Prologue

ASSIGNMENTS

Three years before

At 15 years old, every boy and girl in the village receive their assignment- an assignment to marry your chosen man or woman. For most young men, it is a day of excitement; where for almost all of the young women, it is the exact opposite.

My mother was now dressing me in my special-occasions dress. It was the same pale lavender and pink color that every other 15-year-old girl in the village would be wearing today. Altogether, the dress had four different layers. The first layer was tight white undergarments, the second was a soft silky lavender dress. The third layer was a heavy pink cotton skirt with bows; there was also a pink ruffled shirt with a tight collar and poofy sleeves. The fourth and final layer was a thin purple cardigan that was meant for the cold but wouldn't even fit over the ridiculously large sleeves we wore. My hair was done up in a simple bun.

Most of the older women I knew said that this dress would be the second most uncomfortable dress we would ever wear (the most uncomfortable being the Joining dress). It was impractical, insulting, and unfair. Luckily, it wouldn't have to last for much longer; once you were Joined for at least a year, you could choose your own clothes. While almost all women found the required clothing ridiculous and stupid, none of us dared to say anything to the authorities, so we complained about it to our friends and family.

My mother led me out the door and towards the street where a hovercraft was waiting. There were 10 houses on my block and 5 other 15-year-olds. The only two I really knew were Daniel Tates and Diana Preston. Things were awkward between me and Daniel because his sister had been assigned to my older brother, John. Daniel and John were both 19, which meant that next year, at this time of year, they would participate in the Joining. The Joining was when the pairs who had been assigned to each other would be wedded. They would, then, be together for life. Never to be separated.

I knew Diana Preston from school; we were often paired as partners for projects.

. . .

The seats in the hovercraft were reasonably comfortable, but the dress made them significantly hard to sit in. I was glad when the ride finally ended. We all got out and joined up with the 50 or so other 15-year-olds in the community.

I was standing there in a daze when my best friend, Rosie Simmons, said, smiling, "You excited?" in a sarcastic and dull voice. We had all dreaded this day for the past 9 years.

"No," I said without even trying for a smile.

"Yeah, me neither…" Rosie replied, her smile instantly disappearing.

Finally, we were taken into the large hall where 3 rows of bleachers had been set up. The crowd parted as the boys went to the right, the girls to the left; we all sat. Us girls were a mass of purple and pink, and the boys were all in simple dark blue suits; they seemed comfortable enough. As I was saying… unfair.

Soon after, a man in a white suit walked up onto the stage. He had a gorgeous woman at his arm. The man's hair was as white as his suit and his eyes were gentle blue. The woman was wearing a fancy, pale-green dress that was similar to the one I was wearing. Her hair was light brown and also in a bun.

"Welcome to all the young men and women here today," the man began. "As you know, you are here today to learn and celebrate your assignments."

We clapped. The man continued to give a speech about the glory and honor of your assignments.

"The first assignment is of Michael Abby." Michael walked to the stage. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He had never been very smart or very interesting, but he was always caring and considerate to me. "Jessica Olson."

Jessica walked to the stage. I believe they had matched them well. She was also not particularly smart or interesting but was also kind. They both seemed to be pleased.

Most times it is not the assignments that disappoint us, but the idea of being secured to a certain boy for the rest of our lives; after the Joining, we wouldn't be doing much else than serving them.

"Next, the assignment of Theodore Attler." He had blond hair and startling blue eyes. He might've been a teensy bit handsome but he wasn't too smart or kind to the girls. Among the boys, however, he was quite popular. "Rosalind Simmons."

To my left, my best friend let out a small groan. On the stage, Theodore- better known as Teddy, was grinning. Rosie slowly and reluctantly made her way to the stage.

She stood next to Teddy, her posture growing worse by the second; her face becoming more and more disappointed. Rosie looked at me, and I gave her a look that said I share your pain. I'm so sorry. I really was; this was one of the worst matches they'd ever made.

When she came down from the stage and slouched into her seat, I whispered, "Maybe you can be reassigned?���

"Not likely," she grumbled back. She was probably right; there have only been about 7 re-assignments in the last 30 years.

"Next, the assignment of Finn Brekle." Finn was handsome and nice. Not too smart, but not stupid either. He was the most well-known and popular boy amongst not only the 15-year-olds but also the 14-year-olds and the 16-year-olds. Half the girls next to me nearly fainted as he walked to the stage. I just rolled my eyes. I didn't care who I was assigned to, I really didn't. I just wanted to get this stupid ceremony over with.

"Juno Miller."

I blinked. My name rang in my ears. I looked at Rosie, who nodded, then back at the man on the stage and Finn. Slowly, I stood and walked down the aisle to the stage. I felt everyone's eyes on me. I slowly climbed the stairs, holding my heavy skirts up to keep from tripping. At the top, I turned to stare at Finn, who smiled beautifully at me. He seemed pleased, which amazed me. I didn't think I was pretty, and most of the boys had never seemed to notice me. Why would Finn be assigned to me out of all people? My red hair was too short (long story: I got angry one day, grabbed a kitchen knife, and sliced my hair off; I got in very big trouble), and my eyes were too dark and far too big. I was certainly not pretty, yet Finn was very satisfied.

Then, he took my arm and led me down the stairs until I reached my seat.

I didn't think about much for the rest of the ceremony. When it ended, it was common for the newly assigned pair to meet up and get to know each other better. As soon as I stood to walk over to Finn, Rosie leaped up and turned me to face her.

"I don't want to talk to Theodore!" she whined.

I glanced over at Teddy, who was talking to Finn (they were good friends).

"C'mon, I'm going to talk to Finn. I promise you won't have to say anything to Teddy." When we reached the two boys, Rosie and I curtsied. Finn bowed; Teddy did not.

"Juno!" Finn said, taking my arm.

"Finn." I nodded.

"Will you come with me for a minute?"

I glanced over at Rosie. She gave me a look that clearly read, If you leave me alone with him, I swear I will kill you!

I shook my head and replied with a look that said, There's not much I can do right now… I'll be back as soon as I can.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. I followed Finn into the courtyard, but not before stealing one last glance at Rosie and Teddy. I caught a glimpse of Rosie's grimace before turning to face Teddy.

He was smiling a dazzling, white-toothed smile. His green eyes crinkled perfectly when he smiled. I guess he was handsome enough. Finn stopped rather abruptly and I nearly walked into him. He turned around and grinned at me; he was obviously waiting for me to speak.

"So…" I said.

"So."

"Are you pleased with your assignment?" I asked, not quite sure what answer I would get.

"Yes," he said, plainly. His expression sure said the same. "Are you?"

I hesitated, then said, "Well, I'm certainly surprised. Do you think the matches were made well this year?" I could tell he was slightly disappointed with my answer, but it was as close to the truth as I could get without hurting him.

"Some were, some weren't. As usual."

"True. I honestly don't think Teddy and Rosie are a good assignment. That's just a disaster waiting to happen."

Finn thought for a moment. "No, I agree, but I'm not sure who else they would be matched with."

"That is just one of the many faults with the assignment process," I said, not yet realizing the severeness of the sentence.

Finn's smile vanished; he laughed uncomfortably. "Juno, that's a pretty serious thing to say, especially for someone in your position."

I raised my eyebrows at Finn. "I mean, it is true, right? It's not like anyone's listening." I couldn't have been more wrong.

Finn glanced from side to side like he was looking for someone. "I don't know what you mean…" he said slowly.

I shook my head and went to go rescue Rosie.