CODE: DEVOTION

CHAPTER 3

THE PAIRING

The crowd remained silent.

The woman on the screen stood perfectly still, waiting for the murmurs to die.

Mara looked around.

A few participants were whispering to one another. Others were staring at the enormous screen with expressions of confusion.

Chris stood several people away from her.

Their eyes met.

Neither smiled this time.

Something had changed.

The excitement of arriving at the facility had disappeared.

Mara opened her notebook again.

She wrote one sentence.

Why do they need government approval to leave?

Then she underlined it twice.

"Before we proceed," the woman on the screen said, "there is something each of you must understand."

The screens behind her changed.

A series of numbers appeared.

COMPATIBILITY.

"Every participant has undergone an extensive assessment before entering this program."

Mara's pen stopped moving.

"Your personality, emotional responses, habits, family history, social behaviour and personal preferences have all been carefully evaluated."

Chris frowned.

"Your results have been compared against every other participant."

A murmur moved through the crowd.

Mara slowly lowered her notebook.

"Tonight, you will receive your first official pairing."

The screen went black.

Then a single sentence appeared.

YOUR FUTURE BEGINS WITH YOUR MATCH.

The crowd erupted.

People began talking over one another.

Mara felt strangely calm.

She should have been excited.

This was exactly what she had come for.

A romance.

A chance.

A story.

But something about the way the government described it made her uncomfortable.

A future shouldn't be assigned.

It should be discovered.

The woman continued.

"Your assigned partner will be your primary companion throughout the initial phase of the program. You will eat together, participate in activities together and complete a series of emotional and behavioural assessments."

Mara raised her hand.

The woman on the screen noticed.

"Yes, Mara Tendo?"

Mara froze.

She hadn't expected them to know her name.

"How did you know—"

"All participants are identified through their registration profiles."

"Oh."

Mara lowered her hand.

The woman smiled.

"You will have opportunities to ask questions later."

That answer did not satisfy her.

"Your matches have been selected based on compatibility."

The screen changed.

Names began appearing.

One after another.

People cheered.

Some laughed.

One woman burst into tears.

A man near the front immediately protested his match.

Mara watched everything carefully.

Then the names disappeared.

The screen turned white.

A soft electronic sound filled the courtyard.

Two names appeared.

MARA TENDO

Mara's heart jumped.

She leaned forward.

Then another name appeared beneath hers.

DANIEL KATO

A man somewhere behind the crowd raised his hand.

"That's me."

Mara turned.

Daniel stepped forward.

He was tall, neatly dressed and considerably more confident than she was.

He smiled.

Not nervously.

Not awkwardly.

Confidently.

As though he already knew this would happen.

Mara smiled back.

It was polite.

The woman on the screen spoke.

"Your compatibility score is ninety-four percent."

The crowd reacted.

Mara's eyes widened.

Ninety-four.

That was high.

Very high.

Daniel walked toward her.

"I guess we're partners."

Mara laughed nervously.

"I guess so."

Daniel extended his hand.

"Daniel."

"Mara."

"I know."

She gave him a look.

He laughed.

"Sorry. I mean, everyone knows your name now."

Mara shook his hand.

Across the courtyard, Chris watched.

He didn't know why.

But something about seeing Mara standing beside another man bothered him.

He looked away.

The screen changed again.

CHRIS LUKE

Chris straightened.

Then another name appeared.

ELENA NAMUSOKE

A young woman near the opposite side of the courtyard looked up.

Her expression was surprised.

Chris stared at her.

She smiled.

He wasn't sure what to do.

So he smiled back.

The woman on the screen continued.

"Compatibility score: ninety-one percent."

A few people applauded.

Elena walked toward him.

"Chris?"

"Yes."

"I'm Elena."

"I figured."

She laughed.

"You're funny."

"I'm not."

"That was funny."

Chris looked away.

For the first time since arriving at the facility, he felt slightly less uncomfortable.

Elena seemed kind.

Quiet.

Normal.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

He glanced toward Mara.

She was talking to Daniel.

Daniel said something that made her laugh.

Chris quickly looked away.

Why did that bother him?

He didn't even know her.

They had spoken for barely five minutes.

He reminded himself of that.

Mara was not his problem.

She had her match.

He had his.

That was the point of the program.

"Chris?"

He looked at Elena.

"Yes?"

"You disappeared for a second."

"Sorry."

She smiled.

"You were looking at something."

"No."

"You were."

Chris shook his head.

"It's nothing."

Elena followed his gaze.

She saw Mara.

Then she looked back at him.

"Oh."

Chris immediately felt embarrassed.

"It's not what you think."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

She laughed.

"Relax."

He smiled despite himself.

"Fine."

The woman on the screen interrupted them.

"Participants, please proceed to your assigned partners."

The crowd began moving.

Mara found herself walking beside Daniel.

Chris walked beside Elena.

For the first time since boarding the bus, Mara and Chris were no longer together.

And neither of them seemed to know what to do about it.

MARA

Daniel was easy to talk to.

That was the first thing Mara noticed.

He asked questions.

He listened.

He even seemed genuinely interested in her writing.

"You write romance novels?"

"I'm trying to."

"Trying?"

"I haven't written one yet."

"Then what do you write?"

"Nothing."

Daniel laughed.

"That's unfortunate."

"I know."

They walked through a garden area behind the main facility.

Unlike the rest of the compound, this section looked finished.

Flowers grew along carefully maintained paths.

Small fountains ran continuously.

Benches had been placed beneath trees.

It was beautiful.

Almost too beautiful.

Mara looked around.

"Is all of this real?"

Daniel smiled.

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"I don't trust anything here."

Mara looked at him.

"Neither do I."

For the first time, Daniel's expression became serious.

"Then we're already compatible."

Mara laughed.

Maybe she had judged him too quickly.

Perhaps the system had actually gotten something right.

CHRIS

Chris and Elena were walking in the opposite direction.

"You farm?" Elena asked.

"Yes."

"What do you grow?"

"Mostly vegetables. Some fruit."

"That sounds peaceful."

"It is."

"Then why did you come here?"

Chris sighed.

"My parents."

Elena smiled.

"Same."

Chris looked at her.

"Really?"

"My mother thinks I'm going to die alone."

He laughed.

"Mine thinks our family name will die with me."

"Parents are dramatic."

"Very."

They continued walking.

Elena seemed comfortable around him.

Chris found that reassuring.

There was no pressure.

No awkward silence.

No government representative standing between them telling them what they should feel.

He looked toward the garden.

"This place is strange."

Elena nodded.

"Very."

"Everyone seems happy."

"Do you believe them?"

Chris thought about it.

"No."

Elena smiled.

"Good."

Chris looked at her.

"What?"

"At least I'm not the only one who noticed."

That evening, the participants were taken to a large dining hall.

The room was enormous.

Long tables stretched across the floor.

Food covered every surface.

Fresh fruit.

Meat.

Bread.

Desserts.

Drinks.

Everything anyone could possibly want.

Mara sat beside Daniel.

Chris sat beside Elena.

Across the room, their eyes met.

Mara smiled.

Chris looked away.

Daniel noticed.

"Do you know him?"

Mara glanced at Chris.

"Who?"

"The farmer."

"Chris?"

"Yes."

"We came on the same bus."

Daniel nodded.

"You seemed to know each other."

"We don't."

"Not yet."

Mara looked at him.

"What does that mean?"

Daniel smiled.

"Nothing."

She returned her attention to her food.

But the comment stayed with her.

Across the room, Elena leaned toward Chris.

"Your friend keeps looking over here."

Chris nearly choked.

"She's not my friend."

Elena smiled.

"Not yet."

Chris stared at her.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

She laughed.

"Because you make it obvious."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Chris shook his head.

He looked across the room again.

Mara was already looking at him.

This time, neither of them looked away.

For a moment, the noise of the dining hall seemed to disappear.

Mara's smile faded into something softer.

Chris felt the same strange sensation he'd felt on the bus.

That skipped heartbeat.

That inexplicable pull.

He didn't understand it.

And he didn't want to.

Because the system had already chosen.

Mara had Daniel.

He had Elena.

Perhaps this was exactly how it was supposed to be.

Then the lights went out.

The entire room fell silent.

A red light appeared above the main doors.

Everyone froze.

A voice came through the speakers.

"Phase One begins tomorrow."

The lights returned.

The screen at the front of the dining hall displayed three words.

TRUST YOUR MATCH.

Mara stared at the message.

Something about it felt wrong.

She looked at Daniel.

Then at Chris.

Chris was staring at the screen too.

Neither of them knew it yet, but the government had just begun the most important experiment of their lives.

And the experiment wasn't really about finding love.

It was about discovering whether love could be controlled.