Earth: Population 2 (Paradise Lost Book 1) Read Online Free

over me as I thought of the rock under my bed. Somehow, I had to find a way to give it to the scientists without getting my friends in trouble.
    Maybe I could sneak back to the site and drop it on the ground? Impossible. A million security guards had probably roped off our camp. Already, I’d seen more traffic in town, and non-townies clogged the aisles in our grocery store. I wouldn’t be able to get within a mile of that site.
    Hailey was right. I should have never picked it up.
    The water started to boil, so I threw in the pasta and opened a can of green beans. Even if Hailey didn’t eat her veggies, I, at least, tried.
    After eating dinner with Mom in front of the TV, I rinsed the plates and stuck them in the dishwasher. I ran the low-rinse cycle to save water and joined my mom in the living room.
    The news station showed hand-drawn pictures of aliens with oval-shaped bug eyes and slits for mouths. I averted my gaze from the screen. “Is it okay if I go out with Hailey for a while?”
    Mom tore her eyes away and gave me a melancholy smile. “Juliette, you’re over eighteen now. You don’t have to ask me for permission.”
    “I know. It’s just a habit. I want to make sure you’ll be okay.”
    She waved me off. “I’ll be fine. I have all these new alien shenanigans to watch on TV. It’s much better than Dancing with the Stars . They don’t even have any real stars this season.”
    I laughed. I loved how my mom treated me like an equal, a confidante. “What about the guy from that soap opera you used to watch?”
    “Oh, come on, honey. He’s not a star. Not like your Captain Jay Dovetail. He’d be great to watch.”
    I blushed, thinking about Gale Williams wearing those sexy dancing costumes. Mom knew me better than I knew myself. “He would.”
    She patted my arm. “Go with Hailey and have some fun. You work too hard.”
    Suddenly, picturing Mom watching the news play the same footage over and over seemed so sad. “Are you sure?”
    She frowned, and the bitterness lurking under the surface sprang up. “I hate holding you back.”
    “Mom. What? Stop talking like that. I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you.”
    My late grandma had urged Mom to have an abortion. She’d said having me would ruin both our lives. You see, Grandma had my mom when she was only sixteen, so when Mom got pregnant while still in high school, the cycle continued. Grandma wanted to break the curse. But Mom fought for me. She moved out and had me all on her own. I’ve never forgotten how hard she struggled for me, not for a minute.
    “If I had my leg….” Mom glanced at the fake leg in the corner of the room, collecting dust. I wished she had the courage to try it on. We couldn’t afford a high-end prosthetic or a lot of therapy, so, what she did, she had to do on her own.
    I leaned back in the chair, resisting the urge to encourage her to try the prosthetic. Every time I did, we got into an argument, and I didn’t have the energy for that tonight. In fact, I should stay with her, especially if she was feeling down again about her situation. Watching alien pictures on TV wasn’t all that bad. None of it was real. Right? “Listen, I won’t go out tonight.”
    “No, no, no. This is exactly what I’m talking about. Your friends are all leaving for college soon. You should spend time with them while you can. I’ll still be here when you get back.” Mom pulled me up, half rising out of her chair.
    Afraid she’d fall over, I stood and helped her back into her seat. “Okay, okay. I won’t be gone long.”
    “Have fun. And watch out for the aliens.”
    I laughed despite the chill that came over me. When I spoke again, I was totally serious, “Don’t worry. I will.”
     
    Hailey picked me up, right on schedule. I climbed into her busted-up pickup wearing a fresh tank top and my favorite plaid shorts because no one wants to smell like deli meat and sour milk. The passenger door stuck from one of the dents, and