IMPORTANT READ PLEASE!: Heeeeeey guys… I'm so, so sorry for not updating for three light years. Do I have any readers left? –cries- I hope so! As you can see I've completely re-written the first chapter and I'm currently working on the second. I'm re-writing them all, cleaning stuff up and trying to set details straight. So please read this here new chapter and tell me what you think? Xx

Matched: Chapter One

Elliot Nightray was anything but calm, seated aboard an air train headed to the capital besides his parents and around a dozen other people. Half of which are parents and the other children his age. Not children, really, Elliot muses, they're all seventeen; the age when you are given a job and a match and your innocence takes the back seat. Honestly the thought of becoming a man, a grown up, scares him. He wants to be free and daring and a heart breaker for the rest of his life—not get assigned to a woman and build a family with her.

Still though, Elliot has no choice. He can't stay young forever. And that's where he's headed now; on his way to the banquet hall to be matched with a strange girl from a strange place.

He doesn't realize his leg is bobbing up and down until his father sets a firm hand on his knee and keeps his leg from jiggling any more. Elliot smiles apologetically to his father who sighs and leans back against his seat. Elliot and his father are different in nearly every way—inside and out. Elliot is loud, his dad is quiet. Elliot is light; fair hair and blue eyed, and his father is dark. Really, all he inherited from the man besides him is height, build, and impatience.

Glancing down at his watch, the blonde notes that there is just under half an hour until they reach the capital. He sighs and slumps down into his chair. The midnight blue material of his suit wrinkles due to his awkward posture and his mother slaps his bicep and hisses through her teeth. Elliot slowly pushes himself up into a better position to avoid getting a lecture from his mother in front of the seventeen year olds he almost calls friends.

Come to think if it, Elliot only likes one teenager on the air train. His name is Gilbert, and, if Elliot does say so himself, he is the definition of tall dark and handsome with his raven locks, flawless ivory skin, and golden eyes. (Eyes like those drive the society mad, since they aren't the blue, green, or brown they strive for).

Elliot lets his eyes roam over the other passengers, where they rest on a girl called Sharon. She's tolerable. Overly nice and a bit naïve but her temper is what really makes her fun to be around. Elliot remembers, once, she threw Gil's pill box in the river after he put his foot in his mouth. The society hadn't been happy about that, he was sure. They hated having to issue out new pills and the likes.

Growing rather bored, Elliot stared pointedly at Gilbert. Feeling his stare, the raven tried to discreetly look up, but locked eye contact when he noticed Elliot was shamelessly staring. "What?" He mouthed.

Elliot tossed his head to the left, indicating they should leave through the door there. Gilbert nodded and was the first to excuse himself from his parents. Elliot counted to sixty in his head before getting up and leaving. Once the door closed, he found himself in a small room that held cleaning bottles and a mop. A closet, great place to have a conversation with your best friend.

Gilbert didn't seem to mind; he kicked one foot out behind his to res on the wall and leaned his shoulders back into it as well. "What's up?"

"Bored as hell," Elliot whined, kicking the ground with a polished black shoe.

"I know. But is this really any better, El?"

"Well no. Why I hang out with you, I'll never know. You're shit company." Elliot grinned while his friend flipped him off. "Kidding. This is better. I thought I would have lost my voice from under use."

"It's horrifically silent in there."

"Tell me about it."

They sat in silence for a moment. "You nervous?" Elliot asked.

"Terrified as usual. You?"

"A bit."

"Eh, you'll be fine."

"What d'you think your girl will look like?" Gil wondered. "Any preferences?"

"I like dark hair," he confessed. "But hey. If she's not my type I got you babe!" He winked playfully and could hear Gil's eyes roll.

Before the taller of the two could respond, the train came to a screeching halt that had both teenagers scrambling for their balance. Once stable, their eyes locked and fear was present in their eyes.

A tiny knock sounded on the door and it flew open, making Elliot turn towards the noise. There in the doorway stood Xerxes, Sharon's obnoxious twin brother who lived to make Elliot and Gilbert's lives living hell.

"Oh my," he giggled, actually fucking giggled, "did I interrupt something? Terribly sorry!" He flipped his white-blonde hair out of his eye and looked Gilbert up and down. "But I must say, I'm a little disappointed you didn't invite me for a casual hook up instead of him, Gil."

Said person paled and pushed his way out of the room. "Ooo! Raven's finally came out of the closet!" Xerxes called.

"He hates when you call him that." Elliot enlightened the shorter man, pushing past him and herding his parents out of the train.

At first glance, the banquet hall didn't look that big. Elliot's nerves calmed a bit. That was, until he stepped inside.

The building seemed to be twice as big on the inside, complete with high ceilings, a crystal chandelier, and a balcony for the parents. On the floor were tables covered in white satin, and, separating the room in to, was a velvet red rope. Girls on one side, boys on the other. Mounted on the wall, on either side of the rope, were two large black screens. Vanessa, Elliot's elder (and only) sister told him that a camera focused on you when your name was called and was cast onto the respective screen. His face enlarged and broadcasted for everyone to see made Elliot's stomach clench.

"See you after, baby," his mother whispered into his ear before clutching at her husbands arm and letting him lead her to the stairs. Elliot sat at the table closest to him where Gil had been saving him a spot.

The chatter in the room gradually died down as parent's left to the balcony and teenagers took their seats. Over the speaker, which couldn't be seen if you looked for it, a generic official's voice washed over the room and the lights dimmed slightly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming." Not like we had a choice. Even if you wanted to be a single, you had to go to your match ceremony. Sacred official rules or some crap. "Without further hesitation, this years Match Ceremony will begin."

Now, a male's voice took over. "Arlington, Madison and Bennet, Charlie." Applause flittered throughout the room and Elliot lost his control, tuning out.

He kept his head towards the girls' side of the room and looked them over with a frown. Not terribly unattractive, but none of them were girls he'd like to be matched with. With a sigh, he turned to look over at Gilbert and jumped when his friend was standing, staring fondly at the screen on the wall. Elliot snapped his head that was and caught a glimpse of a girl with long chocolate hair and purple eyes. He clapped, returning Gilbert's smile.

By the time his name was called, Elliot was officially bored. How many fucking people could exist? It was mind boggling. Scanning the girls over again, he scowled. All the girl he could see had been matched already… he shook his head. He must be over looking someone.

"Nightray, Elliot," didn't they always call the girl first? He stood anyway and looked at the black monitor besides the one that bore his face… "and Baskerville, Leo."

A boy's pale face, framed with black choppy hair, showed up on the once blank screen. A boy's face. Elliot felt a laugh bubble up in his chest, but it stuck in his throat. Was this a sick joke? It wasn't funny, actually. A mistake? From the society? Unheard of, no way.

Suddenly the speakers boomed back to life: "Everyone, please take your green pill."

Elliot didn't hesitate to shove the calming pill as far into his throat as he could and swallowing it dry.

The ride home was less tense for everyone but Elliot. Casual chatter filled the air and bounced off the metal walls, making the room seem fairly loud. Elliot's parents sat huddled together a seat away from him, harshly whispering and making frantic gestures with their hands.

He could hear them talking about him; this is horrible, how could this happen, it must be a mistake, boys can't be matched to one another.

Elliot let out a low whistle, and Gilbert met his eyes. Gil stood and beckoned for Eliot to follow. So he did. The raven led him to the back of the train where it was less crowded. They sat in two unoccupied seats and Elliot let out a deep breath.

"How are you?"

"Been better," Elliot said, picking at his finger nails.

"Your match is pretty, ah,"

"Freakish, unheard of, wrong, take your pick."

"I was going to say unique. Think positive, El."

The blonde grumbled in response and raised his eyes to Xerxes. He was leaning back, visible eye half lidded and a ghost of a smile on his face.

"He got a real cute one, huh?"

"Did he? I wasn't paying attention after you were matched." Elliot confessed.

"Oh yeah. Short blonde hair, brown eyes. She looks much younger than seventeen but. Her name's Emily, I think."

"Lucky him." Elliot growled. What if Emily was supposed to be his match. Or maybe Leo's.

Realizing he was singling out Xerxes, blaming him for having the match who never belonged to Elliot, just because he didn't like him, Elliot looked away from him.

"Oh my god," Elliot groaned, earning a curios glance from his best friend. "When you're thirty, you can have kids, right? Uh, hello! Two men can't have kids together!"

Gil let this information sink in, his golden irises staring back at Elliot's blue ones. After a long pause, he nodded. "Remember Ada? She went to secondary school with us?"

"Yes but—,"

"Well, right before our last year in secondary school, she vanished, yeah?" He paused. "A few months later, the society told us the truth."

Elliot remembered, Ada had been pregnant and sent to an abaration camp until the child was born. After it was born, she came back to school.

"She and I were always pretty close. And my brother was her baby daddy," Gil shrugged (talking about Vincent used to shut him down, Elliot guessed it didn't matter anymore), "so when she came back I asked her about the baby. Where it would go, specifically. She told me that sometime's, women can't reproduce. So, her baby would be adopted by a matched couple who couldn't have their own kids. I bet it would be the same for you and Leo, Elliot, if you did marry and want kids." Gil leaned back, satisfied with his analysis.

"Huh. That's interesting."

The raven merely hummed, leaving Elliot to his thoughts.

As soon as Elliot stepped foot in his house, his sister launched herself into his arms. He stumbled back and held her tight for balance.

"Tell me all about it!" Vanessa Nightray squealed in his ear. "What color's her hair? Her eyes? How tall is she? What's her na—,"

"Leo."

"Eh?"

"My match's name is Leo."

"Oh, that's an odd name for a girl. Anyway spill the details!" She held him at arms lengths and beamed down at him.

"Leo has dark hair and brown eyes. No, blue. I don't know." His words slurred together, and Vanessa raised a thin brow. "And, Leo's a boy."