Jane and the Exodus (Stargazer Series Book 1)
Page 26
Evelyn walked down to the edge of the water and, less confidently than her older sister, peeled off her own clothes, tossing them next to Jane’s. She blushed, wondering why she felt embarrassed to be in her underwear on a planet with almost zero people on it, but she couldn’t help herself.
Quickly Evelyn waded into the water and was surprised at how comfortable it was on the surface. The beach underneath fell away even faster than she thought it would, and she quickly realized that the water temperature underneath got cold fast. In seconds, she was treading out to where Jane was floating on her back, trying to keep her feet from dipping too far down into the darkness underneath.
Evelyn felt another shudder run up her spine, but she didn’t know if it was from the chill of the water or the fact that she could no longer see anything deeper than a few feet below her toes; she still wasn’t sure what might be down there. Keeping her head above the surface, Evelyn swam out further.
“You sure you haven’t been swimming before?” Jane asked, obviously offering her a compliment, given she already knew the answer.
“I’m a quick learner. It’s one of the few benefits of being me,” Evelyn replied with a nervous smile, her teeth starting to chatter at the chill. “But let’s go back in closer to the shore.”
“Just relax, Evie. We’re fine. Float out here with me for a minute, and then we’ll go back if you want.”
Jane pulled her head back again, letting her body float to the surface. Shaking her head, Evelyn did the same, trying not to think about what might be below her. As her body came to the surface, she closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on her cool skin, the feeling giving her goose bumps. She breathed deeply, gently moving her hands and feet to stay in place, and she felt her skin relax as the sun continued to warm her body. Maybe I can get used to this, she thought.
Not a second later, something brushed her arm.
Evelyn’s scream was muffled as her head sank under the surface. She felt her chest constrict as she pulled up, spitting out a mouthful of lake water. Shaking the water from her face, she heard breaking branches behind her. Jerking her head around, she looked into the trees flanking the northern edge of the lake and then just as quickly started looking down, hoping not to see anything slithering through the water.
“Geez, Evie … a little jumpy?” Jane asked.
Evelyn whipped around to see her sister grinning at her not two feet away.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Jane added.
“I felt something in the water and heard something in the trees,” Evelyn said, wiping water out of her eyes with her fingers.
“Yeah, I know. I touched your arm,” Jane said, turning and swimming toward the shore. “Come on, Evie. We better get back or the boys are going to catch us.”
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CONTENTS
Heiress
Daughter
Explorer
Desirable
Defiant
Naive
Sister
Fractured
Wistful
Resolute
Exhausted
Tested
Living
Militant
Felon
Player
Penitent
Avenger
Betrayed
Benevolent
Heroine
Decisive
Jane
DOPPELGANGER GIRL
Special offer
Special request
Contents
Dedication
Copyright notice
About the author
DEDICATION
For Amy … always my inspiration.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
JANE AND THE EXODUS
Copyright © 2018 by T.R. Woodman
All rights reserved.
Published by Stargazer Press
www.stargazer.press
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events and places is entirely coincidental.
Cover artwork provided by J Caleb – J Caleb Design
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T.R. Woodman (Travis) is the author of the Stargazer Series of young-adult science-fiction books, including JANE AND THE EXODUS and DOPPELGANGER GIRL. A Colorado native, he lives in Georgia with his family, where they enjoy warmer weather and less snow.
You can connect with Travis through his website at TRWoodman.com, on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads, and you should definitely send him an email at Travis@TRWoodman.com, even if it’s just to say hello.
Table of Contents
Heiress
Daughter
Explorer
Desirable
Defiant
Naive
Sister
Fractured
Wistful
Resolute
Exhausted
Tested
Living
Militant
Felon
Player
Penitent
Avenger
Betrayed
Benevolent
Heroine
Decisive
Jane
DOPPELGANGER GIRL
Special offer
Special request
Contents
Dedication
Copyright notice
About the author