Countdown To Love

Perfect

Standing in the middle of a park at 5 AM is probably not the best idea. But our small town in what the ancients called England has seen stranger, much stranger. Anyway, I remember the moment clearly as ever.

2 AM. My eyes blink open and I call out to my mother, as I've been doing for as long as I can remember. Whenever I woke up, from a bad dream, or just at random times, my voice could be heard throughout the house. I felt weird, like I was being pulled out of bed towards the door, then I had a strange image of a park in my mind.

She came in, dressed in her robe. When I told her what happened, her eyes lit up. She excitedly grabbed my hand and turned it palm-up. 00d 03h 07m 16s. Mom cried out, frustrated. She couldn't believe I only had 3 hours to get ready for this! Pulling me out of bed, Mom grabbed a dress and a whole lot of makeup. In less than an hour, she declared me soulmate-ready. But it's all a bit much for me.

We get the bands when we're born. I mean, they're technically not wristbands, but that's the easiest way to describe them. They're like tattoos, that change; they tick down. It looks like a tattoo, but it just counts down the hours. I remember wondering what he'll be like. Tall and strong, thin and shy?

It's possible that I've already met him, too. There's a certain time when our body is preparing itself for a soulmate, so if we'd known them since we were 6 years old, we wouldn't know for a while. The youngest Match in our town was 15 years.

I check my wrist again. Only 5 seconds since I last checked it. I'm so scared for this; I mean, I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, right here, right now. Tugging at the bottom of my dress, I really wish Mom hadn't made me wear it. I look like I'm off to a wedding photo shoot, as a bridesmaid or something.

Shouldn't he see me first at my best, as me? Messy bun, over sized sweatshirt, jeans, converse? But it doesn't matter. He'll love me anyway. That's what Mom says. Checking my wrist again, I see:

00d 00h 00m 12s. Too early. I can't do this. Yes I can. No I can't. I'm only 17. Today, in about 10 seconds, I meet my soulmate. The person I was born to love. The other half of my heart. The missing puzzle piece. I can only hope that my relationship is just as perfect as my parents'.

00d 00h 00m 02s. 1. 0. My wrist starts beeping and I look around the park for anyone else. I feel a tap on my shoulder. A tall man, maybe 20, in a long over coat and a purple scarf looks down at my small frame with a smile. "Well, hello, love. S'pose we're soulmates then, yeah?"