Awaken (The Awaken Series Book 1) by Maggie Sunseri

say something like: “No, creativity leads to rebellion, and rebellion will leave you no better than those from the Outside. If everyone were allowed to be creative through writing, music, film and art, then chaos would ensue. Oportet would fall just like the government of our past nation,” Instead, I just shook my head. Those words were not mine. They were etched into my brain in a way I had never given much thought to. It was a page in a textbook. It was the voice of my teachers and parents.
    “Yes. I hate it.” I blurted the words before I could stop myself. They became an engorged river whose dam had just collapsed. I could not control them as they rushed out, a frightening jumble of thoughts that had always been suppressed. “I hate that I can’t write stories that aren’t true, or write about how I really feel. And I don’t just hate that I can’t write how I feel, I hate how I can’t even say or think how I feel!  
    “I hate that I am told to believe that our founders were somehow the most intelligent people ever to have lived—that somehow they were able to receive the truth of how we should live our lives, and then offer no explanation to how they could possibly know that what they say is the actual truth.” I paused to take a breath, too caught up in my ranting to realize the magnitude of what I was saying to this near-stranger.
    The words I had just uttered slammed me hard in the chest. That was not how I was supposed to think. That was not how I was supposed to act.
    “Wow,” was all Jasper said. “That was unexpected.”
    “I’m so sorry. That was uncalled for…I can’t believe I just said any of that. Please don’t tell anyone.” My body was shaking. I had never expressed anything of that nature to anyone—not even Jenna. I just felt like I could with him.
    “It’s fine, seriously. Of course I won’t tell anyone…besides, who would I tell? It’s not like the kind people of Oportet are jumping to be friends with the new kid from the Outside.”  
    I let out a breath of relief as he rushed to reassure me. “Thanks,” I said softly, feeling vulnerable and embarrassed for my outburst. I didn’t even know if I meant any of that.
    “I actually like you a lot more now.”  
    I bit my lip, ashamed of everything I had just said despite Jasper’s compliment.  
    “I have no idea why I called you. Sometimes I just do things without really knowing why. I’ve learned that generally, I have good instincts.”  
    “And what are your instincts telling you now?” I held my breath waiting for him to reply.
    “I’m going to wait and see if they’re correct before I tell you.”  
    There was that infuriating humor I had come to know. “What was that song you were humming earlier?” I could barely remember what it sounded like, I just knew that is was the most delicate and lovely song I had ever heard.
    “Oh, um, I think it was Clair De Lune by Debussy. My mom loves classical music, we were playing it earlier…”  
    I couldn’t believe he had just admitted to me that he snuck illegal materials into Oportet. How could someone trust so blindly? The whole conversation we were having seemed surreal.  
    “Yeah, let’s keep that a secret too, okay?” Jasper laughed, like he had just admitted to eating the last piece of cake.
    “Sure.” I was beginning to feel a strange sort of happy, like I was free to say anything I wanted, without any guilt or repercussions. I felt strangely comfortable.
    “Clair De Lune is French for moonlight. You know what Luna means, right?” Jasper asked.
    I thought back to any conversations with my parents about my unusual name. Then I remembered Aunt May telling me that she had chosen the name, but she had never specified why, or what Luna meant.
    “No.”
    “Huh,” Jasper said. “Well, Luna means moon. In ancient Rome, it was the name given to the Goddess personifying the moon. I can’t believe your parents—from what I’ve heard, they’re quite