embarrassed at the same time. He had pulled her back and saved her from the shadow. She tightened her hold on the sheet, and Derek didn't bother to take his eyes away.
"I thought I heard a woman scream that someone had taken her purse," she lied. "So I came outside to help."
"Like that?" He smirked.
"I sleep in the nude." It was the first thing that came to mind and it was also the worst thing to say. She rolled her eyes at his silly grin. "Look, in an emergency you don't have time to put on clothes.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“This is heaven- sunshine, coffee, and muffin."
"You're so different from everyone else," he teased.
"How so?" she asked, and took another eager bite.
"Other girls are so worried about the way they look."
"What?" She sprayed out part of the muffin and coffee. "What's wrong with the way I look?"
"Nothing," he answered, but there was amusement in his eyes. "You look great."
She handed back the muffin and the coffee, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Then why did you say I don't worry about the way I look?"
"I just mean other girls spend hours in front of the mirror and you obviously don't. You seem like the right kind of person to go on adventures with," he answered in a dreamy kind of way. "That's what I want to do. Go on a dig, maybe. Wouldn't you like to uncover mummies or discover an unknown temple in the jungles of Cambodia?"
"Why?" she asked with a rising sense of uneasiness. "When you're safe and at home, adventures might seem like fun, but when you're living them, they're not."
"I thought you'd enjoy roughing it," he explained. "You don't seem to care about appearances.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“At that moment Tianna spied a skateboard. Her hand acted on its own, and before she knew what was happening she had grabbed the board, sent it rolling, and jumped on. Two strokes with her right foot, then she pumped, moving her knees from side to side. She curved down the front sidewalk, bumping over the bricks, and just before reaching the front steps, she turned a high ollie and landed on the thick iron banister. She tail slid down the rail, then bent her knees to cushion her landing and kept going.
"Awesome," she breathed, impressed with herself.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Wow," she whispered. The clothes definitely looked like something she would wear. Scoop-neck tops and slinky skirts, hipster flare jeans and a leopard camisole. Even the shoes were perfect. Mary Janes with thick, chunky soles, bungee sneakers, and boots. She slipped off her leather jacket, tore off the tag on a fuzzy hooded sweater, and pulled it over her head. She liked the way the sleeves came down to the tips of her fingers. Automatically she poked her thumbs through the weave and smiled.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“She grabbed the mouse and scrolled down through the health files marked CONFIDENTIAL until she came to the one for Tianna Moore.
Her heart beat rapidly when she read her own name. She opened the file, then studied the information on the screen. Born 1986 in Los Angeles, California. Normal immunization records and illnesses. The last line surprised her. Habitual runaway. Paranoid tendencies. Recommend counseling at Children's Hospital.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“She looked at the guy. Anger seethed inside her. "Give me that dumb ball. This has not been a good day, and I really can't take any more."
"Come get it, then." He smirked and ran away from her, kicking the ball lightly with the inside of his feet. He didn't look down, and he never lost control over it.
Tianna sighed and shook her head.
"Come on." He taunted her, and picked up speed. "You afraid you can't get it back from me?"
Something exploded inside her. She felt it like a hot fire flashing up to her face. She dashed after him and caught him in seconds. He seemed surprised by her speed but also delighted.
When she reached him, he darted away, changing direction, but it seemed as if her body had anticipated where he was going to go and she ran parallel with him, her feet tipping in and trying to steal the ball.
He laughed and shifted his weight in one direction, then took off running in the other, using the inside of his foot to roll the ball.
"Wrong thing to do," she shouted angrily. This time her feet went on automatic. She ran alongside him, then swung her leg in front of him and struck the near side of the ball. It popped away from him.
Her foot shot out again. He tripped and fell flat on his back.
She picked up the ball and sauntered back to him, then held out her hand to help him up.
"You don't have to smile so big," he said with a matching grin. He took her hand. His felt warm and strong.
She couldn't help but smile. No wonder they put her on the team so quickly. Her feet had talent. She was a master.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Jimena stopped in front of a locker near a floor-length mirror.
"This one was Catty's," she said softly.
A watercolor painting of the full moon rising over an ocean was taped to the front. A beautiful woman hovered behind the moon, her purple robe billowing into the starry sky behind her. The image was haunting.
"Did she do the painting?" Tianna asked. "It's really pretty."
Jimena nodded. "She was a good artist.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Who's that other girl with Vanessa?" Tianna asked. "The one with the teardrops tattooed under her eye?"
"That's Jimena." Corrine spoke in a lower voice. "Don't mess with her. Everyone says she's been in a camp twice."
"Camp?" Tianna asked.
"Youth authority," Corrine muttered, as if Tianna ought to know. "I can't believe you didn't hear. It's all over school. She used to be in a gang."
"And the one staring daggers at me?"
"The one with the cello case is Serena," Corrine answered wistfully. "You should hear her play. I'm so jealous of her talent. She'll be famous someday."
Serena wore a fedora and a tie-dyed shirt with studded jeans. She had a beautiful face and compelling eyes.
"She can also tell your fortune with her tarot cards," Corrine whispered. "She read mine once, and it was spooky, everything she knew. I never went back for a second reading.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Who's Vanessa?"
"I don't believe you. She's only the most popular girl in the whole school." She pointed a finger at the girl in the middle of the three who were still watching Tianna closely. "Everyone knows Vanessa."
Vanessa had perfect skin, large blue eyes, and luxurious blond hair that curled over her shoulders.
"Are those extensions?" Tianna asked.
"All hers." Corrine sighed.
Vanessa was dressed in a funky white coat of fake fur that went down to her brown suede boots; underneath was a low-hanging party-girl skirt with two gold belts draped around her tan waist.
"Where'd she get the clothes? They're so cool." Tianna glanced self-consciously at her own jeans. The knees were soiled, and there was a long black mark on the side, as if she had skidded in dirt or oil.
"Her mom's a costume designer for the movies," Corrine confided.
Tianna felt a pang of jealousy- not for the clothes, but from the mention of Vanessa's mother. She wondered where hers was. Why hadn't she been with her this morning?”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“When they passed room 103, four guys dressed like skaters ran to the doorway and leaned outside.
"Hey, Tianna," the first one shouted.
"Looking fine," the second one added.
"Thanks," she answered, and watched the other two admire her.
"I can't believe the impression you've already made with the guys.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Tianna picked up her backpack and started out to the hallway with a confident swing in her hips.
A sly smile crossed her face this time when she saw the guys stare. She walked down the unfamiliar hallways next to Corrine. The knot of anxiety was beginning to unravel, and she started to relax.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One

“Tianna gingerly touched her eyes, nose, and lips. She was startlingly beautiful.
"Wow," she whispered, and brushed her fingers through her long silky black hair. Not many people ever got to see themselves as a stranger would. There was no prejudice in her vision or modesty imposed from a lifetime of living with her face and body. She could honestly say she was stunning. No wonder the guys were turning their heads, and the girls, too. She was a knockout.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Lost One