I was minding my own business and was burying myself in an old book found at the bookstore when my phone chimed. With a notification. From HarmonyMatch.
I groaned, dreading opening the message, but I did anyway."Miss Vivienne Skye Harper,Congratulations on your eligibility to join the Matching! The ceremony will happen on the 3rd of October at a local HarmonyCenter assigned to you after registration.Your participation in this program is not only a personal opportunity for a fulfilling life but also a contribution to the greater good of our society. Strong families are the cornerstone of a prosperous and harmonious future, and your involvement will play a crucial role in achieving this vision.Thank you for your commitment to building a better future through lasting relationships and strong families. We look forward to helping you find your perfect match and embark on this extraordinary journey together.HarmonyMatch: Where Love Meets Science, and Together, We Build a Future of Love."There was a link to the pre-registration site and all the necessary information needed for the Matching. I groaned again and contemplated on whether I should pre-register already, or wait until I see Finn tonight.I groaned again, the anxiety building up within me."You okay there, Viv?" My mom asked from the kitchen. She was baking brownies for my younger sister's school fair tomorrow."I would be if that brownie baked faster," I groaned again, burying my face into my hands. "The Matching notification just came." I sighed."It's about time! It's usually around this time. When is it?" My mom huffed."On the third," I said, tilting my head back and looking at the ceiling."Good, just another week," she said.I looked at her. Her wavy chocolate brown hair was tied into a bun on top of her head. I've been noticing the abundance of grays in her hair, but instead of looking older, she looked even more regal."Are you trying to get rid of me already?" I groaned at her and she just smirked and shrugged. I laughed.She poured the brownie batter into a pan. Her skinny arms looked frail, but she has more strength than I will ever have, both physically and mentally.I wondered how her Matching day was. I never really thought to ask her and dad about it. But now seems a great day to ask; and I need any advice I can get."How was your Matching day, mom?" I asked her as I turned my chair to look at her.She was slightly slamming the pan on the counter to rid the batter of bubbles. As she did her last slam, she looked at me briefly, eyes full of knowing. "Are you nervous?" She asked back."I guess I am," I said, truthfully."Everyone had different opinions about the Matching back in my day. I guess it still runs true today. But back then, I just let fate handle it. It's all based on science, they say, but I know you'll be destined with who you're supposed to be with," she said as she danced around the kitchen, making a few more batches of brownie batter.My mother has a way of making me feel comfortable, and she did just that even without actually answering any of my questions. I didn't press further, and instead, sent a message to Finn."HM sent the notif. You got it?""Yeah. Did you pre-register yet?" He replied within a minute."Not yet. Was thinking we could do to it together?""We're still on tonight, right?"If I had laser eyes, I would have burned my phone looking at the three dots that meant he was writing something back, but it would be gone one second and back the next, which implies he might have been writing something and then deleting it, then writing something again. I wondered."Yeah, we could do that" he finally replied. "I'll see you later. Pick you up at 6."– @ –"You're seriously going to wear that?" My 18-year-old sister, Serenity, asked me after giving me a once over."Why? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked, panicking because I only have 5 minutes before Finn arrives to pick me up."You're going on a date and you chose to wear pants and a sweater?" She asked aghast, as if my choice of clothing was the worst thing I could do.I rolled my eyes. "We're going stargazing, Ren. What do you want me to wear, a ball gown?""At least put some accessories on!" She half-yelled as she threw a pair of ruby earrings into my hands. "And put your hair up! And don't you dare go for those ugly boots of yours!"I did as she asked because you can never argue with Serenity, especially when it comes to all things fashion. Although I admit I was a bit hurt about her calling my Ugg boots ugly. They weren't fashionable, but they were, at least, comfortable–and I needed everything to feel comfort. For some reason, my anxiety about the Matching is back, and I can't shake off the feeling that something wrong will happen and I don't like it.As Serenity gave me the shoe of her choice, which were chunky leather boots, I heard a knocking at the door and was fairly certain it was Finn, right on time, as he usually is.I quickly kicked off my Uggs and replaced them with the leather boots, then ran down the stairs to find Millie, my 12-year-old sister, talking animatedly to Finn, who was on the doorway, laughing."Hi," I said as Finn finally saw me in the hallway."Hey there. Millie's just telling me her new joke," he laughed, pinching Millie's cheek to her delight. "See you, later, Mills. I'll be expecting a new joke."We bid mom and dad goodbye, and I gave Millie a little kiss on her head. Then, we went into the twilight into Finn's car, the passenger door even before we crossed the lawn. Finn then helped me get into the passenger seat before taking his place on the driver's side. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as we were buckling ourselves."So, you ready for dinner?" He asked and smiled his charming lop-sided smile, his eyes twinkling."Yes, please. I'm starving after inhaling mom's baking all day," I said, remembering the scrumptious smell of mom's brownies. "Can we go somewhere with some good brownies? All I got from mom was a little piece I had to share with Ren."Finn laughed and said okay, then drove off without telling me where he's bringing me.He has always done that. Just tells me we're going somewhere, and then picks me up and drives me to dinner in places I never even thought I'd go to. Then, sometimes we would walk around parks, or play in arcades. But most of the time, we would just sit somewhere and talk, or make out, or both."It's your turn today," he said, pointing at the music player. We take turns playing our weekly playlists, and now it's my turn, so I connected my phone to the car and clicked on the playlist I made yesterday.We drove in silence as catchy lo-fi music filled the entire car, an unreadable tension in the air as soon as the music came. And just like earlier, it's a feeling I can't seem to shake off. Suddenly, I felt as anxious as I was this morning when I received the HarmonyMatch notification, and I can't say if Finn's feeling it, too."So, we're going to register for the Matching, tonight, right?" I asked, just to say something. I don't know if it was the right topic to choose since Finn pursed his lips, clearly feeling the same anxiety as I was."Yeah, but let's not talk about it until later after dinner, can we?" He asked."Okay," was all I said.After three songs, we pulled into the parking lot of a diner. A hologram of a giant heart-like being with antennas beaming from the roof, beckoning customers. There were several cars parked, and it seemed like the diner was fairly popular.We get out of the car, with Finn rushing to my side to help me out. Then we walked into the diner…and everything just seemed a little too quiet. We weren't really talking a lot, and although he did smile and kiss my cheeks and my hands a few times, it all felt like he was trying to hold back, and I don't understand this weird tension between us.As we were seated by the waitress droid, I asked, "Are you okay?"He looked at me quizzically, not expecting the question. "I'm good, just a little tired, I guess," he said after a moment."It's just that…I don't know. You're hot and cold," I said, looking down at the menu on the table but not really reading."Hot and cold?"I sighed. "There are moments that you act like good old Finn, then you suddenly act cold and distant. I don't know what's happening or if there's something I need to know.""You're overthinking," he said and looked down at his own menu.I am overthinking. About us. But I don't tell.I tried to read the menu of burgers and fries and brownies and sundaes for dessert. I was hungry, but now, I can't get myself to think about food. Instead, I think about the past few days of feeling like I have a knot in my gut and spacing out, dreading the waiting but wanting the Matching to be over so I can stop thinking about it.But I don't tell. And neither does he.I tap on the menu, putting in my order of brownies and a strawberry milkshake and give it to the waitress droid making rounds."Are we still going to the planetarium?" I ask, trying to hide the bitterness in my voice."Do you want to?" His head is still down, looking and tapping at the menu."I wanted to, but if you're tired, we can just go another day." We still have a week left, I wanted to add, but did not."Sure. Let's go another day," was all he said as he handed the waitress droid his own menu. He didn't even ask what I was having.And then, we just sat in silence, surrounded by the buzz of conversations and the smooth vibrations of the machines and droids around us, the thoughts of the Matching heavy in our minds and hearts.The dinner was uneventful, and I meant that in the worst way possible. Finn and I just had small talk, and when the food came, we just ate in silence. He did ask why I practically just got dessert, but didn't make any comments, so neither did I. We're now driving home, and while we agreed to not go to the planetarium to use the telescope for stargazing, I kind of expected us to do what we usually did: walk around and talk it out. I don't even know if we're fighting because we never really fought before except for some petty arguments over trivial matters that we easily resolved. "Can you park a couple of blocks from my house?" I asked him. "Why?" He asked back. "We really need to talk. This–" I vigorously pointed to the two of us, "–is bothering me so much. Please tell me what's happening." He was silent for a moment, eyes on the road. When he saw an opportunity, he pulled over, killed the engine, and sighed heavily. "I just…" he started. "The Matching," he said, as if it was an
"Good God, you look awful sis," Ren scrunched her face as I plopped down on her vanity chair. She volunteered to do my makeup and hair today. I asked her why, and she said I had to at least give my future husband a good impression. I can't argue about that, and so I let her do her magic. I feel even more awful than I probably look, but at least everything will end today. The Matching is in a couple of hours. I just let Ren do whatever she wanted and even let her pick what I should wear. She curled my dark brown hair to give it some volume and settled with a half updo. For my makeup, she went as light as possible but added a little shimmer of gold in my eyelids for some color. For the dress, she picked a classic black sleeved dress and gave me a pair of heeled Mary Janes. I said it was a little too much, but she just brushed it off and told me to get dressed, so I did. I felt a little too dolled up, but I can't help but feel better when I looked in the mirror. "Oh, honey. You loo
I was running. It wasn't the same 'run to your lover and jump into their arms' run like I see some do. I was literally running like a madman, trying to get to the closest Harmony employee who was about to leave the stadium."Excuse me! Excuse me!" I was yelling frantically, trying to get the employee's attention before she got to a door.I dashed and willed myself to run as fast as I could in my heels. I barely got to her."Excuse me!" I huffed. "I'm sorry to bother you," I managed to say in between breaths. The employee looked genuinely concerned."Honey, are you okay?" She asked, her brows furrowed. I was still panting so bad, I actually held a hand up, asking for a minute. And then something changed in her face, like she knew what I was about to say to her–which she probably actually didn't."Oh, you got Unmatched, huh? No worries, honey. It does happen. Maybe next year?" She smiled condescendingly. This might have happened quite a lot to her. Men and women running to ask why they w
"What the hell is happening, Viv?" Ren asked while navigating the road. Her voice was shaking."I Matched with the prince," I said, flatly. Exhausted all of the sudden. Saying the words made the whole thing true, and it sounded so weird…but pleasant at the same time."What?!" She practically yelled. "So, what those hounds were saying was actually true? I thought they were just mistaken.""They got to you so fast. How did they do that?" I asked myself, wondering how the hell all those reporters got there so fast.My phone rang and I flinched, surprised. Mom is calling. Shit. If they got to my sister fast, they're probably in my house right now.I answered quickly."Mom? Hello?""Vivienne! There are people outside looking for you! They said they were reporters. They're saying weird things–" she was rambling on the phone, and I can hear dad in the background telling Millie to stay away from the windows."Mom, mom! Listen to me. Don't ever open the door. We're coming through the backdoor,"
"Sis?" I heard Ren calling me, then felt her shaking me, and opened my hers to her sitting on my bed.After the warm bath and the adrenaline of the morning finally fading out of my system, I fell asleep. And now, waking up, my body is aching so bad, especially my feet, which I inspected earlier and saw blisters and some minor burns and scratches."Sorry, to wake you. Mom said dinner is ready. You barely ate anything all day," Ren softly said.For a while, I forgot about the chaos of my Matching Day, but everything had been so messy since I got home this morning that the silence seemed so new."Hey," I touched Ren's arms as she got up. "The reporters?" I asked."Oh. Thankfully they all went away. The cops were here as soon as mom called them, and it turns out your future husband has already ordered some authorities to fix the whole mess," she said, smiling as if amazed by everything. Then, she simply walked away.Future husband. The prince. I may never get used to the idea.I opened my
"Skye!" Madi ran towards me and gave me a hug. I hugged her tightly back. "I was trying to get to your house but there were tons of cops and some mean-looking guards, and I couldn't!" She cried in my neck as I rubbed her back."I know, I'm sorry," I apologized.By the time Madi saw the news, we were basically on lockdown. There also were so many people trying to message and call me that I had to uninstall every app on my phone except for HarmonyMatch in case the prince sends a message. I also had to block calls from coming in, according to the royal guards.But today is my last day here in unassuming Blackwood, and I had to meet Madison because it may be the last time I see her in years. The royal guards were reluctant, but I told them they can all come with me and leave the cops to patrol my neighborhood, and so they did, and they have been shadowing my every move."I'm really sorry, Madi. I can't even use my phone to call you yesterday," I said again as we faced each other."Apologie
I've been trying to stop the tears, but they kept flowing down my cheeks, and I tried to discreetly wipe them away, but I know Kida and Sebastian–two of the royal guards the prince has sent over–know I haven't stopped crying in the back seat of this luxurious BMW.Thankfully, they did not say anything and just left me sniffling away.I wanted to stop crying because I already feel my eyes puffing, and I'm on my way to the airport and finally to the palace.My family, Madi, and several other close friends I have over the years went over to say goodbye. Even my whole neighborhood gathered together and even gave me beautiful flowers from their own backyards.Millie and Dad were a mess and it took every strength and will to not join them in their tears. I wanted them to remember me smiling.Mom and Ren, who barely cried, even had tears in their eyes. Still, I tried to hold everything in even if the lump in my throat feels like I have swallowed a giant candy whole.Madi also tried to hold it
"Oh shit," I mumbled out of surprise. His perfume smelled familiar, and it took me a while to realize it was the same perfume the man in the planetarium had. Could they be the same person, then? I shook my head. It's nothing but a coincidence. What would a prince do in the middle of practically nowhere to watch a planetarium show when he can, I assume, just barge into the National Space Institute and check out real stars and planets?For sure, they just had the same perfume, right? And I could be smelling it wrong.While a million thoughts ran in my head, the prince slowly turned around."Ah, miss Vivienne! I didn't hear you coming," he looked at me and smiled, a dimple showing on his right cheeks, his voice bright and warm, a stark contrast to the chilly air.I had to mentally tell myself to keep it together and not gape at him.The entire palace ground is exquisite, but the prince is by far the most beautiful creature I have seen.I bowed deep, just like how Harod and the other staf