Reminders (Hamilton - KingBury)

Chapter 2

George Frederick's POV

It's been 24 hours since my last full night of sleep. Truth is, I can't sleep! I'm too excited for the Soulmate Ceremony, also known as the gathering that would change people's lives all across the nation.

When 4:00 AM came, I began to get ready. I wanted to look my best and be my best for the love of my life, after all.

I decided to curl my snow white hair to perfection so it didn't look like an utter mess. Putting on my blood red dress shirt, black bowtie and black dress pants, I smiled into the mirror in front of me. By the time I was done, it was 5:00, which was plenty of time for me to eat the delicious meal my brother probably made. He's the culinary artist of the family.

Making my way down the stairs, I spotted my mother and father sitting on the couch watching the build up to the Ceremony on TV. My heart warmed as I saw them smiling, probably remembering when they found each other.

Mom turned to me. "Oh, good morning Georgie! You look absolutely wonderful, doesn't he, hon?" her slight accent shined through. I smiled at the compliment.

My father looked at me and gave a respecting nod. I nodded as a thanks to him and sat at the marble dining table.

Setting a bowl of fruit salad in front of me, my brother looked me up and down. "Lookin' nice, Georgie. Reminds me of when I was your age."

"We're one year apart, you can't say that." I chuckled. He shrugged as I began to eat the salad, enjoying it dearly.

He gave me a cup of black coffee and 3 pancakes stacked perfectly on top of each other, butter and syrup neatly on top. I ate it rather quickly, as I was extremely excited for later today. Who wouldn't be?

After half an hour of excitedly talking to my parents and brother about the future Mr. or Mrs. Fredrick, we decided to hit the road. The ceremony hall wasn't too far from my house, gladly.

My brother sat next to me in the back seat and looked at me. His eyes traveled to the two little soulmate marks on my neck. The scroll and the crown.

I held my breath a little. He gave me a sympathetic look and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry 'bout your marks, George. You'll meet someone. Everyone does!" he assured me. I gave him a smile and nodded.

I found it ironic, though. He said everyone finds their soulmate, and while that sounds true, it isn't. He never found his soulmate.

"Thank you." I quietly replied as we pulled into the parking lot of the hall. My dad and mom got out with me and walked me up to the building entrance. My brother didn't go, though.

I don't know why he didn't want to go with me. Maybe he didn't want to watch the ceremony because of his past, or maybe he was scared for me.

I shrugged it off and headed inside with my mom and dad, walking up to the desk where a tall, skinny woman sat. She looked slightly familiar.

"Hello, ma'am." my dad said to her. She nodded and looked at us.

"You're here for the ceremony, yes?" she asked, her voice monotone. We all nodded in sync.

She proceded to ask basic questions (y'know, name, school, age, etc.), then instructed me to go into the waiting room. I tried to keep my cool. 

Mom hugged me tightly. "Oh, my little Georgie. You're so grown up, aren't you? It seems like just yesterday you were trying to find a way to fix your little Burger King crown, aww..." she smiled and pulled back from the hug. I rolled my eyes a little.

"Mom, please." I told her. She gave me a toothy grin and stepped aside so my dad could talk to me.

"Son," he began. "When I was your age, I met the love of my life, and I'm confident you will too. Don't let your two marks get you down, kid. You will find someone, I promise." at the end of his mini monologue, tears began to roll down his boney cheeks.

I hugged him tightly. "Thank you, father. Thank you so much." He simply nodded and pulled away.

Without another word, I walked into the waiting room and didn't look back at them. When I shut the door, a few kids looked at me. I recognized a few of them, as I knew them from my school.

A couple kids waved. I returned the gesture, smiling, but took a seat in the left corner of the room silently.

I begin to ponder. I wonder if all of these other kids will find their soulmates, or if any of them have 2 marks like me. I hope the best for all of them, and I hope the best for myself as well.

Let's pray I get the best, though.