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the 6 AM Box Idea
Author's note:
I am a 16 year old who was in ELA class, made to write a short story :)
When I turned 17, I did not get my emotions like everyone else. I did not find out my soulmate. I did not rejoice, or celebrate. I did not fall in love or have some huge ceremony to celebrate my coming of age. No, when I turned 17, my Aunt Paula and Uncle Reed did not speak to me. They did not give me any sort of recognition or acknowledgement. Instead they went to work, like they always did. They weren’t there when I woke up or when I went to sleep. They were on the news that morning, guarding the Emperor, without emotion, blank foggy eyes, staring at the screen.
When I went to school, everyone was asking me if I received my emotion box- or Motus Abolere Arca- asking if I knew who my soulmate was and if I felt any different. In class, we ate a chocolate cake for a girl named Tritha and everyone sang happy birthday to us.
My best friend Kermit knew better than to mention it though. They pretended it was any other day, and we talked about things regular random things like lightbulbs, the weather, and school.
The only thing that was very out of the ordinary was that Oliver talked to me, he seemed to have assumed I obtained my emotions and recieved my box. But no. I hadn’t. And so I just let him go on, tripping over his words, stumbling over himself making a fool with big gestures as he went on and on about how he was so happy we were soulmates. I told him to wait before the ceremony where we connect with our soulmates, and postpone the wedding; I told him I needed more time to let the feelings settle. It was a lie, but no one could know I was the only emotionless 17 year old.
What a strange thing, being 17, without my emotions. As the government stated, I was ready. All the training I had done, the perfect schoolwork, the neverending preparations and extensive practice. Every step that led to the unleashing of everything I would ever know. The first time I would cry, or laugh, or love. It seems like a strange thing, something old literature speaks of. Babies crying, tragic romance, bells of laughter, teenage angst, sorrow, wonder, confusion, excitement; everything it seemed from the old world was emotion based. Maybe that's why we protect ourselves? To keep these feelings from taking over our thoughts and lives. What would someone need to be happy about or cry for if life was perfect? If everything was perfectly thought out and prepared crisp and prim from the start, then tied up hair and ironed clothes could fix the already broken world.
At least, that's what Green Hendricks believed, “You would always be biased- always influenced by the emotions in your heart instead of thinking clearly with your head. To perfect the muddy waters, we must clear our minds by the riddance of our sentiments. We must be unwaveringly selfless and loyal to what is important, to maintain our world's future before we learn selfishness. When we prepare ourselves to face the world as children apt 18, we prepare ourselves with knowledge of what? Math and language? One day by the year 2460 I envision our world advancing through evolution, where children are learning how to protect emotions, how to fill out taxes, and become functioning, well conditioned adults. That is why society must change”.
Green Hendricks was the last president of the United States of America and the first Emperor of the Justice Union for Preparatory Equity. It's nice living in the JUPE, but I haven’t known anything else. I heard rumors, once, that countries like China, Bulgaria, and Ethiopia, are not followers of Preparatory Equity. In school though, we learned our history, history of the world, but most of the knowledge we learned grew fuzzy around the other parts of the world near the time before and after Green Hendricks.
The 4th world war happened around that time, but no one was sure who won. The USA was on the side of the Hendelks, an idea of government the JUPE follows, discovered by Hendricks, where people are governed through sections of learning called TACTS (together academic centered type sector). Hendelks believes in equity above all else, and that when there are no emotions, people remain unbiased creating equity, and with complete equity, we can fully experience moral equality. That is why Jed Finnigan created Trou Motus which is the scientific term of the study to take away emotions.
In the JUPE, doctors take newborns to the Trou Motus lab, and extract specific neurons and brain chemicals before the child laughs or cries. If the baby cries before the procedure, they are deemed unfit for society. I am not completely sure what happens, but I remember once, 16 or so years ago a famous singer songwriter, Quin Fani had a baby, and it cried before Trou Motus. The news, radio, television, and gossip magazines went crazy over this. Before she gave birth, no one for sure knew what happened to babies that were deemed unfit, but after the incident, the world knew she did not have her baby. From that day, she became the lead funder of the Before Birth Trou Motus medicine, which from the day of conception, mothers would take a pill that would prevent the baby from beginning the process of forming the emotion hormones and neurons. The first pill was released 12 years ago, but it was recalled when 26 women died after the 2nd dose. The doctors still have not perfected the pill, doctors warn patients about the home remedies, because of the dangerous hormone imbalances they can cause. According to BBTM the next pill will come out in 2 months.
Every year since the first pill, they come out with few variations of it, to attempt to successfully rid newborns of emotions, but there are complications too risky to keep that prototype. That is why, all caretakers who have died, gone insane, or had severe organ damage or any other combinations of complications with the medicine are put into the Mort dos Trou, a cemetery where caretakers who risked their lives due to BBTM studies rest. It is right next to the headquarters of BBTM and the historical laboratory of Jed Finnigan, and ever since the BBTM movement, new caretakers every year go to Mort Dos Trou to honor those who have died for them, and hope that their babies will successfully complete Trou Motus, and they will not have to give them up.
Typically, people bring food to Hannah Nephreit, the first woman who tried the pill. She was a 22 year old female, pregnant with twins. She was assigned to be a caretaker at the age of 19, but when she found out she had twins, and BBTM had their first pill, she took interest- especially since twins are more at risk to cry before Trou Motus. Everyone told her to try it, told her that she wanted to keep both babies instead of risk them crying. Her brother said she was outgoing, and to her it wasn’t a choice. Previously, when she was 20 she had given birth to another baby, but it cried and was taken away. She couldn’t bear going through that again. So she took the pill. At first she was fine but on the 25th day, the doctors told her one of her twins did not make it. On day 49 they told her the other child miscarried as well. She was sick for a month after that. She was so distraught, she fell into a state of depression, and her organs were failing from the hormone imbalances. She died 98 days after she took the pill. They say she only craved meringues. So when she died, people from all over came to lay meringues on her bed. She was the first to be buried in Mort Dos Trou. After that, she was looked up to as a martyr. A woman, who wanted so much for her children to be born into a world, and not have to worry if they cried or not. A woman who knew the risks, but also knew it was worth it. She sacrificed her life for caretakers around the world.
So today, I am going with my best friend Kermit and their older sister Libby to visit Mort Dos Trou. 58 days ago, Libby found out she was going to be a caretaker, and 4 days ago she found out she was pregnant. It is tradition to bring your closest friends and family to honor the caretakers in Mort dos Trou and bring meringues. The custom is said to protect your child from emotion.
Kermit and I had been best friends for as long as I’ve remembered. When I was 5 we met in Kindergarten, because Kermit knocked over their bricks and I helped pick them up. Since then Kermit and I had basically grown up together. Whenever I need a parental figure, their parents are there. Libby has grown to be like a sister to me as well, and always makes sure to check on me to make sure I am doing ok. Kermit’s family gets upset, sometimes. Frustrated that people who are not caregivers can have children and are allowed to take care of them. There are so many precautions to stop this, but even then, surprises happen, and in my situation, death.
My parents died when I was a baby and because of that my Aunt Paula and Uncle Reed took me in. They are guardians of high status, which basically means their whole lives are about working for the emperor in the palace protecting the people from danger, and if there was a war, they would be the generals; because of that, the government seems to overlook their poor childcare. But who am I to oppose? I have more freedom than many people in my grade. But then again, they forget little things like birthdays, soccer competitions, celebrations, and holidays.
When I was 8, on ‘Don’t tie your shoelaces' day’ I was roaming outside, kicking rocks when one hit Kermit's kitchen window. Their parents came out and invited me in, and since then, whenever my Aunt Paula and Uncle Reed couldn’t be there- which was always, they were a replacement. They are the closest thing to family I have ever had.
When we got to Mort Dos Trou, Libby parked her pink BioTesla and we all got out; Kermit and I holding the meringues, Libby and Adam (Libby’s soulmate) with the baby supplies (another tradition), and their parents Ms.Frida and Ms.Lola tagging along. On Adam’s side of the family, they came in 4 minutes later and there was a lot of family. He has 8 of his closest cousins, 4 aunts and 2 Uncles, his parents and grandparents, and 6 friends.
When we all settled into the parking lot, with loads of food, baby supplies, and meringues, and 1 actual baby who I wasn’t sure who it belonged to, we finally started our trek to where Hannah Nephreit laid. The entrance to Mort Dos Trou was grand and marbled. The rose quartz curved entrance and tall white pillars. In school we had seen pictures but nothing captured the overwhelming glory of the real thing. The smell was stinging with sweet flower mixtures of roses, morning glories, carnations, and many more plus wildflowers.
When I walked inside shivers went down my spine as I looked at all the portraits of people who had complications with the pill, with little rose gold plaques on the side. George Hayfeild’s pancreas stopped working 14 years ago, 8 months after his 2nd dose of the pill. Now he artificially creates enzymes to break down food. It was a great advancement for science, but he will never be the same again, he lost the color in her left eye. Yarleen Binter was 18 when she took the pill 4 years ago, and her left lung depleted. Ever since she had to use an oxygen tank.
No one dared to speak as we passed, all the people’s pictures on the wall, not dead, but never alive again, unable to fulfill their mission given to them from age 17. It was a far worse fate than anyone could imagine. As we walked out, 3 people were crying, either other visitors or Adams’ family.
When we got outside, it was like walking in winter after swimming your whole life in boiling water. Not even a knife could break the sollom atmosphere and even when I couldn’t create emotions, I could feel the heartache in the air and in the people around me. We learned how to read emotions in our 9th grade Empathy class. When a bird flew into one of Adam’s Aunts stomach the energy was shifted. People were laughing awkwardly and purely. We started walking with more enthusiasm, until the white picket fence that guarded the gravestones appeared. We entered the gates, and on our way towards the center, where Hannah Nephreit was, we placed baby supplies on each stone we passed.
When we arrived at Hannah Nephreit’s grave, there was a statue of her marbled in lepidolite on a snowflake obsidian base. She was graceful holding her pregnant stomach, with children surrounding her. Underneath was her gravestone. People were already kneeling, setting meringues on the statue and grave. When the group before us finished, we went up to the statue, each of us touching the stomach in a line. After, we all knelt and bowed our heads to her, as Libby and Adam placed their meringues on the grave, speaking to Hannah asking her to let the baby be born safely, Trou Motus will happen without any complication, thanking her for her sacrifice and putting their spirits into asking her to protect them, let them never be there again, and that Libby won't ever be in this cemetery, or on the wall.
The next group gathered behind us, as we bowed our heads one last time and walked away, they filled in, doing the exact same thing.
“I think my stomach feels different now,” Libby commented.
“Let's hope so, you have to be the first” Adam said, wrapping an arm around her.
18 days and 6 hours later it was Kermit’s birthday. Usually, I spend the night at Kermit’s house, to maximize the amount of time away from Uncle Reed and Aunt Paula. I did this so often that when I turned 8, Ms. Frida and Lola gave me a room in their home. They told me they would have gone to court, to become my official caregivers, but since my aunt and uncle work for the emperor, they were afraid. So much for an unbiased government.
At 8 am, I got dressed in my shimmering periwinkle crystal-like warrior gown. A warrior gown is a traditional dress in JUPE, used for official meetings or celebrations. They are dresses that are long in the back and short in the front, with leggings attached for activeness. I put my dyed seafoam green hair in a tight bun and walked downstairs.
Breakfast was already on the table, Libby and Adam were already waiting to eat their waffles and blueberries. I sat down 2 chairs away from Libby’s left and served myself 2 blueberry muffins and some eggs. I must’ve waited the longest 15 minutes of my life before Kermit walked downstairs in a long dress coat like an old Frenchman, and sat between Libby and me and scarfed down breakfast.
“Good morning, Libby, Adam, Penny, you all look nice. Kermit, today is your ceremony and your coat and jumpsuit are all wrinkly. Change right now and I’ll iron it,” Ms.Frida said as she confidently walked into the room.
“Mom, I am 17, I can iron my own clothes,” Kermit complained.
“Well ok, then we will all eat breakfast when you iron,” Ms.Lola said as she flowed into the kitchen and hugged Ms.Frida from behind.
Kermit frowned and went back upstairs as we all ate without them. I had already gotten seconds when they came back downstairs in fresh sharp clothes. Kermit had just begun eating breakfast for the 2nd time that day when the alarm went off and we all had to leave. I left with Kermit’s family for the ceremony, but since Kermit was so extra and wanted to skydive for their big entrance and Kermit’s parents said no, they went in via hot air balloon instead.
When we got to the building it was beautiful. There was Amethyst and citrine crystal braided together to make an entrance, with vines twisting around it. There were big trees everywhere, and little flowers covering the ground off the sandstone walkway. In my life, I had witnessed over 400 ceremonies, yet I had never had my own, and never will. I had only been to this specific building around 60 times, and it was still as grand and greek as ever, from the pillars and statues and water fountains with coins. Inside it was distinctly party chapel-like, with a big area in the front with a stained glass window behind, and loads of chairs with soft cushions. In between the seats and the stage, there was a big area, like a dance floor.
It was my first time sitting in the front row for a ceremony, even if it was temporary. I would be in the ceremony to give a speech, along with the rest of Kermit’s family. Everyone was filling into their designated seats, and soon this tall woman who must've been 7 feet tall asked where she could find her seat and I realized that was her polite way of saying I was in it.
I went onto the stage and after it felt like hours, a put-together 70 year old in white and teal robes with long dark silver hair put their hands down slowly to motion silence.
“Hello, fellow travelers of life, and thank you for taking your journey here today for the coming of age ceremony of Kermit Frank Elizando.” the Ceremonial, someone who can perform ‘the ceremony’, paused and waited for people to clap, “today, young Kermit turns 17. This is a special occasion for many people. 17 marks adulthood and the end of schooling, but it also marks when you acquire your destined career, when you obtain your intense emotions, everything you have learned is tested and after this moment you have to live your life. Today, young Elizando faces this fate. Please now, parents, give your speeches.”
Kermit’s family all gave touching speeches I’m sure of it, and I would like to say some of it stuck, I mean my best friend is now 17, this is the biggest moment of their life, but no. I was sick to my stomach trying to remember my speech. I couldn't even pay enough attention to realize when it was my turn. I know they said I wouldn’t have emotions, but this feels like stress, or nerves, or something at least.
“Um…” I say, as I stumble towards the microphone and notice a wisp of hair became undone, “I have known Kermit for my whole life. If I could use only one word to describe them, it would be nonchalant. If there was a character they were, it would be James Potter, if they were a plant, they would be a blue myrtle cactus.” everyone was silent, and I looked over at Kermit and they smiled and gave a thumbs up, “Um… Because Kermit is so bold, and ambitious, and loyal, and kind, and I can’t wait to see the next chapter of your life begin. I know I love you and I always will. You have grown to be like a sibling to me. I remember when you used to be a small skinny little 5 year old with glasses bigger than their face and shaggy short sun-caught brown hair, and since then you have grown so much, into an amazing young human. And so Kermit, to the little kid inside you who let me eat half of your sandwich because I had nothing to eat, words could never describe how much you mean to me. If the sky went away you would still be able to light up the world with your caring spite and your I don’t care attitude, because you do care- so much. And I know you are ready for this next step of your life.”
Everyone clapped and it felt like a hoard of bees just left the air around me and I could finally breathe again. I went back to my area on the side of the stage as the next speaker went, and soon enough the Ceremonial was back. Kermit’s parents handed the Ceremonial a small sage green box with swirls like whirlpools decorating it. The Ceremonial took it and Kermit turned to them. Kermit took the Motus Abolere Arca and opened it.
The ceremony was over, everyone stood up to dance and everyone on the stage left through the back. People love a reason to party, but when people receive their emotions, they generally need time to grieve. When we went into the back, Kermit started balling their eyes out. Their cheeks got red and they were laughing so hard it was scary. They started breathing hard, as if they were having a panic attack, and they tried grasping at things around, like tables and scissors, pencils, and hair ties, anything it seemed. I was starting to get worried but Ms. Frida and Lola seemed calm. They were stroking Kermit’s hair as Kermit started sobbing.
Then suddenly it stopped. Kermit went into a ball, starting to rock back and forth crying, and Libby started talking to Adam about something.
“Ms.Lola, what was that? Why did they… why did Kermit…”
“Penny,” Ms.Frida said, addressing me, “I know you did not have your ceremony, and did not get your emotions yet, but, when you do it will be a shock. Everything you have ever felt will come together all at once, and rise to the surface. It takes people a span from minutes to a lifetime to control their emotions.”
“There was a kid from my high school, his name was Tyrone,” Ms. Lola said, still stroking Kermit’s head, “His mother died when he was 7, she was hit by a car right in front of him. He didn’t have his emotions then, but when he did, he grieved. It was too much for him, he never really was a scholar. Did not prepare adequately to not be ruined by it. We teach you how to control your emotions for situations like this. He couldn’t handle the pain and died 4 years later. He never learned how to contain his emotions. His soulmate was left by himself. They both were shop owners. Sometimes I go to the drug store, where his soulmate works, and check up on him. We tell each other stories of Tyrone, but I had a closer connection to Tyrone than Fred- his soulmate, since I knew him as a child and they met when they were 17. It was… awful”
“Who… is my soulmate? How do I find out?” Kermit asked, looking up at their moms.
“Here, pull this, and a note should come…” Libby said, pointing to a little tab sticking out of the box as Kermit pulled it, “out, there. Who is it?”
“That doesn't make sense, Penny who’s your soulmate,” Kermit asked.
“Oliver Hector Botswana, why?” I responded, because even though I never found out through my box Oliver had already told me.
“Because… mine is Oliver, too?”
“What?” Almost everyone asked, staring at Kermit and their note. That is never supposed to happen. No one’s soulmate should get a different name than themself. Ms. Frida was the first to talk, “Penny, I think now we have put off looking for your box for too long. We have to visit your Aunt and Uncle.”
We drove fast back to my Aunt Paula and Uncle Reed’s house. They weren’t there, but I had a key because legally, I am their child. On the car ride there, Kermit started bawling their eyes out, repeating over and over again how they will be lonely forever. I really hope when I get my emotions, I will not be as dramatic as Kermit is right now.
“Ok, let's divide and conquer,” Libby said taking charge, obviously practicing for when she is a mom, “Penny, since this is your house, where should everyone go?”
“Kermit and I will check Aunt Paula and Uncle Reed’s room, Libby, Adam, you 2 check the kitchen and downstairs. Ms. Lola and Frida, could you check my room? And the… rest of you can check upstairs.” I don’t know how comfortable I am with strangers raiding my house, but I haven’t lived here in years, so it really is not my concern.
We all went to our designated spaces, and I was regretting picking Kermit because the whole time they were panicking about whether we would find my Motus Abolere Arca. I kept trying to reassure them that we would find it, and it would be ok, and they would not end up sad and lonely. After searching the whole bedroom, under the bed, in all storage bins, everywhere we decided to search the restroom. It definitely could’ve been cleaned better, but we organized things and searched every single cabinet when Adam shouted, “I found it! Everyone come to the living room!”
When I say that I ran, I mean I practically flew to the living room, with Kermit tailing me. When we got there, Ms.Frida was scolding Adam, “it is already opened, we need to keep looking, no don’t throw it away, did you throw yours away? I can’t believe you are my daughter’s soulmate.”
“What is going on?” I asked Ms.Lola, staying out of Ms.Frida and Adam’s thing.
“Adam found someone’s Motus Abolere Arca but not yours and Frida was upset because she was really into her searching and doesn’t like being interrupted for false alarms,” Ms.Lola looked over at her wife then back at me, “you 2 better go back and keep looking, remember not to open it without us ok? If you do, it can be very dangerous.”
We went back to the room, and started searching the closet. There was not much to search through, clothes, a few boxes with stuff from before they moved in together, some towels and holiday decorations and jewelry.
“Hey, Penny, what is this?” Kermit pushed aside 2 of my aunt’s dresses, and pointed to a suspicious crack in the wall.
“I don’t know, we shouldn’t look through it by ourselves though, it could be dangerous.” I said, already leaving the room.
“No! This could be it Pen, don’t you want to know what this is? You have lived here for 16 years and your parents have never told you about it. We are 17 Penny, old enough to not need adult supervision to go into different rooms. We are adults, actually. I don’t care if you go get help, but I'm opening this and going in, with or without you.”
I don’t know how much I like this new Kermit, but I am not going to listen to them. “Everyone, come here, we found a hidden passage.”
The look of hurt Kermit gave me made this whole thing feel haunted. They grabbed a ruler from a drawer in the bathroom and wedged the passage open, crawling through right before one of Kermit’s family friends entered. I wasn’t sure what to do, until Kermit pulled my arm in and closed the door.
It was dark. And it smelt like rotten tomatoes, rain, and cardboard. Kermit kept crawling, fast, and I did not want to lose them so I crawled at a similar pace, making sure not to get far behind.
Soon we entered a short room, and the light turned on. I took out my camera, which I forgot was on me from the ceremony and took a picture.
This was not normal. There were pictures of Quin Fani and her husband, along with some baby, and then there were pictures of toddler me, and a Motus Abolere Arca in the middle, in a glass container glowing. Kermit took a step forward and an alarm went off, a ear pinching shrieking sound. I ran to the box, and took a sword from the wall, cracking the glass. I took the box and bolted back through the entrance, crawling back into the closet.
Kermit came out 6 seconds after me, and the room was covered with their family, searching for the entrance to the secret passageway we just went through.
“Come on, we set off an alarm, we need to run, quick.”
We all were out of that house in seconds, and into the car in minutes. I sat in the backseat of Libby’s car next to Kermit, cradling my box. Libby took about 1800 deep breaths before she decided to finally go 10mph out of the house, apparently taking no notice that we were being chased. As we were leaving the neighborhood, I saw 4 government cars driving towards the house, and I pulled Kermit down to crouch so they wouldn’t see us.
Finally we got back to Kermit’s house. Most of their family left to go home, deciding that was too much trouble for one day. We sat down onto their couch and I placed the box on the little glass table in front of the couch.
“What happened, are you ok? Penny, is that your box?” Ms.Frida asked as she briskly strutted into the room, “your clothes are all messy, what did you guys do?”
Kermit looked at me, a look that said ‘please, I don’t want to get in trouble’. I looked at Ms.Frida and took out my camera, showing her the picture of the room. “We found a secret passageway into this room, we wedged the door open and crawled through. There were a lot of strange things in the room. This doesn’t make any sense. We did find my box though. I don’t know what I am going to do, but it looks like it wasn’t an accident that my box wasn’t given to me.”
Ms.Lola looked at the picture then looked at me with a sad smile, “That's ok, do you want to open your box?”
I really, really did. There were so many things stopping me, but I knew I had to. I looked at it. Purple, with blue and green bubbles that spelt my name. I gently unhooked it and the world came crashing down. Everything went black as I was sucked into a different realm. Water filled my eyes and my whole body ached. It felt like the weight of a thousand moments crushed me, like I was drowning and I was peacefully suffering. It felt like the water was hugging me, and it was cold and magical and awful, and I remembered moments of random things, where things were happy, or sad, or embarrassing, everything that ever should have made me feel something. Then I remembered the Hazel eyes, and slanted smile of Lucy Botswana. Everything felt warm and fuzzy and exciting and new. I couldn’t wait to see her at school tomorrow and sit next to her in 6th period Empathy class.
Suddenly I was brought back to the world. I saw the bright orange-yellow light of Kermit’s house and looked at my box. I pulled the tab, to double check what I already knew. On the little tab that should have said her twin brother, it said my soulmate was Lucy.
Kermit looked at the name, then looked at me and smiled, “yay! We don’t have the same soulmate, that means Oliver is actually mine and Lucy is yours”
I looked at them and smiled, “and that means we will be sibling-in laws! Since Lucy and Oiver are twins, why does Oliver think he is my soulmate then? Do you think? No- do you think Lucy thinks you are her soulmate?”
Kermit didn’t need to answer, it turned out, because at that moment Lucy was at the door. I know I shouldn’t have, but I ran upstairs to hide, embarrassed because my dress has dirt and muck all over it, and she looks so beautiful in her rose pink dress. I hovered over the stairs as she gracefully waltzed in, blushing at Kermit. My stomach flipped over as she went towards them and took Kermit’s hand, “hello. Did you see?”
“Did I see what?” Kermit asked, looking over her shoulder as Oliver walked in.
“Hey, do you know where Penny is?” Oliver asked. Kermit was openly gawking at him, so Ms.Lola directed him in my direction, peering over the staircase at the scene.
Oliver went towards me, smiling in a jerky way that all 17 year old boys tend to do. “I heard you got your Motus Abolere Arca today, sorry for being so pushy before, I did not realize you hadn't gotten it. So… What do you think? We are soulmates.”
“Oliver, I’m very sorry to tell you this, but-”
“Yay! When should we have our connection ceremony?” I heard Lucy say loudly.
“But…?” Oliver asked.
“I think there has been a misunderstanding, we need to go downstairs, can you wait for me to change though?” I went to my room and sat down in the middle of the floor, trying to stop the walls from spinning. Kermit walked in a few minutes later and hugged me.
“Penny, are you ok? Breath, in. Out. In. Out. Ok. It's ok,” I looked at them and frowned, “I don’t know what is going on, but I think… I think something happened when we got our boxes because Oliver and Lucy got us, and they had their names on theirs, I think something happened where ours were switched or something. It makes sense. Their aunt works in the soulmate choosing facility and so they got verification that we are the correct soulmates.”
“But, when I got my emotions, I felt, I saw- are you sure?”
“Yes, I told Lucy and she said if something feels off we can switch soulmates, but, for now, Oliver is my- your soulmate and Lucy is mine. I’m going to get changed. We are getting lunch together, please. I know it’s confusing, but I guess we have to go with it, for now at least.”
Maybe the soulmates were wrong, or switched, but I know in my heart that something fishy is going on. Little did I know how fishy it actually was.....
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