It was one of those dreams from which I woke up depressed about reality, filled with a longing that pulled my insides, wishing the dream could have lasted forever, or at least much longer than it had.

It was the same, every single time. The golden caramel hair, tied up in a messy ponytail, swaying gently as the wind and owner walked. Every time, I’ll try to catch up, even running, something that I’ve forbidden myself to do all those years ago, to catch up with the stranger. I’ll call out and the stranger half turns, enough to reveal a smirk but never enough to make out her physical features. The stranger usually laughs, a low, unruly laugh but I’ve gotten quite used to it after hearing it in my dreams all this time.

Pounding sounds, the reason why I’d been so unceremoniously awoken in the first place, fill the entire house. The red digits of the clock seem to glare back. 13:59, it blinked back.

Groaning, I ran my fingers through my hair and leisurely made my way to open the front door. The sunlight blinded me for a moment before it readjusted on a slim figure.

“What’s your deal?”

“Someone should cast you as Sleeping Beauty goddamn it.” My visitor raised an eyebrow taking in my appearance I bet. A classic example of bed head, hoarse voice and bad temper. “C’mon sleep is for the weak.”

 “Sleep is for a week, . What do you want Yoona?”

She cheekily smiled and invited herself in. Settling herself on the small couch she announced excitedly. “It happened. It finally happened.”

“What? You signed up for a membership for a lifetime supply of free buffet? Or better yet, are you finally accepting help from a mental institution?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes in the process. “It happened. I got branded.”

Impossible, the words kept ringing in my brain. She’s trying to prank me isn’t she? “You got drunk tattooed again didn’t you?”

Yoona, clearly frustrated, pulled down the neck of her shirt, revealing a lightning bolt.

“Funny. So you had a Harry Potter Marathon and got drunk, I see.”

Yoona’s irritation was written all over her face. “Look at it closely. Can’t you see it doesn’t look like a tattoo?”

Taking another look, I had to agree. It was…different, it looked alive and gave out a strange aura. If I hadn’t known better I’d have thought Yoona just needed some medication.

“So…now what?”

“I… I’m meeting him later… I really don’t know. You know how rare these things are now of days. Especially ever since the neutralization.”

Soul mates. That thought is now so foreign. Meeting your soul mate wasn’t such a strange thing in the past. People commonly found them, waited for them, died in search for them. A brand would be formed whenever physical contact was made between soul mates. Each brand was different; it was like a thumbprint or DNA, unique to each pair. A connection that can’t be broken. People yearned to meet their other halves, some never did.

 The neutralization occurred a generation ago. The Administration had to account for the falling birth rates along with an ageing population. They introduced the exercise to remove the genes responsible for producing the brand; citizens who participated were rewarded while those who didn’t were treated like outcasts.

My parents met a few years after the neutralization after getting neutralized themselves. My mother was a model, gracing the runaway with her natural beauty and flawlessness. My father was a stumbling musician living on the road, travelling from state to state, performing wherever he could to support himself; he had nothing when he met my mother. All he had was his guitar and his charming voice. That was all he needed to mesmerize my mother. They were married and soon after I came along. His career and fame skyrocketed after he met my mother, and soon left her, chasing skirts by people half his age.

My prideful mother, grief stricken and betrayed decided to take a handful of pills to deal with her insomnia and stress, never made it to see the next day.

Yoona’s case was rare but not unheard of. Scientists have recently reported findings of the genes mutating. But I couldn’t care less.

 *

A/N: I'm finally on term break (yassss) to celebrate i decided to try writing a genre i haven't tried before (go sci-fi woohoo) wish me luck that i won't screw this up.