The Words

Chapter 1

200 years later...

I stare at the stars above me, zoning out the cheers and partying from the drunk teenagers downstairs. We've finally made it through twelve years of rigorous education to be considered free. Well, at least that's what everyone else thinks.

Me?

No, I believe my freedom is about to end. When the clock strikes midnight, I will turn eighteen. And when I turn eighteen, I will receive my Words. They used to be the first words our soulmate would ever say to us, but then names and initials were thrown into the mix. I guess our Saviors wanted to have some fun. My real question is why they thought making my eighteenth birthday on the day of graduation was a good idea. My graduation is meant to be a celebration, a moment for me to transition into adulthood, but getting my Words is no celebration to me.  I'll spend the whole day sulking. 

So here I am, sitting on the roof outside one of my classmate's bedrooms when I should really be partying like a normal person. But I'd be a fool to admit that I was normal. I'm far from normal. While everyone else anticipates marrying their soulmate and starting adulthood, I'm stuck waiting for my future to be decided for me. 

For as long as I can remember, all I've ever wanted was to run away, to live a life that I controlled. When I was a little girl, I used to dream about a world that didn't have Words, a world where we took a risk and had the freedom to choose who we wanted to love. But thinking like that is pointless, and very dangerous. Tomorrow I will be like every other eighteen-year-old: bound to my future soulmate.

The thought sickens me.

I sigh, accepting the fact that there's nothing I can do to make time move slower or to prevent me from getting my Words. I'm doomed to fate.

"There you are," says my friend Katie, sticking her head out the window. "How did you get out there?"

"I crawled," I say as I roll my eyes, turning to face her. Katie's bright blue eyes glisten in the moonlight and her strawberry blonde hair blows in her face with a gust of wind. She quickly brushes the hair off of her face and looks at me. 

"Well get back inside," she whines. "You look like a lonely loser. Plus, it's our last night as twelve years, and you haven't even had a drink yet."

Katie has been my best friend since first year - the year we met. We've done everything together, and she always pushes me to have fun. She has always been the outgoing one, the girl who loves to makes friends and catches everyone's attention. She's always dragging me out of my corner to join the fun. I mouth the word fine to her for this very reason. She's always having to babysit me, and I don't want her to not have fun at this party because of me. I slide back in through the window, and Katie smiles in response, her bright blue eyes shining in the moonlight again.

"That's my girl."

We walk out of the bedroom and into a hallway where at least a half dozen couples are making out. I roll my eyes. They're all soulmates. Eventually, we make our way downstairs where a large group of twelve years is dancing in the middle of the living room, grinding on each other and holding up cups of god knows what. The stench of alcohol and sweat is beginning to make me gag.

"Come on, Alaska. Loosen up," Katie yells over the music. She pulls me into the dancing mob and shoves a cup into my hand.

"Drink," she commands.

I obey and take a swig, letting the alcohol burn its way down my throat. It tastes like it always does to me: disgusting. We spend the next few moments dancing. Correction: Katie dances, but I just stand in the middle of the mob. I feel someone bump into me, and a guy with sweaty black hair meets my eyes. He smiles and begins to dance on me. Immediately I push him off, and he staggers back, collapsing into a reclining chair where a girl is currently sitting. When he sees where he's landed, his anger turns back into a smile. I roll my eyes.

"I think I'm gonna go home," I yell to Katie, putting the cup back into her hand.

"Already?" she whines. "Come on Alaska. We're supposed to be having fun!"

My face remains unconcerned and annoyed. "This isn't my idea of fun."

"Why not?" She whines. The doom of my Words is too much to allow me to have fun. Midnight is quickly approaching, and I don't want to be around a bunch of sweaty teenagers when I get them. 

"Because I need to be home by midnight," I whisper. 

Katie's face lights up, and I immediately want to take those words back. Katie's eighteenth birthday isn't for another month and a half, so she's more excited about me getting my Words than I am. She's even been trying to guess who I'll end up with for the past six months. 

"Oh my god I totally forgot!" She shrieks. "Go, go home! But you better text me as soon as you get them, okay?"

I roll my eyes. "Yea, okay."

Katie shrieks again and gives me a giant hug, almost spilling alcohol down my shirt. I wave goodbye and make my way outside through sweaty, drunk teenagers. Grabbing my longboard, I begin to ride down the street, letting the wind blow through my long dirty blonde hair and trail over my face. It makes me feel alive.

I skip my house and continue down the street until I  come to a dead end. I hop off my board and walk towards a culdesac of abandoned houses. They're not dirty and falling apart, just waiting for a newly married Soulmate couple to move in. Placing my board under my arm, I walk towards the house on the far right, my favorite house. The exterior is a clean white with stones covering the front. Symmetrically placed greenery and flowers cover the front yard in a warm and inviting way. It's a one-story home with an open floor plan: my dream home. This is the place I come to when I need to be alone, a place I can think.

I open the gate to the backyard and walk through. Willow trees line the perimeter of the white fence, creating a canopy over me, but not enough to cover the stars. It's quiet here, peaceful and serene, and I can't help but smile.

I never smile except for when I'm here.