Over thousands and thousands of years, humans evolved to have something called a soul streak. A soul streak is a lock of hair identical to the hair of your soulmate. People roam with ringlets of red and a single streak of ebony or all straight and ash brown with a peerless lock of butterscotch. The combinations seemed to be endless. Children counted down the days until their seventh birthday, the day a patch of hair in the front of their heads would transform and give them a hint as to who they were destined to be with. The following school day was madness for said child. Seven-year-olds on the hunt for a match. Everyone seemed to have a reservoir to choose from. Everyone except Eden Rivera.
She was your average girl up until the day before her seventh birthday. Large, round, green eyes framed by thick lashes, coffee with milk colored skin speckled with freckles and a head full of thick, curly, jet black hair. She was excited and curious like every little girl and boy before their big reveal day. However, her's had no precedent.
Her streak grew in a deep, royal blue and it defied gravity growing straight up from her head. Her mother poked and prodded at the streak but she'd never seen anything like it... no one had. The seven-year-old missed school for the next week while on the hunt for not a match, like everyone else, but a solution. An explanation. Something. Anything.
Her mother tried to dye the streak black, to match the rest of her curly hair but, after mere seconds the dye would crack and peel off the strands like a snake shedding an unwanted set of skin. The sample of her soul mates hair was stronger than any gel or hairspray the Rivera's owned. And, everyone knew it would be even worse to shave or cut it.
"Your daughter is seven, right?" They'd ask. The question would be followed by looks and whispers.
Eden's parents stood over her hand in hand. Her mother's blond streak matching her father's hair and her father's black streak matching her mother's. Her face matched his as well; two foreheads filled with lines of worry and two sets of eyebrows knitted together.
"Don't worry, Baby," Her mother comforted her. "We'll figure this out. I promise."
"No one has blue hair," Eden thought. "Maybe I don't have a soulmate." The phone rang. It was Eden's best friend, Audrey. After wiping her wet cheeks dry, Eden answered it only for her eardrums to burst.
"I THINK ME AND KENNY ARE SOULMATES!" Audrey screamed. "MY STREAK IS RED AND WHEN HE CAME TO SCHOOL TODAY HIS WAS BROWN! A LIGHT BROWN JUST LIKE MINE!"
Eden's mood dipped to a record-breaking low. She tried to be happy for her friend but it seemed nearly impossible when her future seemed to be in shambles. Audrey was normal. Her hair was a light brown and her streak was a fire red. Her brown eyes always seemed to sparkle with curiosity and excitement. And, even though she was smaller than average, she had the biggest heart.
"What's wrong, Eden?" Audrey asked, picking up on her sadness. "Why haven't you been at school? Are you sick?" After Audrey had been given the rap she stayed silent for a moment. "Blue?" She asked. Eden confirmed. "That is the coolest thing I've ever heard! Mom, Eden's streak is blue. I want a blue streak, Mom!" Eden was convinced to come back to school. Everyone would think her streak was awesome, stunning, different but in a good way or at least that's what she was told.
But, the fact of the matter is that was simply not the truth. On Monday, Eden walked in through the doors of Oakley Elementary School with her soul streak flowing a foot above her head, a hop in her step and she showed off her missing teeth by carrying a wide smile on her face. Her good vibes were not reciprocated.
"Maybe your soulmate is a dolphin," Aaron would tease her
.
"Or a blueberry!"
