SEVENTEEN years to Live

15 ●○► BETH

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

●○►BETH

The moment my lips detach from Bryan, I know that everyone is staring at me in complete shock.

I look down at my feet, feeling a little bit shy of kissing Bryan in front of them. “You did great,” Bryan whispers, his voice so low it is only him and me who can hear. “Really great.”

The tone of his voice makes me blush. I look up at his face, his smile stretching wider across his cheeks.

“Thanks,” I murmur, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.

From the Mayor’s Table, the man calls my name. I immediately turn toward him and say, “Yes?” as if I am ordered to do something.

He smiles, the kind of smile when someone is accepted in a job fair. Does it mean . . .

“You’ve proven everything you have to prove us. I don’t think there’s even a lie on your statements. They all seem to fit. But we still have to get the results. It will be given to you in an thirty minutes.”

The man smiles at me again. I look at the Mayor beside him and see that he is doing the same thing. The Mayor’s wife however is looking at me with bright eyes. I don’t know what it means, but later on, I see her grin. Well, that must good, I think.

“We’ll see you later, Mary,” says the Mayor’s wife. “Right now, Bryan can take you around the house. Familiarize yourself, darling. Get to know all the people in here.” She sighs. “I have a good feeling that you’re going to pass this.”

As the Conference Room door closes behind us, I think I am about to scream in excitement. The teenagers, who, I guess, also belong to the family and carry the same surname, are walking a few meters in front of us. They walk along with pairs, especially the girls. The boys, however, are walking by themselves. If I scream here, well, I don’t know what they might think of me. So I figured that it is best not to.

I take a deep breath, squeezing Bryan’s arm. I know I have to handle this bizarre feeling inside me. This is the first time I felt it. This is the first time I ever felt this happy.

“Ow,” Bryan groans, flinching. “What the—”

I look at him immediately and smile an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” I say. “I just can’t handle it.”

“Handle what?”

“I’m feeling extremely happy right now, Bryan.” I stop to sigh. “I never knew that I’m just one step away to becoming a Weige.”

He smiles widely. “Congratulations, then. I told you it’s gonna be fine. You really did great that time. I swear. I’ll kiss you if I’m lying.”

“You won’t kiss me.”

“Right,” he says. “I won’t kiss you.”

I expel a heavy sigh. His last sentence makes me want to smile and blush. I can tell that what he says to me isn’t a lie. He won’t kiss me. And though I think I want that to happen, I know he won’t do it because of the fact that he is entirely telling the truth.

I look ahead in front of me, staring at the last teenager heading downstairs. The teenager is a big guy. He wears a clean white shirt, jean shorts, and a pair of leather slippers. His messy hair is dark brown and his skin is tanner than Bryan’s.

“Who is he?” I ask Bryan quietly, indicating the big guy with a little gesture.

“Him?” Bryan says to clarify. “His name is James. He’s about a year younger than me.”