The Fate of Serendipity

Chapter 7

So many questions run through my mind as I struggle to comprehend everything Robin just requested of me. I have to take care of Harry Styles? What's my mom going to say? What Test is he talking about? I suddenly have the desire to go back to my normal life. What if this is a dream? I could just wake up and pretend like none of this ever happened, and I would get another shot at taking my language final because mine is extremely shitty.

Robin's phone rings from behind the test and he goes to pick it up.

"What? She's coming early? ...Okay...Okay...I'll deal with it. Nope. Thank you, bye." He hangs up the phone. "Maya, the Head Leader is arriving a week early, so I'll have to send Harry to you sooner. I've already called the front office at Centennial High School and enrolled him in all the courses you're taking. It took a little bit of persuading,  but Harry is now put into the school system. Make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. I have to go and prepare for the Head Leader's arrival. Wait here, and I'll tell Harry to show you around. Call or text your mother to tell her you're at a friend's house and you'll be back tonight. I hope that you'll tell Harry about our arrangement. He'll follow you back to your house tonight, and in the mean time, Harry can fill you in on the details of our world and show you around Wesserli Academy."

Robin rises from his chair and exits the room.

A million thoughts run through my mind as I stand shocked in the middle of the office. A minute later, Harry strolls back into the office with a stupid grin on his face.

"C'mon." He walks over to me, grabs my arm, and marches toward the back door. We walk through a narrow pathway that leads to another door; Harry walks through it with me in tow.

After much grumbling, I pull my hand away from his. "So, are you going to inform me about this or am I just supposed to assume you're kidnapping me?"

"Just shut up," Harry grumbles back.

After walking through yet another long hallway, the path widens and leads to a large dining area that reminds me of the Great Hall at Hogwarts except instead of four massive tables there are three. I come to a stop and my jaw drops open at the sight before me. The walls around me are decorated with a myriad of symbols, including the Align symbol that adorns the arm of just about every single person in the room. That's not what surprised me though. At the first table, there is everyday science equipment laying on the table with students surrounding them.

"They're the Brains," Harry said with an insipid tone, "They're obsessed with learning and discovering new things. Bunch of nerds, they are." A tall girl with large glasses and long brown hair looks over to where we are passing by.

"Hey Harry!!" She bounces over to us. "I'm Shelley, nice to meet you!" She puts her hand out in front of her and I take it with a smile.

"Hi, Shelley, my name's Maya." She gives me another warm smile.

"So what are you doing here Harry? I thought Robin said you were gonna leave today."

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be showing Maya around, so I'll see you later." He smiles at Shelly and tugs me over toward the middle table.

"She was nice," I say to Harry. "Is she one of your friends?"

"I guess so." He says coldly.

How come he's nice to everyone except me? Well, if he's not going to be nice to me, I won't bother being nice to him.

"These are the Brawny; they protect us from anything that may harm us," he gestures to the table filled with guys and girls giving us hard glares as we pass by.

"And these are the Runners." Harry looks at them proudly. Most of the people sitting at this table are eating but once in a while someone stands up and runs to refill their plate and sits down before I have the chance to drop open my jaw again.

"How did-" I look at my right to question Harry, but he isn't there. I stand where I am and look around for about one second when Harry suddenly appears carrying two plates full of food. I guess Harry must be a Runner... Harry smirks at me smugly and before I can ask him anything about it, someone dashes over to where we are standing.

"Hey Harry." The two boys nod at each other in greeting and then the stranger glances over to where I am standing. He looks at me up and down appreciatively.

"Who's this, Harold?" He asks Harry, with his eyes still on my figure.

"My names Maya," I speak up, already knowing from the guy's smirk and stance that I probably wouldn't like him.

"LOUIS!!" Somebody shouts from the opposite side of the table and the boy takes his eyes off of me and turns toward the source of the noise.

"I guess I gotta run. Nice to meet you, Maya, and Harry, good job mate." He smirks again as he looks at me from head to toe and after nodding again at Harry, he runs off to the other guy.

"What does he mean, good job?" I demand as I turn to face Harry.

Harry groans and runs his fingers through his hair. "He thinks you're my next girlfriend," Harry says matter-of-factly as his hand in his hair moves down to scratch the back of his neck.

"Ew!" I punch Harry on the arm. "Like that would ever happen." I look over at him with disgust. "Was Shelley one of your girlfriends?"

"Ha! No. And I would never want to get with someone like you," Harry scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Let's go."

Harry walks us back towards where we came, while I am still trying to comprehend everything that's been going on for the past three or so hours. How could it be that not five hours ago, I was still trying to pass my final like a normal, high school girl and now, everything might change?

"Harry, can you please tell me what's going on? I'm trying not to freak out here. Who are you?"

Harry breathes out a heavy sigh before turning to look at me. "We're part of the Alliance. Those people back there," he points to the large dining area, "are in their last year at the Academy just like me. From the time we were four to when we turn thirteen, we're put through a normal system of education like you were, but when we're fourteen, we start to take classes to determine which sector we will be put into, and when we turn eighteen, we take a test to determine which career we will take on for the rest of our lives. Also, on that day, we will have to choose someone from our own sector to marry and hopefully have children with."

My head spins with the new information presented to me.

"Wait, so you don't have the freedom to choose who you want to marry?"

"Of course you do; you wouldn't want to marry someone from another sector though, it just doesn't work like that."

"But what if you fall in love with someone from another...sector?"

Harry looks at me as though I'm crazy. "Why would you fall in love with someone from the other sector? I don't think that's ever happened." Harry shakes his head. "Those from the same sector are proven to be the most compatible according to the Brains' research."

Hm. That probably explains why Harry scoffed at me asking him if Shelley was ever his girlfriend.

I look down the hall and can tell that we are almost at Robin's office. "You know, in my country, we can choose whoever we want to marry."

"I know, that's probably why your divorce rates are so high." Harry laughs and holds the door open for me and I walk through to Robin's office once again.

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"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

-Neale Donald Walsch