Read Online Sky Jumpers Book 2 by Peggy Eddleman - Free Book Online
Authors: Peggy Eddleman
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mom’s brother?”
I looked around at the others, knowing they were close enough to hear Luke and me, hoping there would be answers on their faces. But their faces held confusion and fascination, wariness and wonder.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I was away when bandits hit our town—I didn’t find out until I arrived home weeks later. I never saw her again.” He paused for a moment. “She was pregnant. Her baby would be about your age.”
No.
No
. He couldn’t be my uncle. This was too weird. Things like this didn’t happen. A family member you never knew existed doesn’t just show up! Maybe Luke was lying. Although I had no idea why he’d lie about something like that.
“I know it isn’t the prettiest stone,” Luke said. “But when I was thirteen, my sister and I—”
“Anna?” I whispered.
Luke nodded slowly, as if he hadn’t truly believed I had gotten the necklace from her until he heard me say her name. “Anna and I were on a trip with our dad, camped by mountains. Anna had a thing for rocks—all rocks—and she found some conglomerate ones that she loved. She put a bunch in her pockets, even though I told her they were ugly. Later that day, we found a cave and went exploring. The cave forked and Anna worried we’d get lost, but I told her it was fine—I never got lost. Still, though, she put one of those stones at each fork in the cave to mark our way. My lantern wasn’t very bright, so I didn’t see a large drop-off and fell.”
I put my hand over my mouth to cover a gasp. “You broke one arm and cut the other,” I said, remembering the story that my mom had told me many times about my birth mom. “Anna helped you out of the pit, and if it weren’t for the rocks she left behind, you wouldn’t havefound your way out of the cave to get help before you lost too much blood.”
Luke absently brushed his fingers across a scar on his left arm. “The stones didn’t seem so ugly after that.”
Aaren’s dad searched my face as if he was trying to figure out what I was feeling. I didn’t know what he was going to find. I had no idea how I felt.
“You’re my uncle?” I whispered.
Everyone looked from Luke to me and back again, but I could only stare in confusion at Luke.
Aaren’s dad cleared his throat. “Your sister and her husband made it to White Rock after the bandit attack. It was a long trip in a terrible blizzard. He died as soon as he got your sister here, and she lived only long enough to give birth to Hope.” He paused for a minute. “They had lived in a town right near Arris.”
Luke looked at Aaren’s dad with sad eyes for a bit. “Hope looks like my sister.”
Mr. Grenwood nodded. “I remember Anna. She does.”
There was a long pause before Luke finally said to me, “My sister and I grew up in the ruins. We’ll pass by them along the way to Heaven’s Reach. I can show you.”
I knew almost nothing about my birth mom. My whole life, I’d had so many questions about her. And now I mightget to see where she grew up? Where she lived when she was my age?
The expression on Luke’s face was close to what I guessed mine looked like—dazed and unsure. And so different from the way I saw him a few minutes ago, before I knew that he was my uncle.
“Think it’s safe to move on?” Cole asked.
Luke shook his head, as though he’d forgotten why we were there, and looked back toward the horizon. “Yeah. I don’t think we were noticed.”
We all rode in silence for a long time, my thoughts a jumbled mess that I was trying to untangle. I took a breath and let some of the tangled thoughts out. “Brock, if you didn’t know anything at all about your dad before he died, would you want to be told?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Don’t you want to know about your birth mom?”
I shrugged. It surprised me that I didn’t know whether I did or not. I never even thought I’d have a chance to—I thought my entire birth
I looked around at the others, knowing they were close enough to hear Luke and me, hoping there would be answers on their faces. But their faces held confusion and fascination, wariness and wonder.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I was away when bandits hit our town—I didn’t find out until I arrived home weeks later. I never saw her again.” He paused for a moment. “She was pregnant. Her baby would be about your age.”
No.
No
. He couldn’t be my uncle. This was too weird. Things like this didn’t happen. A family member you never knew existed doesn’t just show up! Maybe Luke was lying. Although I had no idea why he’d lie about something like that.
“I know it isn’t the prettiest stone,” Luke said. “But when I was thirteen, my sister and I—”
“Anna?” I whispered.
Luke nodded slowly, as if he hadn’t truly believed I had gotten the necklace from her until he heard me say her name. “Anna and I were on a trip with our dad, camped by mountains. Anna had a thing for rocks—all rocks—and she found some conglomerate ones that she loved. She put a bunch in her pockets, even though I told her they were ugly. Later that day, we found a cave and went exploring. The cave forked and Anna worried we’d get lost, but I told her it was fine—I never got lost. Still, though, she put one of those stones at each fork in the cave to mark our way. My lantern wasn’t very bright, so I didn’t see a large drop-off and fell.”
I put my hand over my mouth to cover a gasp. “You broke one arm and cut the other,” I said, remembering the story that my mom had told me many times about my birth mom. “Anna helped you out of the pit, and if it weren’t for the rocks she left behind, you wouldn’t havefound your way out of the cave to get help before you lost too much blood.”
Luke absently brushed his fingers across a scar on his left arm. “The stones didn’t seem so ugly after that.”
Aaren’s dad searched my face as if he was trying to figure out what I was feeling. I didn’t know what he was going to find. I had no idea how I felt.
“You’re my uncle?” I whispered.
Everyone looked from Luke to me and back again, but I could only stare in confusion at Luke.
Aaren’s dad cleared his throat. “Your sister and her husband made it to White Rock after the bandit attack. It was a long trip in a terrible blizzard. He died as soon as he got your sister here, and she lived only long enough to give birth to Hope.” He paused for a minute. “They had lived in a town right near Arris.”
Luke looked at Aaren’s dad with sad eyes for a bit. “Hope looks like my sister.”
Mr. Grenwood nodded. “I remember Anna. She does.”
There was a long pause before Luke finally said to me, “My sister and I grew up in the ruins. We’ll pass by them along the way to Heaven’s Reach. I can show you.”
I knew almost nothing about my birth mom. My whole life, I’d had so many questions about her. And now I mightget to see where she grew up? Where she lived when she was my age?
The expression on Luke’s face was close to what I guessed mine looked like—dazed and unsure. And so different from the way I saw him a few minutes ago, before I knew that he was my uncle.
“Think it’s safe to move on?” Cole asked.
Luke shook his head, as though he’d forgotten why we were there, and looked back toward the horizon. “Yeah. I don’t think we were noticed.”
We all rode in silence for a long time, my thoughts a jumbled mess that I was trying to untangle. I took a breath and let some of the tangled thoughts out. “Brock, if you didn’t know anything at all about your dad before he died, would you want to be told?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Don’t you want to know about your birth mom?”
I shrugged. It surprised me that I didn’t know whether I did or not. I never even thought I’d have a chance to—I thought my entire birth
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