00:00:07:00

The timer clamped on my wrist reads seven minutes. It’s been there since as far as I can remember, from when I was born, I've been told, and it’s been counting down since then. It counts every hour, every minute, and every second until I meet my soulmate. I’d always said to myself that I had a lot of time until it hits zero. I just never thought zero would come so soon. I said I would have lived enough of my life to handle this. Now, seven minutes is all that's left until I meet her. Seven minutes until I meet my first, and only, partner. Most people make the choice to put the timer on in their early teens, but not everyone. Some leave it off. My parents, though, made the decision for me when I was born. Some days I blame them for my stress. This is one of those days. Even the ones who choose to put the timer on regret it later when the time creeps closer to zero. It’s a slow burn, constantly counting, always there. With every minute that passes, my heart beats just a little faster. I thought I would be ready.

00:00:06:23

I'm the earliest of everyone I know. Their timers end years later than mine. Luke won't meet his partner until he's well into his thirties. He was always sad about having to wait so long, but the knowledge made him happy, at least. He wouldn’t have to live his life in the dark about his future spouse. Another friend of mine, Manny, will find his soulmate shortly after he turns twenty-one. I'm sixteen, and I'll be meeting her today. Even my parents didn’t meet until they were well into their college-years.

00:00:5:11

But that's the irony in all of this. I'm not athletic, I'm average-looking, and I'm not even very smart. Brown eyes, brown hair, average height. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing special about me. I'm just about the least likely person in my entire school to find his partner so early in life. But that's just what should be expected of life, right? It never goes quite as you might think.

00:00:04:37

A bell rings, rousing me from my daze, and I remember where I am. Apparently, I'll be meeting the love of my life in English class. The teacher steps to the front of the room, but I barely notice her. Everything around me is in a haze, every sound muffled. The teacher asks the class to hand up their homework, but I don't hear a word. I look back down at my wrist.

00:00:03:03

“Hey, pass your paper up,” Jen whispers in front of me, turning around in her desk. I absentmindedly rummage through my bag and get the homework questions. I hadn’t done a really good job on it last night; my mind was on the timer. I didn’t get much sleep, either. The teacher begins today’s assignment. The timers aren’t universal, so the school doesn’t allow any special treatment for anybody whose timer was about to hit zero. This might even be the first time someone’s timer hit zero at this school. Anyway, it doesn’t matter to them that I am about to hit the biggest milestone of my life. I thought I would be ready. I'm not. I wish I could escape. I try to will my timer to slow down, to add time. The timer keeps counting down, defying me. I can almost hear the ticking, even though it makes no sound.

00:00:01:14

The numbers start to blur. My hand won't keep still anymore. Where is she? My eyes dart around the room, looking for an answer, but no solutions appear to me. It can’t be any of the girls in the room, as I’ve already met them. The tension inside me mounts as the seconds tick down. This is really it. All those years spent with the timer in the back of my mind, and now here it is in the forefront. I’ve broken out into a cold sweat. Manny looks at me from across the classroom, worried. He knows it must be pretty stressful for me right now. He has no idea, and he won’t until he experiences this for himself.
I thought I would be ready. I'm not.
I'm not ready.

00:00:00:38

I've made up my mind. I won't let some timer dictate when I meet my soulmate. I stand up, much to the surprise of my teacher and classmates, and walk toward the door. All eyes are on me. Some people see my wrist, and understanding flashes across their faces. My body is on autopilot. I watch my hand go for the doorknob and turn it to open the door. I step out. The teacher tries to stop me, but I’m not listening. As soon as I leave the room, I lose any control I had and run full speed down the hallway; I barely hear the teacher’s calls echo down the hallway. The doors flying past my vision are just blurs. All I can see is the glass door to the outside. I hazard a glance at my timer.

00:00:00:12

It never stopped. It never added time. But it still hasn't reached zero. I have twelve seconds to get out of this building. That's plenty of time. I reach the doors, throw them open, and sprint away, away from my fate. The cool November air shocks my senses.

00:00:00:04

I'm free! I've escaped! I don't quite know what happens now, but-
Somebody runs straight into my path. The force of the impact sends me crashing into the ground. My glasses fall off, but I see them right in front of me. When I put them on, the world instantly sharpens. The first thing I notice is my wrist.

00:00:00:00

The next thing I notice is the girl getting off the ground a few feet away from me. Instinctively, I get up and move to help her to her feet. I only notice it when I grab her arm. Her timer is at zero.
I'm ready.

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