Mother and Father accepted it all. The placement the matching. They took it all with a tall glass of water. And she was gone. I didn't hear from her for a few months but she did sent a message by port. By that time I had turned fourteen. I got over that childish crush on Timo Abernathy. I focused on my studies like she had told me. We exchanged messages. And she told me about her life out there.

"You wouldn't believe the wide spaces. It is like being in the arboretum all the time. The sky is almost always shining. The flowers in the area are lovely. Father would love them. There are primroses and wild flowers that come in blues and violets. Not to mention Queen Anne's lace and baby's breath. If only you could see it."

She told me very little else. Her 'occupation' did not allow her to do so.

Days became weeks. Months rotated into years. And soon enough it came. My matching.

They say the first matching you ever go to is your own. That was not the case for Seriph. I got the little diskette and I chose what I wanted, like she had. I chose to be Matched. I learned when she was gone that she wasn't the sister I had always thought her to be. She wasn't anything like it.

She didn't have friends. She didn't have fun. She was always so… official. I never really noticed that. I always knew she had friends. But when I talked to them they only made passing motions of her. They never really knew her. I always had fun whenever she was around. But, she never really enjoyed watching movies or listening to music. She was so serious, so grown up. I wanted to be the same. But, that was then and I am now.

I realized something. We were different. I never really thought about it but when she left I felt it. I was fun and lively. She was dour and, to be frank, depressing.

She agreed in a letter. "I always tried to be a role model for you. I tried to get you on a path to a successful future. But now that I'm out here, I see, you can blaze your own path." And I did.


The night of my matching came and I couldn't believe who was at our door. Seriph. In plain clothes.

"Mother. Father. Carina." She pulled us all into a tight embrace.

Mother held on tight after we all let go. "I haven't seen you in three years," she said with a pout.

"I hope you didn't die from heartache." We all laughed, no one died before 80 here. Seraph gave a tight grin over her joke.

"Carina, twirl for me," she ordered. With all severity and felicity, I spun in my dramatic mauve gown. It had a delicate bead work all over the bodice and the skirt was full and fluffy. I loved it.

Seriph nodded in approval and winked at me, "Statistics said you would choose this one." I laughed. She was right. She was always right about those things.

She took my hands and said, "Tonight is your night. Enjoy it."

A honk sounded from the port. Father read the message aloud, "Fawrin family, please proceed to the pickup location." We all hustled down the path to our house and onto the sidewalk where a car was waiting.

The driver looked surprised at the sight of us. "I was told I was to pickup three residents," he explained nervously.

Seriph pulled a small, rectangular patch from her pocket. An official pass. I had only, ever, heard of those. She made a sharp motion to the door wither eyes.

"Yes, ma'am." He opened the door and ushered us all inside. There was another family from the neighboring borough already in the car. Their son grinned at me.

You probably wonder, well what did he look like? It is important so remember this: he was my age for sure. (We all know that.) He wore a nice suit with a deep violet shirt. (We all know that too.) but his hair was a funny brown, yellow color. It looked a bit lighter than the plainclothes people wore but it was darker than the sand by the river in the aboretum. His skin was slightly tanned and gave him a radiating glow. I loved his eyes. They were the most sedcutive hazel I had ever seen. They looked so warm. But at the same time, the colors flitted to sharp golds and resiliant greens and drowning blacks. It felt like you were watching the dancers in the 100 dances. They twirled in ever changing motion that captured my attention and my heart.

"Who knows, we might get matched," he joked, while adjusting his bow tie.

"That's impossible." I adjusted the gown as I sat. He looked very interesting the delicate beading.

"Improbable." He corrected still staring.

"I see a zero percent chance if you keep leering," he mother, a red haired women muttered to her husband loud enough for us all to hear. Everyone, even Seriph, laughed at that.

After we settled down, a silence filled the car.

"So, who do you think you match will be?" I asked fidgeting nervously.

"On record, whoever the Society chooses for me." He grinned covertly, "Off record, any girl that'll have me. And, you?"

"If you stop staring, then someone similar to you." I retorted.

He grinned from ear to ear, revealing an ultra white smile. "If I had a girl like you, I would never stop staring." I blushed. He was sweet and not hard on the eyes either, I noticed as i gave him an appreciative once over.

Seriph piped up from her side conversation with Father about flowers, "The chances of you two matching are 86 to 97 per cent." We looked at her. Then, at each other. And burst into laughter. That was ridiculous, we only just met and she could tell that?

"You did all that in your head?" He inquired with incredulity.

"Yes," was her simple, you- don't- see- any- pens- or-paper-around-here reply. That answer matched her raised eyebrow are-you-pulling-my-leg-this-kid-doubts-my-abilities look and made us laugh again.

Eventually, I patted his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "You know she is right."

"How do you know?" he asked, ruffling his caramel colored hair. He was just as nervous as I.

"She is never wrong." I answered confidently.

"Almost never wrong." He corrected with secret smile.

The car horn cut into the air. "We are here!" The driver called.

We filed out of the car and into the building. It was even more beautiful than I imagined.