Breathe for Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

carried away about this.
    Don’t forget what can happen , I tell myself. I am instantly sobered. Even though I can’t remember all of my past, I’m well aware of the dangers I present to others. I tug my elbow-length gloves higher on my arms, straighten my shirt and grab my notebook before heading downstairs to the courtyard.
    There are several empty black wrought-iron tables around the perimeter, so I pull out a chair and perch on its edge, putting my notebook on the table’s glass surface. I love coming here, just watching people move in and out of their apartments bearing bags of groceries, carrying babies or holding hands. Plus, it’s a good way for me to be around nature without running into others.
    There are several grids of boxed gardens, with paths neatly running between them. Each bed holds thick bushes and grasses with wide, flat leaves, as well as flowering plants of pinks, reds and yellows. A two-tiered fountain bubbles in the center of the courtyard, several potted ferns resting along its rim. This garden is a sort of oasis away from the busy streets, one of the few sanctuaries I’ve found in this city. I have to thank Sitri for finding it for me.
    The door opens, and Dominic enters the courtyard. I stand, willing my legs to remain steady. He’d changed clothes after school and is now wearing a pale grey T-shirt and low-slung jeans. His hair is damp, slicked back off his head. A heated rush flows through my veins as I realize he must have freshened up. For me.
    â€œHey,” he says, standing only a couple of feet away. He towers over me, and I have to tilt my head up to look at him. That errant lock of hair is already moving out of place, sliding back down on his forehead. “You ready to work on our project?”
    His words draw me out of my fog. At least he’s being sensible. Unlike me, who is way too distracted by the cleanly shaved edges of his strong jawline.
    I snap my eyes down to the table, slipping back into my seat. “Sure. Um, we need to decide what to write on, since we didn’t get that finished in class today.” I grab my pencil and open to a fresh page. “I was thinking we could each pick our top three ideas and then go from there.”
    We write in silence for several minutes. The gurgling water sounds from the fountain ease my tension, and my shoulders relax. I jot a few notes down, then glance up. “Okay, what did you write?”
    He runs a hand over his dark hair, smoothing it back, and lifts his notebook up to read from it. “Um, I focused on time periods and locations. I’m interested in the Great Depression in the Thirties. I like studying the medieval period in England. And I’m fascinated by ancient Rome and Greece.”
    â€œReally? What interests you about that?”
    He tilts his head, thinking for a moment. “I think Alexander the Great was an interesting guy. Not that I agreed with his methods, but he made things happen. He wielded great power in his time, and the effects of his campaign are still with us today. He’s a legend.”
    â€œI’m drawn to strong people too,” I say, leaning forward in excitement. “Especially heroic women. Like Queen Elizabeth, obviously, and Joan of Arc. People who fight for what they believe is right and forge their own paths, regardless of what others think.”
    He nods. “You strike me as a person like that, Isabel. You’re quiet, but I can tell you have a strong will.”
    I bite my lower lip, remembering my childhood. How carefree I was, so full of life and the desire to make a difference in the world. “I was once, but I’m not like that anymore.” Careful. Don’t say too much . I’m surprised by my desire to talk to him, to spill my feelings to this stranger who wants to listen and know me better. “Anyway, I think you’re a stronger person than I am.”
    â€œAnd obviously I’m very smart, since I