Free Before Time (The Time Trilogy Book 1) by Xunaira J. Page B

very much, but I won’t see you again.’
    ME: I know that.
    Impassioned: This is where selection comes in, and that’s why I asked you to have a person who keeps a secret. You had sex with Sunny’s ex-friend?
    ME: No! His intentions were like that, but I got to know them and I gave him hell .
    Impassioned: How many people did you have sexual relations with?
    ME: Three.
    Impassioned: Family or outsiders?
    ME: Outsiders.
    Impassioned: Any of these three had connections with Sunny or his friends?
    ME: No! They were totally out of his league and it was before anyone on mIRC knew me.
    Impassioned: On mIRC and real life, I have seen very FEW people of strength; you are one of them. Keep your weaknesses to yourself; I hope someone taught you how to do that.
    ME: Perhaps.
    Impassioned: Thank you for spending this night with me. I wish you a restless night; take care.
    ME: My pleasure, you take care of yourself as well. Restless?
    Impassioned: Think about it. Bye.
     
     

     
     
    That night when I went to bed, my mind was on him. We had talked a lot, and all of the things he had told me swirled in my mind. Could he be right? He was the experienced one, and he would have more information than me, but how could I stop believing things that I had believed since I was thirteen? I had shared so many things with him, which I shouldn’t have done, because they were my deepest secrets.
    I really didn’t know what had prompted me to share the story of my life with him, but I had. I shouldn’t have, my mind scolded me, but now what was done was done. Nobody could change that. I had made such a huge mistake. In the back of my mind, I knew that it would come back to haunt me, but how soon? I wasn’t sure. I just had to wait for that. My mind turned to the tenderness I felt in his words. It felt nice to be cared for, and with that thought in my mind, I slept.
     

Chapter 7
    I woke up with a start. Sunlight streamed through the windows and flooded my face with its warm, baby-soft touch. I felt disoriented for a moment, which was usual. Picking up my cell phone from below my pillow, I looked at the time on its display. It was eight a.m. It had been only three hours since I went to sleep. Thinking over why I had woken up with a start, I blinked dimly and was surprised by a huge pang in my stomach.
    Whoa! I clutched my lower abdomen and closed my eyes tightly, willing the pain to go away. I had patience with illnesses because I’d been chronically sick since birth. It did stop, but as soon as it went, my back hurt as if a thousand welding irons had been applied to it. I felt stiff. I couldn’t stop whimpering. I had never felt such a pain in my life before, never believed it was possible to feel such pain, and it was all coming from my backside. I tried to go back to sleep, hoping it would go away. Thinking about that, I closed my eyes when another pang, stronger than the last one, doubled me over.
    I always avoided informing my mom about my health, whether it was an asthma attack or mild fever. I was more of a suffer-in-silence type. I tried to survive on my own, thinking that worrying her was a bad idea.
    Whenever I had an asthma attack, I knew where to go: my sister and best friend, Aliza. Her comfort was what I always sought. I quickly got off the bed and went in search of her, certain she would know what was wrong with me. This was the first time that I’d ever felt such an excruciating, mind-shattering pain.
    I slowly made my way towards her room upstairs. She was sleeping. I shook her gently. She turned on her side, facing me, and then slowly opened her eyes.
    “Liz, wake up!” I spoke in a whisper.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    Owww! I felt another cramp go through my lower abdomen and I shivered.
    “I’m hurt…ing!” I said as I took a few deep breaths.
    “Where?” she asked, now alert.
    I touched the place and rested my head in her lap. I didn’t know what had gotten into me, or why it hurt so badly that I wanted