Lotus Lines

Exception

Being a light sleeper means I wake up with the sun. It's warm rays pass over my eyes as they flicker awake. I sit up and realize I'm no longer in my old bunk. I look down and seen Gideon fast asleep on the floor. I study his face, memorizing all the details. His nose was actually quite round and soft. It fit well. His messy hair covered his forehead. His arms were spread out. I look down and notice some sort of lump in the blanket. The placing was odd but maybe its just his bones. I poke it. Yep. Stiff as a bone.

Luckily, Gideon appears to be a heavy sleeper, so I have no trouble sneaking out of bed and getting dressed. I unpack the rest of my clothes and belongings, brush my teeth, and wash my face. I bend down next to Gideon and reach my hand out. I brush my hand along his face, tracing my fingers along his jawline.
What am I doing? This is so weird and way over boundaries.
Gideon's eyes flicker and I pull my hand away quickly.
"Uh-good morning." He smacked his mouth and rubbed his eyes.
"Morning." Sitting up, he quickly covered his legs, including his extra bone.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's nothing." He stood up, wrapping his blanket around himself. I giggle. "What?"
"You look funny, like a nun of some sort. It's cute." His face was flushed and he looked away.
"Yeah." Gideon quickly grabbed his clothes and sped into the bathroom.

Today is our first training day, which means we're required to wear new suits, only during training though. They're tight compared to our last ones, which were loose and comfy. I feel exposed in these, I find myself trying to conceal as much as I can.

"Today is the start of your training, as you know. We will be learning the basic positions and techniques, however we will not be practicing them of course.
Any questions before we begin?" I raise my hand. "Ida."
"I have a few questions concerning Gideon and my living arrangements." The Bud looked down at her screen and tapped a few times. Like the doctor who tested me, her eyes widen.
"I'll explain after class. Alright. Everyone pay attention." My mind filled with different thoughts.
What does she mean?
Why did she make the same face as the doctor?
Maybe she realized there was a mistake...
I felt a small pinch on my arm,
"Pay attention. I don't want to explain all this to you later on." Gideon whispered. I nodded and focused on the Bud's words.

———

Once class was over I stood up and made my way to the bud.
"Come with me, you might want to hear this." I told Gideon. He sighed and followed along.
"Excuse me?"
"Hello Ida, Gideon."
"Hi, uh, what do we call you?"
"Although Papa Bud prefers you refer to me as Bud 09, you can call me Mrs. C."
"Uhm, okay. I was wondering if you'd be able to answer some of our questions." We sat down on a bench as she cleaned up her space.
"What's with me and Gideon's living arrangements? Was there a mistake?"
"You're an exception."
"Why are we an exception?"
Mrs. C hesitated and began.
"You and Gideon achieved an incredibly high compatibility percentage. 98.4% to be exact." My heart began to quicken. I noticed Gideon bouncing his knee. "Which means if you two form a strong bond, together you can become one of the strongest Lotus Soldiers known. Stronger than the famous Hilda and Peter duo. Their compatibility was 91% and look at what they achieved."
"That doesn't explain why other pairs have more personal space."
Mrs. C sighed.
"There have been pairings with such strong potential that don't end up being all they can. Some are stubborn and refuse to speak to one another unless it's during training. Without a bond there is no Lotus. It's a waste of a bond. These more confined living conditions make it so you have to spend time with your partner."
Why do they get to decide all this? I want to speak out and ask but Gideon's stands and says,
"Thank you, Bud 09, that is all. Let's go." He grabs my hand and pulls me away.
"Why'd you do that?"
"I know you were going to keep talking and we've already gotten our needed information. There's no need to continue asking."