6:30 AM: I wake before dawn, screaming from my nightmares. My three love interests burst into the room. They all have one-syllable names like Shale, and Bird, and Nine. I will repeatedly fall in love with them with over three books.
6:36 AM: Bird sits at my feet and stares at me with concern. His eyes are grey. Probably from the smog-filled air of my post-apocalyptic world. He stares and pets my hand like a dog. Fuck, do I love Bird?
6:37 AM: Shale saunters in with a glass of water. He keeps smiling like he’s modeling for a catalog. Maybe I love Shale…
6:38 AM: Nine stares at me with his blue-grey eyes and refuses to comfort me because he respects me. Or it’s just gaslighting. Oh, who am I kidding? I love Nine!
9:00 AM: While performing my morning hunting duties for small birds, I contemplate, again, the three men in my life. It truly takes up so much of my mental space, it’s no wonder I keep coming home empty-handed!
9:01 AM: Wait, am I just horny?
10:30 AM: I arrive at my first training of the day and spend an entire page putting up my beautiful but understated hair.
11 AM: Despite my small but strong stature, and gorgeous but average looks, I manage to throw a punch during our fight training. Everyone pats me on the back and tells me I am incredible.
12:00 PM: Next up is knife throwing. I throw one at a target, and Nine tells me “good job” really close to my neck. I say nothing because I’m a “cool” girl, but, good lord, that will affect my mind for at least half a page. Did I forget to mention that Nine is my teacher? My bad! I just like the coded power fetish.
12:02 PM: Bird notices the interchange and says, “I guess you’ve made your decision.” He stares into my eyes, hurt, and then wanders off. Oh, Bird, I do love you.
12:30 PM: I eat lunch in a refurbished warehouse. We’re 40 years into a dystopian world, but don’t worry, we still have incredible, locally sourced food. My complex and well-formed friends are talking about… something. Maybe about evil doings in the outside world? Either way, I am distracted because Shale is walking over to sit next to me. He tells me I look different, and I blush. I know it’s because I threw that one knife at a target in class today, so the author gave me eyeliner. Shale tenderly wipes an eyelash off my face. We stare at each other for a page before he leaves to deal with leadership matters. Wow, I love Shale.
12:45 PM: My friends ask me if I’m “in.” I tell them yes, but I don’t know what they’re talking about. I have another 300 pages before I realize how the government and factions are undermining society.
4:00 PM: I get a tattoo to signify my new transition into womanhood.
6:00 PM: At a post-dinner hang in a cave, I wear my hair down and a shirt that exposes my new tattoo. I have officially transformed into my sexy but chaste stage. Nine is hanging out with the other teachers, but notices me across the way. We make eyes and walk over to one another, drawn to each other by a connection we cannot explain (it’s sex).
6:01 PM: Midway through my walk, I make eye contact with Shale and Bird. Bird’s grey eyes are watery and hurt, while Shale’s are cold and intense. Am I walking towards the right person?
6:02 PM: Nine and I finally reach each other. He tells me I look different, better, as he touches my tattoo. It is very sexy. He says something, but my heart is in my ears. I should probably get that looked at. He tells me that I did good during training today with no emotion, but I know he loves me. He leaves, and I am completely useless for another two pages.
6:05 PM: My friends hand me something for the mission tomorrow. I don’t know what it is, but I thank them. I’m not ready for this. Who will I choose?
9:00 PM: I climb into bed and hear my friends whispering about the plan for tomorrow. I talk to the woman next to me, and she asks me if I am ready. I tell her I am. I am ready to make my decision. It’s Nine.
9:01 PM: Fuck. Maybe it’s Bird.