(Nick)
After Kateros walks out of the door, I realize how lonely I am when I am in my apartment alone. I am not a very social person, but I had a best friend back home. We would hang out almost every day, and I am starting to miss home. I never thought I would ever want to go home, but right now, I want to go back.
Greyson Black and I grew up together. We were in the same foster home for six months before our parents adopted us. Then, we ended up at the same high school. Talk about chance. But we always said that it was more than chance or luck. He was more like a brother.
I sit lost in thought the rest of the night, and I eat my dinner in a daze. I do not feel alive. I feel like I am living outside of myself. I do not know what to do with myself, so I choose to go to bed. It is not even close to curfews, but I do not feel like going out. Even if I did go out, I would not know where to go.
The next morning is just like all the others. Kateros and Dextion knock on my door, and we go to the lessons, and I am even more bored than normal. Dextion keeps on giving me weird looks the whole day. I am not sure if I did something to annoy him. I do not know what I could have done.
I am clueless about everything. I hate feeling lost, and I feel useless and unwanted here. I wish I could talk to Kateros again. I feel like I do not belong here, and I have no place here and nothing to offer these people. I am almost starting to like it here.
The weird feelings I had at first are starting to fade away. Everything seems more purposeful, and I am starting to get comfortable. The daily routine is starting to feel normal, and I am starting to get used to this place.
A few days later, Kateros knocks on my door alone again and says that it is time for the Binding Ceremony. I put my ceremony outfit on, and I follow her to the ceremonies building. Inside we all sit down and wait for Dominic to start his speech.
After Dominic's welcoming speech and the history for the ceremony, he starts to call out girls' names, and then a girl walks onto the stage, then he calls another name, and a guy walks onto the stage. He then gives them their sector and keys to their residence together.
Then, Dominic says, "Kateros." Kateros walks down to the stage, and Dominic says, "Greyson."
I look to see who it is, and it is none other than my best friend from home. Greyson is trapped here as well. Soon enough, almost everyone in The Immaculate is bound. There are still some, including me, who aren't bound yet. Dominic then calls more names, and I wonder where Dextion is during all of this. I haven't heard his name yet, and he isn't sitting with Kateros and the rest of his family.
When I get called up, I turn to see who I am bound to. I hear Dominic say her name is Carleya Hughman. She has pretty straight brown hair and big green-blue eyes with flecks of gold in the middle.
Dominic then hands me the keys to our residence and says, "You will be in sector 3, here in The Immaculate. You are also an Elder, so you will also spend time in sector 1. You are assigned a bound partner to sector 3, only."
Dextion was sitting with the Savants, his new sector, when Dominic called him to the stage. Kateros and Greyson, were assigned sector 3. I will get to see my old best friend again, and I won't have to say goodbye to my new one.
The Immaculate is starting to feel more and more like home now that I know some of the people here. It will feel like home when Greyson gets here. I have so many questions, like always. Life here is starting to feel normal and almost comfortable.
A few weeks later, Kateros and I walk together to the building where we get to become Equated to our bound partners. Today is the day that I get to see Greyson again after a whole year. I also got to see Carleya again. We never actually said anything when we met the first time.
Greyson and Carleya are standing with some guards waiting for us when we walk in. They turn as we walk up to them. Greyson is the first to walk up, and Carleya follows with the guard at her heels. Greyson is the same as always, smiling and happy.
Back home, I was the crazy one, always getting in trouble. He always would either get me out of it, or he would follow me in my madness. I was known for getting in trouble, and he was a good kid who always got good grades and did the right thing, except when he was with me. But I changed a lot the summer after my graduation. I was finally on my own, and I decided I would make a fresh start at college.
"Kateros, this is your bound partner Greyson."The guard says, not looking very pleased.
"Hey! It's nice to meet you. I cannot wait to get to know you better." Greyson says with a giant smile. I think he likes Kateros.
"Or at all," Kateros says under her breath to me. "Yeah, me too." She smiles this time, addressing Greyson.
"Nick, this is Carleya." The guard sounds almost bored. I stifle a laugh as he tries to stifle a yawn, and fails.
"Nice to meet you, Carleya."
"Yeah, sure. Can we get this over with, please." She says sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, follow me." The guard leads us down a corridor and opens a door ushering Greyson and Kateros in.
He then turns and opens another door ushering, me and Carleya in. Inside, a woman is standing by a table with some papers on it. I walk up to her expecting Carleya to follow. Instead, Carleya stands there looking at her fingernails. It's my turn to roll my eyes now. I stand in front of the woman and wait for her to say something.
"Oh, hi," she says, looking a little startled, "Um, this is the map to your sector, and this is the map to your residence," she says, handing me two sheets of paper.
"Great, can we go now?" Carleya sounds extremely annoyed and slightly bored.
"Yes, you can go now." The woman smiles at me, and I hear her mutter, "good luck with that one." I try not to laugh as I turn back around and walk out the door, deciding not to be gentlemanly since Carleya doesn't seem to want anything to do with me.
I hear her follow me out of the building, and I lead her to sector 3. I follow the map, and we quickly arrive at our residence. I pull the keys Dominic gave me out of my pocket, and I unlock the door. Inside it looks like any other house you would find back home. However, unlike the apartment in sector 4, this house is more black than white.
I always liked the dark, though, so I should be fine. By the looks of it, Carleya should be too. I drop the maps and keys on the granite countertops in the kitchen. I see Carleya flop onto the couch out of the corner of my eye.
"So, Nicolas," she draws my name out, saying each consonant with great care, "what is going on?"
"What do you mean, Carleya," I say her name the same way she said mine, making sure she knows that she won't get a reaction out of me.
If I have to be tough, I will. I know how to intimidate people if I have to, and I am not afraid to do it to her if necessary. I'd prefer not to, but I won't let her get away with pushing my buttons. She sits up on the couch, looking a little taken aback.
"Ok; I guess we should probably get to know each other a little since we'll be living together and everything." She says, looking a little perplexed.
"Sure," I say, taking a seat next to her on the couch.
"Ok, where do we start?" She says, turning towards me.
"I don't know this was your idea."
"Ok; what's your favorite color?"
"Black and blue, you?"
"Ha, black and blue, like a bruise?" She says, starting to laugh, "and you made a rhyme too."
"Yeah, I guess so," I say unamused. Carleya has a pretty smile, and her laugh rings out, filling the whole house. "Hey, you never said what your favorite color was." I remind her.
"I'd have to say blue and green."
"Like your eyes?" I say with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess." She says, laughing again.
"Ok; any more interrogation questions?" I ask sarcastically.
"No, it's your turn to ask me a question. Anything you want to know?"
"Uhm, ok; where are you from?"
"Well, I'm from another sector in The Immaculate."
"I'm from a small town in Indiana."
"Really? Wait, you remember the outside?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, we aren't supposed to. I learned the hard way."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'd talk to people, and no one would know what I was talking about. I think they gave us memory stuff or something, and they forgot some people."
"You think they brain-washed us?"
"Yeah, I do. Or at least something like that. I know that probably sounds crazy but."
I cut her off. "No, I believe you. I think you're right."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I've kind of thought the same thing. It's kind of weird. I mean, why does everyone call each other by their full name?"
"Well, everyone's name contains seven letters for the number of completion and perfection. So, they always call each other by their full names unless you get in trouble."
"Wait, they take away letters from your name if you get in trouble?"
"Yes, if you have six letters, they call you a menace. If you have less than six, you are called a blemish. They are like outlaws."
"Well, you can call me Nick."
"Ok; call me Carls."
"Deal," I say jokingly.
A whoosh from the kitchen interrupts our conversation, and I realize how hungry I am. We walk into the kitchen and eat our dinner. We laugh and talk all night, and by the end of it, I don't see the same tough, cynical girl I met at the beginning of the day. Now, she is open and looks happy. She is smiling at me now, and I can't help but smile back.