Mismatched(A collab with EmeraRider)

Chapter 1(In editing)

     People say that the person you will marry is walking the earth at this moment, that your perfect half is looking for you. And where I live, this is exactly what happens. I bet many of you wish that it would be this easy, but I'm here to tell you it's not easy. Hearts will be broken, regardless if that perfect someone is standing right in front of you. So listen to my story, and see what it's like to be mismatched.

                                             Part I:

 Some people say that the day of your birth defines you in some ways.It was raining on the night that I was born. Dark, forboding clouds blanketed the sky and a mixture of hail and water poured on my  parent's shabby little cottage, while harsh winds mercilessly beat against its worn walls. My mother was told that she could never have children...and then I came along. Physicians told her that I would not survive, could not survive. But that night, on April 13th, I came into the world.   With locks of  hair as dark as the clouds on the night of my birth and my father's emerald green eyes, I was named Zoe, which ironically means "llfe." A miracle'; a survivor riding on the unsteady winds of luck even from my first breath. And all was well. But as you probably know, peace never lasts.

   

                 It was wet, and cold in my dream. The icy fingers of the wind ripped through my body, and needles of snow pricked me from all sides. I was looking, searching...for what? Haunting laughter pierces through the shriek of the wind, echoing in my head. Then I saw it...well, him. Though I couldn't see his face, I know that he was the one. I couldn't see his face in detail, but there was one aspect I saw every single time: cerulean eyes. Eyes that seemed to see to the core of me. His warm, broad hand reached out for me, and his deep, rich voice called my name. I wanted to reach for him, to grab his hand and search his face, to know who this man was.  But like every other night, as I stretched to reach him, the wind blew me back, and suddenly I was falling, falling, falling into utter darkness and the laughter seemed to get louder and louder...

           I bolted up in bed, sweat making my night gown stick to my back.

I heard a muffled voice outside the door.

              "Zoe, are you alright?" It's my mother. "I heard you screaming,"

            I sighed. 

               "Yes, mother, everything's just fine. You can go back to bed."

                There was a moment of silence.

                 "If you're nervous about tomorrow, you have nothing to worry about. I remember when--"

                  "I'm fine, Mother." I replied, a little too sharply. "Just let me rest."

    She sighed.

                  "Goodnight, sweetie." Then I hear the muffled sound of her footsteps.

I sighed and lay back down. I twirled the necklace's chain, a habit that I do when I'm worried. Thoughts swirled around in my head, and each one just added to my anxiety.

           The actual process of finding one's Half was simple. Each and everyone of us is given a necklace at birth. Later on, our Halving Days(what we Lornians call our days of birth) from the ages of thirteen to sixteen are a days we can find our Halves. Our necklaces would indicate where, or who our soulmate is. However, there are always an unlucky few who never even get the slightest hint of who their Half is by their sixteenth Halving Day. And those people are known as the Outsiders.

          Because where I lived, not finding your Half means you're an Outsider. An Outsider, to explain shortly, is the black sheep of our society. Being an Outsider means no friends, no family, no Half....nothing. They become the scum of the village and are the ones who take on the worst jobs. I had other nightmares then the other one I just had: one where I become an Outsider. And unforntunately, that nightmare was slowly starting to become a gruesome reality.

        I took a deep breath, running a hand through my tangled, matted hair. Tomorrow would be fine. I shoved my feelings of insecurity away, and calm myself. I thought of how life will be with my Half. We' would have our wedding by the lake, and our cottage be by ocean, and then we...

            My weary mind finally succumbs to sleep, and that horrible dream started once again.