I stared at the small rectangle branded on the inside of my wrist that read "0000d 01h 27m 35s" as mother brushed my tangled brown locks into neat, soft waves. I shifted my eyes to the mirror in front of me. I couldn't believe I would see my Soul Mate in a little over an hour.
I had been counting down since I was six. Everyone is born with Soul Timer on their wrists, I only discovered why when I turned six. I remembered being terrified of it. I was horrified by the fact that this jumble of numbers knew my future better than myself or my parents. I tried to claw it off until I had red streaks down my wrist and blood under my four year old nails. Soon, though, I adjusted to the fact that it was a completely normal part of life. I looked at my parents and how happy they are now. I'd stare at it for hours. "4017d 39h 56m 19s" it read in its deep black letters. My big, hazel-green, six year old eyes shimmered in joy knowing that one day, I would be as happy as my mom was with my dad.
Back to right now. I'm seventeen year old Maxie Pepper. I'm preparing to meet my Soul Mate. This was an extremely important time for anyone, and I wanted it to go perfect. As soon as I had gotten dressed, tamed my hair and put on some makeup, I began to get ready to leave. And by leave, I mean leave for the store.
On your Soul Mate Day, you are expected to continue a normal daily routine, so I kissed my mom on the cheek and headed to the grocery.
"I love you, Maxine." my mother cooed, placing a tender kiss upon my forehead. "Be safe. Good luck with your Soul Mate sweetheart."
And I headed out.
My walk to the bus stop took a while, and as I sat down, my eyes bulged out of my sockets when I read my timer. "0000d 00h 04m 27s". My Soul Mate would be here any minute. I stared around for anyone it could be. This was insane.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
"0000d 00h 02m 03s".
"Oh my God," I mumbled under my breath. I continued to watch my Soul Timer with desperate, glossy eyes. It was time.
Sixteen- suspense.
Fifteen- hopefulness.
Fourteen- anticipation.
Thirteen- anxiety.
My palms were moist with perspiration. My knees shook, threatening to buckle at any point in time.
Three seconds.
Two.
One.
Zero.
I squinted an eye. Nothing? Was my timer off? It couldn't be. I frantically swung my head around. People stood around the bus stop and the park behind me. Could he be over there? He couldn't; it just wasn't how these things worked. Looking down at my wrist again, it still read "0000d 00h 00m 00s". It was supposed to fade once you've met your Soul Mate, yet the numbers stayed there, mocking me with their bold, dark letters. A warm, wet tear trickled down my pale face. Soon more began to follow. How could this happen? Would I never have a Soul Mate?
With tears rolling down my face, I scraped at my wrist as hard as I could, but the black ink stayed. I scratched and scratched when suddenly, I heard a beep. One after the other. I scratched once more and my timer began to peel. I tore it off, ignoring the excruciating pain. Dark blue letters stared at me, peeking from under my timer like the warm November sun. I removed the timer completely, getting a clear shot of the underlying message.
"Defect"
