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Five

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F I V E
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Ever since I was small my teachers would tell me that they were certain my soulmate and I were Connected and that soon, I would be walking down the street and everyone I would pass would know my name.

Blakely Emory.

Like Cate and Matt Feily, with marks on opposite arms that looked almost like arrows pointing down their wrists. I would walk red carpets with my soulmates hand in mine, and we would show everyone our connecting marks and our utmost love for each other would be seen by every eye.

Every day after school I would run into the bathroom with a huge smile on my face. I would strip off all my clothes but my underwear, and would stand on the bathroom vanity to look for a mark on my body. I would search, and search, and then, I would search again.

Day after day, I would be asked what my mark looked like, where it was, who I thought I would be soulmates with, but still, I couldn't seem to find one.

Starting to give up the idea of being popular or famous, I agreed with myself that I didn't need any of those things, as long as I had my soulmate, I would be happy.

My grandparents met when they were thirteen years old. They crashed into each other in the hallway and my grandpa reached down to help pick up her books and saw his mark on my grandmother's pinky finger, and they knew at that moment they were bound by their souls and they fell in love. It became my biggest dream, if only I could meet my soulmate like that.

But, I never found one no matter how many times or how hard I searched.

I couldn't find a mark.

I wasn't meant to tell or show anyone how bare my skin was, it was too dangerous. My parents always told me about the girls and boys who had been taken into dark cells and killed because they were different and nobody understood why.

My parents always told people how gorgeous my mark was, how they would see it when I was a baby and how sad they were that I always had to cover it because of where it was, just so nobody would ask. They would go days not even being able to look at me afterwards, so disgusted by my bare skin, there scary stories being told by their mouths again, warning me to keep my skin hidden, that if anyone were to find out, I could be in serious danger.

"Why?" Anger wasn't something I could feel, it was more shock and confusion. So many thoughts were swimming through my mind and I couldn't even let the words sink in before I tried to push them out. "You didn't, you couldn't have."

Kacen still looked confused, not sure what Thea was referring to or why I was so disoriented by the news. "What secret?"

"Please, don't ask," Thea sat back down, looking down at her lunch. "Blake, I promise I wasn't even thinking about it, it just came out."

Standing, I looked around to make sure nobody had heard us. My heart was on the verge of explosion because of how fast it was beating.

Thea saw what I was doing and her shoulders fell in more regret. "Blake, I'm so sorry."

"Stop, please just stop." Looking over at her, my eyes brimmed with tears. I knew I failed at hiding it from her. "My house, alone," I gave them both sincere looks and then left the cafeteria and shoved my way into the schools parking lot.

There was no way I could stay, It didn't feel safe to be around Kacen and Thea, and I needed space. Time to think everything over.

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