Free Awaken (The Awaken Series Book 1) by Maggie Sunseri Page B

the new one, and once again pressed play.
    I was in awe. It was so much better than anything the musicians of Oportet could create. Everything about it was perfect. It made me want to burst into tears. Music had never made me feel that way before.  
    “I love it.”  
    “I thought you would. It’s those spot-on instincts again.”  
    I smiled as he played each of his favorite songs for me, all by different artists and with different styles. So many of them spoke of love. Was that how I was beginning to feel about Jasper? Did I want him to be more than just a friend to me? I had never felt that way about anyone before. Even when I had a crush on someone in middle school, or when I thought I liked one of the boys I hung out with in high school, my feelings had never seemed so real—so exhilarating. How could I feel that way about someone I barely knew?
    All at once I became aware of how close our bodies were, separated by his laptop. I looked at him, and he met my gaze. For a moment we just stayed that way, taking each other in. Was he thinking any of the things I was, or was something terribly wrong with me?
    A petite woman wearing a white blouse and a long green skirt appeared in the doorway. She had wavy, dark brown hair like Jasper’s, and bright green eyes that radiated joy.
    Jasper gestured to me. “This is Luna. Luna, this is my mom.”  
    I had to get used to the slang he brought from the Outside. In Oportet, children had always been instructed to refer to their parents as Mother and Father. I didn’t understand why it was so improper to use other names. I supposed it was just another way to alienate anyone from the Outside.
    “Hello, dear,” she said with a smile.
    I stood up and shook her hand like I had always been taught. I hoped that this wasn’t another thing unique to Oportet.
    “Nice to meet you.” I smiled back at her. Music was still playing in the background, and I wondered why she wasn’t freaking out because of whom her son was letting listen to it. I could get them into a lot of trouble. It could even resort to their immediate expulsion from Oportet.
    “Luna…what a pretty name,” she said. “Oh, and you can just call me Lilly.” My first thought was how lilies were my favorite flower, and how much the name fit this petite, delicate woman. She transferred her gaze to Jasper and said, “I need to go grocery shopping. Do you need anything?”
    “No, I think I’m good.” I looked between Jasper and his mother in disbelief. Was she really leaving us alone? My parents would have cut their eyes out before leaving one of their daughters at home alone with a boy.
    “Jeez. Your moth—mom—is very trusting.”  
    Jasper shrugged. “Yeah, she has trouble with knowing how to be a parent. She was far too young when she found out she was pregnant with me. It took her by surprise, to say the least,” Jasper stated, like it was a simple fact of life.
    I wasn’t sure how to respond. “Oh,” I managed.
    “Now imagine how she must feel having to take in my delinquent cousin.”
    “What is going on between you two? Do you just not get along?”  
    Jasper laughed without humor. “Some people are just…bad. You can argue whether it was nature or nurture that made him that way, but the fact still remains: Alex is not a good person.”
    “What do you mean?” He might have been flirtatious, or even arrogant, but I didn’t see how this could be enough to classify him as a bad person.
    “My cousin is a sociopath. He isn’t capable of real emotions.”  
    My eyes widened. Now that was a valid reason to distrust his cousin.
    I was about to say “Oh” again, but I decided that once was enough. Instead, I settled on “I’m sorry.” I meant it, too. It must have been hard to live with someone with that kind of mental disorder.  
    “I want to show you something,” he said, shutting the laptop. He was obviously finished talking about Alex.
      He navigated through the rooms of the house