The Divided

Chapter 2

The cold air bites at my face. Snow drifts off the top of a huge bank. The snow is taller than me and I am 5'9. I can barely even see our residence sign. When the snow was lower I could. It sits just in front of our house below the window.

15012 Brooks way. House of Albert and Mara Callahan. Charlie Callahan paired. Sophi Callahan underaged.

That will change this year. Charlie will be married and move out and I will be paired. Only the ends of our names are visible now.

I gather a ball of snow in my hand and head down the street. People on snowmobiles ride by quickly, kicking up snow that lands on me. I guess it doesn't matter, my dad says that one day I won't even feel the cold anymore. The idea of it strange. If our people have been here for so long then why aren't we born immune? It is so hard to find out history here.

Long thick patches of ice cover the sidewalk. I can only imagine what it would be like to have shoes that have no grip like ours do. We would slip and fall all the time I guess. I come up on Ricy's house. The lights are all on, I can see their family sitting together at the table. Their sign is buried too.

15019 Brooks way. His parents. Ricy Mesler underaged. Pheobe Mesler underaged.

Their house looks just like ours on the outside. I knock on the frost bitten door and little flakes stick to my knuckles. I hear pounding footsteps approaching the door. Pheobe pulls the door open. Cutest kid ever.

"Ricy! Your girlfriend is here!" She runs from the door giggling.

I hear Ricy shout from inside the house. "Pheobe, Shut up!" He comes running up to the door. "Just ignore her. She is only six you know." I nod. he smiles slightly then backs up realizing he stood closer than he should. He opens his mouth to speak but stops.

"I'm going to get Bronte and go to the Hop, want to come?" I roll the snowball in my hands and water begins to drip down my sleeve. He hesitates for a moment as if her was caught in a trance.

"Uh--Yeah sounds great." He stands in the doorway watching me. ""Oh, come in while I get my coat." He holds out his arm to should me the way inside, I can't help but laugh.

"Why thank you kind sir." I chuckle. He laughs and leaves to get his jacket. I have stood in the coat room many times. The deep red walls and gold accents around the wooden frames are familiar. The walls are covered in family photos. I always find myslef looking a the same one every time. In the corner across the hall, in a little frame is a picture of Ricy and I. I was early June and it had just snowed that morning. We spent our day at the park, we went sledding and had snowball fights. It was like a fantasy and weird to think it was real. In the photo we had our arms wrapped around each other and had snow burrowed in our hair. Our noses were red and numb. I remember that we would see who could squeeze the other one tighter and I was squinting my eyes and laughing. Ricy stared right at the camera with a smile. We were only five, which is the only reason they can have that picture.

"Why do you always look at that one?" Ricy's voice makes me jump. I have left the door way and was now standing directly in front of the frame. I find myself smiling.

"I don't know. I was all just so easy." I turn around and he is right next to me, out coats inches apart. I step back about a foot.

"Yeah. Just think, only a few more months." He pauses and raises his hands near his face and shakes them. "Then we can 'touch' people all be want." We both laugh, yet the thought frightens me. The laws here are stupid. We can't come in contact with anyone of the opposite sex from ages 6-17. I can't even imagine who my pair will be.