[SYSTEM IS LOADING...]

Have you ever heard of the matchmaking system on a dystopian island, Ciliona? A country secluded from the world, where humans and robotic duplicates are experimental figures for a future filled with technological innovation. What would happen if a perfect match became the doom of the greatest deception of mankind?

[2nd May, 2064.]

Living is such a mysterious concept. Everyone has their definition of the word life and what it is to be truly alive. Is life really worth it? What's the point of being born if you live in this deceitful world? A world filled with technology yet with lost and troubled beings. Maybe, it is true. The summary of living is;

Study, work and die.

It was a warm, windy day on the 2nd of May 2064 when the calm and thoughtful girl turned continuously in her bed. She was aware that it was a Friday, and all her weekdays went by with the same routine filled with stressful pressures. Julie turned once more, then focused all her attention on the ray of light that brightened the corner of the dark room.

Julie suddenly smiled whilst thinking of how eager she was to get out of bed. It was her birthday, of course, something that could make her look forward to a dreadful city filled with all too many fake faces.

Without a delay to analyze her sudden thoughts, she stretched her hands until she felt a hard object beneath her palm. She pulled the wristwatch toward her face, then realized that it was almost five o'clock in the morning. Before long, she gazed at the ceiling whilst thinking about how boring the day would turn out.

"Eat, study, then sleep." Julie sighed, then closed her eyes.

Life has been a misery for countless teenagers that grew up in the state of Ciliona. Though curious about the reality, it became unfruitful due to the limitations by the international laws. A happy life had turned into a fairy tale, watched through videos that survived to be viewed in the year 2064.

The continuous illiteracy in politics and history, the security and technology that made privacy unattainable. Moreover, a government obsessed with education and surpassing the intelligence level of the humanoids made life harder.

"They preached that better education is security, but turn it around and mentally control people." Julie slammed her hand on the bed. A frown replaced the sleepy state that she previously had. Thereafter, the five o'clock alarm from the largest tower in Elifixa city, the tower of kidutus, echoed throughout the area.

Without hesitation, she sat upright on the canopied-pod bed before her sweaty palms rubbed against the duvet. Julie's heartbeat fastened — a natural reaction that she got used to. After several minutes, she jumped out of bed, then waited as it levitated to the previous position. The greyish canopied-pod bed had high-curved head and footboards.

Although her room was bright, there were ancient decorations that she had purchased from overseas. It was a shame that she knew nothing about the people who lived on other continents. Julie knew that their laws and humanoid culture was international, yet the common civilians of Ciliona had zero contact with foreigners.

Julie quickly took a shower and dressed up for the college. Although her humanoid, Skylar, had to be rebooted by morning — her absence worried Julie. Immediately, she entered the code on her bedroom door, which was connected to the cubic elevator.

"Identification complete, Julie Jien 103 — identified. Welcome, to be a productive citizen — make sure to do your best today." The programmed voice echoed in the elevator before the slow instrumental played. "You'll be arriving in two seconds."

The disadvantages of bedrooms placed per floor made Julie sigh. Her fingers rubbed the pressed eyebrows, then hummed to the song. "Ground floor." Finally.

The house had three floors, her room was the entire second floor, whilst her parents' occupied the third floor. The adapted one-child policy was one of the few policies that Julie liked. That was mainly because of the luxury lifestyle and benefits that she received — although, she had entirely never imagined having younger siblings.

Julie got off the ride where she was stopped by her humanoid, Skylar. The human-built machine moved forward, then flexibly tilted its head. "Good-morning Julie."

"Morning!" She widely smiled as she hurriedly walked through the bright hallway. Her slender, warm fingers gently brushed her curly hair. "Have I received the invitation?"

"Not yet." The white smile that previously brightened her espresso tone faded instantly. Julie looked forward to the matchmaker's invitation since last year. Most of it was because she was curious due to the secrecy of the experience. None of her paired friends ever disclosed information because of the confidential nature of the event. Moreover, unmatched civilians were curious about what the matchmaker could be.

Could it be a machine or a human? What were the terms for the success of a match? "I have to get officially registered. We'll be leaving for Daisy city during this week." Julie traced the grey wall as she turned toward the living room.

"You'll need to receive the national registration card too and a perfect match." Skylar replied to her comment, which before Julie rolled her eyes.

Matchmaking...

Matchmaking has evolved since the 19th century. Julie recalled what her tutors informed the class on how people used dating apps or personality trackers for matches. Weirdly, in Ciliona — a company solely for matchmaking citizens was formed. That meant, she had no right to choose her partner.

It was for the best. Due to the new virus that caused the death of twenty percent of the world's population, people lost contact with reality. Thus, a few indulged in reproductive actions and to maintain a balanced population — the one child policy and matchmaker laws were enacted. Moreover, matchmaking took into consideration one's physical and emotional interests.

"Breakfast is ready." Skylar notified her.

Julie's gaze wandered around the room, then noticed her parents, who sat at the dining table. The duplicates walked around the living room whilst they ate at the table.

Duplicates were dependent on the owners' liking; hence, they could be easily physically replaced — like phones. Though, the memory and information remained the same, the appearance could be changed every three years in case of malfunctions. Skylar had the same form for the past six years, and hence she was a height of 4'10ft.

The dinning room wasn't as massive as the high-class individuals' rooms, but it felt comfortable and smelt like roses and home. There were fresh flowers along the balcony that was closest to the dining room, which made a vibrant garden. The interior decorations were white and bright blue, with a little green to match the plants.

Julie stood at the table, then smiled as she sat beside her mother. She noticed the warm smile that her father had — a brief reminder that the family was as fake as the cultural decors on the walls. She closed her eyes, and sighed. It indeed brightened her day whenever her parents pretended to be happy with reality. Her fingers twirled the spoon, then dipped it into the soup bowl.

"Morning, how was your night?" Immediately, Julie's attention was diverted to her mother. She cleared her throat, and relaxed against the chair. Her mother's words filled with a forged worry, which made her inwardly roll her eyes.

"It was the usual." Julie's mother moved her dark Afro hair behind her pieced ear before she smiled. The warm gaze that Julie received made her flinch for a second. Thereafter, she slammed the spoon on the table and stood up. "I'll take my leave."

It was evident that most families had little to no affection toward each other. Moreover, divorce was illegal and a child per house was mandatory after five years of marriage. Julie's birth was no secret — her family had her solely for the laws. Thereafter, they neither acknowledged her presence nor remembered her special days.

"They couldn't even remember my birthday." She stormed out to the elevator. Although the footsteps behind her got louder, she avoided Skylar's usual nagging about inappropriate behaviour.

The journey to school was quick. Skylar made sure that Julie had all the necessities for the new term. In half an hour, the humanoid lecturer entered class, then stood at the front of the class. Mr Duke, a male classified humanoid, that was built to educate in the business department. He stood tall whilst dressed in blue trousers and white shirt.

"We will be discussing on Thomas Edison's life and how it will help us in the business world." He paced around the room, then stood at the back. Julie stared at his movements as she scrolled through the tablet that was fixed to the high-tech desks. Moreover, she couldn't sit on it without having the thumbprint verified. It was needed to avoid hackers and promote fixed seats due to the verification tabs on desks.

Everyday, Julie verified her health status and location — all information was uploaded to the international security server. In short, everyone had to be watched by humanoids and controlled in every aspect of life.

On the positive side, it was impressive that it could monitor the health of students and provide feedback for future diets and academic success. Moreover, no hacker has obtained private information despite it being wirelessly connected to students' personal duplicates. That meant, hard copy textbooks were unimportant and all entered information were directly transferred to Skylar's memory cloud.

Julie smiled as she searched up the topic. Presently, the class became quiet when Mr Duke's voice was connected to the speakers. "Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman in the 20th century who held a world record of 1093 patents. He created the world's first industrial research laboratory. He also invented the light bulb, the motion picture camera, the phonograph, a stock ticker, a battery for electric cars-"

The sudden message alert made Julie's gaze lower until she stared at the flashed screen. It was a message from the matchmaker.

A notification from the Daisy matching consultant.

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Thanks for reading❤️

To those who are wondering:

This story is already completed, but I'm trying to change the story major plot because I had previously planned to make it a series. But, I discovered that I get easily tired when writing long storylines. Hence, I'm cutting off some plots so as to make this a single book. I'll change a lot of things, e.g male lead personality and the motivations of the female lead.

I wrote this story when I was really terrible with English (since it's not my first language). I have a lot to work on, hence updating might take longer than the other story I'm currently working on.

Thanks for understanding.