(Song: - Son by Sleeping At Last)
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I get home from work, go to my room, shower, then lay on my bed for about an hour, and do absolutely nothing. By about 6, I drag myself up out of bed to try and work on my speech due next Friday but fail miserably. Our grandparents come over for supper around 7, and it's...interesting. I love my grandparents, but they can be a little overbearing. They are always asking my brother, Andrew, and I about our Counters.
"Do you still have your Counters?" "How much longer do you have?" "Don't worry; you'll meet your soulmate soon." "Hopefully, we will still be around when it happens."
That one is a little depressing, but that's pretty much the entire conversation throughout dinner. I mean, I don't blame them, we are all anxious for the moment that our Counters will hit 0, but every time they come over, it's the same questions and same response each time. It is not our fault that the times are as long as they are; the Threads decide that. Grandmother and Grandfather met when they were 17, married when they were 20, and had my Dad when they were 25. The conversation at dinners is the same old "how is work" here or a "how is so-and-so" there. However, after dinner, my parents, Grandmother, and I all move to sit in the living room to talk while Grandfather and Andrew decide to play a game of chess at the table in the kitchen
"So, Lily, how is Mia? Has she met her soulmate yet?" Grandmother asks, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, actually, she met him yesterday evening, his name is Skylar, and he's super nice," I say, looking at the mug of hot chocolate in my hands.
"Were you there with her, or did you meet him later?" she asks, that knowing tone in her voice.
"Yeah, she practically dragged me along," I laugh.
The interesting thing about Grandmother is she had this "gift" too, well up until she met Grandfather. Once she met him, the "gift" disappeared with her Counter. She once described it as a really cold breeze washed over her after she met him, then it was gone. She told me before that since then, she feels as though she's missing something but can't quite place it even though she knows exactly what she's missing. Grandmother found out that I had this gift when she took me shopping for my 8th birthday.
We were walking down the street in the shopping district when I heard the voice. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned in circles, trying to find the two people. Back then, I couldn't understand why I felt the way I did; like I was being watched or like I had lost something really important. I just knew that when I found the two people I was supposed to, that panicking feeling would go away. Finally, when I found them, I ran up to one of the women dressed in a suit, who later told me her name was Jane, and told her that she should talk to the store owner, now knowing her name is Elli, inside the shop across the street. Of course, Jane thought I was just being a stupid kid and waved it off, not thinking anything of it.
When Mom took me back to the district the next day to exchange a shirt for a different size, both of them were walking out of a shop when Jane came over and hugged me, and thanked me. Two years ago, when I was 16, I got a wedding invitation from them, and last month I got to meet their twins, the most beautiful little boy, and girl pair. At the time, after I had talked to Jane, Grandmother took me to one of the cafes nearby and explained what was happening and why I got the feeling I did. She has been the one who has helped me learn about this "gift" and how to use it. She also helped me come up with methods to ease the anxiety I felt when I heard the voice. When I told Mia about the "gift," Grandmother helped explain it so she wouldn't completely freak out.
"What was interesting, though, was Skylar found out about everything pretty quickly after we dropped Mia off. He lived in the same direction, so he walked with me back toward Rose park and was confused about how I saw him before she did. These two guys were in the park at the same time, and the voice distracted me, so I really couldn't avoid it," I say, thinking back to last night.
"How did he take it?" Worry surfaces as I look her in the eyes.
"Pretty well," I laugh again, "He was a little skeptical, but we saw the two guys again while the three of us were at lunch this afternoon. They must have met sometime last night but that kind of solidified everything, and he was in shock when I left."
"Well, at least he gave you a chance to explain and didn't completely write you off," relief takes over the worry in both her eyes and her tone.
"Yeah," I say, looking out the window.
My back straightens, and my eyes go wide. I bolt from my seat and run into the kitchen. Grandmother comes rushing in after me with a smile on her face, knowing exactly what's going on.
'She's here, hurry and tell him,' the voice whispers.
"Andrew, your Counter...follow me...hurry," I say, lost for words, running toward the front door.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, before looking at his Counter and bolts after me.
Brother and grandparents in tow, I throw open the front door and run outside. We all stepped outside just as a group of probably 6 or 7 students walks down the street toward the park. Pulling him after me, we run toward the group.
"Excuse me," I say out of breath.
The group all turns toward us, and I hear him let out a gasp, then someone lets out a small whimper toward the back of the group. A girl burst through the crowd and, upon seeing Andrew and the Counter, burst into tears. They wrap their arms around each other, tears streaming down both of their faces. This is the second time I have seen my brother cry in the 16 years he has been alive, the first being when he broke his leg playing t-ball when he was 7.
While wrapped in each other, the Spark and chime come, and another gasp escapes them, followed by more tears. I look over toward the group of friends and see them smiling, wiping away tears of their own. One of them walks over and whispers something into the girl's ear, she nods slightly, and the group leaves. Mom and Dad come rushing out of the house, stopping just before running into Grandmother and Grandfather.
"What's going on? What happen-" Mom says, stopping short.
I look over my shoulder and smile at her. Her eyes are overflowing with tears, and Dad is wrapping his arms around her from behind. Looking back at my brother, he and the girl are still hugging, and I hear him whisper to her.
"By the way, I'm Andrew," he says, smiling.
"I'm Ruby," she laughs.
I see her hug him slightly tighter, tears rolling again. I walk over slowly, wanting to direct them toward the house and away from the road. As I get closer, Andrew looks up and sees me. Reluctantly letting go of Ruby, he comes over and hugs me, his tears staining my shirt.
"You know you still smell, right?" he says obnoxiously.
"Yeah, I know," I laugh, wrapping my arms around him.
"Thank you," he whispers, "I appreciate it. I almost missed her. How did you know? Your gift?"
"Yeah, I heard the voice and saw the group outside," I say, "I didn't know who until we got out here, but I knew she was in the group."
Ruby comes over tentatively, head lowered, looking at her hands.
"H-hi, I'm R-Ruby," she studders shyly.
I released Andrew and walk over to her, wrapping her in a hug to her surprise.
"Hi Ruby, I'm Lily, Andrew's older sister. Forgive me; I'm a hugger."
She giggles and hugs me back. Andrew comes over to join in the hug as well. At that point, tears start to form and fall from my eyes. We stand there hugging and crying for like 3 minutes before I separate from them, wiping my eyes. Andrew looks at Ruby and wipes the tears from her eyes. Holding her face in his hands, he leans in and puts their foreheads together.
"Alright, guys, I know you probably don't want to separate right now, and I don't blame you. Ruby, why don't you call your parents and you can stay with me tonight since our grandparents have the guest room. Andrew, you will stay in your room," I say, putting my hands on their shoulders as he sighs, a frown spreading across his mouth.
I lower my voice just slightly so only they can hear me, "at least for right now."
"Thank you, Lily," Ruby sniffles.
Walking back toward the house, I direct the two inside past our bawling family. We go upstairs, leaving Andrew at his door for the time being, and head to my room at the end of the hall.
"Here, call your parents and tell them you're ok, let them know that you are staying with one of your friends tonight, and their sister will bring you home tomorrow. Then call your friends and let them know that you're ok." I explain, handing her my phone. "Here are some pants and a t-shirt for tonight, and I'll throw your clothes in the wash. You can sleep in the bed for now, but when Andrew and I come back, you're both getting kicked to the floor," I smile gently.
"Thank you... for everything. Truly."
"You're very welcome. I'll be back. I'm going to explain the situation. Get some sleep; you will be questioned like crazy tomorrow, probably from both our parents and yours."
Closing the door behind me, I walk back toward the living room and sit in the recliner across from the couch where my parents and grandparents are all waiting to know what happened. After they all calm down, I explained everything from when I heard the voice up to their meeting. I clarify that it was too late for Ruby to walk home in the state she was in and insisted that she stay in my room tonight, to which they all nod in agreement.
"So, how did you know it was Andrew?" my Dad asks, rubbing my Mom's arm as she lays her head on him.
"I don't know, the anxious feeling was still there until they saw each other, but it was like...I don't even know how to explain it," I say, baffled, tucking my feet under me.
"Like you were magnets attracted to the same central location," Grandmother says, raising her brows at me as she sips her tea.
"Exactly, the voice just said something like 'hurry, tell him she's here' after that, I guess my legs just moved on their own. As you said, Grandmother, it was like we were magnets, or like I was the central magnet trying to bring them together."
"Did that something similar happen with you, Mom?" Dad asks her.
"Yeah, you're Aunt Robin, and Aunt Danielle had a very similar meeting when I was 15 and Robin had just turned 20, it was like we were dragged toward Danielle. Neither had come to that conclusion on their own that they liked someone of the same gender, so they had their rough patch, but like a week later, they were joined at the hip," she chuckles.
"What about when you met Grandfather?" I ask.
"When we met, it was a similar feeling, I guess," she says, looking at Grandfather lovingly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know how your body tenses up, and you get this anxious feeling, and you hear that voice?"
"Yeah, it's like the feeling of someone standing behind me, watching me and whispering in my ear."
"Well, it's like that for most of the people you will help. It was like that for me. However, when I met your grandfather, I got anxious, like I was missing something. The voice wasn't there, and my brain went on autopilot. I knew what the feeling was, but I didn't have any control over where I was going. I couldn't even focus on my Counter; it was a blur. Eventually, I got closer to where he was, and he was the only thing I could focus on. The closer I got, the better I felt, that anxiousness left, and my vision cleared. Then, of course, we met, the normal reactions occurred, the sense left, and the rest is history," she smiles and kisses Grandfather on the cheek.
I look over at Mom and Dad, and they are leaning on each other, listening to Grandmother's story, with a love in their eyes that is all their own. I stand up and tell everyone goodnight and head back toward my room. Going toward Andrew's room, I knock on the door and let myself in to find him lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"Hey, whatcha thinking about?" I ask, sitting at his desk chair as he turns his head in my direction.
"How I almost missed her."
"You know that wouldn't have been the case."
"But I wasn't even looking at it. I haven't looked at it in a while because I thought I would just know," he says, covering his face with his hands.
"Oh, please. Even if you hadn't noticed, Ruby probably would have figured it out."
"Yeah, maybe you're right."
"Of course, I'm right. She's a smart girl, I can tell. Plus, even if you were both absent-minded about it, I would have helped anyway."
"Yeah, your freaky ability does have some use," he mocks, the corners of his mouth teasing a smile.
"Oh really?" I stand and walk toward the door, "Well, you can stay here while this freak goes back to Ruby"
"Wait, I'm sorry, please, Lily," he pleads, bolting up from the bed.
"Whatever, weirdo, let's go." I smile and open his door
He grabs his pillows and I get a couple of spare blankets from the hall closet before we quietly head back to my room. As soon as we enter, they are wrapped up in each other, hugging again. I lay out the blankets on the floor and after hugging me once again, they lay down facing each other, smiling like idiots. I shut off the light, crawl into bed and turn my back to them, staring at my Counter. 459 days, 12 hours, and 22 minutes left. Thinking about what Grandmother said and how I will feel when I meet my match, I ask myself the same questions. Will I just know? Where will it happen? Who is it? I eventually fall asleep watching it tick down for probably the 4th time this week, these questions racing through my head.
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