Universe of Soulmates

"From Juneo to Kimar and Back"

Life is pretty crazy on this side of the universe. Every day, one question runs through every soulmate-less person's brain:

Am I in the same body I was when I fell asleep?

Most times, the answer is yes. However, a small percentage of people do wake up in a different body. Those people wake up in their soulmate's body. It's really not a small percentage, though, for those between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four. Roughly twenty percent change bodies overnight in any given month. With ten billion people on the large planet of Wibas, that's not a small number.

"Hello, lovely citizens of Juneo! Here's today's update," a cheerful newscaster says into her microphone. Most people—aside from those still living in the diminishing margins of poverty—hear the newscaster's voice in their ears, thanks to a relatively cheap implant just behind their ear.

The implant keeps them updated on news, allows them to make calls, and update their online status whenever they like. And, has a way to check alcohol content and prevent the ability to do certain things when they're drunk. Or, for that matter, high on one of many illicit drugs. It also has a way to contact emergency responders in the event of many different kinds of health-related concerns. Overall, it has greatly improved the way of life for everyone who has it.

It's only flaw: it can't detect when the soulmate body swap occurs.

"The high for today is twenty-five degrees, and the low is fifteen degrees. Remember to return your votes for the next governor to the correct ballot office before the end of the week. Lastly for today's highlights, the annual Flag Day parade is tomorrow, starting at ten o'clock. Main Street, River Road, and Waygazer Road will be closed tonight at twenty-two hundred until twenty-two hundred tomorrow. Make sure to tune in to channel seventy-three and come out to Main Street for the parade!"

Peyton Holt, our main character for this story, is confused by the announcements streaming in. When she went to bed last night, she was in Kimar, a full one thousand-plus kilometers away from Juneo. In fact, they aren't even in the same country.

"DRiVi, who am I?" Peyton asks aloud, like she does with every other command. DRiVi stands for DeRmis implanted adVanced interface, although no one calls it by its full name.

You are Remi Wright. Age 22. Originally from Juneo, Samse.

"DRiVi, call Peyton Holt, ID 5157432905." Peyton cringes at the foreign voice she's hearing coming out of the mouth she's commanding out of shock. She likes it, but she, for whatever reason, was expecting to hear her own voice. Everyone does, initially, but with how little time it takes to meet one's soulmate, rarely do they get used to it.

Peyton, however, assumes that her actual body, despite being a thousand kilometers away, should be awake at this time. The two cities are in the same time zone, just not the same country.

I'm sorry, the DRiVi ID 5157432905 is not presently active.

She sighs, realizing whoever her soulmate is doesn't wake up at seven hundred like she does. Not many do, but she had a shred of hope. After all, they are soulmates, so there has to be similarities somewhere in their lives.

Getting out of bed, Peyton refuses to look into a mirror, happy with being ignorant about what her soulmate's body looks like. She can get a good look when she gets back in her own body.

"DRiVi, monitor ID 5157432905 for activity and notify me when it is active." Peyton says, walking down an unfamiliar hallway in an attempt to find a kitchen.

Notification set for next activity on DRiVi ID 5157432905.

"What is there for food?" Peyton scans the kitchen, opening up the fridge to see almost nothing she was expecting. "Is this what people eat for breakfast here?" The piles of bacon cause her to recoil in disgust. She's used to yogurt and granola, not bacon and toast. But, Peyton caves and eats a piece of toast, though not really enjoying the taste.