The library was so busy, but no one was reading anything. They all sat in booths or stood. A librarian would ask in a chirpy voice "how can I assist you?" It wasn't until the 15th time I realized the librarian wasn't human. She looked it though.

She looked as human as I did.

I walked into a booth.

"Ready to start," a male voice said.

A metal spike came out of the table in front of me.

"Ready to start," came the voice again.

"What, am I supposed to go full sleeping beauty?" I muttered to myself.

"Ready to start," was all the voice had to say.

I decided to take that as I yes. A tiny drop of blood got sucked into the spike. I was living a fairy tale that would've made my sister proud. My "Yummy" listening baby sister. I wouldn't get to murder her for that until the hellish experience was over.

"Unidentified DNA. Please wait for employee assistance."

"No. Cancel. Stop."

But it didn't matter. I forced a smile at a middle-aged woman who frowned down at me.

"Do you have your chip on you?"

"Chip?"

"You're one of those kids from the shelter, aren't you?"

She didn't say it with the malice the pedestrians had. Just a genuine question. Evidently my silence was enough.

"Do you even have a chip?"

Assuming that I didn't even know what she was talking about, I shook my head.

She sighed. "Okay. I'm glad you came here first. Come with me."

She stood up and I followed her, feeling uncomfortable in my own shoes.

She sat me down on a back room she called her office. I would've called it a closet.

"Where are you from?"

I wanted to get defensive. What did it matter?

"It's complicated."

"Isn't it always? Now, I can turn on this electromotor for you to look up whatever you wanted to see."

She jabbed her own thumb into the spike and it came up with her name.

Amanda Albringer, Age 47, Public librarian

The information quickly flashed off the screen, but it felt like I'd just spent hours internet stalking her just from one screen. She was a widow. Her child had died at the same time as her husband. She lived with a sister.

The screen was now blank, even as the imprint of the words still lingered in my head.

"Can I see today's newspaper?"

Amanda nodded, leaned forward, and authoritatively shouted, "Newspaper for March 14th, 2192."

It had to be a prank. I was sure of it now. But if it was a prank, it was a good one. And if I was in a coma, I had suddenly developed a more creative subconscious that I'd ever had before.

I read the newspaper, not quite sure what to think.

"Where are your parents?"

"It's complicated."

"When's the last time you saw them?"

I thought. I'd seen my mother just this morning. She'd berated me about something I'd said to my sister that hurt her feelings. It was a bad sign when school was a relief. My father though, he was hardly ever around.

"I can't remember."

"Do you know for sure they're dead?"

By 2192, I was sure they'd have to be dead. It sent a pang through me.

"Yes."

I went back to looking at the article.

Suddenly, a scene filled the whole of the room. Two rows of people stared at me, smiles plastered on some of their faces.  I answered the librarian's question off handedly.

Little labels popped up over the figures. I reached out. My fingers went through them. It was a hologram.

I saw as the older adult's names popped up over their heads. The article had been praising them for some charity work. The whole family was evidently knee deep in philanthropy and swimming in more money than they could spend.

I stood directly in front of a girl my age. She looked nothing like the rest of the family. In fact, none of them looked anything like each other. The only thing they shared was the last name, Alam. A boy just a bit older than her had his label pop up over his smiling face.

Chase Alam

He looked remarkably like the girl he had his arm around. They seemed to stand closer together than the rest of the family. But I didn't care about him.

I'd never seen anyone who looked so perfect. So unreal. And she seemed to be looking into my soul. Like she knew me and wanted to know me.

Her name popped up.

Sonnet Alam

I didn't know how, but I needed to find her. That smile made me feel full inside like no girl ever had before. It was the feeling adults always described as the one you felt toward "the one." Not that I was the romantic type, but I didn't want to feel so alone.

"Ah, yes, Sonnet's a treasure." The librarian said over my shoulder. And she slipped the chip in my hand.

I pressed the button on it and my own face was in hologram. I put it next to Sonnet's. We even looked good together.

✰ ✰ ✰

"We regret to inform you that you have been engaged. We wish you the best of luck with your new spouse."

Corey didn't need to read the note out loud. I'd gotten my own.

"Results weren't supposed to come out until next week."

"I know, but you know how everyone thinks we're a good match, hun-bun."

"Corey, if you start with the pet names, we're going to have a problem."

"Oh, Sonnet! You spurn my love. How can I go on?"

I laughed. Corey always knew how to make me laugh. They really were a perfect fit for me, even if neither of us particularly wanted to marry the other.

"They could've at least updated the note. My brother has the same note from when he got engaged to Jessie."

I carefully tucked the note in my pocket. Me and Corey had a free period at the same time (the powers that be really loved giving young love chances to be in love.)

"At least your brother actually was in love with Jessie."

A teacher turned into the empty hallway. I cursed our luck.

"Hey, Mrs. Johnson. How's it going?"

"Oh, it's going well. I saw you got your engagement announcement today. I remember when I got mine. Best day of my life. So how are you feeling?"

I opened my mouth, but Corey cut in.

"I honestly don't feel ready."

"You have time to grow into it. You won't be getting married for some time yet anyway."

Mrs. Johnson sighed wistfully. I was entirely sure that she was living vicariously through every one of her female students and trying to manipulate male students into her idea of the perfect male. Everyone else was just present for the show.

We nodded and tried to slip around her. Corey had a new book they were excited to read, and I had a drawing I was working on. I'd need some kind of offering to break the news of my engagement. But her reaction was a problem for later.

"Hey, Sonnet, I wanted to talk to you about," Mrs. Johnson lowered her voice, "you know what."

"You can talk about hearing loss in front of me. It's not like it's something dirty," Corey complained. I liked that about them. They knew how to save you from an uncomfortable situation.

"Do you want me to leave you with your fiancé?"

Fiancé. Now that was a dirty word. Especially the way Mrs. Johnson said it.

Corey grabbed my hand, which made Mrs. Johnson grin. Evidently our platonic relationship was enough. Enough to save me from Mrs. Johnson and enough to save me from another talk about my electric green hearing aids. I knew I shouldn't make myself stand out, but I couldn't resist it. The color was so perfect.

Corey had loved them. Mrs. Johnson had not. Not that there was anything wrong with drawing attention to my hearing loss, but the other kids might not take kindly to a reminder I wasn't truly one of them.

"Don't mind Mrs. Johnson. She's like that with everyone. She once told me to consider a cosmetics line guaranteed to get rid of my birthmark." Corey looked at me, the birthmark below their left eye standing out.

I smiled. I could do worse than Corey. Corey got to read their book, biting their nails the whole time. It was another romance about two aliens who'd found love despite all odds.

I sketched a picture to offer as a peace offering. I drew her face, her perfect face. It wasn't like Corey's. Not cute in that way. Sheerly beautiful.

The free period passed quickly, and so did every period after that. History was dwelling on the Great Floods. We stared at a hologram of Miami, the sunken city. The politics around it were the only thing of remote interest. Everything else we'd learned in elementary school.

I sketched again on the train. The image was almost done and now, I had an actual model for it. The girl of my affections sat a few seats away. Corey had caught the train going the other way. It was one of the rare days that it was bearable to go outside with a light coat.

She sat, laughing with her friends, all in their soccer jerseys. I caught one of her friend's eyes. Jamie. She sneered at me, so I looked down and just drew.

Jamie got off the train, walking by me. "You think you're better than us just because a couple rich people like you? You're still dirt. You'll always be dirt."

I forced a smile. "You have a wonderful day too, Jamie."

Only when the entire train had cleared did the Alams and Laurenzes assemble.

Chase was staying late, so he wasn't the natural point to assemble around anymore. Everyone liked Chase, just like they tolerated me. I missed him now that he was at college.

But Tyena Laurenz was good enough. Her arm snaked around me.

"Sorry about Jamie. She's just mad you got your announcement before she did."

So, she already knew. She was smiling a bit too big. Her eyes were a bit too attentive.

"T, I—I'm sorry."

"We all knew it was coming."

She kissed me, and one of the younger Alams ewwed.

"Look away then," she snapped. She'd never have gotten away with that at home. Her father was the butler at Ifine manor and born with an innate sense for when his daughter was talking above her station.

And the train kept going, whisking us away toward a world where no Mrs. Johnsons roamed to stop us.