1984

It was Alexander's twenty-second birthday, the day he would stop aging until he found his soulmate. He would age another ten years once he found his soulmate, but the ability to grow old and die would not be given to him until he completed the Ceremony.

Twenty-second birthdays were always a big thing in his town. He lived in a small area, where everyone knew each other. Such important birthdays were celebrated with the neighbourhood. One of the girls down the road had turned twenty-two the week before and the whole street had come out with food and presents for her. He was expecting the same treatment.

His mother had woken him up early that morning. She had been more excited about his birthday than he was, but he didn't mind, at least he knew he was going to have a good day. He didn't wonder what everyone was going to get him.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, sleepily digging into a plate of bacon and eggs. His father was standing at the stove, bacon sizzling loudly in the fry pan. His mother was standing with the fridge door open, searching for the milk.

"Happy birthday, son," his father muttered from the kitchen, watching him with a sad smile on his face. "You're so old now."

"Says you," Alexander replied, chuckling a little.

"Alex, be nice to your father!" his mother scolded.

"Oh, leave him, Margot," his father laughed. "It's his birthday, let him be." His mother only rolled her eyes, finally pulling the milk out of the fridge.

"So, has anyone caught your eye yet?" Margot asked, excitement lighting up her face.

"Mum, I've been twenty-two for all of eight hours," Alexander said with a laugh. "I haven't even left the house yet. Of course, I haven't found anyone. I doubt people find their soulmates that quickly anyway."

"That's not true," his mother replied. "Robert from work found his soulmate on his birthday, at the little party the neighbourhood threw for him."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Hmm, I think about fifteen years," Margot said.

"Exactly!" Alex replied. "It's rare for stuff like that to happen. It won't happen to me, mum."

His mother fixed him with a look he could only describe as 'shut up, Alex, you don't know what you're talking about'. "You never know, it could happen," she said.

"Try not to get his hopes up too high," his father added, taking the cooked bacon out of the fry pan and putting it on a plate. "If it doesn't happen then he might be really disappointed. You don't want that to happen on his birthday, do you?"

Margot clicked her tongue. "No, of course not," she said. "But I want him to have some hope today. It's his big day."

"I'll be fine, mum," Alexander told her. "It's not a big deal to me. I'll find them eventually, so I don't care if I don't find them today."

"Fine, fine, just eat up and enjoy your food," his mother said, shaking her head with a sigh. "What are you doing before your big dinner party tonight?"

"Sarah is coming over. We're going out for most of the day. I'll be back later in the afternoon though," Alexander explained.

"Alright, kiddo," his dad said. "Have fun."

He scoffed down his food, waiting impatiently for the knock at the door. Sarah was never one to arrive late, but she was not exactly someone who arrived early either. Alex found that he wished she was. He wanted to go out now.

A loud tapping at the door had him jumping out of his seat instantly and rushing to the door. He vaguely heard his mother laughing at him as he moved. He pulled the door open, grinning at Sarah's surprised face.

"Someone's excited," she laughed, her light brown hair bouncing as her shoulders shook.

"Hush, who wouldn't be?" he replied, moving aside to let her in. She called out to his parents, greeting them as politely as ever.

"Go brush your teeth, I can smell your morning breath from here," she told him, shoving him in the arm.

He rolled his eyes. "It's not that bad," he said, but headed in the direction of the bathroom anyway. He stared at himself in the little mirror, at the face he would have until he found his soulmate. He still looked like a child, as though he was only eighteen instead of twenty-two, with big blue eyes and a mop chocolate brown hair. He'd shaved the night before and while stubble was starting to grow back, there wasn't enough to make him look any older than eighteen.

He brushed his teeth quickly, eyeing off the little mole on the space underneath his ear. It was the only blemish on his otherwise tan skin. He didn't have any freckles on his face, they all formed on his arms and legs, just the mole that stuck out like a sore thumb. He wanted to get it removed at some point before he found his soulmate. It was vain, but he was embarrassed of the thing.

As soon as he was done, he rushed back out into the living room, where Sarah was talking animatedly with his parents. "I'm ready to go," he announced, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

Sarah dragged him out of the house by his wrist, barely giving him any time to say goodbye to his parents. He laughed at her, excitement for the day filling him. By law, he was considered completely adult now. Yes, he had been allowed to do many things when had turned eighteen, but now he was allowed to drink and vote.

The pair of friends wandered down the streets, heading for the main stretch of street in their small town. The majority of the shops stood on the long main road, including the music store, which Sarah had promised to take him to.

They browsed through the many records and the more expensive CD's. Sarah allowed him to pick three as a birthday gift, which he struggled to do. There was so much music he wanted, but he never had the money to afford it, so three was such a little amount. He did eventually pick though, three newer albums from some of his favourite bands.

At the end of the main road in their small town sat an arcade. Sarah and Alex spent a lot of their time there and today was no exception. The owner, an older man by the name of William waved at them and wished Alexander a happy birthday as they walked it, promising to stop by during the neighbourhood party later that night.

The pair spent hours at the arcade, spending all the loose change they had and more. There was laughter as one made a mistake in a game, and anger as one bet the others well worked for high score. Sarah punched him in the arm so much that it was dead and numb by the time they left.

"Are you having a good day?" Sarah asked him as the wondered down the streets. "I know we didn't do too much, but there isn't really much to do."

"I'm having a great time," Alexander replied. "I really don't mind what we do. We could be sitting around doing nothing and I'd probably still be enjoying myself."

Sarah laughed, dimples forming on her pale cheeks. "Someone's feeling sappy today," she said, knocking shoulders with him.

"It's just one of those days, you know," he said, grinning at her. "I just feel good. I'm twenty-two, I'm going to look super young for a little while, then I'm going to find my soulmate. What isn't there to be happy about?"

"Hey, don't forget weird immortality," Sarah supplied. He huffed out a small laugh. He'd forgotten about the strange immortality people get when they don't age. They can't get sick, can't get injured, can't die at all.

It would be interesting to see how it would play out over the next however many years until he met his soulmate. He could do anything and not have to worry about the consequences. Knowing him though, he'll probably be a quiet person who didn't do much. There was heaps of people who went and adventured and just lived life to the fullest, but he probably wouldn't be one of them.

"It makes sense though," Sarah continued, pulling him from his thoughts. "I'd be pretty happy too if I was turning twenty-two."

"You have a year to go," Alexander replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. "I'll throw you a big party."

"Bigger than the one my family is going to throw me?" Sarah asked with a laugh.

"Uh, yeah, probably not," he replied, also laughing. "There's no way I could top their plans."

Sarah jumped back. "Have they told you?" she questioned. "Tell me! You have to!"

"No! They haven't told me. And even if they had, there's no way I'm telling you. It's meant to be a surprise," he answered. "I don't even know what's going to happen at my party tonight."

"I'm picturing a big feast, lots of food, lots of alcohol," Sarah winked at him. "Everyone will come over to you and congratulate you. Some will give presents. I think some old ladies will come over and tell you about their grandson or granddaughter who hasn't got a soulmate yet. It'll be fun."

They had wandered all the way back to his house, where people were scrambling about trying to set up for the party that night. His lovely next-door neighbours were carrying fold out chairs down to his backyard, where he could hear his parents ordering people around.

Sarah and Alex shared a look and followed his neighbours through his house to the backyard. His mother waved to him when she saw him and pointed at all the decorations that littered their backyard.

Tables sat together in neat lines, covered with light blue tablecloths. Bunches of multi coloured balloons sat in the middle of the tables, tied down to a weight so they wouldn't float away. There was a bright party hat in front of every seat, which made Alexander laugh. He felt like a kid again, but he didn't mind.

"Hey, kiddo," his dad called from the end of the backyard. "I know it's your day and everything, but would you mind helping us set up?"

Sarah clapped her hands next to him. "I'd love to!" she exclaimed. "You know how much I enjoy decorating!" Alexander laughed, thinking back to the many times Sarah had rearranged both her room and his as she went through different decorating phases. Everything had to look pretty and a certain way depending on what was catching her eye. Alex always let her do what she wanted, he didn't mind the rearranging and it made her happy, so what was the big deal?

The pair set up the chairs around the tables and helped out Alexander's parents for a little over an hour before the guests started to arrive. Alex's other friends that he didn't speak to as often as he spoke to Sarah clapped him on the back and gave him small gifts. His elderly neighbours kissed him on the cheek and wished him well.

Many brought plates of food for the others to snack on while the main meal Alexander's parents were cooking. Soon enough all the seats at the tables were filled and chatter rang out around the yard. It was so loud that Alexander could barely hear his friends talk to him.

His parents put on the records he had bought that morning, which only added to the growing noise. They had prepared a roast lamb for him, his favourite meal, and allowed him to have as much food as he pleased. He filled himself to the brim with lamb and salads and the many cakes his friends and neighbours bought for him.

He laughed and opened gifts and ate food and partied. Music blasted and people chattered, and the noise had grown so loud that he could barely hear himself think. He drank and felt himself grow tipsy, dancing around and around with Sarah.

He was twenty-two, and he would no longer age until he found his soulmate. The person who would be exactly right for him. Not his other half, he was a whole person already, but someone who would love him unconditionally and without fail. Someone to be happy with. Someone to grow old and die with. He just needed to wait for them to come along. He hoped it wouldn't be long.