It was not an exciting day in the Rivers household. It was just another ordinary one, for any display of excitement would be intensely shameful for all involved.
Aeriana's backpack lay in the middle of the family room. Her mother, father, twin brothers, and twin sisters stood in a semicircle around her. On the floor, laid out in neat rows, were all of the things Aery would need for the journey: Water bottles, changes of clothing (professional clothing, knee-length skirts, nice slacks, pressed blouses, tights, and her dress shoes,) and granola bars.
"Aeriana." Her father's voice came to her quietly. "I know you will have skill and cunning in your journey and a logical choice in your soulmate." It was the closest thing to a loving farewell that Aery would get. Knowledge, rather than wishes, skill and cunning rather than luck and logic rather than happiness. That was what her journey was about. Not luck, not happiness, and certainly not love.
"And I know you will have success in all of your future endeavors." Her mother said, her voice shaking a little.
"We know you will have excitement and recklessness!" chorused her brothers. Only sixteen, they had yet to mature enough to appreciate the solemnity of the day. Or any day, for that matter.
"I know you will find LOVE!" said Myranda. Aery tucked her shock at her sister's statement behind a perfect mask; Myra also chafed at the academic, reserved life her family preached, and didn't get the idea of love being shameful.
"And I know that you will be... ready for everything that might come your way, with wit and cunning and grace." Again Myra tucked a smile away as her littlest sister offered her grace.
Like a ritual, Myra packed her bag. In a way, it was a ritual; a ritual that two sets of twin brothers before her had done. But she was the only one in the family to do it alone. Still, like a ritual, everything had a proper order. With her bag packed, each of her siblings came forward and put a small unwrapped box in her bag, a gift from each of them as Aery set out on her new life.
Annalyn snapped the buckles on Aery's bag and gave it to her, then hugged Aery. It was the only real display of affection that their parents had allowed, one hug each on every Ceremony, and Aery was shocked and ashamed to admit that it made tears start down her face. Each of her other siblings, then her mother and father, gave her a hug, and Aery walked out the door, rather hurriedly, afraid she would break down and sob. But she held it together.
She walked to her laboratory, the only place where she was able to really think calmly, and went inside. She tried to give herself busywork, mixing suspensions and starting bunsen burners, but it did nothing for her mind. And her mind! It was in tumult, however she tried to calm it. Aery didn't want a soulmate. She didn't want to be so openly emotionally tied to anyone. She just wanted to devote her life to science and not have to worry about love and caring and... and raising a family-- No. No. Get. It. Together. Get it together, Aery. Get it together, stay in control, you've had seventeen years of practice at it and now you want to fall apart because of one new thing? Get it together.
And she felt better about it, especially when her suspensions changed colors.