Free 18 Truths by Jamie Ayres Page A

closed eyes before whispering in my ear. “You are brave.”
    I supposed courage might’ve been doing what needed to be done even though there was nothing in you that wanted to do it. “Maybe I am brave.”
    He pushed the wet hair back behind my ears with trembling fingers as tears streamed down my face. “Not maybe. You did it.”
    I grabbed his head in both hands, then pulled his mouth to mine. We locked together in a fierce kiss, fueled by passion and fear.
    Then the whole world disappeared, and we were back at headquarters.
    Gasping, I pressed a hand to my chest. Riel grabbed my other hand and pulled me to my feet. Reluctantly, he helped Nate stand, too.
    “You’re back just in time for lunch. Pleased, Lover Boy?”
    “Did we…?” I couldn’t finish my question, too afraid to hear the answer.
    “Pass?” Riel titled his head, studying me. “Yes. Congratulations.”
    He patted me on the back, and the whole thing felt awkward, like I was his puppy and he was my master. He seemed to sense the uncomfortableness and pulled away.
    “After lunch, Ruth will go over some last minute reminders in your exit counseling session. Enjoy your weekend. School starts on Monday.”
    Riel gave me one last glance before popping his wings out, and then he was too beautiful to behold, so I looked away.



he next night, I sprawled out on my bed at headquarters and studied the contents of my backpack. Nate sat across the room in a desk chair, doing the same thing. His iPod Touch blared
Some Nights
by FUN. I nodded my head along to the lyrics, which seemed very fitting for our situation since the self-deprecation the song spoke of threatened to overwhelm me at any moment.
    Nate happened to have his iPod Touch in his pants pocket when we were brought into this other realm, which was lucky because his playlist was his life. I felt very grateful for the music at the moment. I watched him, studying every inch of his body. He sported a pair of jeans and a T-shirt which featured a storm trooper on the front, the words ‘Do not conform to this world’ written underneath the image. Our closets at headquarters were magically filled with clothes just the right size and style for us. Apparently, God was a fan of Star Wars too, which made sense considering how popular the series continued to be over the years.
    Nate’s chin dropped to his chest, and his coffee colored hair covered one eye, his tanned fingers scanning the pages. I ached for those fingers to touch me in the same way. As if he sensed my ogling, he looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back, which was all it took for him to amble over to where I rested on the bed. He dropped to his knees on the carpet and gently pushed me backward. He lifted my T-shirt until the fabric rested just above my bellybutton and then pressed his lips to my navel sweetly.
    “Nate, we should really keep studying so we’re prepared.”
    The truth was I couldn’t stop thinking about finding Conner. No way could I tell Nate that after all he had done to help me this past year and with all the guilt he felt over his car accident. I didn’t want to lie either. So, as the saying went, silence was golden.
    He sighed. “I only study when I can’t think of anything better to do, and this, this is definitely something better.” His lips traveled just above the waistband of my jeans before turning his gaze toward my face. “I really wish we could’ve had kids one day. You would’ve made a great mother. You know that was my Hell, right? When Riel took us there for a moment that first day we met him? I sat on your bedroom floor and watched you swallow an entire bottle of pills, and I couldn’t stop you from hurting yourself. You didn’t care about anything else.”
    His face remained stern and constant. I could count the number of times on one hand when I’d seen him so serious. “What was your Hell? Did it have to do with me?”
    Regarding his expression, I knew I should tell him the truth, but I