Page 3 (1/2)

As the streets flash past on our way hoold of the lights outside is similar to the color of his hair, and his face is handsoood And familiar, for the most part If you’ve always kno to look at soes Xander has always been someone I could not have, and I have been the sa is different

My ten-year-old brother, Bram, waits for us on the front porch When we tel him about the Banquet, he can’t believe the news "You’re Matched with Xander? I already know the person you’re going to e"

"You’re the one who’s strange" I tease hirab hiht on this street, too Maybe it’s--"

Bram covers his ears "Don’t say it Don’t say it--"

"Serena," I say, and he turns away, pretending that he didn’t hear me Serena lives next door She and Bram torment each other incessantly

"Cassia,"around to e other h is known for being tight-knit and exemplary in this way No thanks to Bra, Maht of my Match Banquet, when she has been re up

"Come inside," my father says "It’s al tomorrow"

"Was there cake?" Bram asks as

I don’t o inside yet

If I do, thatto an end, and I don’t want that I don’t want to take off the dress and go back to my plainclothes; I don’t want to return to the usual days, which are good, but nothing special like this "I’l come in soon Just a few ently He doesn’t want me to break curfew It is the City’s curfew, not his, and I understand

"I won’t," I promise

I sit down on the steps of lance down at the folds of the beautifuldoes, this tiht and ful of both the unexpected and the faht and turn er outside for long because tomorrow, Saturday, is a busy day I’l need to report tocenter early in the ht free-rec hours, one of the few tiet to spend with my friends outside of Second School

And Xander wil be there

Back in my bedroom, I shake the tablets out of the little hol ow in the base of the coreen, red--as I slide the tablets back into their usual reen tablets do I don’t know anyone who knows for certain what the red tablet does There have been rumors about it for years

I clihts of the red tablet For the first time in my life, I’m al owed to dream of Xander

CHAPTER 3

I’ve alondered what my dreams look like on paper, in numbers Sos fro too hard on the one behind ile there and it always hurts to peel the disk away, especial y if a strand or two of hair gets caught under the adhesive on the tag Glad that my turn is over, I put the equipht

I did not dream of Xander I don’t knohy

But I did sleep late, and I’ to be late for work if I don’t hurry As I walk into the kitchen, carrying ht before, I see that my mother has already set out the breakfast food delivery Oatray-brown and expected We eat for health and performance, not for taste

Holidays and celebrations are exceptions Since our calories had been ht at the Banquet we could eat everything in front of us without significant irinshis sleepclothes "So," he says, shoving one last spoonful of oatmeal into hisabout Xander?"

I don’t want hih I didn’t dream of Xander, I wanted to "No," I say, "and shouldn’t you be worrying about being on tih that he stil has school instead of work on Saturdays, and if he doesn’t get going, he’l be late Again I hope he doesn’t get cited

"Braet your plainclothes on, please" She’l breathe a huge sigh of relief when he moves on to Second School, where the start time is half an hour later

As Bram slouches out of the room, my mother reaches for ht I hate to take this back" We both look at the gown for a ht and plays it back, als

We both sigh at exactly the saives me a kiss on the cheek "They’l send you a little piece of the fabric, rened with an interior panel that can be cut into pieces, one for each girl ears the dress

The scrap, along with the silver box that held

But stilI wil never see this dress, ain