Vanessa lay on her bed, reading the contract displayed on the telescreen. Her eyes scanned over the lengthy contract, trying to pass the time more quickly. She was waiting for a package to arrive, and in that package was supposed to be a typing pad. It was so important to her because she had just turned fifteen, and that meant logging into the Cupid Tech website that “decided her future”. “How much longer do I have to wait?” she said aloud. Vanessa flopped down on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she pictured the guy who she might be matched with: tall…funny…romantic…

“Vanessa! Your package has arrived!” her mother called out. Vanessa immediately sat upright, and began to head for the door. ‘Finally!’ she thought to herself. She ran downstairs, and found her mother in the living room, holding a stainless steel keyboard. Handing it to her daughter, she said, “Oh, my only daughter finally takes her first step into adulthood!” Her mom giggled at her cheesy statement.

“Really mom, it’s no big deal.” replied Vanessa.

“Really? Because, it’s all you’ve ever talked about the past five years.”

“Okay, it’s a HUGE deal. Possibly the biggest, most important thing that’ll ever happen!”

“That’s my girl!” Her mother pulled Vanessa into a bear hug. Just then, her father walked into the room. He said, “So you finally received your typing pad?” Vanessa nodded. “Here, I’ll help you set it up.” With that, the two went upstairs to her room. As they entered, a robotic voice was heard. “Welcome back, Vanessa.” It was the telescreen talking. As Vanessa unlocked it, her dad got all the wiring ready, and then hooked up the typing pad.

“Typing pad connected. Please log in.”

Her father stood up to leave. “Well, good luck.” Vanessa waved him out the door. She logged in, and scrolled to the bottom where a blank space awaited her signature. “Thank you for signing. We appreciate your contribution to keep Cupid Tech running.” A new page popped up, and on it were a bunch of questions for Vanessa to answer. For the next hour or so, she answered questions and did her best to truthfully answer them. Once she finished, the telescreen said, “Congratulations, Vanessa. Your answers have been processed, and you fall into the prodigy category.” Vanessa froze. ‘Prodigy?’ she thought. “We have looked through your school records, and with your results, have been invited to become a technician at Cupid Tech. Instructions will be sent to your shortly.” And with that, it turned off.

“P-prodigy?” A smile slowly spread across her face. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!” Vanessa jumped up and danced around, chanting to herself. “That’s WAY better than-” Just then, the door slammed open. It was her parents. “Is something wrong?” her mother asked. “Are you hurt? Did you find a hacker? Did you-” Vanessa cut her off. “My score was analyzed, and I got prodigy!” Her parents stared at her in awe. They looked at each other, and then they all began dancing and jumping with joy.

Two years had passed, and every day, Vanessa thought about who in the prodigy group was she going to be paired with. She also remembered that it was up to the technicians to decide that, because they were “the smartest of the smart” as she phrased it. Vanessa eventually finished school early to start her training at Cupid Tech, right in her hometown. As her results predicted, she was indeed a prodigy, and she soon excelled above the other employees. She had the ability to create, fix, and deliver anything in the organization… everything, except for a top secret room she wasn’t allowed in. Her curiosity caused her to work harder so she might have a glimpse inside the room. Then, her lucky day came.

* * * * *

“Go, go, go, go!” Janet chanted at Vanessa. Still concentrating, Vanessa speedily pieced together a defective machine that no one was able to fix. When she finished, she dropped her tools and yelled, “Done!” Her surrounding friends clapped.

“Way to go,” Brandon said, “you just set a new record.”

“Oh yeah!” Vanessa said. She went around giving each of her friends high fives. Amidst their cheering, the speaker clicked on. “Vanessa Wilson, please report to Dr. McKinney’s office.”

“Oooo, maybe you’ll get a promotion.” Janet teased.

“Please,” Vanessa said, “Like they can offer me something better; I’m already the best at what anyone does.” Janet punched her as she walked off. She took the elevator to the top floor, and entered her boss’s office, where he greeted her with a friendly smile. “Vanessa, please sit.” She sat. “Well, it’s been two years since you’ve worked for us, am I right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Now, I’ve been thinking; you’ve passed everyone’s skill down there combined, and maybe you could use a change.”

‘Change? What does he mean?’ she thought.

“So, after a brief meeting, the managers here at Cupid Tech have decided to put you to work on our top secret project. Therefore, you will-” After that, Vanessa was too excited to listen. Her dream had come true; she was going to find out what exactly was hiding behind the silver door. Her boss gave her a new uniform, and was let out early that day.

Because she was let out early, Vanessa had time to stop by and visit the recreation center. There, she used to read all about the fairy tales in the library section; mainly because it was highly encouraged to. Vanessa dreamt about the charming prince that she was to be matched with as she walked past the fairy tale books. ‘Hopefully, I can some day have my ‘happily ever after’, just like the girls in those stories.’ Holding one in her hand, while recalling the story, Vanessa was interrupted.

“Excuse me miss.”

She turned around and saw a handsome boy just around her age. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I in your way?”

The boy smiled, “No, just thought I’d say ‘hello’”

“Well, hello.”

The boy saw the book in her hand and said, “Why don’t we sit down, since you look like you were going to read.”

“Oh no, it’s just that…” Vanessa hesitated. “Well, alright.” The two sat down at a nearby table. “So, what is your name?”

“Mason.”

“Well, Mason, my name’s Vanessa.” He smiled and looked into her eyes. Blushing, she turned away.

“You want to know something?”

“What?”

“You have a beautiful smile.”

For the rest of the day, the two talked and talked about anything that came to their heads. Vanessa laughed at his corny jokes; and Mason would always smile, making her blush even more.When they went home, Vanessa couldn’t get him out of her mind. She thought about how nice he had been, and even dreamt about their next conversation. Unfortunately, the next day at work, her entire life flipped upside down.

In front of her, there were multiple computer screens placing images of people right and left into random folders. No one were at these screens. Instead, all the scientists were working on random tubes of chemicals. “Let me take you through the process.” Dr. McKinney said. Leading a dazed Vanessa along, he said, “We had all of the smartest people working on serums that will basically control certain neurons in the brain. The serum will make the citizens believe they’re in love with whoever they’re paired with. Of course, we had to build a machine that will basically do the work for us; by that, I mean the machine itself puts together people that have the same interests.”

Her heart sank. The realization of everything came at her all at once. ‘Everything I ever believed in… it’s a lie,’ she thought. ‘There is no ‘perfect match’- no ‘true love’- and…’ Vanessa put her head in her hands. ‘My parents!’ she remembered. All her life, she had believed that her parents were genuinely happy; as well as her grandparents, her godparents, and every other important person in her life. ‘But… they just fake love each other?’ For a while, all she thought about was that no one really understood what love was. That the scientists basically manipulated people to believe they are happy. Vanessa gasped.

“Is something wrong?” asked Dr. McKinney.

Vanessa kept thinking to herself. ‘The Pairing ceremony… is that when they give us the serum?’

“Vanessa?”

‘And… that means they’re going to do the same thing to me when I turn eighteen!’ Without warning, she ran out of the room. She pushed people that were in her way. All she wanted was to get out of the Cupid Tech, and out of the terrible nightmare.

*****

Eventually, Vanessa ended up back in the recreation center. “I can’t believe some… machine… controls our whole life!” she said aloud. Several people around Vanessa shushed her. Upset and confused, Vanessa walked over to the library area and sat down. She looked over at the fairy tale books and had the urge to take them and rip them up. “They’re all lies anyways,” she said to herself.

“Hey, it’s you again.” Vanessa turned around and saw Mason standing there holding a book. The same book she was reading last time. A fairy tale. He handed it to her and said, “Go ahead.” She stared at him in confusion. “Rip it.”

Vanessa blushed. “Oh, well I was going to, but I guess I shouldn’t.”

“No, seriously. Rip it up. I know that you know. It happened to me too.” Mason grabbed her hands, guided them to the book, and helped her rip the pages out. And, page by page, they took apart the story of Cinderella. After they finished, Vanessa said, “How did you know-”

“Like I said, it happened to me before. I pretty much guessed that you found out about the dark secret of Cupid Tech.” He laughed. “Actually, I just watched you.”

Vanessa jumped out of her chair. “What? You stalker!” she said, playfully punching him.

“Hey! I’m not stalking! I’m part of the security crew; so, I saw on the telescreen your reaction.”

“Oh, well not a very smart move on my part.”

Mason sat her down and said, “Well, you should be mad. Cupid Tech lied to everyone, and basically manipulated people into thinking they’re in love.”

‘He’s right,’ Vanessa thought. “But,” she told him, “that means they’re going to do that to me next month. During The Pairing. And, I don’t want to fake love someone…” Mason grabbed Vanessa and pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I won’t let that happen.”

Though the two slowly became closer and closer, Vanessa became more and more worried. Soon, she would be paired with her perfect match; but that meant not really loving her partner truly. She would just think she did, and the same for him. Then, Vanessa would realize that she might be in love with Mason. ‘Uh oh,’ she thought one day, ‘could they be pulling the same thing on me now with Mason?’ For the rest of the month, Vanessa swore to herself that she wouldn’t let “those liars” control her life. She stayed away from Mason. Then, when the day of her birthday came, The Pairing took place; Vanessa had to go.

Every  teenager that had turned 18 the past month were invited to The Pairing. Gowns and tuxes, heels and ties; everyone got ready to meet their “perfect match”. Vanessa, dressed in a sunshine yellow sleeveless and silver slippers, stared sadly at all her colleagues. ‘They don’t know that this is all fake.’ she thought. Vanessa felt very depressed, even though everyone around her gave off an excited vibe. Just then, a rush of waiters swept by and passed out glasses of something that looked like apple cider. As she took one, she suddenly remembered the serums from the secret lab. A woman then walked on stage.

“Welcome,” she started, “citizens of Cuipstatonia, to our monthly pairing ceremony!” Everyone cheered. Vanessa used this distraction to run to the bathroom. Inside, she poured the cider down the sink without a second thought. Once she returned, everyone had already toasted. Instead of a cheer, the crowd buzzed with confused murmurs. “Now, report to your group section, go to the scanning station, then find your match.” Sure enough, the teens split up into seven different groups. Heading over to the prodigy section, a small group, Vanessa saw Mason in line at the scanner; and her brain froze. He saw her, smiled, then entered the scanner; whereas when Vanessa tried to catch up to him, she bumped into someone. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said looking up at the person.

“Hello,” he said, “My name is Stephen Carson. Are you Vanessa Wilson?”

Still trying to find Mason, she answered, “Uh, yeah.”

“A pleasure meeting you.” Stephen took her hand and kissed it. “I am your match.”

Vanessa was instantly swayed by his romantic gesture; forgetting all about Mason. He began talking to her, asking her questions about herself. Vanessa couldn’t help falling hard for him. ‘What ever they programmed the computers to do, they did a good job,’ she thought. For some reason, she easily fell in love with him; it made Vanessa suspicious. She didn’t know whether she was somehow already tricked or if they were a perfect match. ‘There are just too many variables...’

“Hey, Vanessa!” Mason walked towards Vanessa and Stephen. Alongside him was a red-haired girl in a simple black dress. He introduced her and the four spent the rest of the night dancing and talking.

* * * * *

The two spent about a week with each other, getting caught up in all the romance. Then, one day, each pair that was at The Pairing lined up at several different booths at the center. When Vanessa and Stephen got in line, she saw Mason, and rush of memory suddenly came back to her. ‘Wait! This… with Stephen… it can’t possibly be real, can it? I mean, I loved Mason… unless I was secretly injected with the serum already!’ Vanessa let go of Stephen hand and started walking away saying, “I’m sorry Stephen. I-I have to go.” He tried to grab her hand again, but Vanessa ran. Stephen then ran after her. Mason saw the two and decided to follow them.

Vanessa reached her street when Stephen caught up to her. “Vanessa,” he said, “What...what were you talking about back there? What’s wrong?” Mason also caught up to them, but saw them talking; he decided to hide behind a near-by tree.

“You...you wouldn’t understand,” Vanessa said, trying to catch her breath.

“Hey, look at me; I’m your match, you can trust me.”

“No, I- I know that. But, you don’t know what I know.”

Stephen lifted her head, looked into her eyes, asking “Why? How bad is it?” He took her to sit on the sidewalk. “Vanessa, I want to help. I love you and I want to help. What is it that I don’t know?”

‘I can’t just tell him,’ she thought. She looked back up at him. ‘But… he loves me, and deserves to know.’ Vanessa sighed. ‘I just don’t want to believe that this is all fake.’

Mason had started to walk forward when a guard came up to them. “Surely you don’t mean that, Vanessa,” she said. The two of them turned and saw her. “Of course this isn’t fake.”

“How did you do that?” Vanessa jumped up, clearly shocked.

“We can read minds, Miss Wilson.”

Stephen stood up. “What is she talking about?”

“Just know, I- uh- was doubting that… what we have is real.” she told him. She saw his expression change, and felt guilty for thinking that way.

“See, Miss Wilson, here’s the deal. Even though we may not be in control of who gets paired with who, our machines are state-of-the-art technology.” The guard walked to where Mason was hiding, then stood him next to Stephen. “We never make a mistake, but there are times where a citizen has two perfect matches.”

Vanessa was shocked. “Mason… you knew?”

“... Yes”

That pushed her over the edge. Not only had she let the technicians take advantage of her, but she was ashamed that she let herself fall for both guys. And she wasn’t going to let that happen again.

“It’s hard. I shouldn’t have gone; should have just followed the rules and allowed myself to…  You know what else? Every time I try to meet someone, I’m reminded of what happened two years ago. I can’t trust them. They might still have the injection; even though all of us were given a reverse serum. Of course they all are nice to me. I just can’t trust myself.”

Vanessa put down the pen and looked around. The day she escaped, she found a cave, which had a secret entrance. It lead her to the room she was currently in. The group called for their leader, who decided that Vanessa was to stay with them. Of course, it was difficult to adjust to underground lifestyle. During that time, Vanessa swore to herself to not fall in love again. ‘Sure, there is no sign of Cupid Tech,’ she tried to argue herself, ‘but, better safe then sorry.’

The room was filled with chatter. People usually left her alone, but once in a while, one of the guys would sit with her; to get her to talk. ‘Never going to happen,’ Vanessa would think. When she’d go to sleep, Vanessa would have the same recurring dream. She was surrounded by telescreens. On them was the document which she had signed five years ago. All it showed was a blur of letters, but as she got closer, Vanessa would realize it was the fine print. She would read it, and knew she shouldn’t sign it; however, her hand went against her will. Then, Vanessa was standing in front of the two guys. They had cider in their hand; Vanessa, a book. She’s argued, pointing to the book, “This is what love should be based on!” Whereas the guys drank the cider anyway. Slowly, the guys would turn into robots. Then, several guards would come in, telling her to join them. “This is love. Our machines say so.” was the last thing she’d hear before waking up.

“Ah!” Vanessa sat upright in her bed. After calming herself down, she wrote what she remembered from her dream in her journal. And, as always, repeated the words “That’s not love; that’s not love.”; staying awake until the dream was forgotten.