Star Crossed

V

🌊Evian🌊

A week passed and still no soulmate. On the bright side, Aquarius's date with Delta went really well, and they'd scheduled another date for later this week. I was happy for him, but still at my little pity party.

I mean, wasn't I deserving of love, too? It's not like I was ugly. Ocean didn't make any ugly people, and besides, my soulmate wouldn't care about something like that.

I tried to picture her in my mind. Maybe she was fearless, and brave, and everything that I wasn't. Although, I will admit, I could be brave when I needed to be. My soulmate was probably very attractive, and funny, too. But that didn't exactly narrow it down.

"Evian."

Upon hearing my name, I turned to see my crew leader Caspian. As of now, I worked on the beach as a sort of janitor. All I really had to do was pick up trash; and I was hoping for an upgrade.

"Yes, sir?"

"We're transferring you."

I tried to hide my ridiculous smile. "Where to?"

"We have a very important task, actually. Do you know what the messenger does?" he asked.

"Sends messages to the Ocean and the Government?" I guessed, already knowing the answer.

"Correct. Unfortunately, our old messenger...well, he wasn't loyal to the Ocean. He tried to cross the border."

I gasped in shock. No one crossed the border. Ever. It was against the law.

"That's awful," I said.

"It is. The Ocean is looking for a new recruit. Someone who is trustworthy, loyal, and efficient. He thinks you'd be good for the job."

"I-I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes," Caspian suggested with a smile of his own.

"Well yes, I'd he honored!"

"Great. You leave tomorrow. As of today, you are no longer on the beach-cleaning staff."

Caspian left me to go over the conversation in my head. I was going to be the messenger! It was one of the highest-level jobs in all of Ocean! I was beyond thrilled to start my new job. I just knew it would be everything I'd imagined. And who knows? Maybe I'd meet my soulmate on the job.

- - -

"They're recruiting you to the messenger?!" Aquarius exclaimed.

It was after dinner and I was telling my friends about the new job. Already, I was getting excited about all the possibilities.

"That's huge, Evian!" Aqua encouraged.

"Yeah, such an honor," Fen agreed.

"I know... I can't wait."

The next morning, Caspian met me at my house to take me to my new job. "Ready, son?" he said in that fatherly way of his.

"Yes, sir." I almost felt like saluting, but I thought better of it. Didn't want to look like a total dork on my first day.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. The job is at least 100 miles from here. You'll have to get a house in the city."

"Oh." I hadn't known that going in.

"But don't worry," he continued, "the Ocean has already got it covered. You'll be living in the old messenger's house. It's really nice; I think you're gonna like it."

As a matter of fact, I did like the house. It was huge-much bigger than my old one, that's for sure. There was an indoor waterfall from the second floor to the main floor, and the walls were pearly white. Even though it wasn't brand new, it looked that way to me.

"I know you'll want to relax, but you need to meet your new boss first," Caspian told me.

"Okay. Is he...part of the Government?"

"Yes. He's not as important as the Ocean, of course, but he's still pretty high up there. Come with me." He motioned for me to join him in our Case outside.

The Cases were like futuristic vehicles. I'd never seen what a real car looked like, but I'd heard of them. The Case was invented somewhere between 2990 and 3000, and it looked like a giant bubble. But it was strong enough to hold up to four people, and there was a metallic platform for you to stand on inside. It didn't ride on the ground, but rather floated in the air.

I'd only ridden in a Case once or twice, because my family lived right on the beach. We didn't need to drive anywhere, because our jobs were practically in our front yard. And besides, we liked to walk.

We traveled about a mile to the Government building, aka Ocean Headquarters. On the way, Caspian explained to me how I should act in front of these people. I tried to memorize his words, but it was kind of exhausting.

When we got to the building, there were some Government officials waiting for me. They all wanted to shake my hand, and I'd never felt so important or appreciated in my life.

"Evian. We've been expecting you," said a voice from behind the officials.

They parted to reveal a man who looked to be in his late fifties, with graying hair and wrinkles around his eyes. Even with those features, though, he didn't look old. The Ocean had been good to him.

"Hello, sir." I tried to sound mature and brave, but I was freaking out on the inside. This was a leader of Ocean, after all.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," the man continued, shaking my hand.

"Finally meet me...?"

"Yes. We've been watching you since you were very young, and we think you have what it takes to be a messenger."

I was shocked by this news but tried not to show it. "Thank you."

"I hope you like the house. We had our best maids clean it up and make it to your liking."

"Oh yes, it's very nice."

"Good. We'd like to give you a night to rest and get used to the place, but not for long. You'll start work bright and early tomorrow, 6am."

"Sounds good, thank you. Sir," I added quickly.

After that, I was escorted back to my new home. I couldn't believe what was happening-and what I'd heard. The Government was watching me? Did that mean they were watching my friends, too? I didn't know what to think of it all.

So instead of overworking my brain, I decided to get some rest. The bed was huge and it felt like laying on a cloud. Or at least how I imagined what sleeping on a cloud would feel like. Only the people of Air knew that.

Sometimes I wondered about the other Elements. What were they like? Did they get Pills like us? What kind of jobs did they have?

Oh, wait. I was supposed to be sleeping, not thinking. Stupid brain.