Matched

Cassia is in the middle of class when she receives a message through the classroom’s main port telling her she’s committed an Infraction and an Officer will arrive soon. Everyone looks at her as such incidents are unusual. However, Cassia isn’t surprised. She’s been breaking many rules lately and feels it was only a matter of time before she got caught. Cassia leaves the classroom, knowing she will find the same Official who told her that they were investigating Ky’s face on her microcard.

The familiar Official is seated outside and gestures for Cassia to sit, telling her that she earned the year’s top score on her sorting test. She smiles to reassure Cassia, but the latter only feels hatred. The Official explains that despite her score, Cassia will be deemed unfit for work unless she suppresses her feelings for Ky. She adds that while such flings are normal within a year of being Matched, Cassia’s situation is different because Ky is an Aberration. Cassia angrily responds that people should be able to choose their Match. She then asks about her Infraction, which the Official dismisses as a mistake. The Official jokes that mistakes seem to keep happening to Cassia.

When Cassia returns home, Bram tells her she has a package—the framed scrap of her Match Banquet dress.