The Chosen - By L. J. Smith Page 0,1

knew immediately that it was where Timmy had gone. It was like him to take the quickest way out. He was probably on his way to her mother right now.

Rashel was a very slim five-year-old. She wiggled through the gap, only sticking once. Then she was outside, breathless in the dusty shade.

She was about to head toward the front of the climbing structure when she noticed the tent flap fluttering. The tent was made of shiny vinyl and its red and yellow stripes were much brighter than the plastic tubes.

The loose flap moved in the breeze and Rashel saw that anyone could just lift it and walk inside.

Timmy wouldn't have gone in there, she thought. It wouldn't be like him at all. But somehow Rashel had an odd feeling.

She stared at the flap, hesitating, smelling dust and popcorn in the air. I'm brave, she told herself, and sidled forward. She pushed on the tent beside the flap to widen the gap, and she stretched her neck and peered inside.

It was too dark to see anything, but the smell of popcorn was stronger. Rashel moved farther and farther until she was actually in the tent. And then her eyes adjusted and she realized that she wasn't alone.

There was a tall man in the tent. He was wearing a long light-colored trench coat, even though it was warm outside. He didn't seem to notice Rashel because he had something in his arms, and his head was bent down to it, and he was doing something to it.

And then Rashel saw what he was doing and she knew that the grown-ups had lied when they said ogres and monsters and the things in fairy-tale books weren't real.

Because the tall man had Timmy, and he was eating him.
Chapter 2
Bating him or doing something with his teeth. Tearing and sucking. Making noises like Pal did when he

ate his dog food.

For a moment Rashel was frozen. The whole world had changed and everything seemed like a dream.

Then she heard somebody screaming and her throat hurt and she knew it was her.

And then the tall man looked at her.

He lifted his head and looked. And she knew that his face alone was going to give her nightmares

forever.

Not that he was ugly. But he had hair as red as blood and eyes that shone gold, like an animal's. There

was a light in them that was like nothing she had ever seen.

She ran then. It was wrong to leave Timmy, but she was too scared to stay. She wasn't brave; she was a

baby, but she couldn't help it. She was still screaming as she turned around and darted through the flap in

the tent.

Almost darted through. Her head and shoulders got outside and she saw the red plastic tubes rising

above her-and then a hand clamped on the back of her Gymboree shirt. A big strong hand that stopped

her in midflight. Rashel was as helpless as a baby kitten against it.

But just as she was dragged back into the tent, she saw something. Her mother. Her mother was coming

around the corner of the climbing structure. She'd heard Rashel screaming.

Her mother's eyes were big and her mouth was open, and she was moving fast. She was coming to save

Rashel.

"Mommeeeeeeeee!" Rashel screamed, and then she was back inside the tent. The man threw her to one

side the way a kid at preschool would throw a piece of crumpled paper. Rashel landed hard and felt a

pain in her leg that normally would have made her cry. Now she hardly noticed it. She was staring at

Timmy, who was lying on the ground near her.

Timmy looked strange. His body was like a rag doll's-arms and legs flopped out. His skin was white.

His eyes were staring straight up at the top of the tent.

There were two big holes in his throat, with blood all around them.

Rashel whimpered. She was too frightened to scream anymore. But just then she saw white daylight, and

a figure in front of it. Mommy. Mommy was pulling the tent flap open. Mommy was inside, looking

around for Rashel.

That was when the worst thing happened. The worst and the strangest, the thing the police never

believed when Rashel told them later.

Rashel saw her mother's mouth open, saw her mother looking at her, about to say something. And then

she heard a voice-but it wasn't Mommy's voice.

And it wasn't an out-loud voice. It was inside her head.

Wait! There's nothing wrong here. But you need to stand very, very still.

Rashel looked at the tall man. His mouth wasn't moving,