The Meeting (On Hold)

Chapter 2

"Mady! Dinner is ready!" My mother's shout makes me jump, the brush in my hand straying from its intended course. Red paint juts out from the side of the barn in an awkward manner, making me groan in frustration.

"I'll be right down, Ma!" I yell back, green eyes blazing as I stared at the ugly smear of paint. "Wonderful." The word leaves my mouth as a growl. A small purr leaves Hemi, the large cat lifting his head to stare at me from his spot on the bed as I put down my brush. "I'm okay, Hemi."

I jump up from my stool and step away from the easel, grabbing a piece of fabric from the basket on my nightstand and hastily tying it around my wrist to conceal my clock. My fingers brush against the raised numbers and I shiver. If only there was a way to make them go away.

I try my best to ignore the numbers as I make my way downstairs and into the kitchen, Hemi following me the whole way down. The smell of old bay hits my nose and my eyes snap to where chicken wings are piled on a platter. Caesar salad sits in a bowl next to it on the table, both meals enticing me closer. My stomach growls hungrily.

"I hope it's no problem, but I invited Lydia over for dinner," Mom says from her spot in front of the stove where she's pulling a pie out of the oven. My eyes are attracted to the diamond ring on my mother's left hand and my heart falls. Her left wrist is bare, her clock gone after having met her soulmate. "She should be here in a few minutes."

I nod and pull out a chair, sitting down at the table. "Yeah, Mom, that's fine." My hands stay folded in my lap, where I know no one will try to take the fabric off my wrist. It has been a close call too many times before. "So, Lydia's clock passed two days earlier today."

Mom dropped the pie pan onto the stove with a clatter. "Oh, that's wonderful!" She gasped, facing me with a grin. "I hope they hit it off right away. I know that her soulmate will fall in love with her as soon as they see her. She's such a beautiful young lady." Mom pauses, not missing the look that crosses my face. "Honey, there is no doubt in my mind that when you meet your soulmate, that he will instantly fall for you. You're gorgeous, baby girl, and if that man doesn't see what's good for him, then he's an idiot."

I force a smile, but keep my head down so my mother can't see the frustration on my face or the sadness in my eyes. My heart breaks a little as she speaks the last few words. The floral print of the fabric wrapped around my wrist catches my eye. I glare at it, feeling- hoping- that if I burned a hole through it and into my clock, it would all go away. Everything would go away. The world of soulmates would go away so that we were free to choose who we loved. That way I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

That way, every time I look at my wrist I wouldn't have to be reminded that the Gods aren't always kind.

The front door opening pulls me out of my hurting thoughts, and I look over to see Lydia pulling off her coat. "Hey, guys!" She greets, stepping out of her boots and leaving them at the front door. "Oh my goodness, that smells delicious!" I watch as she gravitates towards the kitchen table, sniffing the air before pulling out the chair next to me and sitting down.

"Hey, Lyd." I try to smile, but when I see the clock on her wrist, I fail. 0001 D : 20 H : 37 M : 13 S. I divert my gaze to the seasoned chicken wings in the middle of the table. Trying to take my mind off soulmates, I direct our attention to the wings. "Are you ready to eat these delicious pieces of meat, or am I the only one?" I lick my lips for emphasis, thrumming my fingers on the edge of the table.

The two other women in the room laugh at my eagerness to eat, but when I reach forward to grab a wing from the platter, my mother grabs my wrist to stop me. "No, Madison. Wait for your father." I realize too late that the hand I reached out with was the one with my clock. My mother slowly lifts her hand to reveal the floral piece of fabric tied around my wrist. "Mady, why do you cover your clock?"