Starbound

5 - Paired

Charlotte

'Zachary Oscove and Charlotte Desquita,' the woman who brought us here calls. My ears perk at the sound of my name after another's. Finally I have been given my Pair, something I've been looking forward to for a very long time. Zachary Oscove, I memorise his name as I begin to scan the group, searching for him. But all I can see are the happy Pairs and people still waiting to be Paired. My heart begins to sink, why isn't my Pair here? Then movement out the corner of my eyes causes me to turn my head. A boy stands a little way from the rest of the group, leaning against a wall. His skin is slightly darker than the rest of ours, evidently he works closer to the sun than the rest of us, maybe a farmer? His soft brown hair flops across his forehead, almost covering his beautiful brown eyes that stare ahead. He's the boy who arrived with the LOE in room 0890. I take a step closer, away from the group and towards him. Is he my Pair? Is he Zachary Oscove? His eyes flick to mine, noticing my movement and he pushes off the wall as I approach.

'You must be Charlotte,' he says, his tone not giving away how he feels. I look down at my feet, fingers fiddling with the hem of my grey t-shirt as I nod. Isn't he looking forward to the journey ahead? Unlike everyone else in the room, he doesn't seem to be bubbling with excitement. In fact, he looks rather disinterested in the whole idea of space travel and the quest for a new home. I glance up at him only to find his brown eyes staring at me, his boredom written clearly across his face. I bite my bottom lip nervously, unsure of what to say.

'You're Zachary, right?' I ask, regretting speaking at all when his jaw clenches. What did I do? I didn't say anything wrong, did I? I begin to panic, mind racing to figure out how to fix the situation.

'Just Zach,' he grinds out before adding, 'please.' I almost slump in relief, feeling every muscle in my body relax. He just doesn't like the use of his full name, that's all. I am trying to think of something else to say when he speaks again. 'Don't bother trying to start a conversation, I'm not in the mood for talking at the moment.' I nod, looking back down at my feet. I'm beginning to feel very awkward, my initial excitement at finding my Pair long gone. A silence settles over us, despite the noise of the group behind me. Thankfully, the woman comes to my rescues, clear her throats loudly to gain everyone's attention. I turn around to look at her while she speaks, trying to forget about the boy who is now standing behind me.

'Congratulations, Pairs,' she says, projecting her voice to the back where we stand. 'If there are any questions, please come to me. If not, the doors in this hall have lists taped to them saying who will be staying in that room. Please go find your dorms.'

'We stay with our Pairs, right? We're not split up?' Someone calls out before the group can scatter.

The woman's eyes search for the person, smiling when her gaze lands upon them. It's a fake smile, I can tell that from here, but a smile all the same. 'Yes, you and your Pair will be in the same dorm with other Pairs,' she confirms. I internally sigh, both wishing that we weren't with our Pairs and that I had another Pair. I can see many of the Pairs cheering at this news while others simply shrug and walk off to find their dorm. I turn back to Zach only to see that he's already walking away. I hurry after him, wondering if this is what it's going to be like for the entire time that we are Paired. He's just too brooding for me while I am more social. How will I survive on a spaceship with him? Once I catch up with him, I follow silently behind him until we reach a white door at the other end of the hall. I quickly scan the list taped to it, finding our names seconds before he opens the door and walks inside. Stepping in behind him, I glance around the room. It's covered in white and filled with half a dozen beds. One bed appears to have already been used, the covers are rumpled and the pillow isn't perfectly centred like the others. Zach walks towards this bed and lies down on it, staring up at the ceiling. I stand in the middle of the room awkwardly until another Pair waltzes in.

'Hello roommates!' A raven-haired girl sings as she walks into the room, approaching me. She wraps her arms around me, squeezing tightly for a moment before letting go. 'I'm Aliyah and this is Jordan,' she says, pointing to her auburn-haired companion. I smile at them, holding my hand out.

'Charlotte,' I say, shaking their hands in turn just as another Pair enters the room. They're twins, that much is evident as they step inside, closing the door behind them. From the way they hold their heads high to their cold grey eyes and silvery hair, the twins are identical in all but gender. The female twin is in the lead, obviously the leader of the two. She stops beside Jordan, examining us closely as if deciding whether or not to turn her nose up at us. But her brother steps forward and whispers something in her ear, causing her to sigh.

'Avril and Callum Opesque,' she introduces them to everyone. 'Try not to bother us with your annoying chatter please. I need my quiet time.' Spinning on her heel, Avril marches over to one of the beds and seats herself on it while Callum trails behind her, sitting on the bed next to hers. Both twins close their eyes and sit, unmoving. I raise an eyebrow at them and turn back to Aliyah who shrugs before choosing her own bed. Jordan goes to choose his too, leaving me with the bed beside Zach's. Kicking my shoes off, I sit cross-legged on the bed, drawing shapes on the covers absentmindedly. Today was supposed to be I if the best days of my life, just like the day I found out I was chosen. Just like that day, I find myself disappointed and feeling lonely instead. How is it that my life has gone so wrong?