The Paired

Finn

"I don't see the point in wearing these." I pulled at the pants that I was forced to wear.

My mom rolled her eyes as she pulled a comb through my hair. Her talons scratched me every so often. "Because it's the law."

"I never have to, though!" I groaned. The feathers on my legs didn't like the feeling of restriction.

"This is different, Finn!" She pulled a shirt over my head and fit my wings through the holes on the back. "You have to look your best for the pairing."

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. "There's not even a high chance I'll get chosen. Can't I just ditch?"

My mother set her jaw and glared at me. "Don't speak that way. It's a privilege to get selected for the Pairs program."

A privilege. Yeah right. Only half humans were put into the program. No one even knows what goes on in there except for the council. What's fun about being partnered with another random half human creature?

My mom ushered me out the door. "Now, go! Don't make a fool of yourself, either!" She shut the door on my face. I turned and flew out across the village, the wind rushing through my hair. Conner flew up next to me. "Hey."

"Hey, dude. What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just this stupid pairing thing." He frowned down at his shirt. "I don't get how people wear these things."

"Same." One of my rust colored feathers came loose and blew away. Oh, poor feather. It will be avenged. Pants will burn for this. We flew a little bit farther before landing at the entrance to the pairing yard. It was a huge grassy area with large gates bordering it. There were two lines forming at the entrance gates, one for boys one for girls, where different half human creatures were getting their numbers. All us half humans growing up were told the same thing: when you go to the pairing yard, get your number, and sit quietly. Yeah...sitting quietly isn't something harpies do. Growing up around all the other harpies in our village made me just like them. Loud, crazy, and fun. Other creatures thought we were reckless (which they aren't wrong), but us harpies looked at other creatures as them being boring or proper. I've never actually met other creatures, so seeing all these half humans made my brain overload trying to process everything.

Conner smirked. "Check out those chicks." He nodded towards a group of half sirens near the back of their line. They giggled and waved at us. Conner took my arm. "Let's go."

We talked with some of the other creatures before we were given our numbers and directed towards the half harpy section. My number was 47. If I got chosen, I don't know if that'd be considered a lucky or unlucky number. Out of all the groups of creatures, harpies had a decent amount. The largest was probably the nymphs since it included dryads, naiads, nereids, and many more. Some groups weren't even included. Doppelgängers, for instance, weren't allowed into the facility for obvious reasons. They could just shift into someone else and mess up the entire system. I kept tapping my talons on the floor, anxious to see if I would be chosen. Conner seemed very collected, probably wondering how hot his pair would be if he got chosen.

A woman with dark flowing hair flew up to the microphone. She was clearly a fairy, with her silver, wispy wings buzzing behind her and her delicate features and perfect posture. She wore a dark blue shimmery dress down to her knees and held a clipboard underneath one arm. She tapped the microphone for silence. "Good morning half humans! My name is Lila, head interviewer and councilor for the Paired Facility. Each of you have the lucky chance of being chosen for the pairing program, where you get to meet half humans of other species and find love with one of them specifically chosen for you. You were each given a number when you entered, and now, we will call numbers randomly to decide who has the privilege of becoming the next pairs. We will call 40 numbers, and once yours is called, come to the stage to see everyone you will be spending your life with. Remember, it is a privilege to be selected. This only happens once every 25 years, so you were born at the perfect time. Now, to start calling the numbers."