Free When Lightning Strikes (Lightning Series Book 1) by Kathleen Rovner

transferred their jobs. They did that before last night. I don’t believe you. I don’t believe any of you. What is going on?” She pulled herself up and away from him, hugging her arms to her chest.
    It was too uncomfortable there with him trying to make her feel better, while he lied to her at the same time. She blinked back tears.
    Jamie’s eyes bore into her. He opened his mouth and closed it again before looking down. “Nothing, Jules. It’s like they said. They want us to move to the island. It will be safer for us there.”
    His words had to sound lame to him too.
    “So you are okay with this?” she asked again, still trying to get him to talk to her.
    “Yes, I know we have to.” He looked at her earnestly.
    “So you are okay with leaving Ethan—your best friend—leaving all our friends, leaving school, and leaving the baseball team with no warning? Tomorrow?” Her voice rose to a shout.
    He nodded under her glare. His eyes were wide.
    “What is wrong with you? I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
    She wheeled around to leave, running into a solid, warm wall. Her dad put his arm around her and tried to lead her out of Jamie’s room. She threw his arm off. “Don’t. I don’t want anything to do with any of you! This is wrong! You are all just…wrong.” She was even angrier not able to find words that fit how she felt.
    “I’m sorry, Jules,” Jamie said quietly.
    She didn’t know what he was sorry for. She slammed the door to his room behind her.
    Stomping to her room, she couldn’t help to look back. The door to her brother’s room had bounced back open. She stopped short and stared with her mouth open in disbelief. Her chest clenched.
    Her father was sitting next to Jamie on the bed, his arm around her brother like he was sheltering him. Her brother was shaking. Her father looked up. His warm gray eyes were troubled as they met hers. “Julie, please close the door to your room behind you.”
    She flinched as if he’d hit her.
    “Fine! I get it.” She slammed her brother’s door again. She stood looking at the closed door for a moment, not sure what she was waiting for. No one came out after her. She was aching from the inside out.
    She went to her room, slammed her door, and flopped down on the bed. All the tears she was holding in flooded out. She threw a few pillows. She wasn’t sure if she was confused or mad.
    Her dad had comforted Jamie. He was okay with all of this—why did he need help?
    Why wouldn’t anyone listen to her?
    She cried for what felt like hours. Still no one came to check on her. They were all leaving her alone. She wasn’t sure if she was happy or mad about that.
    Exhausted, she fell into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were annoying, filled with a search for a guy with blond hair and blue eyes that made her shiver all over. She couldn’t figure out who he was, but she knew he would make everything right somehow. If she could only figure out who he was.
    Finally, she had a blurry moment where she was half–awake. Her dad seemed to be crouched over her. One of his fingertips lightly touched the temple on the side of her face. Her body relaxed, as all her tension suddenly melted away. Her eyes fluttered as she started to fall back to sleep.
    “Are you sure you have to do this, Lir?” her mother asked.
    “I know you didn’t want to, but I don’t think we have a choice. Sleep peacefully, sweetheart. I promise we will make this up to you one day.”
    ♦

Chapter 6: New Horizons
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    J ulie woke the next morning, her face turned to the clock. It was four in the morning. At some point someone, probably Andromeda, had come in her room and checked on her. She thought she vaguely remembered her father checking on her too.
    Someone pulled and tucked the blanket around her arms while she was sleeping. It didn’t comfort her. They waited for her to go to sleep rather than come in when she was crying.
    Her throat was sore, and her eyes were almost swollen shut.