Uprising by Jessica Therrien Read Free Book Online

them shut, one by one, as he kissed the parts of my neck that were still bare. “You know I love you, right?” he asked.
    I smiled. “Even though I’m plagued with prophecy?”
    He laughed as we headed back into the living room to finish our breakfast.
    “You know what? On second thought, the whole prophecy thing’s kind of a hassle. I’m not sure this is going to work out.”
    When we reached the table I threw my arms around his neck. “Yeah. We’re no good together anyway,” I played along.
    His warm fingers grazed the skin on my hips as he pulled me closer, but before our lips met, the front door flew open with such force I heard wood splinter. Suddenly I was pinned between the wall and William. His protective stance blocked the door from view, making him a human shield against me. Even so, my hand grasped the loaded dart gun ready to defend him at all costs. But none of it was necessary.
    “Dad?”
    Hearing the shock in William’s voice, I ducked under his arm. Dr. Nickel’s face was strained with worry.
    “They’re coming,” he said.

4.
    I DIDN’T NEED TO ASK WHO. I knew The Council would be looking for me as long as I was alive, but that fact had never scared us off before, not with the safe haven to protect us.
    “They can’t get in. They won’t be able to find us,” I said. “Right?”
    “Christoph is with them,” Mac added as he appeared in the open doorway with Kara. “My ability means nothing to him, kid. He can turn it off like a light switch.”
    “How close are they?” William asked, clasping his hand around mine.
    “Close enough,” his dad answered. “We need to leave.” We left everything but the weapons. Clothes, food, toothpaste. There wasn’t time for things that weren’t essential to escape. The five of us went on foot in a direction that was meaningless to me. I had never seen what was outside the edges of the safe haven, not since I’d been here.
    When Mac stopped abruptly after our fifteen-minute trek into the woods, we all froze at once, bodies poised and ready to attack, eyes searching for threats.
    “We’re here,” Mac announced. “What should we expect, Marcus?”
    I had never heard Dr. Nickel called by his first name, and it made me realize he wasn’t as untouchable as I had imagined. Just because he was here, didn’t mean we were safe.
    “I don’t know,” he answered. “Maybe an army, maybe nothing. Depends on where they are.”
    “Everyone best get down on the ground just in case,” Mac decided with a nod. “Weapons ready.”
    As I lay belly down in the dirt, I noticed Dr. Nickel pull a gun from his belt, and my stomach gave a heave.
    “When I remove the haven walls, there will be a van. Everyone get in back. If anything goes wrong . . .” Mac paused, uncomfortable at the thought. “It’s been nice knowin’ ya.”
    After Mac’s last words, our surroundings began to change. Everything outside the protective walls of the haven came into view like a heavy fog was lifted by the wind. As the haze cleared, I could make out a few small-town houses and a single dirt road that ran along the edge of the forest. There were no streetlights or any sign of a highway nearby, but the van was there.
    “Should be clear,” Kara announced after searching the area for subconscious thoughts. “I can’t hear anyone but us.”
    “Move,” Mac commanded, and we all scrambled to our feet.
    Within seconds somebody was there, but only briefly, disappearing so fast I couldn’t get a good look. For a moment, I thought I was seeing things, but I wasn’t the only one stopped dead in my tracks.
    I looked at William, confused. “What was—”
    “Go,” Kara yelled, her voice shattering the silence. “Run!”
    We were too late. A circle of fire entrapped us. The flames leapt high above our heads encapsulating us in heat. Beyond its borders three figures came closer, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to see who. Dr. Nickel, capable of mimicking abilities,