Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga Book 1) Read Free

athletic builds, Jason and I were
obviously cut from the same DNA, but where my brother was playful
and outgoing, the quarterback of his prep school football team and
consummate life of the party, I preferred a lower profile. My best
subjects were math and science—things with concrete,
black-and-white answers, since grey didn’t sit right with me. My
choices had yielded a life that proceeded in an orderly,
straightforward manner, which was exactly the way I liked it. A
lifetime of meticulous planning meant things rarely ruffled my
feathers… including my all-knowing, charming, loveable brother. He
was the one person I could count on to be honest with me, no matter
what, and I adored him for it.
    “Jason?” I asked, swiping my first coat of
mascara.
    “Yes?”
    “I’m going to like it here, right?”
    “Is Mia Ahlström admitting she’s
nervous?”
    “Don’t tell anyone.” My cheeks tingled. My
inability to hide emotions lived on the border of absurd and
mortifying.
    “You’ll love it.” Jason nodded inside the
screen. “An entire university full of math geeks? You’ll fit right
in.”
    I stuck my tongue out as I swiped on my
second coat, then moved to my other eye. “I’m serious. I don’t want
to be the loner in the corner at a school full of…”
    “Math geeks,” Jason repeated himself. “You’ll
be their queen.”
    “I will not hesitate to disconnect you.” I
pointed one menacing finger at the phone.
    “All right!” Jason held up his hands in mock
surrender. I turned my attention back to my makeup bag. Blush,
blush, blush… ah, there it is. I snatched up the black compact
and dusted off my brush. “Seriously, you’ll be fine. You keep the
family together, like Meemaw. You won that Junior League award
thing for teambuilding last year.” Jason was on a roll now,
counting on his fingers. “You were head girl at Tottenham Prep, and
kept all those underclassmen from killing each other during pillow
fights. If you can keep the peace at one of the snootiest boarding
schools in the tri-state area, you won’t have any problem making
friends with some California hippies. Though it’d probably be
easier if you lived on campus. Why are you renting a house instead
of living in the dorms?”
    “You know why.” I polished a rosy pink powder
on the apples of my cheeks. “I spent forever in a dorm. All those
teenage girls breathing down your neck gets a little cloying.”
    “I think it sounds perfect.” Jason wiggled
his eyebrows.
    “You would.”
    “So you’ve got your roommates all sorted and
everything?” He ran his hand through his hair.
    “Yep. The school matched us based on a
personality questionnaire. A sort of eHarmony for
housemates.”
    “They do that even if you’re not living in
one of the residence halls?” Jason asked.
    “Redwood does.” I shrugged. “It came with the
freshman orientation packet. I just checked the box that said
‘off-campus housing’ and filled out the form. A few weeks later
they sent Heather and Charlotte’s names and e-mail addresses. A
week ago we got another roommate—Brynn.”
    “Cool name.” A sly grin spread across Jason’s
face. “I’ll bet she’s some super hot athlete chick.”
    “She’s really pretty,” I agreed. “She’s from
Sweden. She’s the only one I’ve met so far.”
    “Swedish? Definitely super hot then. I’ll be
sure to come visit.” Jason nodded. “Well, I’m sure you know what
you’re doing. Start with your roommates, and branch out from there.
You’ll be fine.”
    “Thanks, Jase.” I quickly lined my lips, then
filled them in with a pinky-nude lipstick.
    “Hey, listen. I know you’ve always done
things a certain way. You’re my little rule follower, and that’s
great. Usually.”
    “There’s a but coming, isn’t there?” I
smiled. It was impossible to be annoyed with someone who always
looked out for you.
    Well, not impossible…
    “But…” Jason returned my smile. “Life isn’t
always black