It's Crowded

Chapter 2

A/N: Hi, everyone. I think I might do something that I never did before. I think I'm going to make It's Crowded into a light-hearted romance story with no angst. I think. We'll see how it goes and where the characters take us.

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Chapter 2

"It isn't true that there are fated mates." Acute student dressed in a simple, white dress asked.

"That is correct," the teacher answered. "Mates are chosen by individuals who love and trust each other."

"So, no matter what, the mating mark will disappear after three years?" another female student asked with a sad expression on her face.

The teacher shifted uncomfortably as she answered, "As long as the couple doesn't have intercourse or, for some beings, bite each other within that time frame, the mark will slowly disappear until it is gone. Thus, leaving a chance for that person to find a new love."

"But why three years?" A male student asked a question this time.

"It's a good question that is hard to explain, because no one knows for certain all the mystic nuances that go into combining souls. However, we know it takes three years for one essence to leave another. Just as it takes three years for a child's soul to stop communicating with their parents," the teacher answered.

"What will happen if one mate wants to separate and the other doesn't?" The cute student asked.

The teacher looked at the assistant teacher who had entered the room and said, "Raven, will you like to answer the question?"

The students turned toward the door to hear her answer, but the bell chimed before she could speak.

The students rushed to pack their belongings and left the room after saying goodbye to their teachers.

"You didn't have to put me on the spot, mom." Raven said, closing the door behind her and walking towards her mother with a stack of paper in her arms.

"It has been three years and five months since you ran away from your mate, and his mark on you is still as clear as the day you came here.... He could be your true mate."

Raven stiffened as she placed the papers on the desk and turned to her mother. "Don't be ridiculous. That's only tales told to little girls and boys. There is no such thing as a true mate."

"Then how do you explain the marking on your shoulder?"

Raven licked her lips. She couldn't explain it.

Arella shook her head. "I'm worried, Raven, that he will come for you once your chrimak is over."

Chrimak was a three-year time period in which the citizens of Azarath must return to their home dimension to learn about their beings' culture and way of life while serving their people in different capacities. It was also a time when they learned how to fight and defend their home if needed to.

Most citizens completed their Chrimak by the age of four-two (equivalent to twenty-one in human years). Raven had held off from completing hers because of her time with the Titans. However, the night after she mated with her husband, she returned to Azarath to complete it.

"Tell me, Raven." Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "Did he force you?"

"No!" She quickly eased her mother's worries, knowing mother's history with her father. "He isn't like that." Raven's eyes shifted to the floor. "I'm just ashamed that I allowed it to happen."