The Pairing Test

Chapter 1

Year 2231, 105 years later
Sector 1

I have never known what life could be like outside of Sector 1. My family has lived here for five generations and thanks to the Haven Council, we've never had to live with the stressors that came with life before The Haven was created. No one has ever had to deal with the loss of a relationship, divorce, or the anxiety that comes having to apply to hundreds of jobs. The Haven Council's Occupation Placement Committee are who determine what occupation you'll have for the rest of your life while the Pairing Test is what decides who your life long partner will be. Your life is made easy here. Everyone is happy here. The Haven has saved you from a life that would have been ravaged by the diseased.

Place your trust in the hands of The Haven.

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December 15th, 2231

By the age of 16, everyone is expected to have chosen a specific area to study in school for the next two years before being given their occupation. This is the last year that I'll be in school as I finish up my classes for my biology concentration and if I perform well enough on my exams, hopefully the Council's Occupation Committee will place me in the Biological Determination Program where I can pair others based on their biological compatibility.

"5 minutes left", Mrs. Boyd announces as I continue to glance over all my questions and check my work. I've spent the last 10 days studying for this molecular biology exam and I certainly hope it payed off.

I make my way to the front of the classroom after having reviewed all my answers, confident that I've done well enough to at least get a B on my exam. Shutting the door to the room quietly, my footsteps echo as I begin to walk down the barren hallways of my school towards the front entrance until I hear someone call my name.

"Cassandra!", the voice calls out and I immediately know who it is. I'd know that voice anywhere. It's Avery. She lives three doors down from me and we've been best friends since infancy - her parents often brought her over to my house for playdates when we were babies and we've been friends ever since. Her footsteps hurry as she moves to catch up with me. She slings an arm around my shoulder once she reaches me and we push against one of the double doors to the front exit. The air is frigid as we begin to walk home and there's a slight breeze outside.

"I take it you finished before me?", I ask. She chuckles in response.

"Well, the art examinations aren't exactly long. All they want to do is make sure that we can replicate whatever paintings we're given, but obviously only the best will be chosen to move onto the sector's art department.", replication is important to the Council as many paintings were found damaged, destroyed, or lost in the years of the epidemic. Avery hopes to work as a conservator-restorer, someone who restores artwork, and will go on to restoring the artwork from before The Haven was established.

Avery moves a hand to push her blonde locks out of her face. I've always thought she was prettier than me with her lean frame, sun kissed skin, and hazel eyes. She also has an impeccable sense of fashion which helps. I'm sure any man that she's paired with will be satisfied with her looks. Me, on the other hand, well I've always believed I was fairly average looking with light brown hair, gray eyes, and less than average height. Still, I believe I make up for it in character.

"So," she begins by drawing out the word, "how do you think you did, brainiac?" Brainiac has been her nickname for me ever since I helped her get an A on a history test in the eighth grade. Even though it was only one time, I guess it's pretty fitting seeing as how I've spent most of my life devoted to studying. It's hard not for me to care so much about academics but when it's one of the biggest determining factors in your occupation placement, it's hard to ignore. Then again, there are others who don't care at all and would rather waste their time but it would mean risking a low level occupation like cleaning up trash or working as a maid that won't pay as much. Lower level occupations are also typically given to those who have too many delinquency reports in school. The most desired occupations in my sector typically are in government or the Biological Determination Program which make them the more competitive concentrations.

"Not too bad, at least I wasn't the last to finish. Plus, I think studying about a billion hours helped but we'll see once I get my results in two weeks."

She hums in response before speaking, "I'm sure you did well Cass, you've always done well. Besides, if you end up not placing in the Bio Determination Program you can always spend the rest of your days cleaning my paint brushes at the Art Department.", she jokes and flashes me a grin.

I give her a light hearted laugh but deep down I'm still nervous about the uncertainty of my life over the next couple of weeks. As much as my future occupation placement worries me, the Pairing Test gives me even more anxiety. It was created by the Haven Council as a means to save our dying population in the wake of a viral disease that nearly wiped out humanity and pairs individuals based on their genetic compatibility once they've turned 18. After you're paired, you also receive a report on how many children the Council will require you to have. Once you've passed the three year courting period and gotten married, you must conceive within two years. I worry about what might happen to me if I turn out to be barren. Would the Health Department order me to be cast out from my sector? Killed even? I've never known a couple who was not able to conceive personally but I'm sure they exist and if they do, I've never heard of what happens to them. At least no one is willing to tell me, that is.

I have, however, heard of the rumor that around two percent of those living in Haven sectors end up not getting paired - meaning they have no biological match. But my parents have always told me that it's nothing more than a rumor and that I have nothing to worry about as everyone in my family has been successfully paired for generations. Still, I can't help but feel the sliver of anxiety that's been eating away at me for the past few months as my Pairing Test date fast approaches. Even my pending job placement results can't distract me from that.

We eventually reach our neighborhood. Brownstone buildings flank us on either side of the street and we come to a stop in front of my house.

"Alright, well I'll see you this Sunday, right?", Avery asks. She's referring to the party her family is throwing her before her Pairing Test date which is this Monday. It's supposed to be one last celebration before she's paired and most parents host parties before their child is paired off.

"Yea, I'll be there."

"Great", she grins once more then waves goodbye as she walks further down the street to her house.

I make my way up the steps to the front door and release a breath I didn't realize I was holding before crossing the threshold of my home.

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A/N - Hi! This is my first story, so please be kind lol...that is if anyone ends up reading this. I'm sure there are going to be some grammatical errors but I plan on editing/ rewriting once I finish. Anyways, leave a comment if you think there's anything to improve upon. :)