Uprising (Alternate Earth Series, Book 2) by S.J. West Read Free Book Online Page A

tears as my mind races through countless memories of John Austin from the time he was a little boy until his untimely demise.
    “I’m almost there, Jess,” I hear Mason say sympathetically, making me realize he’s close enough to see John Austin, too.
    “He looks just like the pictures Faison showed me,” Leah whispers. “I almost forgot he married Shelby on this Earth.”
    In our reality, our friend Shelby owns and operates a popular day spa in Tunica. In this one, she looks just the same: waif-thin with long, flaming red hair and pale white skin. Her large green eyes stay fixed on Leah and me with a mixture of awe and fear, which seems like an odd combination.
    “Do you think they saw Ravan’s press conference about you?” Leah asks me, obviously having noticed the way Shelby is looking at me, too.
    “It would explain the look,” I answer uncomfortably.
    As John Austin places a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulders, he rests his free hand on the shoulder of the small girl standing in front of them. From our last visit, I remember Josh telling us that their daughter’s name was Abigail. When Faison heard it, she began to cry, and told me the name was the one she and her John Austin had picked in case their first child ended up being a girl. Abigail looks to be somewhere around seven years old. She is blessed with the same beautiful red hair and kind green eyes as her mother.
    As the people who were in the vehicles following the truck come stand near John Austin and his family, I hear Leah’s breath catch.
    “Oh, my God,” I say as I see them, too.
    Beau, a friend of ours and the maker of the best cinnamon rolls in the world, stands with his wife, Fanny, and their three little girls. Sadie and Vern Myrick walk over to stand on the other side of Beau’s family. Coming to stand beside Vern is a man I know is dead in my own reality. On our Earth, their son, Jamie, lost his fight with cancer when he was eighteen. The Jamie standing in front of us now looks healthy, and well into his thirties.
    Since Leah and I are harnessed to one another, the simple act of walking can be awkward, but I don’t want to disconnect us in case another flock attacks and we have to act fast. Seeing our conundrum, the people we know, yet are strangers to, cautiously begin to walk towards us. They stop a couple of feet away just as Mason and the other Watchers come to stand behind Leah and me.
    “Thank you for helping us,” John Austin says to us. “We weren’t sure how we were going to shake those birds.”
    “You’re welcome,” I reply. “We’re just thankful we were able to help you all out. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you trying to go?”
    “We heard on the news that the government is setting up a safe haven in The Pyramid in Memphis. We thought we would be safer there than in our homes.”
    “I know where that is,” Brand says. “I can phase there to see if it’s a safe place for you to take your families.”
    “You’re a Watcher?” Beau asks, eyeing Brand warily. “I don’t remember you.”
    “I was never part of the faction of Watchers who took over this world,” Brand explains. “In fact, I fought against their control.”
    “And do you stand with or against Ravan Draeke?” Vern asks, not giving away his own allegiance.
    Brand pauses to consider his answer carefully, but seems to decide honesty is best in this situation.
    “I’m against her,” Brand tells Vern unequivocally.
    Vern just stares at Brand for a minute, as though he’s trying to decide if Brand is being truthful. Slowly, he begins to nod.
    “Good,” Vern says. “So are we.”
    “We recognized you from her last press conference,” Sadie says to me directly. “What you just did for us confirms what Vern and I thought when we saw her blamin’ you for kidnapping her fiancé and makin’ her lose her baby. I told Vern then that she must be scared of you for some reason.”
    “I’m not sure she’s scared of me,” I