by Mary Smith
I stopped, spinning on my heels and faced her. “I don’t want him to be my Matched. He doesn’t even smile. And you heard him, he definitely doesn’t want me.” I began rapidly pacing the room again.
“Xaviera, I love you, so either this works, or you’ll be pushed back,” Mom said firmly.
I froze in place.
Pushed back.
Those were two words that no girl in Unit wanted to hear. Pushed back was when a female was Matched but the Matched backed out of the deal. The biggest problem, especially in Unit, was that you couldn’t be Matched again. It’s never happened to a Royal of my line before, ever.
I threw my hands up. “Well, then I can be a big disappointment to you because he doesn’t want me, and I don’t want him.” The tears fall quickly from my eyes. “I need to be alone, please.”
Mom comes over and hugged me tightly, and then left my room. I fell onto the bed and cried myself to sleep listening to the pounding rain against my window.
Chapter 4
The Next Day
I didn’t move when I opened my eyes the next morning. I’m twenty years and one day old, and I’m Matched to someone I don’t want, and he doesn’t want me.
My phone was buzzing on my desk across the room, but I wasn’t going to answer it. There was no point. By the end of the day, everyone will know I’m Pushed Back and will be alone forever.
“Might as well become a crazy cat lady,” I mumbled rolling out of bed.
I jerked my dress off and hopped into the shower. The water felt good, but it didn’t wash away my hurt. My parents should have known better.
Thaddeus.
His name made me shake my head as I got out and put on my yoga pants and a shirt. I sent a text message to Amaya and Gia to come over because I wanted to go running. I jogged down the stairs and knew my parents were gone. Sunday was their day together; it’s always been that way. They would go into the city or go sightseeing in Canada. Actually, I don’t know what they do together. I only know that they aren’t here.
I laced up my shoes, popped in my ear buds and opened the front door. Amaya and Gia were standing there in their running clothes. I didn’t speak to either of them, just started running.
As usual, Amaya jogged in front of me and Gia behind us. I watched Amaya’s brown pixie cut with her new purple highlights, bounce with each stride. I notice she had a couple of bruises on her forearms. Amaya was always training hard.
“Head to the trail,” I said over the music beating in my ears.
Amaya cut left, and we headed behind my house. The one thing I love about Unit is, it is surrounded by woods, and it has the best trails to run.
My feet kept in tune with the bass of the music until Amaya came to a stop. She looked to her left at the thick wooded area. Instantly, I pulled the buds from my ears, and Gia flanked me. Even though she wasn’t my Protector, all Controllers could fight.
We heard a twig pop, and Amaya jumped into killer mode when a mop of black hair appeared next to me. She grabbed him by the neck, digging her manicured nails deep into his throat, causing him to drop to his knees.
“Graham,” I shouted. “What are you doing here?”
He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak due to his airway being constricted.
“Let him go, Amaya,” I ordered.
She did and stood in front of me. Always my protector.
“Answer her,” she commanded him in a lethal voice.
“He’s with me,” Thaddeus said leaning against a tree a few yards away from us. Oliver stood next to him.
“Get off my property,” I mustered staring into his bed head dark brown hair and blue eyes. His t-shirt was so tight I could see every ripple of his muscles.
“The King is aware that I run up here on Sunday,” Thaddeus informed me coming closer to us.
“The Princess gave you an order,” Amaya growled at him.
“She can’t,” his jerk-face tone taunted me.
“That’s impossible unless you’re her Matched,” Gia said beside me, and then gasped. “Is he?”
I glanced over at Amaya and her face paled. I knew that she liked Thaddeus and thought he was her Matched. She quickly recovered and focuses back on her job.
“He’s my Matched,” I confirmed to them.
“I would like to speak with Xaviera.” My name on his lips caused my heart to flutter a little. As my Matched, he didn’t have to call me by my title.
“No, I’m with my Pairs. Let’s go.” I headed back the way we came.
“Xaviera.” Thaddeus went to stop me, but I pulled my energy from the earth causing a small earthquake around where the boys were standing. They all fell to the ground, and Amaya grabbed my arm as we took off sprinting back to my house.
“Tell us everything,” Amaya said when we made it back to the house and were sitting at the kitchen table with Gia next to her.
I dropped in the chair across from them and told them the whole thing. I even told them about storming out and yelling.
“You?” Amaya’s bewildered expression was back. “I didn’t think you had it in you. Color me impressed.”
“I’m confused.” Gia’s face was all scrunched up. “I thought you wanted to be Matched?”
“I did but to someone who liked me at least. Maybe someone who had some of the same common interests that I had,” I explained.
“I still can’t believe this.” Amaya was shaking her head looking at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I know that you were thinking he was your Matched.”
“True, but I’m shocked by the way you’re acting. I mean you’re acting like…me,” she scoffed, causing all of us to burst out laughing.
“Don’t you want to get to know him?” Gia asked. “I mean do you really want to be Pushed Back?” She whispered the last question as if it was a naughty word.
Truthfully, I didn’t want to be Pushed Back but could Thaddeus and I actually have something in common?
I highly doubted it.
“I’ve got to get back to the house.” Amaya stood up. “Are you going to be okay? I can stay.”
“I’m fine.”
“Congratulations,” she said hugging me.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s going to be you in a little while,” I reminded her.
“That means I’m going to get Graham.” She rolled her eyes, but I actually believed that she might be right on that one. Oh dear, those two together forever would be a challenge for sure.
Gia hugged me next. “I’m actually really happy for you, Princess.” She smiled brightly at me. Even though I allow Amaya and Gia to call me by my name, Gia doesn’t do it often. That girl has a good heart.
“Thanks,” I shrugged unsure of what else to say.
When I was alone again, I got a bottle of water and went to my room. I sat on my bed and looked around my room. Above my desk was a large world map with red push pins in it. Everywhere I wanted to go. The places I wanted to see. Things I wanted to do. It was my motivation sometimes, other times it was dream that was too far out of reach.
Now, I’m Matched.
Now, it’s all changed.
I gathered my books for the homework that I needed to finish and take them down to the TV room. Typically, I don’t do homework there, but today I need every distraction I could get. I flipped on HGTV because I love watching House Hunters: International. Seeing the different real estate in other parts of the world fascinated me.
I looked at the books spread out in front of me. My major is medical administration, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I thought about nursing but I hate to say that blood makes me queasy. I didn’t want to go to into banking because that was my father’s passion. Mom was in advertising, and I didn’t have a clue what she did.
All Unit citizens have jobs in the real world. It’s where we can keep an eye on what’s happening and what is dangerous that might be out there. Like I said before, the cities around us think we’re religious fanatics.
I chose the medical administration field because I would be able to get a job just about anywhere. I figured that was something I would need now, since I’m going to end up an old maid. I tried pushing all those thoughts out of my head and focus on the books in front of me.
Even though I was a Princess, I would still have to carry a job to help our community thrive. My father and mother both said that it would show people that we weren’t above them. A Royal should never act that way.
I was able to achieve my goal of finishing all my homework in a few hours. I was done and pretty darn proud of myself. I heard the back door open, and my mom called for me.
“In here,” I said loudly. I shut my books and gathered my items to take back up to my room. I went into the kitchen where I could hear them talking and there they stood, my parents. They were laughing looking very much in love. Something I hadn’t really noticed before. They’re Matched and had been for a long time. They seemed genially happy.
“Hello, Xaviera,” my father said. “Are you feeling better today?”
“I went for a run and Thaddeus showed up,” I told them.
“That’s great.” Mom’s face beamed.
“I caused a small earthquake to get away,” I stated.
“You’re talking, that’s outstanding.” Mom giggled.
I couldn’t have been more confused by her reaction. I threw my hands in the air and went back up to my room. I tossed my books on my desk, almost knocking over my laptop. I held on to the back of my desk chair trying to figure out my life.
“Xaviera,” Mom’s voice was a bit firmer than her normal soft, cheerful one. “Sit down.” She pointed to the bed.
Even though I wanted to say ‘no’, I didn’t. She was my Queen too.
“Please explain to me how two days ago you were a happy-ball-of-nerves-person, and now you’re nothing but mad-at-the-world-person?”
I flopped back on the bed putting my hands over my face. “I really don’t know, Mom.” I felt the bed shift as she sat down.
“Then I want you to try to explain it to me. Is there something wrong with Thaddeus? And I mean really wrong.”
“Well, he’s kind of a jerk. He hardly talks and when he does it’s short answers. He has a constant look of discontent on his face, and I’m pretty sure he only has two friends,” I explained to her.
“He sounds like your father and you only have two friends,” she reminded me.
I dropped my hands. “I guess.” I wasn’t sure if I should ask the question that was burning in my mind, but I did. “Mom, what happened when you Matched with Dad?” I sat up hoping that she would tell me the story. I’m not sure why I never asked her before. I assumed she would tell me one day.
“She punched me.” My father’s booming voice comes from the doorway.
“You did?” I whipped my head back at Mom, who was trying to cover up a smile.
“I may have.” She bit down on her lip, and her cheeks reddened.
“My parents took me over there,” Dad began coming further into the room. “I knew it was her birthday, and I was really hoping that she was my Matched. So, when it was announced that I was her Matched, I walked over to her, and she punched me square in the nose.”
I tried so hard to hold my laughter in, but I wasn’t able too. I held my side I was laughing so much. “That’s classic,” I said wiping the tears from my eyes. “I’m pretty sure Amaya would do the same thing to her Matched.”
“Anyway,” Dad brought the topic back around. “We thought Thaddeus and you would be perfect Matched.”
“When did you pick him?” I asked my dad.
“You were thirteen, when your mother and I approached the Edwards’,” Dad said.
“How did you know?”
Dad cleared his throat. “It was because of the Winter Holiday party the Edwards threw that year. Do you remember?”
I shook my head. The Edwards’ threw a lot of parties.
“You were standing in the corner with Amaya and a couple of other girls, laughing, and I watched Thaddeus stare at you for, well, forever. I brought Jax over, and we agreed that something was there. When we brought your mother and Canessa over, they knew too.”
“Really? Thirteen?” I was taken aback that they had chosen my Matched at such a young age.
“Yes.” Mom smiled at me. “Canessa and I watched you, and you would look at Thaddeus and quickly turn away. Thaddeus would stare at you like he was studying you. It was very cute. Then your father and I discussed it, and then we talked to the Edwards’. They agreed that there was something there too and that was that. We learned later that Thaddeus had almost the exact same powers as you did, and we knew that he would be a great leader with you.”
I crossed my arms to protect myself. I couldn’t believe my parents had my life all planned out for me for the last seven years, and I wasn’t so sure.
“Do you want to leave Unit?” My dad was the one with the question.
Normally, parents would ask their child when they come of age, but my parents and I had a different relationship. They’ve always been honest with me, very caring, and have supported me, even with my crazy ideas.
“I won’t lie, I’ve thought about it.”
“My dear, we all have,” Mom answered.
My mouth dropped at the words. “You have?” I looked between her and Dad as he nodded too.
“But,” Dad interjected. “We decided to stay, therefore, we live by the Rules and take care of the citizens accordingly. If you want to go, then go, and we’ll support your decision, but,” he stepped closer to me, “if you stay, then you will be the Princess that we know that you can be. Even if you’re Pushed Back.”
I nod knowing I needed to make a decision.
Chapter 5
Matched or Leave?
Classes were a blur to me today. I hardly slept last night thinking about what I was going to do. However, it was Mom’s question that kept popping into my thoughts. What has changed about me in the past couple of days?
As I drove home, I tried to remember the party where Thaddeus’ and my parents thought we would be a good Matched pair. I had no memory of it. Sad to think that party changed my life, and I had no idea.
As I pulled up to the gates of Unit, I thought about leaving here. Could I really survive out in the world? Could I make it from behind these walls? Yes, Mom and Dad had done well financially outside of Unit, but do I have that same strength? How would I ever know, if I never left Unit, or Vermont, for that matter? Could I not be a Royal anymore? How would I adjust to it?
I punched in my code, and the gate swung open letting me into the town. Driving through Main Street, I saw the same things I’d always seen. The Diner, the bank, the post office, a gas station, a few small department stores, and our grocery store all in the exact places where they were originally built. A few other stores were in the small shopping plaza, and of course as I continued through town, there was the grade school, the middle school, and the high school. I had been in every one of those buildings. I roamed those halls, laughed with Amaya and Gia, and studied my tail off to ensure that I would be able to leave someday.
Then again, did I want to?
I parked the car in our driveway and stared at the house. Our house was one of the first homes built in Unit, and it was still just as strong as the day it was built. I looked at the two leveled, snow white home. Every memory I have is entwined in that house. I learned to ride a bike on our front sidewalk. My dad and I would create snowmen in the backyard. I helped Mom with her flower bed and garden. I remember the day when Dad and Mr. Edwards built the back patio. I broke my arm jumping on the trampoline. Amaya, Gia, and I would climb to the roof and look at the stars, thinking of our futures, and our Matched.
I’m sure people thought since we were Royal we should have a magnificent house that took up several city blocks. That wasn’t us. It’s not who we were.
The alert of a text message pulled my gaze from the house and to my phone.
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br /> Mom: Come to the Edwards’ house. Now.
I closed my eyes trying to control my breathing. I didn’t want to go there, but I had pushed enough of my parents’ buttons in the past forty-eight hours, and I didn’t want them any more upset with me. I know that they hadn’t said it outright, but they’re upset. I assumed they thought I was just going to leap into Thaddeus’ arms and ride off to the sunset with him.
I backed out of the driveway and headed across town to the Edwards’ home. Their home was much newer than ours. Mr. Edwards had constructed it when Mrs. Edwards and he were first Matched. I will admit it’s one of my favorite homes in Unit. It is huge. There are five bedrooms and six bathrooms, and every room is decorated as if it was right out of a magazine. Mr. Edwards was convinced that he would have a house full of kids.
Thaddeus has an older sister, Michelle, who was Matched and lived near us. Then he has a younger sister, Dina, who is a couple of years younger than me. Mr. Edwards was the majority owner of his own architect firm and is a big deal in Vermont and surrounding states. He recently began to expand further out. Mrs. Edwards worked in real estate and took care of a lot of homes here in Unit.
I parked behind my mom’s car and was still in awe of the perfectly designed brick home in front of me.
Gosh, I loved this house. I got out of my car and walked up the stone walkway. I gently knocked on the frosted, stained glass doors. They looked like they should have been on a door of some regal palace.
Mrs. Edwards opened the door in a pressed pastel green pant suit. “Princess, come in.” Her smile was bright, and I walked into the home. I followed her to the kitchen where my mother sat at the table. Mom must have left work early because she was still in her navy pant suit, and her hair was still perfectly styled.
“Hello, my dear.” Mom patted the chair next to her, and I sat down.
Mrs. Edwards asked me if I wanted anything to drink, and I kindly declined. My attention turned to the sound of someone coming into the kitchen and Thaddeus appeared.
I should have known.