Free Alien Invasion (Book 1): Invasion by Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant Page A

everything right. The Internet tended to, on average, because enough serious eyes were on the biggest websites, kicking out the contributions of assholes and jokers, but Lila hadn’t looked. She’d been bored enough to get past her denial last night, after Raj and Piper were both snoring and Trevor was looking moodily out the window as if waiting for a lost lover. But she couldn’t get an air signal on her phone, leaving the van’s wireless as her only option. That signal was plenty strong for some reason, but Lila wondered if the van stored her search and browse history. Dad might use his tablet up front to find an Arby’s and see her prior search for morning sickness. Shit would hit the fan.  
    Still, it was morning, and Lila felt ill. She’d never been great during travel, so this might be plain old carsickness. But she had been sleeping, not reading or doing anything much with her eyes. She hadn’t felt sick last night, even after hours of driving and looking at her phone for a signal — even after enduring the tense silence following Meyer’s decision to turn away from the airport they’d spent the evening trying to reach.  
    If this was morning sickness, she might barf. She didn’t feel it yet, but that kind of thing could sneak up on you. Lila wanted to be prepared. She was looking around when Raj met her eyes.  
    “What are you looking for?” he said.  
    “A bucket or something.”  
    Raj looked puzzled.  
    Lila pointed. “There. Crawl up and grab me that rubber thing.” She didn’t know what it was, exactly, but her dad (or someone) had filled it with more of Meyer’s gross snack foods. Subtly emptied of its contents, it would do.  
    “You want a snack?”  
    “I want the container.”  
    Raj’s head cocked. “Why?”  
    “I have to throw out this tissue.” She had one stuffed in her pocket. Overnight, with the lights out, the world had suddenly and unexpectedly seemed hopeless. She’d spent a few minutes quietly crying. She was knocked up and didn’t know how to tell her dad — either that she was knocked up, or that she and Raj had been having sex. He probably knew the latter because Meyer was an adult and not stupid, especially given how she’d dutifully obeyed his “no dating before sixteen rule” and hence had earned some freedom. But the fact that she’d been letting Raj drop loads inside her was, in retrospect, bafflingly stupid. It had just seemed so hot at the time. You tell a guy to go ahead and cum in you, and it makes him just that much happier and sweatier. Like a horny puppy.
    It had all hit her at around 1 a.m. She had Raj, yes. But really, she was alone. She’d have to tell her dad she’d been having sex, and she’d have to admit she’d been being stupid about it.  
    Oh, and apparently aliens were coming to destroy the planet or something.  
    “Let me take it,” said Raj, reaching for the tissue.  
    “I want to throw it away.”  
    “O … kay.”  
    He reached for a shower caddy they’d been using as a garbage can. It was latticework, like a basket.
    “Ew, no. I want that one.”  
    “But this is the garbage.”  
    “I want that garbage.”  
    Trevor turned. “Jesus. Will you two shut up?”
    “I’m sorry. Am I breaking your concentration on … ” she looked to see where Trevor was gazing, “ … on the back of Piper’s head?”  
    “Shut up, Lila!”  
    Lila blinked. Wasn’t she supposed to be the one with mood swings?  
    Trevor returned his attention to the front — not past Piper. Without turning, he said, “Aren’t you even a little concerned?”  
    “Concerned?”
    “You know, about Dad?”  
    Lila rolled her eyes. “Dad’s right there. Three cars up.”  
    Trevor apparently hadn’t seen him, but changed the subject to avoid his failing.  
    “Riots spread pretty quickly in a situation like this, you know.”  
    “Like what, Trevor?”  
    “Panic.”  
    “Uh-huh.” Lila looked toward the column of smoke