Before (The Sensitives) - By Dawn Rae Miller Page 0,15

but of her and me playing on a tree swing, pushing ourselves higher and higher until she jumped. I remember being awed by the way she soared through the air.

“Okay, you promise you won’t say anything?”

“Of course.”

She tugs on her left ear. I resist rolling my eyes—sometimes Kyra acts like we’re still little kids.

And yet, I tug on mine, a gesture which means I understand what she’s about to tell me is for my ears only. Kyra slips off her delicate, blue wristlet and hides it under a pillow.

My stomach drops. This can’t be good if she’s removing her wristlet—it means she doesn’t want our conversation overheard. Which means whatever she’s done is worse than I thought.

Kyra lifts my wrist to take off my wristlet, but it’s not there. I forgot it on my dresser after Beck distracted me earlier.

“Are you two planning on joining the rest of us? We’re going to be late,” Beck says from the doorway, his eyes teasing me.

Kyra sighs dramatically. Lately, everything Beck does annoys her. And she’s not shy about letting us know.

“We’ll be done when we’re done,” she snaps.

I’m tired of their bickering. Or more correctly, I’m tired of Kyra’s bad attitude about Beck. He usually either ignores her or grins like whatever she says is hilarious.

I grab Kyra’s pillow and launch it across the room. It hits Beck in the stomach and he doubles over, feigning injury. “You have the worst timing.”

He crosses the room, his blond hair bouncing with each step. “You forgot this.”

From his pocket, he pulls my blue wristlet.

“Thanks,” I say, holding out my hand.

Instead of giving it to me, Beck wraps it around my wrist. His fingers linger on the underside of my arm, shooting ripples of electricity across my skin. His eyes latch on to mine before gently letting go of my wrist.

Kyra clears her throat. “What happened to being proper?” she asks with disdain.

Beck ignores her. “C’mon, Birdie, I already grabbed your stuff.” He disappears through the doorway and I get up to follow him.

“What was that?”

I turn to Kyra. “What?”

She narrows her eyes. “Have you two been doing things in that room of yours you shouldn’t be?”

Heat flares across my cheeks. “No! Of course not. It’s not allowed.”

Kyra shifts her eyes away from me. “He’s your mate and you’re going to be bound soon. Why don’t you? I would if it were Maz.” When she looks back at me, I can tell she’s upset. “You share a room, Lark. The State doesn’t care if you kiss or take off all your clothes. Or even sleep in the same bed—which I know you do.” She purses her lips. “Chastely of course, since we’re talking about you and Beck.”

She’s right. I do sometimes climb into Beck’s bed. But I always have—ever since we were children. It’s nothing unusual for us. But I shouldn’t when no one else is allowed to.

“We have to set an example,” I mumble and cast my eyes down. Kyra knows how I feel about being special. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

She places her finger under my chin and lifts my head. Her deep brown eyes search my face as if daring me to look away. “You don’t like him that way, do you?” It’s not so much a question as a statement.

I draw my brows together. Of course I like Beck. I like him more than I should – at least until after our binding. When he’s near me my heart races and I’ve been spending too much time lately imagining the press of his lips on mine.

I open my mouth to tell this to Kyra, but my parched throat aches, and no words come out.

Life without Beck is unimaginable.

So why can’t I say it?

2

Except for Kyra and me, everyone stands in the entryway. While we wait for her, I watch my housemates. Nervousness runs through the group. Today’s tests determine our entire future: our jobs and who my housemates will be bound to after their birthdays. While I worry about a desirable job placement, my friends worry most about who they’ll be paired with.

But I understand their nervousness—bindings can only be undone by death. There’s no way around it, so you better hope you like the State’s selection. Even if your mate dies, if you already have two children, the State won’t allow you to rebind. It’s part of our zero population growth policy.

Anxiety builds in my chest as I realize that in three months, everything is going to change. We won’t be