Pacing in the small living room and around the little kitchen island, my eyes kept going to the door.
He would be here any moment... my new husband.
I knew Aeson had put me at the top of his list, just like I had put him at mine. He was the only name I had put on my list since I didn't know many other men very well.
I'd been here since yesterday, cut off from my family now that the meeting day of the week of joining was here. It happened every year on the same week, every youth who had turned 18 since the last week of joining would be meeting their new spouse today. Before the cataclysm in the above world, the day was called 'Valentine's Day', and it was a day of love for sweethearts. Now it was less about sweethearts and more about propagation. Each girl was sent into the apartment that had been set aside in the row on this level to get everything ready for their new husbands. They had a single day to prepare everything and their husbands would arrive between 9-10 AM the next day.
I'd spend almost all of my time pacing and hoping beyond hope that Aeson would walk through that door. My sweetheart. I liked that thought, that there could be love in assigned partners.
We'd been born within 3 days of each other and he was premature like me. Because of that, our mothers had spent a lot of time together in the Medica ward and had become friends. We'd grown up together and besides my two sisters, he was my only friend.
I wasn't like other people in the Habitation, I couldn't hold a job. I had what the Medica's had called terrors and tremors where I shut down and couldn't function until they passed and even when they did, my body was left exhausted and my mind jittery.
According to the Medica's, I could still bear children, though, and that meant I would be assigned a husband.
They looked at preferences, but everyone knew what it really came down to was how much blood was shared.
They wanted as little blood mixing as possible.
That was why they had started assigning spouses almost 120 years back instead of allowing the inhabitants to choose. The day of love had turned into the day of keeping our species going.
Pausing at the table, I needlessly straightened the tablecloth and smoothed it out, then went back to pacing. Pausing at the couch I adjusted the blanket I had crocheted and then looked at the clock again.
9:42
I knew I was at the end of the row, but still... I felt like he should have arrived by now?
Please please PLEASE let it be Aeson!
I was just taking the step down from the transition from the living room to the kitchen when the door opened and I almost stumbled. Catching myself on the nearby desk chair, I stared at the giant man in the door in fear.
He was not Aeson.
In turn, the enormous man looked me over, his expression going dark as he stepped in and dropped his bag, his eyes taking me in from head to toe.
I didn't understand.
This huge man... he wasn't my age at all! He was more than twice my age at least! Maybe more!
"Are... are you with maintenance?" I asked, the only logical answer I could think of.
He sneered, looking disgusted as he looked around the room. "What a fucking load of shit," he hissed angrily, mostly to himself. "Can you at least fucking cook?" he asked me.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, confused. It wasn't lunchtime yet.
"I asked if you could cook!" he yelled. "Are you dim as well as hideous?"
Blanching back, I felt my face go red in horror. "I can cook well enough," I told him, gripping the chair more tightly. "I'm sorry... I was told my husband would be my own age and I..."
"When the numbers are uneven, they pull from viable widows and widowers. I've been on the list now for 20 goddamn years! Finally come back around and I get exactly what I told them I DIDN'T want! Another tiny little bitch who'll likely die in childbed, just like the first one!"
Looking down at the floor, I tried to control my shaking, knowing what was about to happen. "My momma is small like me... she has 3 kids. I... I... Sir... call Medica Jules, please," I managed, then shoved back against the wall and managed to roll to the bedroom and shut the door.
As soon as it sealed, I dropped down to my hands and knees, trying to breathe. Telling myself it was a trick of my mind and I wasn't about to die. I just needed to breathe through it.
The door hissed open and the large man filled the doorway.
"What the fuck are you doing? What's wrong with you? Answer me! Goddamn it! Code 12, protocol Echelon. Summon Medica Jules to floor 144 apartment 1112 D. Urgent but non-emergency!"
I could only try to suck in air, but the back of my mind noted that he must work with the Medica's in some way to be able to use their channel.
"Fucking bullshit," he huffed, then left the room.
I was in the corner of the room in the dark and alone when Jules came hurrying in 20 minutes later. When the lights came on, she gave me a tight smile as she pulled out a hypospray gun and pressed it to my arm.
Immediately, my heart rate slowed and I stopped shaking as she stroked my hair. "So this was a bad one," she noted, looking over my readings as she plugged her pad into my monitor. "Guessing it wasn't Aeson?"
"No," I agreed.
"Who was it? Where is he?"
"Dunno," I answered to both questions.
"I'm here," the man growled from the door. "I was getting the rest of my things."
"I see," Jules told him, then turned and gave me a sad look. "My name is Elini Jules, I've been her Medica since she was 11. I would like a word once I am done with her," she told him as he yanked open the closet and set the two boxes he was carrying inside.
"Let me guess. My new wife is fucking broken. She's fragile. She's little. They promised me a wife! Not another mess to take care of!"
"Sir, you need to settle down, please. Remember that this girl is a human being with feelings."
"Yeah, all you cunts have feelings," he snorted derisively. "But not us. We don't," he told her darkly, then left the room.
"Oh, my sweet girl, I am so sorry," Jules told me sadly. "I did recommend Aeson for you, but of all the candidates, you and he were too closely related. I pointed out that we'd matched closer relations in the past when they weren't as diverged as the rest were, but they didn't care. They want as much divergence across the board as possible every time. I'm going to go speak to him, you lay down on your bed, alright? Get some rest. I will bring you some water."
She left and I lay there feeling despondent.
Maybe Aeson would at least be close and we could remain friends?
After several long minutes, the door opened and the man came back in, holding a cup of water. He still looked pissed, but he came and set it down hard on the bedside table.
"Here. Move over there, though, this is going to be my side of the bed. I've always slept on this side and I won't change for you."
I moved over without a word, taking the cup with me and setting it on the other table.
"She told me your issue... said it wasn't hereditary. She called you Callie?"
"Callisto," I nodded, speaking softly.
"I'm Atrocles Lorakis. You'd be Callisto Lorakis now. It's customary to host a lunch for family to meet today, but I do not have family living. If you do, you have little time to get it prepared."
"My mother and sister asked to bring it," I told him, finally peeking up at him. "My little sister. My older sister will come as well, with her husband and their baby. My father said he would try to get time off, but he works in water purification. They are busy just now with two of the pumps being down. I..."
"Don't babble," he scowled. "All you needed to say was that they were bringing it. I will bring the rest of my things in... I was living 19 stories up, this is going to be hard for me to get used to."
I didn't answer and he didn't wait for me to, turning to go and get the rest of his things.
He was putting clothes in the dresser and I was watching him while pretending not to when the door chime sounded.
He scowled. "You going to get that?" he asked darkly.
Terrified, but determined, I rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up, then tried to stand on wobbly, weak legs.
After I stood there a moment, holding the edge of the bed and trying to just stand, he huffed and left the room again.
My dad entered a moment later, giving me a sad smile as he came to me and picked me up, hugging me close. "I'm sorry, Pigeon," he whispered the old nickname lovingly. "Everything will work out, I promise," he told me as he carried me into the front room with my family.
Mom had tears in her eyes as she came to me and hugged me after Dad set me down. Dimitra was holding little Apollo close while her husband held both of them and cast Atrocles wary looks.
Amalthea was staring outright, looking horrified. "He's so OLD," she told me in a whisper that could be heard across the room. "Why's HE so angry? YOU should be the angry one!"
"Hush, Mal!" Mom hissed at her. "Sweetheart!" she smiled, speaking more loudly. "We brought your favorites! Stay right here, you and your husband can sit here together on the couch and I will bring you both trays! Mal, sit at the table with your sister, ok? Dad and I will sit in here."
Atrocles glowered at my mom and moved to sit at the far end of the couch, crossing his arms.
"So..." Dad tried to smile at him. "What do you do, Atrocles? Do you use your full name or do you have a nickname?"
"At work, they call me 'Truck'," he told him, sounding grumpy.
"I can see that," Dad smiled tightly. "You're... not a small man. What do you do?"
"I'm in security. I was up on station 120, but they transferred me to 140 starting Monday. Sucks balls, but at least it came with a promotion."
"I heard Thane would be retiring this week," Dad nodded.
