I was thirteen when I found out that Will and I would get married someday. Will had just celebrated his fourteenth birthday the month before, and Jessica, the youngest kid in the Community, had just turned twelve. Now no one was under what Pioneer called “the age of accountability.” We were all finally old enough to know who the Brethren meant for us to pair with, and the Community was abuzz about it.
I was all knocking knees and shivery insides as I walked the other girls to the clubhouse. Pioneer was planning to announce our Intendeds before that night’s movie and just after dinner. We were dressed up for the occasion, something we rarely ever did. Pioneer had our moms order us new dresses and our very first high heels. They were all exactly the same, right down to their colors, because we bought them in bulk just like everything else, but it didn’t really matter—at least not to me. I loved the staccato click my heels made as I walked toward the clubhouse. Our parents, along with the boys, were waiting for us there.
When we entered the dining room, the boys stood up. They were equally dressy in shirts, ties, and black pants. They seemed to stand straighter in them, grow older before our eyes. These weren’t the dusty-faced boys we’d just played baseball with the other day. They were suddenly strange and far more serious. Grown-up, or at least trying to appear that way.
I fiddled with my hair, which was curly like Marie’s for once. I tried to fluff it up. My mom had rag-rolled it the night before, and while the curls had been tight and springy when she first undid them, now they were already starting to droop and go straight. Silently I cursed my stubborn, straight hair.
Marie swatted at my hand. “Leave it or it’ll just get straighter.”
Together we looked up and down the row of boys. We’d spent the last few weeks obsessing over who we’d be paired with. Marie was hoping for James, the oldest boy in the Community and also the most handsome. Most of the other girls were hoping for him as well, and he knew it. I watched as he preened at the front of the line. His arrogance annoyed me. He was the one boy I most definitely did not want.
Actually, there was only one boy I hoped for. Will. He was my best friend and felt like family already. I looked for him. He was standing midway down the line with Brian. I smiled at them both and Will smiled back. I knew he wished for me too and it gave me hope that maybe that made us destined to be Intendeds. I crossed my fingers and willed it to happen.
Marie nudged me and tilted her head toward Brian. He saw her and his face reddened, making it look like a giant tomato. Back then Brian was short and sort of pudgy, the exact opposite of what he is now. His good looks were still hibernating.
“Let’s hope neither of us gets stuck with Extra Beefy,” she whispered. I stifled a giggle just as Pioneer—formal in a pair of black pants and a blue tie—walked to the front of the room, his hands clasped behind his back, and we were ushered to our seats.
Pioneer had a speech prepared. He droned on and on. I’m not even sure what he talked about. I can’t remember. I just know that every person in the room was distracted and fidgety, even our parents. We were all trying to see past that moment and into the next one, when we would know. When Pioneer finally finished lecturing and started calling our names in pairs, everyone seemed to let out a breath at the same time.
“A tiny bit nerve-racking, right?” Pioneer asked, wiping at his brow dramatically. Several people chuckled.
Each couple rose together and went to stand at the front of the room when they were called. Parents congratulated each other when their child’s Intended was named. Moms dabbed their eyes with tissues. Most everyone looked pleased with their pairing, if a little embarrassed. Pioneer went down each row of girls. It wasn’t long before his eyes met mine.
“Little Owl,” he said, smiling widely, “your Intended will be … Will.”
I felt my whole face smile, a big, goofy relieved one. I would’ve hugged Pioneer if he hadn’t been too far away. Marie squeezed my hand as I stood up. I went to stand by Will. We were both grinning like idiots. For the first time, he took my hand in his. It was work calloused but warm, already comfortable.
Marie was next. I widened my eyes at her and she put her hands together palm to palm as if in prayer.
“Marie, your Intended will be … Brian,” Pioneer said loudly.
Marie’s face fell. She hesitated and I could see that she was having trouble standing up, but finally she managed and walked toward Brian on stiff legs. He was even redder now. Marie stood next to him without managing to seem near him at all. Her eyes traveled across the room to where James still sat waiting for his Intended. He never even looked her way.
Afterward, we ate cake and then gathered in the meeting room for the movie. Will and I sat together. It didn’t feel awkward or strange. It felt like it always had since the day we’d first met. Right.