Thaddeus

"Bro, that's completely fucked."

I grumbled out in annoyance, sitting down at a table across from Mitty and chucking my lunch bag on top of it. Our Construction Unit Training had been pretty uneventful and boring so far, mostly just consisting of basic orientations, and now Lunch Period had just begun. 

"Trust me, I fucking know. I'm convinced that it has to be some kind of fucked up joke, but I'm definitely not laughing." I replied angrily, pressing an irritated thumb and forefinger to my eyes.

"I don't think that the Elders have ever made a fake Soulmate pairing as a joke." my best friend pointed out, unwrapping what looked like a chicken sandwich. 

"Well, what other fuckin' explanation could there be? The Elders can't really expect me to be with that. I mean, look at me." I stated matter-of-factly, gesturing along my body.

"...I'm looking." Mit grinned as he chewed a bite of his sandwich, his green eyes glinting with amusement while he glanced over at my sulking form. "...And I don't see anything special." 

"Oh shut the fuck up, you dick. I don't need your approval to know that I'm hot as hell." I retorted with a crooked grin and a wiggle of my brows, simultaneously flipping him the bird. 

"Yeah, if hot as hell means that you belong there, seeing as to how you're basically Satan." Mitty muttered under his breath before taking another bite of his sandwich and pointing the half-eaten thing at me as he continued.

"Well, it's probably not a joke but maybe the Elders finally caught wind of the fact that you're a cocky piece of shit, and this is their revenge, muahaha!" His words and fake evil laugh were muffled from the large quantity of chicken that he tried to speak around. "If that's really the case, can't say that I blame them. With all due respect my guy, you could stand to get knocked down a few pegs." 

I narrowed my eyes a bit at him but didn't retaliate, knowing deep down that he wasn't necessarily wrong. I knew that I was a bit cockier than the average person, but it was justified because I was, in fact, better than the average person. Not my fault that people got angry when I showed that I knew it. 

"Okay but seriously, just because the fucker might look feminine enough to be a girl doesn't erase the fact that he's a guy, meaning that he has a dick." I emphasized the last word, trying to get Mit to stop trying to stage some intervention for my vanity and focus on the more important matter at hand. 

"The Enforcers will have to beat me black and blue before I touch another dude like that, that's just... ugh." I blanched, not even wanting to consider the possibility of having to touch another man in any kind of sexual manner. In my mind, even the thought of it was simply revolting. 

"But you know what, I've had enough of talking about all of this." I said, all too eager to get the disgusting thoughts out of my head. "Let's talk about you, my man! How are you and your lucky lady? What's her name... like Audrey or something?" I asked as I leaned forward in my chair, grinning across the table at Mit and pulling my lunch bag into my lap just as my stomach began to growl hungrily. 

Yeah, I was definitely regretting skipping breakfast. 

"It's Andrea, and let's just say... she ain't a prude." Mitty wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, taking another bite of his sandwich. I grinned wider as I immediately picked up what he was putting down.

"Ayeee, fuck yeah! My man got laid!" I said enthusiastically, reaching across the table to give him a fist bump. "Was it good?" I inquired, simultaneously opening up my lunch bag to see what stuff was packed inside.

"Dude, I can't even begin to describe how good it was. Her tits are huge, and she's got so much stamina it's insane. She even jumped me again in the middle of the night, after we had already fallen asleep..." He rambled on, a glazed look taking over his face as he continued to give a detailed recap of his first night Soul-Bonding with his new Soulmate. 

I zoned out a little bit as I glanced down into my lunch bag, only to let out a quiet groan of exasperation. Inside were many warm, metal containers full of food, and on top of it all was a yet another note.

Dear Thaddeus,

I hope that you are having a great first day at Construction Training and that you enjoy your lunch! I can't wait to see you when you get back! :)

Love, Aria ♡

I cringed as I skimmed my eyes across the paper before I quickly zipped the bag shut and shoved it far away from me so that it slid across the table. That little bug was fucking relentless, acting as if he was some sort of housewife and leaving all these embarrassing ass notes all over the place. 

Regardless of the fact that my stomach felt as if it was going to cave in on itself at any moment from hunger, I quickly decided that there was no way that I was going to eat any of his food. It wasn't worth it. It would probably give that little bug the wrong idea, making him think that I was some kind of homo weirdo like him. 

Just the idea of someone thinking that I might swing that way made me immediately lose any semblance of an appetite, which I was grateful for as my stomach settled down a bit.

So, with the intent of shoving all of my uneaten food into the incinerator after Lunch Period ended, I focused my attention back onto my best friend, who was graphically describing something about how his Soulmate had "gorilla grip." 

I couldn't help the slight pang of jealousy that ate at me as he continued to recap his steamy night, silently cursing the Elders yet again for fucking up my perfect life.

+

The rest of the day of Construction Training passed rather uneventfully, and by four o' clock the PA system was announcing the end of our daily Schedules and the beginning of Free Period. By that time I was completely famished from not eating a single thing all day, and because of that I was also feeling extremely fucking irritated at anything and everyone. That's why, when someone called my name as I trudged my way to the AirLift, I snapped at them with a day's worth of pent-up anger and stress.

"What is it now?" I shouted, my angry tone reflecting how bad my attitude had deteriorated throughout the day. I turned around in my spot, expecting to see the head of my Occupational Training group trying to pull me for one last task. However, my eyes widened in shock as I recognized none other than one of the youngest fledgeling Elders, a man with a salt-and-pepper beard who was probably around the age of fifty, standing behind me with a polite smile on his face. 

"Ah, touchy today, huh?" He began, tapping something on the tablet that he held in his hand before lifting his head to look back at me. "My name is Elder Edergan. I apologize for the sudden interruption into your Free Period, but there is something that has come to our attention that must be urgently discussed." He continued, the same polite smile on his aging face. He turned, beckoning me to follow him into one of the now empty classrooms in which our Occupational Training was held today and I followed behind him obediently, ignoring the loud growling of my stomach as the door slid shut behind us. 

"Why are you here? I didn't do anything wrong." I chided with a grumble, crossing my arms against my chest as I stared at the man in front of me. In any normal circumstance I would probably be pissing my pants right now, seeing as to how the High Elders almost never send out their subordinates to do individual 'house calls' unless it was a serious matter. But at that moment I guess I had a death wish, or maybe I was just too pissed off at the Elders to care as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Ah, if you truly think that then we may have a problem, Mister Axton." Elder Edergan tutted at me and I scowled at the belittling sound. "The Elders were informed that you made an unauthorized, early exit from the Soul Mate Ceremony. Is this correct?" 

I sighed, running a hand down my face as I realized that I had done. In the heat of the moment, I had made the rash decision to up and leave the Ceremony, and not until now did it cross my mind that it would be a complete violation of the Society laws. 

"Yeah, that is correct. I'm sure you can understand that I was shocked by the news of..." I paused, searching for another word as I refused to call that thing my Soulmate. Still, my teeth clenched together in protest as I came up with a somewhat better word. "...my pairing." 

Although my words to the Elder came out respectfully, I was internally seething as I reminded myself of who was really at fault here. 

That little fucking bug  was the cause of all of this, and at this point I was convinced that he was some sort of expert on knowing how to get on my bad side. If only he wasn't fucking born, then right now I would be returning to my Housing Pod to Soul-Bond with my sexy, female mate. But instead, I was stuck with a fruitcake who was the sole reason why I was going to probably get a mark on my record for violating a Society law. 

You see, the Society worked on a three-strike system. The first strike was usually a warning, a reminder intended to deter you from breaking another law. The second strike was usually a lot more... persuasive, and usually consisted of some sort of physical punishment. However by your third strike, you may as well just kill yourself because the punishment was a mandatory public execution. 

The Elders said that the three-strike system was necessary to keep our home peaceful, which is important considering it is the only one we have due to the Surface being uninhabitable. Luckily the system worked pretty well to keep crime levels practically nonexistent within the Society, considering I could only remember seeing one public execution years ago, when I was around six years old. 

Elder Edergan nodded, tapping something yet again on his tablet before looking me up and down with a familiar expression that I instantly recognized as judgmental, seeing as to how I was usually the one directing it towards others.

"Your feelings on the matter are irrelevant, as you still unlawfully exited a mandatory Society event. Therefore, you will be receiving a first strike warning on your record." I clenched my fist in vexation as I heard my travel tablet chime in my pocket, indicating that the mark was indeed permanently applied to my Society record. 

"Can I go now?" I asked through clenched teeth, eager to get back to my Housing Pod and sleep off this anger before I ended up getting a second strike for strangling someone. Considering the cumulative effects of my interactions with that fucking bug this morning, a long day of training, and now this first strike, I declared this day officially fucked. 

The Elder nodded, gesturing towards the door. "You may, just mind yourself in the future, as I am sure you are well aware of what will happen if you continue to be careless." 

I didn't miss the slightly threatening tone in his voice, but I didn't stick around to ask what it meant. Instead, I whirled on my heel, immediately heading out of the room and towards the AirLift. I impatiently made my way back up to the negative sixth floor, the only thought on my mind being getting some sort of sustenance in me. 

The door to my Housing Pod slid open with a small electric-sounding noise after I scanned my fingerprint, and I was immediately met with the smell of someone cooking.

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