Matched

Cassia hears whispers as her Match is announced to be in the room. She hears Xander’s name announced and thinks “This is a dream” (15). She is handed the silver box with Xander’s information, but she doesn’t think she needs it because she already knows “much of what is inside” (16). Her parents look relieved. On their way out, Cassia and Xander are stopped by a hostess who comments on how unusual their situation is and advises them to still familiarize themselves with the new courtship guidelines on their microcards.

Cassia thinks about how she and Xander will enter a Marriage Contract at 21 and then have children together. She feels a bit disappointed with the lack of mystery surrounding her Match, but when Xander asks what she’s thinking, she sincerely tells him that they are lucky. The hostess reminds her that there is no luck, as everything is based on probability in the Society. It has produced the healthiest citizens in history, mostly because of the Matching System and its likelihood of yielding healthy offspring.

Cassia and Xander hold hands while boarding the air train, and the former reflects on physical touch being a luxury that the other Matches don’t get to immediately experience. They continue to hold hands, something they haven’t done since they were children, and head back home to Mapletree Borough (in Oria Province). When Cassia gets home, she shares the news with her brother Bram; he can’t believe her Match is someone they know. The children’s mother reprimands Cassia for teasing Bram with the possibility that his Match could be his neighbor and friend Selena—as the Society has a rule against disparaging neighbors. Cassia sits outside, promising to come in before the City’s curfew. Back in her room, she counts her three emergency pills: “blue, green, red” (22). She knows the effects of the blue and green pills but isn’t certain anyone knows what the red pill does.

The next morning, Cassia removes her datatags—which interpret her dreams as numbers—and rushes to get ready for work after sleeping late. She and Bram eat their home-delivered breakfast of oatmeal—part of the Society’s regular bland diet designed for “health and performance” (23). She and her mother admire her green dress from the Match Banquet before it has to be returned. Although Cassia will get to keep a piece of the fabric, she laments that she will “never see this dress…again” (24). Bram heads out the door to catch the air train to school, breaking a rule by running in public.

Cassia tells her mother that she plans to visit Grandfather that night before his “Final Banquet.” While riding the air train to work, “little white puffs” (27) begin to fall outside the window. It appears to be snowing in June, but when the doors open, Cassia realizes the puffs are cottonwood seeds. A man entering the train tells the passengers that they are currently removing the cottonwood grove by the river to plant new trees. Cassia knows from her mother’s work at the Arboretum that cottonwood seeds can be a nuisance, but admires their beauty and puts a seed in her pocket. She recalls a poem she likes, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” which is one of the “Hundred Poems” the Society decided to keep (29). 70 years ago, the Society selected the 100 best of everything and permanently discarded the rest. Cassia’s great-grandmother had been on the Hundred Committee and assisted in selecting the appropriate poems.

At work, Cassia’s supervisor, Norah, tasks her with sorting numbers. Although it’s a boring job, most of Cassia’s family members started out in sorting—which then led to more interesting work. Despite the advancement of computers, sorters provide a failsafe should this technology collapse. Everyone is charged with a specialized skill so as to not get overwhelmed—and to prevent a repeat of the previous society, in which the abundance of technology had dire consequences. Norah informs Cassia that she has to take a formal test first. Seated in front of a screen, Cassia clears her mind and focuses only on sorting. When she gets home, she finds herself alone and decides to look at her microcard. A picture of Xander appears, then quickly fades, replaced by the face of another boy.

Before Cassia can comprehend what’s happening, the screen goes blank. She continues to feel confused, as “The Society doesn’t make mistakes” (36). Suddenly, Xander knocks on the door. He jokes about Cassia liking cycling, as it is her least favorite exercise option. He asks if she looked at his microcard, to which she jokingly replies that she had work to do. Xander admits that he had work too, but still spent time looking at hers. Cassia feels some relief that Xander did not experience the same malfunction as her.

Cassia notices that other people their age are looking at them as they head to the game center; she feels like an outsider. When Xander reaches for her hand, telling her that one of the guidelines said they can “express physical affection” (38), she notices the other girls look jealous. She reassures herself with the knowledge that Xander Matched with her, not anyone else. Cassia takes his hand, hoping it will serve as proof that they are meant to be together. She tries to dismiss the other boy’s face on the microcard, but finds it difficult because she knows him.

Cassia and Xander enter the crowded game center. Xander heads to a table to play a game, and Cassia talks to her best friend Emily—who asks how it feels to know her Match. Cassia responds positively because Xander is Xander, whom Emily agrees is “the best of us all” (41). An Official asks Cassia to come with her. Outside, the Official asks her about the wrong face on the microcard, reassuring her that she is still Matched with Xander. She asks Cassia for the old microcard, and the latter exchanges it for a new one.

The Official identifies herself as a member of the Matching Department. She asks if Cassia knows the other boy on her microcard, to which she reluctantly replies that his name is Ky Markham. The Official explains that they are investigating whether the microcard is a prank because of the improbability of Cassia Matching with two people she knows. She adds that Ky can never be Matched with anyone, as he’s an “Aberration.” Aberrations are different from Singles, who choose not to be Matched, and Anomalies, who are removed from society. Ky’s status reflects the fact that his father “committed an Infraction” (46). Cassia agrees with the Official that the prank is cruel and hopes they find who did it.

Cassia finds herself feeling sympathy for Ky. The Official reminds her that their conversation is to be kept confidential—to which Cassia responds that she doesn’t want anyone to know except her grandfather. The Official departs and Cassia heads back inside the game center, where another Official announces that someone lost their tablet container. Everyone immediately falls silent and freezes in place. Cassia thinks back to when Xander once lost his container at the pool when they were children. Xander was underwater for so long that Cassia thought he was drowning. Ky Markham, a stranger to her then, stepped in to save him, almost drowning himself in the process. Cassia was relieved when they both resurfaced, and Xander had his case. Cassia spots Ky in the crowd at the game center and takes a step towards him, crushing the missing tablet container in the process. Suddenly swarmed by Officials, she loses sight of him.

On the day Cassia met Ky, she told her parents about him. Her parents were surprised to learn he was adopted, as adoptions are extremely rare. Xander’s father stopped by and reported from outside the house—as visitors aren’t allowed inside—that Ky was an orphan from the Outer Provinces, a rougher area outside of the Society. He was adopted by Patrick and Aida Markham—his aunt and uncle—after their biological son was murdered in a Government building by a “Class One Anomaly” (57); Ky is the son of Aida’s sister. Cassia’s father Abran suggested that Ky was adopted “as recompense for the accident” (57); Xander’s father agreed. The next day at school, Ky easily blended into the crowd.

After the game center incident, Cassia visits Grandfather and tells him about Ky. When Grandfather suddenly stands in disbelief upon learning of Ky’s status as an Aberration, Cassia reassures him that it’s only because of something Ky’s father did. Grandfather voices his displeasure at the fact that someone altered her microcard, but sympathizes with Ky for being “marked through no fault of his own” (62). Cassia chose to tell him because she knew he would be understanding. She takes his hand and tells him she signed up for the new hiking activity for the summer. He hopes she will hike the Hill, one of the remaining areas of wilderness. Before Cassia departs, Grandfather tells her that he’s thinking about her grandmother—whom she never met—and how she would have asked her granddaughter about the Matching System. Cassia realizes that when Ky’s face appeared on the microcard, she had questioned it. Grandfather also asks if she’ll bring the compact to his Final Banquet the next day.

Sunday is Grandfather’s Final Banquet, and Cassia reminds herself how “fair” it is that everyone now dies at the age of 80 years old. It has been deemed the best age to die because it allows “a complete life experience,” while minimizing the “indignities of aging” (69). It also prevents people from dying alone. Cassia, Bram, and their parents each carry a gift to Grandfather’s floor. Bram has a rock that he collected from near the Hill, and Cassia brings a printed letter she wrote that includes a poem, as Grandfather loves poetry.

Inside his room, Grandfather lies in bed and asks to be pulled over to the window. The Committee comes in “long white lab coats” (73), and Grandfather is changed into his Banquet clothes; he chose light green clothes, like Cassia did for her Match Banquet. The Committee gives him a gold microcard that contains pictures of himself throughout his life. Grandfather tells them that he has chosen his son, Abran, to take possession of both the microcard and his tissue sample—which will be frozen in case the Society is able to resurrect people at a future date. The Committee give Grandfather his Banquet menu for approval, then departs.

Bram asks if he can give Grandfather his gift and hands him the rock. Several of Grandfather’s friends arrive, followed by food—which is comprised solely of desserts. After everyone eats, the guests leave, and Grandfather speaks with each family member individually. When it’s Cassia’s turn, she hands her Grandfather her letter. He enjoys it but notes that the words are not hers; they come from a letter-writing program. Cassia tears up at the thought that she’s disappointed him. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the cottonwood seed, hoping it will make a better gift. Grandfather asks for the compact and, to her surprise, he opens it and pulls out a piece of paper with writing on it. He reads and folds the paper back up. Handing it to Cassia, he says she may not understand it, but she will. He adds that it’s “all right to wonder” (83). An hour before midnight, Grandfather tells everyone that he loves them and closes his eyes.

Less than a week later, Cassia is with Xander and her friends Em, Piper, and Sera, debating what to do. She feels conflicted by the prohibited words in her compact. As Xander suggests they watch a “showing” about the Society, Ky comes up behind them and says he hasn’t seen it yet. Cassia has been thinking about Ky but hasn’t seen him since the game center incident. The group wonders how he missed the showing, and he says he was likely working late. No one questions him about his work. Cassia notices Ky’s eyes are dark blue, which is a common color, but his seem deeper.

The group enters the theater and Xander checks on Cassia, squeezing her hand. She hasn’t confided in him about Ky or Grandfather’s paper, finding it strange that she’s keeping so much from him now that they are Matched. Cassia sits between Ky and Xander, watching as the screen shows the Provinces of the Society, then segues into a history of how the Society came to be. She occasionally glances over to watch Ky’s reactions. When the showing concludes with overacted scenes of the world’s potential chaos should the Society collapse, including those of death, Cassia notices that Ky is silently crying. When the lights come on, she thinks he might be looking at her—but finds that he isn’t.

Cassia gathers at the Arboretum with other students, including Ky, to begin their hiking activity. An Officer arrives and demands to be addressed as “Sir.” Without any instruction, he commands the group to climb to the top of one of the shorter hills, rather than the Hill—which is the biggest. As they head into the forest, Cassia thinks it might be a good place to open Grandfather’s paper. She ducks under some bushes and pulls out Grandfather’s paper with trembling hands. She finds a poem that isn’t included in the Hundred Poems. Cassia tears up at the first line: “Do not go gentle into that good night” (96). She relates to the poem, determining that she loves “All of it” (97). The name of the poet, Dylan Thomas, is written beneath the text. Cassia flips the paper and finds another poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. She reads both poems over and over until she hears someone coming. As she runs to the top of the hill to make up for lost time, she realizes the Society must have left out the Dylan Thomas poem because it “tells you to fight” (98).

Ky is already at the top of the hill when Cassia arrives. He has his eyes closed and looks relaxed. When he hears Cassia approach, he opens his eyes and for a second, she sees “a glimpse of something real” (98). The Officer arrives, and Cassia talks to Ky. When she observes that he beat everyone to the top, he responds that it’s because he grew up in the Outer Provinces. Cassia wonders if this means he had to run from something. She abruptly asks what happened to his mother, but he simply tells her she shouldn’t ask. Ky then asks Cassia who she lost, and after a period of silence, she tells him it was her grandfather. He tells her that he saw her in the woods and reminds her to be careful, briefly touching her arm. Cassia explains the paper is from her grandfather and she’s going to destroy it. He offers to help, but she declines. They separate as more people arrive, and Cassia wonders if Ky will keep her secret.

When Cassia arrives home, there is an Official air car outside her house. She imagines Ky’s eyes and is able to calm down and think more clearly. She goes inside, and Bram tells her that Officials are there to search their father. Cassia immediately runs to her room and puts the paper back in the compact before an Official appears at her doorway. She exclaims that she’s changing, and he tells her to join them when she’s done.

When Cassia reemerges, Bram tells her that their father lost Grandfather’s tissue sample. In the kitchen, a Biomedical Official uses an instrument to scan the trash. When Cassia realizes they’re specifically looking for the barcode on the sample, she relaxes; they won’t “tear the house apart” (109). However, she’s in disbelief that her father lost “something so important” (109). Her parents emerge from their bedroom as the Officials yell at her father and threaten him with sanctions at work. They don’t leave, despite her father apologizing. Grandfather “is really gone” (111).

The family’s dinner arrives, and Cassia’s mother Molly curtly tells the Officials that they don’t have extra. Before departing, the tallest Official tells the family that they will likely receive an Infraction. When the Officials leave, Cassia’s father immediately apologizes and Cassia’s mother comforts him. Cassia wonders if her life with Xander will be this intertwined one day. She then thinks of Ky. Later, as Cassia runs on the tracker (a treadmill), she realizes that with Grandfather gone, it is up to her to “keep him alive” (114). She finishes her preprogramed workout, which is designed to help her maintain optimal health.

Cassia finds Bram sitting on her bed holding Grandfather’s watch. He tells her that he contacted the Officials to see if they could get a tissue sample from it, but they told him it wasn’t enough. Bram asks if he can keep the watch in Cassia’s silver microcard box for safekeeping. When Cassia goes to bed, she removes the paper from the compact and puts it in her pocket; she plans to dispose of it the next day. She realizes she’s lying on her tablet container and empties it out. Cassia has always heeded Grandfather’s warning to never take the green, calming pill.

Hiking is cancelled the next day due to rain. Cassia decides to visit her father at work and hopes to get rid of Grandfather’s paper. She wishes she knew how to write so she could copy the words and have them until she’s old. Cassia sees Ky on the way to the train and thinks he must be lonely. He’s surprised to see her. She notices his eyes appear gray and wonders if they “have no color” (123). Ky asks what Cassia’s thinking about and she tells him the truth. He smiles, and she asks him the same question. He responds that he’s thinking about home. They look at each other “for a long, unembarrassed moment,” and Cassia feels he knows “something” about her (124).

Cassia sits across from Ky on the air train until he gets off at his stop “without looking back” (125). She gets off by the old library, which is covered with incinerators. She sees an Official dressed in white and realizes it’s her father. Cassia thinks about how Grandfather was an Official as well, but it’s different with her family because they are “learners, not doers”—although her great-grandmother “did steal” the poems (126). She watches as they methodically burn a large pile of books. As a page gets loose and flies towards her, she takes Grandfather’s paper out of her pocket and tosses it in the air. An Official uses the incinerator’s vacuum tube to suck it up.

Cassia is almost late for school and finds Xander waiting for her. He asks about her wellbeing, and for a moment, she wants to tell him everything. But she only shakes her head and appreciates when he brings up a new picnic activity being offered on Saturday. Cassia feels a bit annoyed that Xander signed her up but forgives him upon noticing his awkward smile. In class, she wonders how Xander would feel about her possible Match with Ky. Though he may be understanding about it, she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or their Match. As it begins to thunderstorm, she feels sad that the poems are gone and she “can never get them back” (132).

Later at work, Cassia is given an “interesting sort,” sifting through “physical traits for a Matching pool” (133). Norah adds that Cassia’s next test will be monitored by Officials. If she does well, she could receive an interesting job. Cassia pushes aside her negative thoughts and focuses on the good news. As she sorts, she pictures Ky’s face. This causes her to make a sorting error.

At the air train stop, Cassia’s father meets her and asks if she was at his job earlier. She admits that she was, but he was busy. He invites her to come again and asks if she wants to tell him something. Cassia confides in him about Grandfather’s paper and her destruction of it at his workplace. She asks her father how he could lose Grandfather’s sample. He replies that he destroyed it as Grandfather “wanted to die on his own terms” (137). Cassia angrily reminds her father that he had a choice and didn’t have to go through with it. She runs inside the house crying, despite understanding her father’s actions. She decides she has to stop thinking about Ky. Cassia reasserts the need to “be strong” by “Following the rules” and “staying safe” (138).