The Journey
Chapter 1
Thanks to scientists of the most recent generation, people will have to suffer no longer in finding a lifelong partner. After years of studying human behavior, love patterns, and compatibility statistics, a breakthrough has been made. Now, using special monitors embedded in a single piece of metal on a chain, there is no need for useless dating.
Special scanners, monitors, and test taking software have been planted inside a charm made of metal and glass. Once born, infants are given a necklace with the device, called the Pathfinder, to wear around their necks until they find their soul mate.
Because of the science behind the device, it knows exactly who the person it belongs to is supposed to be with as soon as said person is born. If the other half has already been born, the necklace has already been put to work.
As the wearer of the device gets older and he or she wants to find their lifelong partner, they just need to start walking. The necklace changes temperature and color with the change in distance between the two halves. The further away the halves are, the charm gets colder and becomes light blue. The closer the two halves are, the redder and hotter the charm becomes.
Some spend years trying to find the person they are supposed to spend their life with while others know each other from childhood. No matter what the circumstance, there is no need to date and no need to be heartbroken because of incompatibility.
However, sometimes two people who are perfectly compatible may not find themselves suitable for each other. Some may die alone because of a fight with their other half but the lucky ones, who aren’t quite so lucky to instantly bond, learn to accept their fate and become friends with their other.
This is the same for Piper Montessori and Harry Styles.
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“Piper, get up. Piper. Dude, you gotta get up, we have to go, our flight leaves in two hours.” I groan and try to pull my blanket further over my head but Laurel’s grip is too tight.
Laurel has been my best friend ever since I can remember. We grew up together as neighbors and spend nearly every second together. We’ve had countless sleepovers and late night phone calls since we were in elementary school and we still do it to this day as soon-to-be juniors.
“Come on, Pi, my mom’s rushing around trying to get everything ready, we can’t afford to have her freak out on us.”
I sigh and throw the covers off of me. My feet hit her cold, hardwood floor and I shiver. I love having my own bed at Laurel’s house but I hate her floors, they are always cold, even in the middle of the summer.
My bags have been packed for two days but I still feel as if I’m forgetting something. Laurel’s mom invited me to go with them to New York for two weeks. Her mom has been stressing about it for about three. She’s called me at least four times asking me if I’ve got everything I need for the trip and I assure her each time that I do, although I still can’t shake the feeling that I’m forgetting something.
I push the thought aside and head to the bathroom for a quick shower. The water is cold when I step in and wakes me up almost instantly. I wash my hair with some fruity smelling shampoo and my body with a coconut body wash and step out of the shower.
I pull on a camp t-shirt and a pair of sweats and I’m pretty much ready to go. I head back to Laurel’s room and slip on my worn out tennis shoes and look for my hair brush. I laugh at myself when I remember what I thought I’d forgotten. How could I forget something I use every day? I mentally scold myself as I hop down the stairs.
“Good morning, Mrs. Stratton,” I say when I see her looking for something in the living room. “What are you looking for?”
“The tickets,” she says. She sounds out of breath. “I’ve lost the plane tickets. How could I do this?”
I glance around the living room and laugh to myself when I see them.
“They’re on the coffee table.” I point at them when she turns around and I can see the relief and embarrassment on her face.
“Thank you,” she says with a smile.
“I have to run home for a sec, I forgot my hair brush, I’ll be right back.”
The Strattons have a spare set of keys to my house on their key rack so I grab them and walk out the front door. It’s still early in the morning so it isn’t too hot out and I’m grateful.
The walk to my house takes less than a minute since it’s right next door and I let myself inside. My dog Barley greets me as I shut the door behind me.
I pat him on the head and go to my room downstairs. My hair brush is sitting on the dresser, right where I left it. As I turn to leave, something else catches my eye. My Pathfinder is sitting on my nightstand. My mind gets the best of me and I grab it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find my soul mate in New York.
I lock the front door behind me and head back to Laurel’s house. Her mom is still freaking out in the living room but I ignore it. I’m used to her being freaky.
Laurel is up in her room getting dressed and I sit on my bed to brush my hair.
“What’s that?” She points to the necklace next to me on the bed.
“My Pathfinder,” I tell her.
Laurel is one of the lucky ones. Her Pathfinder lit up like a fire on our first day of middle school when we met Nova Prescott. They’ve been together since then and are nearly inseparable, except for when it comes to school breaks.
Nova went with his family to Texas for the summer and Laurel was really upset about it for the first week of summer. It really bummed me out. Now she’s back to being her perky self.
She sends me a smile as she ties her shoes. I know what she’s thinking without her saying anything. She’s always telling me how I’ll find the perfect guy for me with the Pathfinder just like she found Nova but I’m not so sure. The charm has only ever glowed red once and it was barely even warm to the touch. Now that I think about it, the stupid thing was barely even pink.
I’ve never really given much thought to finding that guy I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with but I know he’s out there and I know I’ll find him when the time is right.
When I finish brushing my hair, I clasp the necklace around my neck and grab my bags to take downstairs. Mrs. Stratton is sitting down for a change and she actually looks kind of relaxed. She notices me come into the room and smiles at me.
“Are you ready?”
I nod and look up the stairs to see Laurel closing her bedroom door, her luggage in her hands.
“Let’s go then!” Mrs. Stratton pulled her luggage out from behind the couch and walked out the front door, leaving Laurel and I behind.
I’m used to Mrs. Stratton being kind of crazy but it’s always pretty funny. I shoot Laurel a questioning look and she just laughs.
We follow Laurel’s mom out the front door and into the car. Our luggage all barely fits in the back. Laurel sits up front with her mom while I get the whole back of the car to myself. It’s still only 7 in the morning but I feel wide awake and I’m pumped to be going to New York.
The car ride to the airport goes by pretty quickly but security takes forever. Once we get through the metal detectors and get our tickets checked, we get on the plane and finally get a chance to relax. The flight is only a few hours but it’s still enough time for me to catch up on my sleep.
After the plane takes off, I put my earbuds in and drift off to the sound of All Time Low. I don’t wake up again until we land in the Big City.
Special scanners, monitors, and test taking software have been planted inside a charm made of metal and glass. Once born, infants are given a necklace with the device, called the Pathfinder, to wear around their necks until they find their soul mate.
Because of the science behind the device, it knows exactly who the person it belongs to is supposed to be with as soon as said person is born. If the other half has already been born, the necklace has already been put to work.
As the wearer of the device gets older and he or she wants to find their lifelong partner, they just need to start walking. The necklace changes temperature and color with the change in distance between the two halves. The further away the halves are, the charm gets colder and becomes light blue. The closer the two halves are, the redder and hotter the charm becomes.
Some spend years trying to find the person they are supposed to spend their life with while others know each other from childhood. No matter what the circumstance, there is no need to date and no need to be heartbroken because of incompatibility.
However, sometimes two people who are perfectly compatible may not find themselves suitable for each other. Some may die alone because of a fight with their other half but the lucky ones, who aren’t quite so lucky to instantly bond, learn to accept their fate and become friends with their other.
This is the same for Piper Montessori and Harry Styles.
---------------------------------------------------------
“Piper, get up. Piper. Dude, you gotta get up, we have to go, our flight leaves in two hours.” I groan and try to pull my blanket further over my head but Laurel’s grip is too tight.
Laurel has been my best friend ever since I can remember. We grew up together as neighbors and spend nearly every second together. We’ve had countless sleepovers and late night phone calls since we were in elementary school and we still do it to this day as soon-to-be juniors.
“Come on, Pi, my mom’s rushing around trying to get everything ready, we can’t afford to have her freak out on us.”
I sigh and throw the covers off of me. My feet hit her cold, hardwood floor and I shiver. I love having my own bed at Laurel’s house but I hate her floors, they are always cold, even in the middle of the summer.
My bags have been packed for two days but I still feel as if I’m forgetting something. Laurel’s mom invited me to go with them to New York for two weeks. Her mom has been stressing about it for about three. She’s called me at least four times asking me if I’ve got everything I need for the trip and I assure her each time that I do, although I still can’t shake the feeling that I’m forgetting something.
I push the thought aside and head to the bathroom for a quick shower. The water is cold when I step in and wakes me up almost instantly. I wash my hair with some fruity smelling shampoo and my body with a coconut body wash and step out of the shower.
I pull on a camp t-shirt and a pair of sweats and I’m pretty much ready to go. I head back to Laurel’s room and slip on my worn out tennis shoes and look for my hair brush. I laugh at myself when I remember what I thought I’d forgotten. How could I forget something I use every day? I mentally scold myself as I hop down the stairs.
“Good morning, Mrs. Stratton,” I say when I see her looking for something in the living room. “What are you looking for?”
“The tickets,” she says. She sounds out of breath. “I’ve lost the plane tickets. How could I do this?”
I glance around the living room and laugh to myself when I see them.
“They’re on the coffee table.” I point at them when she turns around and I can see the relief and embarrassment on her face.
“Thank you,” she says with a smile.
“I have to run home for a sec, I forgot my hair brush, I’ll be right back.”
The Strattons have a spare set of keys to my house on their key rack so I grab them and walk out the front door. It’s still early in the morning so it isn’t too hot out and I’m grateful.
The walk to my house takes less than a minute since it’s right next door and I let myself inside. My dog Barley greets me as I shut the door behind me.
I pat him on the head and go to my room downstairs. My hair brush is sitting on the dresser, right where I left it. As I turn to leave, something else catches my eye. My Pathfinder is sitting on my nightstand. My mind gets the best of me and I grab it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find my soul mate in New York.
I lock the front door behind me and head back to Laurel’s house. Her mom is still freaking out in the living room but I ignore it. I’m used to her being freaky.
Laurel is up in her room getting dressed and I sit on my bed to brush my hair.
“What’s that?” She points to the necklace next to me on the bed.
“My Pathfinder,” I tell her.
Laurel is one of the lucky ones. Her Pathfinder lit up like a fire on our first day of middle school when we met Nova Prescott. They’ve been together since then and are nearly inseparable, except for when it comes to school breaks.
Nova went with his family to Texas for the summer and Laurel was really upset about it for the first week of summer. It really bummed me out. Now she’s back to being her perky self.
She sends me a smile as she ties her shoes. I know what she’s thinking without her saying anything. She’s always telling me how I’ll find the perfect guy for me with the Pathfinder just like she found Nova but I’m not so sure. The charm has only ever glowed red once and it was barely even warm to the touch. Now that I think about it, the stupid thing was barely even pink.
I’ve never really given much thought to finding that guy I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with but I know he’s out there and I know I’ll find him when the time is right.
When I finish brushing my hair, I clasp the necklace around my neck and grab my bags to take downstairs. Mrs. Stratton is sitting down for a change and she actually looks kind of relaxed. She notices me come into the room and smiles at me.
“Are you ready?”
I nod and look up the stairs to see Laurel closing her bedroom door, her luggage in her hands.
“Let’s go then!” Mrs. Stratton pulled her luggage out from behind the couch and walked out the front door, leaving Laurel and I behind.
I’m used to Mrs. Stratton being kind of crazy but it’s always pretty funny. I shoot Laurel a questioning look and she just laughs.
We follow Laurel’s mom out the front door and into the car. Our luggage all barely fits in the back. Laurel sits up front with her mom while I get the whole back of the car to myself. It’s still only 7 in the morning but I feel wide awake and I’m pumped to be going to New York.
The car ride to the airport goes by pretty quickly but security takes forever. Once we get through the metal detectors and get our tickets checked, we get on the plane and finally get a chance to relax. The flight is only a few hours but it’s still enough time for me to catch up on my sleep.
After the plane takes off, I put my earbuds in and drift off to the sound of All Time Low. I don’t wake up again until we land in the Big City.
Update please!!!!
2/6/14