We lived in a world that was once desolate and barren, all because of the Fifth World War. It covered everything in soot and dust and radioactive particles. People were dying and there was nothing anyone could do to help. 

That is, until Our World’s Savior showed up. She turned our horrid planet into one of prosperity and joy. But she wasted all of her time and energy on everyone else and ended up neglecting herself. She never found the person of her dreams, never had kids, never felt love before. 

A bit cliche, the whole story, but it didn’t really even matter that much. All that matters is that she saved our lives and created a new world for us all. And she also created the Soulmate Switching System… but more on that later… 

So now, it was the year 47 A.S. (After the Savior). 

My name: Amara Lucile Mireille. My gender: female. My age: fourteen. 

I was something called an ‘eleventh year’ when everything went down.  That meant I was in my eleventh year of school. Everyone started their first year when they turned four. Everyone graduated when they turned twenty, in their seventeenth year. 

The school I attended had been built and funded by Our World’s Savior, and was therefore the most prestigious and advanced school possible. It had the best programs with the best funding, so even though my family was poor and could barely afford to feed me and my three sisters, this school was free so they had one less person to worry about. The only requirement was that the student attending, me in this case, had to be gifted and hardworking. 

As the eldest daughter of my parents, I not only had to study and work hard, I also had to help support the family. Luckily, the school fed and clothed the students, as well as sheltered us, so I didn’t have to worry about paying for my own necessities. So I worked the nights and sent my savings to my family so that my parents and sisters could survive a little easier. 

It was definitely hard to manage everything. Sometimes I didn’t even know how I did it all. But I never let that on to anyone, not even my closest friends. 

My two best friends were Cassidy Venus Elrod and Andrew Oswald Griffin. 

Cass and I knew each other since first year, when we were sat beside each other in class. She was bright, in many ways. She was kind and smart and understanding, and I could always trust her to listen to what I needed to say. She knew all of my secrets and I knew all of hers. She knew my family was poor and I knew hers was rich. I knew she had an older brother and she knew I had three younger sisters. She knew I was in love with a boy, and I knew she had never loved any boy before. 

Andie was our other best friend. He was just as smart as either of us, but quite a bit quieter. He grew up in the house beside mine, but he had no siblings. No biological siblings, at least. He was a foster child to the Griffins, a lovely husband and wife who took in many foster children when they couldn’t produce children themselves. He grew up like my brother. 

All three of us took as many advanced classes as we could, but I was the only one in the arts programs. 

I was a part of the parade band, which came from the ‘marching band’ that people had back in the day. We were a large group of students who marched in sync during parades, festivals, and as we played music. I played an instrument made of Scientific Silver, a type of super strong metal created by Our World’s Savior. It took the metal: silver, and embedded it with magic. 

But because magic wasn’t actually real, it was called ‘Scientific’ Silver, because that was what it was actually embedded with. 

The thing about science was that it depended on the person. Every person had a different amount of science awareness born into their bodies. I wasn’t really sure where it came from, but I did know it was because of the several past wars. They altered the DNA of humans somehow, and now we can do things. 

But sometimes, people weren’t compatible due to these newfound powers, like the Griffins. 

And I just happened to be stronger than average. I didn’t tell anyone, though. 

Sometimes I wished that I wasn’t strong. I thought that perhaps it’d be easier to just be average or below, because then I’d have nothing to hide. Then no one would have any reason to be jealous of me. 

But I decided to take advantage of my talents and learned all I could about everything I could get my curious hands on. It helped me progress through the levels of this already advanced school as I read my way through the school’s extensive library. 

I was the minimum age to be admitted into the band. I was the youngest, the only eleventh year allowed in. My friends weren’t interested in it, and so I was forced to make friends with the other band members. And it wasn’t that bad, in truth. We played together at sports games, at school rallies, we were rented out to play for parties and parades and festivals, we went to competitions, and it helped us all bond. 

I made friends with mainly twelfth and thirteenth years, as I took some of the classes they did. My closest friends were a group of particularly strange boys and girls. 

Laine, Parker, Cory, Aurelia, and Ezra. I think Parker and Laine had been Soulmated and were currently dating, though I couldn’t be sure because the band was similar to a familial environment and everyone was friendly with everyone. All six of us were players of the same instrument, and though we were ordered by rank, we still all felt like family. 

The thing is, one of these five friends of mine was also the boy of my literal dreams. Ezra Quinn Waltz, a twelfth year boy with fluffy brown hair and sparkling green eyes. He wore glasses with shining silver frames and always had a hooded jacket of a color matching his eyes. 

We met back when I was a tenth year and trying out for the band. He was as well. We were somehow sat beside each other as we waited for our turns, and we got talking. He was funny and kind, and I couldn’t help but develop feelings. 

But I never acted on them. 

It was quite painful, the awkward way I always acted around him. 

But it could get a lot more difficult. And it would. 

- - -

It was the fifth sports game of the school year so far, so it was our fifth performance as the band. My hair was tied up in a bun on the top of my head, but it didn’t matter how messy or sweaty it was because it was covered by my hat. 

Our school colors were green, purple, and gold, the colors that represented science, the dark, and the light. So, naturally, these were the colors of the uniforms the band wore, along with the jerseys and other clothes that all of the other clubs, teams, and entire student body wore. 

Dark green velvety hats with purple and yellow sparkly feather plumes sticking upwards, adding about a foot onto each of our heights. I still felt especially short, though. 

Our overall-esque pants were a dark forest green with gold embroidery and our shoes were a dark matte purple with gold laces. 

But our jackets were by far the flashiest. Dark green that gave off a velvet sheen even though, unlike our hats, they weren’t actual velvet. We had epaulets on our shoulders the color of gold, and buttons down the front to match. The collars around our necks were purple, as were the gauntlets on our wrists, and we had a purple sash with AYSA, the initials of the academy name, embroidered in gold across them. AYSA stood for Advanced Youth Science Academy. 

And on that night, one that seemed like every other night, was what caused a domino effect in my life. It was small, but managed to change the entire future laid out in front of me. 

We sat around, waiting for the time when we’d have to play our instruments, chatting with each other. That was when I heard of the upcoming Soulmate Switch, which I had forgotten in the drama of my stressful life. 

“I bet you guys can’t wait for the first week of October,” Laine told me. She had been talking about the Soulmate Switch, but when I had no clue what she was referring to (due to my internal worrying) she gave me context. “Almost everyone has a soulmate, and on one of the days in the first week of October, they switch bodies. But there are two rules before this… insane phenomenon can occur. First, they both have to be at least fifteen years old. Second, one or both of them have to have a high amount of science attunement.” 

“It’s actually pretty rare, though,” Aurie interrupted, “because just 78% of the world has a strong enough attunement to science.” 

“That makes sense,” I agreed, finally understanding what the conversation had been about. “Do you think it’ll work for me if my birthday is on October 1?” 

“I’m not actually quite sure,” Laine answered, frowning. “But it'll be exciting if it does happen.” 

“Can’t wait for next week, am I right?” Aurie asked us, resting her chin in her palms wistfully. “I wonder if anyone will make the switch here.” She shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.” 

We learned more about The Soulmate Switch System the next day, the second to last school day of the week. I don’t think I ever paid as much attention to class as when I did in that particular Science class. 

“I’m quite sure most of you have heard of the Soulmate Switch at least once,” our teacher was saying, writing the words “Soulmate Switch” in her broad handwriting on the electronic board. “But for those of you who haven’t, it is a particular week in October where two soulmates might swap bodies. Now, there are requirements before this can occur. These two people must both be fifteen years or above, and one or both have to be strongly connected to science.” 

As she said all of this, the words appeared on the board behind her in her own handwriting. Just by looking around, I knew that the topic today was a lot more interesting than usual for everyone, and not just me. I could tell from the looks on everyones’ face and the lack of a glassy gaze in their eyes. 

“Now, it’s nearly impossible to figure out the science minimum limit amongst the soulmates for the switch, but currently Our World’s Savior Science Program has a science team searching for the cause. So today, we’re going to be doing science measurement tests. Now, these aren’t the most accurate, but they’re the best we currently have.” 

I was sitting next to Cass, and she smiled over at me. I knew she didn’t have a strong connection to science. It was something she had confessed to me on her birthday three years ago. It was a messy birthday party because of all of her tears as she let out this confession. But she didn’t know I had a strong attunement. All it’d do would make her feel horrible about herself. 

I winced a mirrored smile at her. 

I changed my mind. Today would not be a fun class. I winced a mirrored smile at her. 

I changed my mind. Today would not be a fun class. 

I grimaced down at the chart and measuring-thing passed out to each pair of students. Apparently, we had to stick the thing in our mouths and… suck on it… 

“What is this, a lollipop?” I whispered over to Cass, and she stifled a snort. 

“Ugh, this is going to be horrible,” she whispered back, and I nodded in agreement. 

“Alright, class,” our teacher announced from the front of the room once she had passed everything out. “Now, take your Science Attunement Measurer out of the wrapper and put it in your mouth.” She demonstrated from the front of the class, holding up the small white stick from the flat side. “Remember to hold the flat side and put the round end in your mouth.” 

“Yup,” I whispered to Cass over the crinkle of wrappers. “This is definitely a lollipop.” 

She stifled a snort again, drawing the shrewd eye of our teacher. She eyed us before continuing with the demonstration. 

“Put them in your mouth, and I’ll start the sixty-second timer,” she said as she brought up a digital clock on the board, causing her explanation to erase itself. 

Cass was right. These tasted horrible. Like chemicals, all bitter and burning, but that might just be me and my high attunement. Oh, this thing would break if I actually let it measure me. 

“Okay,” our teacher exclaimed after what felt like hours had passed. “You can take them out now.” 

I spit mine out almost instantly and looked at the color. 

“Almost no color change means a weak attunement,” our teacher told us as everyone forgot the disgusting task we had just done and animatedly gazed at their sticks. “A bright, vibrant green means immense power.” 

I looked at mine, shocked. Why… why was it… why did it turn… how? What? 

“What color did you get?” Cass asked me, and I could hear the slight disappointment in her voice. 

But I didn’t respond. I couldn’t respond. 

My brain spun in circles, like a filled sink draining the water like a whirlpool until my head felt empty. 

And when I didn’t respond, she asked, “Amara?” 

Then she looked over my shoulder. 

“What the-!”