The Twenty Five Percent Rayanna

Life Partners

       I open my eyes and stretch. This was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. I look down and see I'm wearing a white, cotton type, nightgown. So, I'm still in the dream, or maybe the world with Wolfe and Lou is the dream. I feel so well rested, so this has to be reality. Disappointment fills my body. It was so nice thinking that Wolfe was alive, with a family of his own. I climb out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. As I splash cool water onto my face, everything comes back to me, I remember Carina, the recovery room, everything. Staring into the mirror I can see exhaustion, not the kind that comes from lack of sleep. But the kind that makes your soul weary. I clean my hands and face and make my way to the kitchen area. Stuck to the door of the refrigerator is a piece of paper. What in the world is that? Who left it here? I pick up the piece of paper to read it. It appears to be a schedule. My entire day seems to be planned out for me. Great. How is this supposed to be any better than a jail cell?

        I run my finger down the schedule, reading each class name and then going back and checking the times they start. "Welcome to Paridon, starts at eight am." I glance over to the clock on the stove; it reads 8:30. "Oops, I missed that class. Let's see, the next class is Introduction to Rojus and that starts in thirty minutes. Guess I better go. I really don't want to find out what happens if I skip classes." My mind flashes back to Carina questioning whether or not it was a good idea for us to go with Altair. The anger in his face was palpable. He was ready to leave her there for the Ghemin to decide her fate. Not sure he's a guy I want to anger. I take the paper with me, to the bedroom, and open the dresser. White shirts in one drawer, white skirts in another. Of course. I roll my eyes and then quickly dress, shoving the schedule into one of the pockets, and then race out the door.

         Once I am downstairs, in the lobby area, I just pause and look around. Where exactly am I supposed to go? Off to the left, I spot a doorway, from where I am standing, I can't see what lies beyond. I wonder if that's where I am supposed to be? Should I go in there? Why not? It doesn't hurt to give it a try. I walk through the doorway and recognize the room that Altair had brought me through, yesterday. Off to my right, is a group of women, some sitting and some standing. Looks to be about twelve women, including myself. Well, that's odd. I don't remember seeing anyone but Carina and myself when we first got here. Standing off to the side, I see a young woman with yellow skin and black hair. That's new, I've never seen anyone look like that before. Her skin is such a dark shade of yellow.

         "Alright, ladies, I need you to come over here, so we can begin." Says the woman who introduced herself as Harmony.

        I follow everyone else over to Harmony, and we form a circle around her.

           "Now that everyone is here," she says, looking over at me, "I am going to assign your life partner. Whoever I place you with is who you will be responsible for, whether or not you choose to marry. You might be asking yourself, what is a life partner? Just think of your life partner as your best friend. Let me explain. Paridon, and Rojus are dangerous places, you could be torn apart by wild beasts, killed by a murderous rogue, bitten by a poisonous creature, drown, you get the point. Your life partner is just that, a partner that could very well save your life. You may be asking yourself, why do I need a life partner when I marry? The answer is that the city and the planet do not become less dangerous just because you are married. 

       Your future husband will have a job, and unless you plan on staying in the house all day, you will still need your life partner so you can go out. I know I just gave you a lot of information all at once, but here is the thing I want you to remember. You are absolutely NOT, to go out alone. Doing so carries the severest of punishments. If you are caught breaking this rule or any of the others, you will have to endure The Cleansing." she says putting emphasis on The Cleansing. "It's not worth it, folks. Do. Not. Risk. It! Now that all of you understand the importance of a life partner, it's time to start assigning them. When I call out your name, I want you to go and wait by the door. You may silently talk with your partner, but I need you to be quiet so everyone else can hear their name being called. Orlea and Adela. Martza and Ebony. Carina and Gelyan."

        I watch as Carina and another girl get up and walk over to the door. The other girl, Geylan, narrows her green eyes at me, before flipping her black hair behind her shoulders and turning towards Carina. What's her problem? Wait, I think she is the same girl who looked angry, yesterday when I came in with Altair. Am I just being paranoid? Or does she have a thing going with Altair?

      "Eula and Iva. Marisol and Laurel. Katrina and Rayanna."

         I am so deep in thought, that I miss my name being called.

         "Rayanna? Did you hear me? Rayanna."

          "Oh, sorry," I say and sheepishly walk to my place in line.

          "Are you okay?" asks the girl in front of me.

          "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking. That's all."

          "My name is Katrina. Just call me Kat."

            "Rayanna." I say, looking away from Geylan. That's when I notice that my life partner is different than any other person I've ever met in my entire life. She looks like a normal human, but she has dark yellow skin and coal black hair.

        "Copaie."

         "I'm sorry?" I say, blinking and looking away.

          "My race. I'm a Copaie. You must have been wondering because you were staring."

           "Sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude; I've just never seen anything other than humans before."

          She gives me a funny look before saying, "No problem. I'm used to it by now. Usually, the funny looks are because people are casting judgment on me. It's refreshing that the funny look is because you are seeing a new race. It means you haven't already made up your mind about me."

           "I take it, people never have anything nice to say?"

          "That's the understatement of the year," Katrina says.

           "So, your name is Katrina?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

           "Yes, but you can call me Kat. And your name is Rayanna? Any nicknames?"

          "Yes, my brother always called me Rain."

             "Alright, ladies, follow me, and remember to stay with your life partner." Harmony says before walking out the door.

           I turn and start to follow but Kat grabs my arm.

           "Wait a moment." She says, "We need to discuss a few things."

           "Like what?" I ask, as I watch the last female leave the room.

            "Okay, come on. We don't want to be too far behind, or someone will get suspicious." She says, letting go of my arm and following the others.

             "Suspicious of what?" I ask.

          "Hush." She whispers. "I've noticed, since you have arrived, you seem to have caught the attention of Altair. Am I right?"

            "I don't think so. He's just shown me around, and we had a picnic dinner while we were out. Just friendly stuff."

            "That's a whole lot friendlier than he has been to anyone else. No one else has gotten as much attention, from Altair, as you have. It's usually just a brief introduction from Kyra or Harmony and a head nod from him. I think he has his eye on you."

        "What do you mean? He thinks I'm trouble or something?"

           "Quite the opposite, I think he wants to make you, his wife."

            "No, you must be mistaken. He told me to focus on getting acclimated to my new life and to not worry about men or marriage."

          "Either way, I'm sure we can work that to our advantage." She says with a shrug.