Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

service to raise money for the victims of the asteroid strike on Uyfi. You should come. Some of the choir members are performing.”
    Jane traced a finger along the swirls. “Yeah, maybe.”  Sorry, but I have no interest whatsoever in attending any charity event my dad’s not making me show up at.
    “I see. You think charity’s pointless, because most of the donated money goes to greedy middlemen.”
    Jane looked up with a start. “Are the Via psychic or something?” How’d he know what I was thinking?
    Adam smiled. “Of course not. I’ve just heard it a thousand times, and you had it written all over your face.”
    Jane crossed her arms. “Well, don’t judge me for being realistic. Uyfi is one of the most lawless Fringe planets out there. You’d be lucky to get one throne of donated money past the warlords.”
    Adam leaned against the pew across the aisle from her. “I’m not judging you. You’re probably right.”
    What? Jane tilted her head. “Then why do you bother?”
    “Because they need our help, and even the littlest bit still counts for something, doesn’t it?”
    Jane disagreed vehemently. She pressed her mouth shut to keep from saying anything and turned her attention back to the swirls. The bright-eyed seminary guy was idealistic to a fault. She didn’t feel like wasting her breath arguing with someone clearly delusional.
    “Now you think I’m an idiot for being so idealistic.” Adam sounded amused.
    Jane kept her gaze on the carved pew, feeling along the smooth wooden edges. “Was that written all over my face too?”
    “You do have a very expressive face.”
    Jane gave up on using the pew as a distraction and faced Adam. “Then I might as well say it: I don’t believe in religion.”
    A rant bubbled inside her, churning up her chest and onto her tongue. Whenever the urge came over her, she found it almost impossible to suppress. Whenever she tried, everyone could tell she had something to say anyway. Ranting had gotten her into a lot of trouble before, and it was about to make a good-natured priest wannabe hate her. Oh, well.
    Adam’s eyes twinkled with a teasing spark. “All right, let’s hear it.”
    Jane pushed off the pew she leaned against. “Look, I know this is your way of life and all, but I think religion is an outdated practice designed to manipulate people.” She fumed about the past atrocities committed in the name of the Absolute Being and the hypocrisies of the ancient texts and the downright foolishness of the notion that people still listened to teachings written thousands of years ago. “Even the name of your deity’s bogus. The only reason Via call the Absolute ‘the Absolute’ is because half the galaxy’s reduced God to a figure of speech. People only cling to this nonsense because they’re too freaking weak to acknowledge the truth: that we’re all alone in a messed-up universe and have to figure it out for ourselves.”
    She’d been too wrapped up in her own arguments to pay attention to Adam’s reactions. He hadn’t tried to interject. She figured she’d offended him into silence.
    But he didn’t look angry or anything; he looked interested. He met her glare with a friendly smile, one without any trace of irony. “I don’t entirely disagree with you. Via has been used as an excuse far too many times, and the Absolute has been called upon under all kinds of absurd circumstances. Too many people use religion as a vehicle for power.”
    Okay… Wasn’t expecting that. Jane blinked, surprised. “So I ask again: why do you bother?”
    “The Via institution may be flawed, but if it can help people live fulfilling lives and guide them to do good, is there really anything wrong with that?”
    The discussion had continued well into the scheduled rehearsal. Jane found herself liking the guy despite herself. Contrary to her initial assessment, he was not an idiot. She disagreed with him about many things, but he was the first person she’d met in a