The was January 2nd, 2034. Today would also be the 18th anniversary of my birth.

Every year I had always been absolutely elated when my birthday came around, but its different today. In fact, I have actually been absolutely dreading this day.

Why is this the case?

It's because now I'm classified as an adult under the law. I no longer fit under the description of a minor and I'm now under the mercy of the big boy laws. I was an adult.

Graduating from adolescence typically means joyously becoming independent, no more having to deal with parental restraints; however, this could not be farther from the truth for me. I, for one, am not looking forward to "adulting," by any means.

Even though I said I was apprehensive about becoming an adult, the source of my anxiety does not come from my soon-to-be college indepence, as I am actually fairly eager to move out and enroll into uni My fear of turning 18 is due to the P.M.I.

The P.M.I, also known as the "Perfect Match Initiative" was created in 2012 after the Onyx Pandemic that occured in the year 2020. The pandemic was of such a scale that the only thing comparable in precedence was the 14th century black death.

In less than a decade, the total population of Earth had been cut by over half. The original 8.1 billion people on earth had been reduced to just 3.9 billion. With half of the population gone, businesses were ravaged, people prayed for food, and countries grinded to a halt as the world witnessed the largest loss of life in human history.

Bittersweetly, as people died their whole family died with them. Together. No survivors of the bloodlines. It sounds terrible, but at least singular people did not have to live without their loved ones for a lengthy amount of time.

The pandemic had crippled every industry as many companies lost their workers and managers and could not function normally as no-one expected for half of their co-workers to die in just a decade. This also meant that schools and students who would soon join the work force were cut in half. The American government understood this and seeked a solution in which they could cause a surge in population growth to help remedy the lack of students and available workers in the country.

Many other countries also seeked to do the same thing and decided to collaborate and create what is now known as the P.M.I.

The P.M.I., also known as the "Perfect Match Initiative," is a government program that pairs people with their "soul mate." Many people thought that the PMI was going to just be the government throwing pairs together and asking them to copulate to help increase the population, but that was not the case at all.

The PMI was an initiative which would take in teenagers close to adulthood, mainly 17 year olds, and run a series of diagnostic tests on them to match each person to their soulmate once they turn 18.

Many were skeptical as people were afraid that they may be paired with someone they could never find attractive let alone love. To remedy the unrest, the PMI included an article that states that any person could submit a formal reassessment for their PMI if they believe that the PMI had made a mistake in putting them together. This quelled the anxiety that many people had for now and allowed for the PMI to start successfully in 2012.

Since the introduction of the PMI in 2012, there have been zero cases of a reassessment being submitted.

Its no surprise that everyone was shocked. After a decade of the PMI being in place, it has yet to create a couple that was dissatisfied with their partner. Another decade later, it had now become a normal thing for everyone to expect to find "the one" once they turned 18 as everyone who met through the PMI has been successful in creating a loving relationship.

Now this may raise a couple concerns with you. Why would I be dreading the day I meet my soulmate?

Its precisely because I have to meet my soulmate today.

Its not something to be proud of, but I can say with absolute confidence that I'm pretty bad at socializing. I have had some friends and acquaintances at school, but it was never anything more than that. It was one of those relationships where you spoke to them at school, but if you didn't see them in person then you wouldn't talk to them. That was the extent of my social interaction.

Could you then understand why I'm so nervous to be meeting the person who is supposed to be my soul mate? I've only managed to keep up relationships that were at just the point of speaking terms. The PMI was for your soulmate, a level of intimacy that I've never even gotten close to. I didn't want to have a terrible first impression because I had a hard time talking to them.

Honestly I could very well be on the way to be the first person ever to have a formal reassessment filed against them.

I've heard rumors about this, but the PMI hardly takes your personal "tastes" in your partner into account. The match is based completely on the tests and so your partner may not be the "perfect" partner in your eyes at first so to try and get you to interact with them as much as possible, the two of you are enrolled into the same university and are roommates for at minimum 365 days before you are eligible to file for a reassessment.

I was about to have to every single day with my match for the next year and I was supposed to meet her family together with mine for lunch today.

"Emil are you awake? We're about to leave to go meet your partner."

My train of thought had been cut off by my mom who was calling for me. I didn't realize that it was already 12:40PM.

"Yeah I'm awake I'm getting ready now." I said while I frantically started getting myself ready for the meeting."

"Okay hurry and come down we're going to leave in 5 minutes" my mom replied.

"Ah okay!" I responded as I was quickly changing out of my pajamas and into something more presentable for the lunch.

I quickly put on black and white striped long sleeve shirt along with a pair of jeans and socks and ran downstairs.

"Hurry and put on your shoes and get in the car or we'll be late" said my mom with impatience.

"Okay I'm hurrying"

Quickly I put my shoes on and got in the car. I forgot how nervous I was since my mom was starting to get impatient with me, but now that I was sitting in the car waiting to get to the restaurant my hands were shaking like I had alcohol withdrawal.

I really hope this girl isn't super intimidating or too pretty or else she'll have a hard time understanding my gibberish.