Soul Mate Service (boyxboy)

Chapter 3

Thaddeus

I woke to a multitude of scents mingling in the air, pleasantly assaulting my nostrils. They made me grin sleepily in my half-awake state, feeling a bit excited at the thought that my mom must have gone all out for breakfast this morning. 

As I slowly dragged my eyes open, I was greeted by the familiar, bright morning scene that was displayed on the digi-windows every day. My vision was blurry for a moment as I adjusted to the brightness of the room, cursing underneath my breath at the Elders' inconsiderate decision to always bombard us with an onslaught of light every morning to wake us up. They say that by doing so, our bodies would naturally become in sync with the schedule of The Society.

This was crucial, because being late to certain Society-Mandated events was practically considered treason and could land you in some serious shit. One year, a kid from my Instructional was late three days in a row, and legend has it he was dragged from his Housing Pod in the middle of the night by the Elders' personal henchmen. I didn't personally believe that far-fetched folklore, but still tried to stick to the schedule as a precaution. 

I stretched in my spot with a deep groan to ward off the thick blanket of sleepiness that threatened to take over my body once again, however my tired state was quickly squashed when I actually began to take in my surroundings. 

I laid stone-cold still in my position the couch as memories of yesterday's events started to flood back, as if a dam broke loose and allowed them to crash like tidal waves into the forefront of my mind.

Holy shit. How could I have forgotten?

The Soul Mate Ceremony.

The cookie-baking motherfucker.

The dinner with that weird ass note on top of it. 

The memory of my ridiculously handsome image popping up next to that Aria guy on the holographic screens throughout the Gathering Auditorium stood out among the others, making a shiver of disgust slither down my spine. The memory played over and over in my head, reminding me of that one time the PA speaker in my family's old Housing Pod glitched and played the Society Anthem on repeat for an hour straight. 

The only explanation that I could come up with for all of this was that Elders had to be going senile. I mean, how could they have thought that it was okay to pair me, someone who is quite obviously genetically superior, with that... thing? 

I groaned, sitting up on the couch and throwing my legs over the side as I ran an irritated hand through my unruly curls. Just as I did so, I was greeted by the familiar crackle of the PA system coming to life with the daily morning announcement. 

"Attention, Society members: the time is now five-thirty AM. Morning schedules will commence in T-minus one hour. Those who are late will be punished as Society laws regulate. Good morning and remember, long live The Society of the People." 

The Society Anthem began to play - as it did every morning and evening - and I stretched my arms far above my head. I winced at the dull soreness that throbbed through my muscles, having become stiff from sleeping on the uncomfortable couch overnight. Just as I went to stand up, steeling myself to face the little gremlin that I just knew was probably already up and ready for his Occupational Training, a glint of something white caught my eye.