Holly focused on putting one foot in front of the other, she was determined to catch the pink unicorn racing ahead of her.
It was her day off, and Holly wished she was back in her tiny studio snuggled up in bed and reading her latest novel. The old story about sparkling vampires and an awkward teenager was silly but entertaining.
Instead, she was fighting the wind tunnel that had developed down Slade Avenue. It was a common occurrence due to the looming walls of grey concrete apartments that lined her street. Tightly packed for high-density living, the tall towers filled the morning sky and created a shadowy streetscape for the unsmiling people rushing through.
Holly had almost caught up with the unicorn when she was hit by a gust of wind. It knocked her back a few steps and she rolled her left ankle.
“Ow!” she yelped as sharp pain shot up her leg. Holly crouched to rub her throbbing ankle.
Story of my life. Defeated even by wind.
By now the pink unicorn she had been chasing was replaced with a green baby dragon fast approaching her.
“Hey pixie, you okay? I'm sorry I rushed ahead but we’re running late for our meeting!”
Holly pulled her eyes away from the 3-D dragon print on the front of her best friend's fantasy sweatshirt. She forced a pained smile up at the long face staring down at her in concern. At just under five feet, Holly was often looking up. Where her insubstantial frame was below the accepted Universal Tolerances, there was too much of the oddly shaped Jannet. It would take a hurricane to blow her friend away.
When the pain dissipated, Holly asked, “Where are we going, Jan?”
“To the Data Library. Tina’s going to help us register for that dating service I mentioned yesterday.” Jan replied. “Can you walk?”
Holly nodded and started moving again. This time, she stayed close behind her friend, slipstreaming to dampen the buffeting wind. She tried to remember what Jannet had said over the tumbling of mega-dryers at the laundry facilities. It was some sort of dating correspondence service for the romantically challenged.
“I thought you were joking. Will it cost anything?” Holly asked, worry knitting into her elfin features. She wouldn't get paid until tomorrow and most of the credits would go to rent and food.
“Don’t worry, it’s free. It’s being funded by that Charity foundation GEFA.”
“GEFA?”
“Genetic Equality For All.”
“Oh…” She had never heard of the Foundation but wouldn’t that be nice, she thought.
Earth in 2102 was over-crowded, under-resourced and obsessed with perfection. In an age where genetic profiling was ubiquitous, people like Holly had poor career prospects, low life expectancy and limited choice of life partners. She didn’t need her Identity Card with it's downward red arrow above the 39 percentile for Genetic Quotient to know she was an Inferior. Her short stature kept her beneath everyone’s notice. The sum of her life was watching the clothing spin in the dryers or reading from her tablet. Nothing exciting happened in her day except for when Jannet came up with one of her crazy ideas. Although, this latest one was worth considering.
Romantically challenged? That’s definitely me!
With that thought in mind, she felt a sudden burst of energy and double paced her shorter stride to keep up with Jannet’s. Her eyes were once again on the unicorn. The 3-D print was now winking at Holly.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
They turned into Circuit Road, the main thoroughfare that encircled the majestic emerald high-rises. Here, the street basked in sunshine and bustled with activity from the business district. MagLev cars streaked past and streamed in and out of the lanes leading to the City Core.
A familiar attack of nerves overcame Holly as they came to a stop in front of the white square building that housed the public Data Library.
It looked like a modern day Pandora’s Box...
“Enough daydreaming, Holly! We’re on a mission.” Jannet gave her a cheeky shove towards the automatic door sliders before disappearing into the building, taking the unicorn with her. After a moment of indecision, Holly followed.
Less than fifteen minutes later she was seated in a data booth. Jannet could be heard clanging on her ControlPanel as she enthusiastically answered her application. It was both soothing and distracting. Tina, who worked in the Library, was hawking over them and offering suggestions.
“Holly, add a few more inches to your height. You don’t want to come across as a shrimp.”
She turned her head and raised a brow at Tina’s muffled words. The other woman was flushed and sniffling into her hanky. Her friend was eternally afflicted by one virus or another. “But I am!” complained Holly.
“We know that but you don’t need a potential partner to think it.”
“If we like each other and he wants to meet, I can’t exactly grow a few inches overnight.” By now the exercise was not as exciting as she had hoped. It was stressful.
“You worry too much, Holly. You need to get a partner first! Fuss about the details later. Trust m—Aaaaachhooooo!” Tina sniffled into her hanky some more, her eyes watered as she continued, “I know what I am doing.”
It was true. Of all her Inferior friends, Tina, despite her never-ending sinus issues had a good job and a respectable fiancé. Maybe a bit of harmless exaggeration wouldn’t hurt. She tapped in 5 feet and two inches.
“More,” snapped Tina.
With a huff, Holly changed it to three inches. Tina leant over and increased it to six inches.
“That’s too much!”
“If you’re going to lie, make it look good.” Tina punctuated her statement with a wet sneeze. Holly winced as the air rippled above her head. It felt like a bad omen.
The next question was about weight. She glanced cautiously at Tina who was now standing over her like a prison warden. Holly added thirty percent to her weight which earned her an approving smile. When she got to her bust size, Holly looked down at her chest. She was compact but perfectly formed. Still, she didn’t know her chest measurements.
“Just put in 36-inches.”
“Umm...Are you sure?” It sounded huge to Holly and she wished for a measuring tape.
Tina nodded with a smirk. "Also, 25-inches for waist and 35-inches for hips.”
“I’m beginning to hope I don’t actually meet anyone. I feel like a fraud.” Holly muttered under her breath. But she dutifully entered in the numbers. At least the next question was going to be easy to answer. She tapped in “Laundromat Operator” for Occupation.
“Correction. Textile Engineer.”
“What?!” Holly exclaimed. “That’s an outrageous lie!”
Tina pursed her lips.
“Okay, okay!” She updated the field and told herself she was going to Hell.
“I’ve got myself down as a chef,” Jannet called with a big grin.
“That’s at least kind of true, you are a cook in a soup kitchen,” Holly replied.
“Nuh-uh...Make that Restaurant L’Atelier, that fancy French place that only accepts reservations from the rich and famous! I’m romantically challenged because my career is soooooo demanding.” Jannet chuckled. “This is fun!”
Holly sighed and went back to her online application form.
“Hmmm… Interests?” The list of options was long but only Reading applied, easy.
“Check Travelling too,” advised Tina.
“But I’ve never left this city! The extent of my travels is up and down Slade Avenue and Circuit Road…”
Tina pointed to the Geography holographic section of the Library. ‘Use it.”
When the application form was completed, Holly smoothed her wind-mussed pixie-cut and smiled shyly into the camera for the head shot. Once the photo was attached to the application, she waited until the anxiety churning in her stomach had settled. Only then did she hit Send.
Name: Holly Annette MacGuire
Age: 25
Location: Melba City
Occupation: Textile Engineer
Hair colour: Black
Eye colour: Hazel
Height: 5” 6’
Weight: 122 lbs
Chest: 36-inches
Waist: 25-inches
Hip:35-inches
Best feature (s): I've been told I have pretty eyes.
Temperament: Quiet and reserved.
Interests: Reading; Travelling
Additional Notes:
I am a sensitive female who reads and walks a lot when she is not maintaining the machinery in her Textile Factory. My ideal correspondence partner would be a loyal male aged 25-40 looking for a long term relationship with the goal of starting a family.
[Image attached]