The Only One For Me

The Number Choosing

POV Emma

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I keep telling myself this to try to calm my heart rate, which I bet somebody could hear if they were 5 miles away. I see numbers fly past as I peer through the tinted glass window of the limousine and I can't help but think of my number.

We are in the city now; tall buildings blur across my vision. It's so different from my house in the suburbs. My house number was 234, so I've decided to choose that number as MY number.

Even so, I can't help but feel that this number is not right. Indecision creeps up into my brain, and I have to force out as I remind myself, it's only a number.

A number that will decide my fate.

The train stops, and I follow the other girls off of it. I don't know where I'm going, so I just follow the rest of the group.

We walk along the side walk, and you can feel the nervous energy radiating off of us. I look around. There are adults walking across streets, into buildings, and driving cars.

Except, it's not just women. There are men here, too. They have such short hair. And what is that... that fur on that man's face? And why is there so much hair on their legs? It's so different from us, and yet... the same.

I don't notice that the group has stopped, and I run into the girl in front of me. She turns around and glares at me. I smile sheepishly and move away from her.

I look up at the huge building in front of us. It's huge and ornately carved. City Hall. I take a deep breath in and follow the group up the steps. A woman with blonde hair sits at a desk. When she sees our huge group she smiles knowingly and points to the left.

We pass a staircase and I wonder what is going on down there. We pass some number of doors before turning into a large open room. There are lots of chairs set in rows and girls begin to take their seats by their friends.

I sigh. I've never really had any true friends. Finally I decide to sit in the last row. One other girl is also back here, and I sit a few seats away from her.

She is dressed in the same clothes that the rest of us wear: a white blouse with a navy skirt. After our marriage we are allowed the freedom to wear whatever we want.

She's really pretty, with wavy blond hair and flawless skin. I can't help but compare myself to her. She seems like everything I'm not.

Uh oh. I think. She noticed me staring. She scoots over the few seats between us.

"Hi! I'm Brooke." She says.

"Hi." I say in a small voice. "I- I'm Emma."

"Nice to meet you, Emma. Aren't you excited for the choosing? I'm almost dying! I can't wait!" Brooke smiles at me.

I'm kind of liking this girl. She's like my complete opposite. "I guess I'm a little nervous." I reply.

"Oh, don't be. What's there to be nervous about?" Brooke reasons.

"Well, we're, um, kind of choosing the person that we're spending the rest of our life with." I say.

"Not exactly." She says. "You see, we are only choosing a number. The person that number corresponds with and whether that person chooses you is out of our control."

She's got a point, I think. "Yeah," I say, "I suppose that's true."

"Do you still feel nervous? Brooke asks.

"Not as much." I smile gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem."

All of a sudden, a woman with a tight French twist in her hair comes out of a door I didn't notice before. She's holding a clipboard.

"Today is a great day." She says. "It is a day you will remember for the rest of your life. Today is your Number Choosing Ceremony." She looks at us expectantly. One person starts clapping and we all join in until the French twist lady smiles approvingly.

Then she holds her hands out to quiet us. "You," she points at the girl on the end of the first row. The girl looks up nervously. "You will lead the group to the Ceremony." She then turns to address the rest of us. "Please stand and follow this young lady in an orderly fashion."

French twist lady then speaks to the poor girl in the front row separately.

Brooke takes this opportunity to whisper, "Ooh, I can't wait!" I smile back at her.

Then all the girls start filing out of the room through the door French twist lady came through. Because we were in the last row, Brooke and I are the last people into the room.

As each girl walks in, you can here the wows and oohs and ahhs. Brooke and I strain our heads but we can't see anything until finally we push our way through.

"Wow," Brooke whispers quietly. The room is huge, with high ceilings, and the walls are ornately carved out of gold and cream marble. Huge columns rise on either side of us made out of the same marble as the walls.

There is a magnificent staircase in the center of the room, and at the top a small landing. The staircase has a red velvety carpet running up it, and on the landing is an intricately carved table with a silvery white bowl on top.

I'm speechless, and when I turn to Brooke she seems to be the same way. Her jaw drops as the takes in the room and her eyes glaze over in amazement.

I feel the same way. This is so drastically different from anything we've ever seen before. The only places I've ever been really are my house and school.

A man with that... fur stuff on his face steps out onto the landing.

My first thought is, isn't that itchy?

He has a dark, almost sinister looking gray suit on. "Welcome girls," his voice is cold, and he has a small smile on his face that doesn't reach his eyes.

The Assiliant.

"I am going to call you up by name, and when you come up you will tell me your number."

"Mines 157. What's yours?" Brooke whispers on my ear.

"It's..." 234 I think. I already decided this. So why do I feel so hesitant?

"It's 234." I say.

"Are you sure? Because you sound like you're trying to convince yourself."

Am I? I was so confident on the train but now... I'm so confused! I know this shouldn't be so important, but for some reason it is.

"Yeah. I'm sure." I say, trying to sound confident.

The Assiliant starts calling names in alphabetical order.

"Abigail Arnold,"

"Julia Avery,"

And so on, until Brooke is called.

"Wish me luck!" She whispers.

I give her a reassuring smile.

After about thirty girls later, I hear the Assiliant call out my name.

Oh god. I take a deep breath and make my way towards the staircase.

The Assiliant is taller then me, and he looks down at me condescendingly. He knows that he's creeping me out, and it seems like he's enjoying it.

"What is you're number?" He asks.

"I- It's...."

~§~§~§~

Hi!
I'm doing Drew's number ceremony next chapter.

Love,
Ashley 😘
P.S. Pic of Brooke on the side.