My future is up to me, my actions in the tests will determine everything. Tomorrow, I will have my test, the examination that is to figure out who my suitor will be. The information from tomorrow will match me with someone with similar interests or results, someone they think I will be happy with. Happy. The word sounded weird on my lips.
I am Cecily Matthews, I am seventeen tomorrow, which is the age that The Crowd will find a suitor for me.
We live in a time where The Crowd control our lives, who we marry, where we work, what we eat on a daily basis, what we wear, when we die. But it’s okay. The Crowd is an organization, they want better living, they have been helping us for a hundred and thirty years. The Crowd are generous and they are noble. We are taught to be appreciative for what we are given. But do I want this? Do i want this life?
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The floor was cold on my bare feet, making me shiver slightly. I looked at myself in the mirror for a few moments; my brown hair was a tangled mess, I tried the best as I could to tame it down with my fingers. But i knew that finger-combing never worked.
I tip toed down the corridor, hoping I wouldn’t wake my parents up. The somber portraits that were lining the corridor, seemed tIt was about one am and I couldn’t sleep, after hours of fidgeting and turning in bed, I decided to go to my younger brother’s room.As I expected, he was still up. Xander’s room was similar to mine but a light shade of blue with almost the exact furniture. Xander was thirteen, soon to be fourteen, with a mop of sandy blonde hair; he stood out of the family. My parents and I all had brown hair and hazel eyes, whereas he had blonde and blue eyes, but he didn’t seem to mind. Xander loved the thought that he was different and unique. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, engrossed in his book. Xander was like that, you always see him with a book in hand, or some sort of dictionary, he also enjoyed reading dictionaries. I entered the room and was instantly hit by the smell of mint and cologne. His head popped up and his face relaxed instantly when he realised it was me.
“Hey.” I whispered, coming to sit on the edge of his bed.
“Still awake? It’s late.” He said, smiling.
“Well, I am older and I could say the same to you.” I laughed. Xander grinned, and took his glasses off.
“Excited for tomorrow?” He asked.
“Yes. Sort of.” This was the evident truth. I was afraid mostly; waiting to know how you will live for your entire life was scary and made me uneasy. Nausea filled my stomach; I couldn’t shake off the feeling no matter how hard I tried. I was on edge and it clearly showed in my expression.
“It will be fine, Ceci. Just do well in the test and you will be all right.” He hugged me tightly, in these moments I thought I should be the one comforting him; he sometimes acted like he was the older brother. Like I wasn’t fulfilling my role.
“You can stay here with me if you can’t sleep.” I nodded. And as soon as my head hit the pillow, all worry was gone and I felt fine. I let the dreams whisk me away, and I let the darkness embrace me. And I slept.
