Magic IRL

Bliss Year

"You really don't have any advice, do you?" Blair says.

I shrug and continue stuffing socks into an already overstuffed suitcase. "Nope, clean wipe I'm afraid."

"Do you ever think about the mystery man?" she asks.

I pause and look at Blair. She's donning a closed-mouth smile—a halfhearted attempt at the appearance of casual curiosity—but her body betrays her. Her hands are trembling, and her pale blue eyes are wild, nearly blotted out by her pupils.

"You shouldn't be worried, Blair," I say, putting my hand on her arm. "Not on the eve of your Bliss Year."

"How can I not worry about losing Jake forever?" she says, her face now contorted in an effort to fight back tears.

"Hey, you can't think like that," I say. "You're going to have the best year of your life with him."

"But what about after?"

I smile. "The Lustration works. Trust me. You won't ever lose Jake."

I can't blame her for worrying. I remember my pre-Bliss meeting. It took place in a featureless room on an icy winter day.

#

I arrived for the meeting half an hour early. The Lustrator arrived fifteen minutes late.

He wasn't what I expected. He donned the blood red robes of his Order, but they were unfastened in the front, revealing a smart suit and tie. Instead of the satchel and potions I imagined, he pulled a laptop from a briefcase.

"Nina Jones," he said. His tone was neutral to the extreme, bordering on boredom.

"Yes," I said.

As the Lustrator clacked away on his laptop, he appeared oblivious to my reservations. Not unlike Blair, I tried to shake off a violent tremble and rubbed my palms—unseasonably clammy—on my jeans.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Lustrator looked up at me. "Everything appears to be in order then, Ms. Jones. Any questions about your Bliss Year?"

I remember asking him if I would ever be allowed to see [blocked] again. That person that I was so terrified of losing. I remember nothing about [blocked] now. Name. Appearance. Personality. Every conversation we ever had. Every moment we ever shared.

"It's possible you will see [blocked] again after the Lustration, but you won't know it," the Lustrator said. "After the procedure, [blocked] will be like any other stranger."

I felt tears welling up. The Lustrator watched, but he made no attempt to comfort me. I felt like an animal in a zoo.

"Any other questions, Ms. Jones?"

I sat in silence, struggling to fight back my tears.

"Well if that's everything Ms. Jones, I am already behind schedule today and—"

"Why?" I whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you going to take him from me?"

He let out a long sigh. "Ms. Jones, nobody is taking [blocked] from you because he is not yours. You met him on the App. You chose to breach anonymity and pursue cohabitation. You knew the rules."

"But why can't we be together after the Bliss Year?"

"Ms. Jones, Congress enacted the Collective Reproduction and Child-Rearing—"

"I know it's the law! I'm asking why!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face.

Another long sigh from the Lustrator. "Look, I'm sure you think you love [blocked], but those feelings are just a hangover from millennia of monogamist propaganda. You're being selfish. You'll get your year together, and if you're lucky, maybe you and [blocked] will even reproduce."