Like everyone else, Christina Drake has a lot of secrets. The only difference is hers are a lot harder to conceal. For instance, her real name isn't even Christina Drake. In order to keep those secrets, she has a lot of training. She has learnt to disarm, to charm and how to be as nondescript as possible, so ordinary that nobody would have the recollection of ever meeting her. She has learnt black from white and to her, they are so distinct that there are no grey areas. Though she may not be in total control of her life, everything is simple and she is just fine with this arrangement. Or at least...until she meets someone who turns her world upside down and whose moral compass is as grey as smoke. This story has won Second Place in the Undiscovered Gems Competition Blue Category. Thank you to everyone who voted for it!

Aria has always laid low in school with her tight-knit group of friends. When she meets Nash at a party, he's rude, he's blunt, and he's got more baggage than he can carry. Aria immediately dislikes him. But the line between hate and love is very thin, and a continuous game of Never Have I Ever may change everything.

"Cay, will you look at me?" I turned around and lifted my eyes to look into his. His arms were braced on the counter and he was looking at me sideways. The glow of the light coming from the living room and into the kitchen gave his face an otherworldly impression. I waited for him to continue. He closed his eyes and sighed, "Cay... Just so you know... I wanted to do it. Right there, a while ago. But you know why I couldn't, and why we shouldn't." There was a pain in my chest at his words. But I just gazed at him, unsure of what to say. He was right. It would be a mistake. And no matter how many times my weak heart and frail mind wanted him to kiss me, it would be selfish, not to mention immoral. In the end we would both regret it, and that would hurt the most. © rainthereader 2012 All Rights Reserved