Love Blooms

Chapter 1

Zolphie's POV
    I wake with a yawn and stretch my arms sitting up in bed.The sun is pouring in from the opening in the curtains leaving beams of light across the floor. I throw off the bright blue and purple covers and hop out of bed. I open the curtains and look outside smiling. Then comes a knock at the door "Honey are you awake?" My mom asked from the other side. "Yeah Mom I'm awake" I reply as a yawn escapes  my lips. Suddenly the door opens and in walks my mother with a vanilla envelope in her hands "your test results came! Are you excited!" She smiled sitting down on the edge of my bed.
Since the divorce rate skyrocketed in 3000, the government put in place a dividing system. After high school all students must take a test. Those who score closer to 100 points get sent into the academy. And those who score closer 1 get sent to the lab. When people go to the academy they are trained to be dominants. After they graduate from the academy they go get a submissive from the lab to keep as theirs. No one knows what goes on in the lab though. Based on test scores, they are placed into categories and each category turns out different. I'm terrified to get my test results. I don't want to go into either places! I want to stay right here in this house and live a normal life.
My mother scored a 13 when she took it and off to the lab she went. I don't want to be sent there, no one knows what goes on all I know they come out of there different. My mother was turned into a slave, later she was picked to give up that lifestyle and have a child. me.
The feeling of paper in my hands brought me out of my thoughts "go ahead, open it and see!" She said excitedly. I nod and took a deep breath. The contents of this envelope tell me my future and frankly I was scared to death about what it might say. I slowly started to tear open the letter and pulled out the cream colored paper. It had a red official government stamp at the top.

TEST RESULTS FOR ZOLPHIE ANNA PRITCHARD

Ms. Pritchard has scored 6 out 100 on division test number: 27H492DG8

LAB DEPARTURE DATE: 7/14/3089

CATEGORY: LG/BG

LAB TIME: 7/15/3089 to 11/8/3089

    That's the day after tomorrow! I angrily throw the letter on the ground. I refuse to go! "Honey...it isn't that bad. It's who you are meant to be! You should be excited taking after your aunt!" my mom smiled and patted my leg. My Aunt Louise was placed in the same category as me while my mother got placed in the M group. "Breakfast is almost ready" she said standing up and smoothly walked out of my room. As soon as the door closes I pick up one of my pillows and scream into it. There is no way in hell I am going to that stupid lab!. After my mini melt-down I finally decide to get up and pick out my outfit for the day which consists of a blue skirt and a white and pink flower top with white knee socks and white flats. Picking up my pile of clothes, I head off to the bathroom to shower.
I step out of the shower and quickly dry putting on my outfit for the day. I hang up my fluffy purple towel on the hook and sit down on my bed to brush out my long wet blonde hair and place it in two neat pigtails with white bows. Once satisfied,Ii place the brush back in the drawer in the bathroom smiling as I make my way down the stairs to the kitchen where my father sat drinking his coffee and reading the daily newspaper. "Goodmorning sweetheart, I hear your test results say you are going to be a little or a baby girl! congratulations!" My father beamed as I sat down across from him at the table. "Yeah I guess.." I sighed as a plate with two fluffy pancakes were placed in front me. "Cheer up honey, I know it seems scary right now but you'll learn to enjoy it then when your stay is over  you'll find the person for you just like I found your father" my mom smiles sitting down next to me to eat. "Your mother is right Zolph, this is who you are meant to be. Those tests never lie, and soon you will find the man best fit for you" my father said smiling before he goes back to reading the paper.
    I nod and scarf down my pancakes. After I place my dishes in the sink, I race up to my room and grab my phone and earbuds. Well if today is one of my last days here I guess I should make the most of it. I grab my bag of art supplies I got last year for my birthday and return down the stairs to the kitchen. "Can I go to the park mom? I promise I'll get my chores done later" I ask grabbing a banana from the bowl on the counter. "Oh, I guess so... only because you are leaving us soon. Don't worry about the chores sweetheart, enjoy your last two days! I'll just make your father pick up the slack around here then" She replies smiling. "Hey! I'm no slave! Men don't do chores" my father pouts folding up the newspaper and placing it on the table. "Well you do now" I laugh and place my old sneakers on my feet before taking my leave and starting my journey down the street to the park.  The park is like my second home, I love sitting and admiring the flowers in the summer just as much as I love playing in the snow in the winter. I don't know what I'm going to do without this place. I smile walking through the gates and wave at a few girls I've seen around school a few times. Friends weren't really ever my thing, I'd rather curl up with my sketch book than go out with friends or have sleepovers.
I continue my walk through the park until I come upon the duck pond that sits in the center of the open space of the park. Benches and picnic blankets packed with people litter the shores around it as it was a pretty nice day to be in the park. Finally, I come to my favorite spot in the park. The old willow tree on the edge of the surrounding woods. Ever since I was a little girl, I always loved sitting underneath the tree and reading or painting the beautiful flowers. The tree sits in one of the back corners of the park where there isn't much foot traffic making it peaceful and quiet. I open my bag and pull out the small blanket to spread out on the grass under the tree. I sigh as I sit down "I can't believe this is one of the last times I'll get to visit this place. How could this happen? Why is everyone okay with just being ripped away from their families to be placed in a lab where they do god knows what to you and then you get sent off to live with some stranger! It's twisted that's what it is".
I place my bag down at my side and open it up pulling out my sketchbook and pens. I smile I as I flip through the pages of previous work I've done. "What to draw today...hmm" I mumble to myself trying to decide what one of my last pieces should be. My smile grows brighter when I suddenly find inspiration to paint my favorite tree to take with me so I can always remember my favorite place. I start to sketch the basics of the tree with a pencil so I could later go back over it in pen then with watercolor. "There you are! I called your house but your mom said you already left. She said I could probably find you here since you took your art bag with you" Amy, my best friend since kindergarten yelled as she ran up to my blanket under the tree. Amy was always a smaller girl, being only five foot two currently. She was pretty though, her hair always seemed to be flawless no matter the circumstance. "Sorry...I got my letter this morning and it kind of sent me into a fit and I just wanted to get out and clear my head" I smile softly as she sits down next to me looking at my progress on my picture of the tree. "You got your letter! Oh my god Zo what did you get!" she exclaims clapping her hands excitedly. "I scored a ten out of one hundred and I got placed in the LG/BG category whatever that means" I explain and sigh loudly throwing my pencil at the blanket in front of me.
"I'm not sure what that means, I know out of the lab that only middles are allowed to procreate so my parents don't know what it means either. Hopefully my letter comes soon! I don't think I can bare to wait anymore" Amy says before dramatically falling back onto the blanket. She looks up at me and we both burst into laughter as she pulls me down with her. "You are the silliest person in all of existence" I laugh and shove her playfully. Amy scoffs, "I am not! That is so you missy!" she fights to get up first but I pull her back down in order to help myself up. I am definitely going to miss Amy as much as I am going to miss my family. This is my world, my life. "What day are you set to leave?" She suddenly asks getting serious. "I leave the day after tomorrow sadly" I sigh, I don't want to leave my best friend. Amy and I used to have playdates everyday after school all the way up through middle school. High school was a different story, we didn't see each other as much but we never drifted from each other no matter what. "Well, I should head back home. I promised my mom I would go to the store on my way back to get food for dinner since she forgot...again" Amy says as she stands up brushing out the wrinkles in her purple summer dress. "Again? That's the second time this week! I swear we should just stick a notepad on her so she can write everything down so when she forgets she has a written copy then she will hopefully start remembering your birthday" I laugh and stand up to hug her goodbye. "You better tell me as soon as you get your letter missy!" I smile and sit back down on my blanket. "I will! I will! Calm down and draw your tree" she smiles and pats my head before heading off on her way down the pathway. I sit for awhile and watch her go. My smile only grows as I think about all the memories the two of us have shared of the years.
   I sat and went back to my drawing hoping to get the sketching done so I could do the outlining tonight and paint tomorrow before I have to pack to leave... not long after I had finished my sketching did the start to set. I stretch my back before I put my pencils back in my bag with my sketch book. I hang my bag on a low tree branch while I fold up the blanket and place it back in the bag as well. After grabbing my bag, I stand in place admiring the world around me trying to recall all the memories. As the sun sets further down the horizon, the wind starts to blow the trees which brings a small chill to the air. I walk down the pathway and take one last look at my old willow tree before I make my way out of the park. The sidewalk is mostly empty except for the occasional couple or stray person.
    By the time I reach home the sun has fully set leaving just the glow of the street lamps in the darkness. I hop up the front steps and open the cream-colored front door. I leave my beat up white converses neatly by the door and set my bag down. "Honey? Is that you?" my mom causes out peeking her head out of the kitchen. "Yes mom, it's me. Sorry I'm late, I was drawing and I lost track of the time and then Amy showed up and we just got lost in the fun I guess..." I explain as I walk into the kitchen and wash my hands for dinner. "That's alright sweetheart, how was the park? Was it busy?" she asks as she stands in front of the stove stirring the beef in the pan. The kitchen was a decent size, not too big but yet not too small. The color scheme mostly consisted of greys and whites giving the room a more modern appeal. The kitchen will be one of the rooms I will probably forget when I leave due to never being allowed to cook anything in it. Mom was always very protective of her fancy kitchen.
"Dinner is almost ready. Go tell your father for me please?" she asks me. I nod and walk down the hallway to his office and knock on the door gently. A muffled "come in" is heard before I turn the knob and enter. I had only been in the office a handful of times growing up, it was always off limits. "Mom says it's time for dinner" I smile standing in front of his big dark oak desk that sits in the middle of the room. Bookshelves and cabinets line the walls with papers cluttered everywhere. He was always one of the lucky ones to be able to work from home. Since he worked from home he never missed any milestones in my life growing up and I've always been very grateful to that.
"Tell her I will be there in a minute, I just need to finish up this paperwork" he smiles and goes back to his work and I exit the office shutting the door quietly. I make my way back to the kitchen and help carry dishes to the dining room table. "I figured since this is one of your last dinners with us that I would make your favorite foods" my mom smiles warmly as she takes off her apron and sits down at the table. I grab a glass of water and grab my seat at the table when my father walks in sighing. "Tough day of work honey?" my mother asks him as he sits down. "Yes it was, the company isn't doing too well at the moment so everyone is scrambling to get stuff done" he explains.
    After dinner was finished and the table was cleaned up, I made my way up to my room and took my sketchbook out of my bag. I grab my pens and outline the lines of the tree as I turn on some music and hum along with the tunes. Once the outlining was complete, I grab the paints and a brush and start to mix colors to get the perfect shades of green for the leaves. It only takes me twenty minutes to finish painting the whole picture. After the painting is left out to dry, I clean out my brushes and put them away. I sigh and discard my outfit for some comfy green pj pants a pink sleep shirt. I sit down by my window and look out the open window at the stars. "I wonder what the lab will be like.." I mumble to myself. It couldn't be too bad could it? I sat thinking for a while before I close the window and climb up into bed and shut off the light on my bedside table. I try my best to get some much needed rest but my mind kept racing with thoughts of what could happen.