Ava couldn't keep her hands from shaking as she disembarked from the train. Usually her dreams were weird but for some reason today it had felt a little too real.

That was impossible though. There was no way her subconscious mind could exist in two different planes and that thought scared her. She would have to keep her dreams a secret. The last thing she needed was to be seen as someone who was mentally unstable.

Keeping her cool as she navigated the tunnel back to the comfort of her home. She passed a number of people who greeted her and she automatically greeted them back.

Eventually she would have to calm herself down whilst she tried to figure out what had happened.

When she got home, there was way too much commotion for her like. She entered the small cottage, eyes narrowed ad she considered each and every face that occupied the tiny living room. All her neighbors and their children had gathered around, good friends of her parents and some kids her parents hoped she could be friends with.

Narrowing her eyes at them, she stood by the door and addressed.

"Hey everyone, there an occasion I didn't know about?" She asked.

"Silly, have you forgotten what days it is?" Her mother asked as she giggled.

"There's no way she could forget, she's probably got cold feet." Her father replied as he approached her. "Ava, honey, your mother and I understand how frightening this can be. Twenty one is such an important milestone in our society that's it's all we think about."

"Twenty one? What do you mean, papa?"

"Oh for crying out loud, stop acting like you don't know it's your birthday today!" A girl named Sally said, crossing her arms in annoyance.

There was a five second pause as she slowly processed the information she had just received.

"Huh? What are you talking about? My birthday is in seven days!" She exclaimed as she stared at them in bewilderment.

"Oh honey, you must have forgotten what day it is today. Did you check your system notification today,? Go on, your palm is lighting up." Her mother said, pointing to her hand.

Looking down, she saw that indeed the chip implant in her palm was flashing a special notification.

She stared at it in shock. How had she not seen the notification all this time? It didn't make sense.

With a shaking hand, she clicked on the notification. She watched as a short timed message appeared on the inside of her palm ; an envelope with a heart seal.

There was no way she could receive that notification unless she was of age. That single message held her entire future. Whether she became someone of importance or another insignificant nobody was determined by that single moment.

"Well?" Her mother inquired.

Everyone who had come there was curious. It didn't matter to anyone whether this had happened suddenly or if her life had suddenly glitched. They only cared about who the Cupid system had matched her to and which zone she now belonged to.

She had dreamed of this day but standing there it felt wrong. Everything about it felt wrong. Of course she could not say that out loud. Her concerns were her own and she would nurture them all by herself.

With a deep breath Ava clicked on the notification and watched as a hologram message sprang to life all around her.

"Congratulations Ava Foster, you are now of legal age.

We understand that being 21 is such a frightening new journey that is why we have prepared you for this fresh start!

To help you navigate your journey we have made sure to match you with the most compatible partner based on your overall stats.

Before we reveal your perfect match we will now reveal your designated zone based on your average score.

With an average score of 98.5 ; you have been designated to zone Alpha.

Your perfect match is ...

Ryan Prentice."

Ava blinked and blinked again. She looked at the hologram again hoping she had read wrong.

"No. This can't be. This can't be. I'm still dreaming. That'll explain why my life seems to have glitched. There is no way I'm spending the rest of my life with Ryan fucking Prentice!" She finally said out loud.

"Young lady, what has gotten into you?" Her father spoke out in a reprimanding tone.

"Hold on, darling. She probably needs a few seconds to process all this." Her mother cut him off as she gave him a gentle smile. " Being matched and allocated your own place especially in a whole new zone is a scary new experience but the Unity is never wrong. Whoever it has matched you with, I know you'll both thrive and be happy."

"Happy? Are you kidding me? What happiness will I achieve with that narcissist jerk. I don't care what you all say, this system is stupid and has obviously glitched."

Her outburst caused everyone to look at her as if she had lost her mind. Deep down she knew that this was probably going to get her in trouble but at the moment anything was better than the alternative.

Leaving them all stunned, she turned and ran out of the door. She needed space to collect her thoughts. Her entire life had felt like a simulation but she had worked hard to ensure that she would get the chance to change that. Yet just when it felt like she had attained a certain degree of control over her future something like this had to happen.

Ava didn't care how efficient the Unity was deemed to be. There was no way Ryan Prentice and her were compatible. Not in a million years.

In her rage she bumped into someone without even realizing. Before her bottom could meet the cold hard concrete of the pavement she was suddenly caught in a pair of strong arms.

Lifting her eyes up to her rescuer to see a familiar face.

"You?" She exclaimed in surprised.

His grey eyes regarded her with curiosity as he gently placed her back on her feet.

Ava wanted to say something, anything, but she found herself stuttering in utter shock. She even pinched her skin to see if she wasn't dreaming and the pain that attacked her nerves proved she wasn't.

"Are you alright?" He asked, probably seeing her ashen face and the stuttering mess she had become.

"I - I... How?" Was all she managed to get out.

"I told you I would find you, didn't I?" He replied with a smirk, a strand of silver blond hair falling loose from the hair band he used to keep it in a low ponytail. "Come on, we have to get you out of here. You're no longer safe here."

"What?" She exclaimed.

She didn't have time to say anything more when another familiar face appeared. One she particularly hated at the moment.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to make me jealous, Palmer." He said as he approached the two of them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded as she eyed him warily.

She didn't like his sudden appearance. It was almost too convenient.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I came here to find you. Consider it a privilege that I was able to come and get you, my dear. Especially from these filthy streets that you've been living in." He responded arrogantly. "Come on, I don't have all day. Leave your clothes here, we'll get you new ones that'll fit you as my wife. Not these rags you've been wearing your entire life."

"Well you can kiss my ass because I'm not going anywhere with you!" She screamed at him.

"Come now, you're embarrassing yourself, and me." Ryan said with an annoyed sigh as he started walking towards her but stopped when the blond stranger stepped between him and Ava.

"I believe the lady said she wasn't going anywhere with you." He said. "Get lost."

His demeanor has suddenly changed and he had assumed the stance of a fighter. Usually Ava was one to avoid direct confrontation but today was different. Today everything had gone topsy turvy and her life was on the line. She wasn't going to let some all knowing AI tell her who to spend the rest of her life with especially if that person was someone she detested the most.

"You obviously don't know who I am otherwise you wouldn't be standing in my way." Ryan said to him, his tone suddenly menacing.

"Oh nice try, but you can't fool me. I see through everyone of your guises." The blond stranger said before he suddenly pulled out a strange looking gun and shot at him.

~✨Words 1 468✨~