October 1st, 2124

Her eyes were closed as the hands moved through her hair, braiding it over one shoulder. It was strange, she never wore her hair like this, but Callie insisted, claiming that she should look her best at the dance. Apparently her usual ponytail wouldn't cut it, not for Unity Day.

"Okay, open," her friend whispered, placing her hands on Abby's shoulders. She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, smiling at the fishtail braid Callie had managed. She squeezed Abby's shoulders and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Abby nodded, smiling. She stood from the chair and straightened her shirt — it was the one with the least amount of holes in it. Callie had scrounged up a skirt for her; she liked it, though she was forced to wear leggings under it because it was so threadbare.

"Abby," Callie said gently, holding out her hand. "You look fine. Let's go."

Abby smiled and took it, letting Callie lead her out of her quarters. They followed the music down the drab hallway, each step Abby took filled her with a giddy excitement. It was her first Unity Day dance, she had turned fifteen just yesterday, barely making the cut of those able to attend.

They walked through the doors and Callie immediately pulled Abby onto the dance floor. The music was loud and something-pop from the 20th Century, Abby knew. She preferred the old indie files on their tablets, but this would certainly do for the party. Callie danced around her, getting her to let go of any reservations she had left.

A hip knocked against hers and she glanced over her shoulder to see a tall, blond boy dancing next to her. She smiled, knowing it was Jake Griffin despite his mask. He took her hand and twirled her but she rolled her eyes and pulled away. She said, "I'm not dancing with you tonight, Griffin."

"Why not, Bailey?" Jake asked, pulling her close.

"I want to meet other people, I see enough of you as it is," she teased, poking him in the side. He squirmed, but pulled her closer still. He whispered in her ear, "Then why are you dancing with Callie?"

She frowned, knowing he had her. She hated when he was right, he was so arrogant about it and loved to hold it over her head. Instead of retorting, she pulled her hand out of his and marched through the crowd of dancers. She spotted a boy leaning against the wall all alone and walked toward him.

Abby didn't recognize him, assumed he must be from another station. She knew pretty much everyone from Alpha, she went to school with them. But this boy, there was something about him that made her think he was from one of the lower stations. He seemed so out of place, hanging near the edge of the crowd, his arms behind his back like he was apart of the cadet group monitoring the dance though his clothes told her otherwise.

She leaned against the wall next to him, her shoulder knocking against his. The tall boy glanced down at her and she met his brown eyes. She asked, "Why are you alone?"

"I don't like dancing," he said, looking back to the bodies swaying on the floor.

Abby nodded and asked, "Then why come?"

He shrugged, "My mom made me."

She smiled and asked, "What's your name?"

"Anonymity is the purpose of this thing," he replied automatically like he had read it in a bulletin. From what little interaction Abby had had with him thus far, he seemed the type to have facts up his sleeve to provide at any given moment.

She nodded again. "You are absolutely right. Is telling me what station you are from too much information?"

He stared at her for a moment, as if he thought it was too personal to divulge. Finally, he said, "Mecha."

She nodded — her suspicions confirmed — and stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm from Alpha, you can call me that."

Mecha smiled and took her hand, prepared to shake it, but Abby had other ideas. She grasped it firmly and pulled him toward the dance floor. "What are you doing?"

"It's a dance, Mecha," she said, rolling her eyes. "This is the whole point."

He looked uneasy and stood there on the dance floor, looking like he was in the airlock with a death sentence. Abby sighed and put her hands on his hips, moving them for him. He stiffened at the contact and she immediately let go. She muttered, "Sorry."

He shook his head. "It's fine. I'm just not used to it."

She frowned and tentatively reached out again. He gave her a slight nod and she put her hands on his hips again and had him swaying to the music though his upper body was still stiff. He smiled at her efforts and said, "I'm normally a good student, but I'm afraid dance just isn't my subject."

Abby laughed and said, "It's okay, I'm sure we'll get it eventually."

The music changed and a slow song came on. The other kids coupled up, wrapped arms around necks, and placed hands on hips. Abby looked at Mecha and he seemed thoroughly uncomfortable. She started to back away — respecting his limits — but he caught her hand and pulled her against him. She let out a small gasp as her body slammed against his.

He smiled at her and placed his other hand on her waist as he grasped her hand firmly in his. She fought the smile for as long as she could but as he spun her around the floor, it broke through. She whispered, "I thought you couldn't dance."

A smirk played at his lips as he replied, "I said I didn't like dancing. Anyone can dance like this."

She didn't think so. He moved with a grace she didn't think a boy of his stature could possess as he held her against him and moved easily around the others. Abby caught a glimpse of Callie whose eyes were wide as she watched her with Mecha. She herself was in the arms of some boy, but it seemed that she had been keeping an eye on Abby instead. She had expected nothing less from Callie, she was always looking out for Abby.

The song ended and turned into one that was a little more upbeat, but still, Abby swayed with the boy she called Mecha as if the previous song were still playing. She realized that she could dance with him like this all night, if only she could have him close for a little while longer. His presence was comforting, she didn't know what it was, but she was enjoying her time with him.

He pulled back when the song ended, much to her disappointment, but he didn't stray far. His eyes flickered to her lips and her eyes widened, understanding what was about to happen. He leaned down as she rose up to meet him and their lips pressed firmly together. Abby pulled her hand out of his to slide into his hair. His hands grasped her hips and pulled her flush against him.

It felt like they kissed for hours, but it was maybe thirty-seconds of their lips moving together. Still, Abby felt a flutter in her chest and never wanted it to end. When his lips pulled away, she chased them and pulled him closer by his hair. He smiled against her and his tongue begged entrance into her mouth, she granted it access and met it with hers. Their tongues met only a few times before they pulled apart, but each touch sent a jolt through her like she was electrocuted.

He smiled at her after breaking the kiss. She knew she had a dazed expression on her face and tried to control it but he brought that out of her. He leaned down, a rigidity in his back as he took her hand. He bestowed a kiss upon the back of it and, as he rose up, he said, "Thank you for the dancing lesson, Alpha."

She smiled as he turned and walked toward the entrance of the room. She tried to commit to memory the color of his eyes, his hair, the shape of his jaw, the hook of his nose. But the further he walked away, the more the image of him slipped from her mind.

"Who was that?" Callie asked, at her side in an instant to nudge Abby in the ribs lightly. Abby tore her eyes away from the boy's retreating back to look at her friend. All she could do was shrug. "You really didn't get his name?"

Abby gave her a look. "That's the whole point of these things, isn't it? Anonymity."

"Kissing a stranger isn't something you've ever done," Callie said, eyes searching the crowd for the boy who had completely disappeared.

"He kissed me," Abby said indignantly.

Callie rolled her eyes. "That's not what it looked like to me."

Abby sighed and said, "Let's just dance."

Her friend's eyes followed her as she moved with less enthusiasm than before. Jake came back and he shared a look with Callie, sensing that something had changed with Abby. Callie just shrugged and let her friend feel down for the rest of the night. Jake tried lifting her spirits, but once Abby was in a mood, there was no getting her out of it.

At midnight, when they all took off their masks, Abby searched for the boy in the gray shirt and black pants with the rich brown hair and warm brown eyes but he was gone. She didn't know why she expected him to stay the whole time: he didn't like dances.

This is a prompt from Niss Trah and I took longer than expected to crank it out (sorry!). I liked the idea immediately but got super sidetracked in writing it. I hope it turned out okay!

As usual, reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. Just so you know, there will be a second chapter set post-season 3, but that's it - not my usual thousand-part story.

-Lauren :)