A/N: I promise this will be the only time that there's a huge author's note at the beginning of the chapter.
Hi, I'm Delilah, and this story has come to be because the Victorious fandom is severely lacking in Soulmate AU's. I'm publishing this here rather than on tumblr in the hopes that some interest will be generated and I will be motivated to finish it, so please review. Despite being an AU, this story is going to follow as closely to canon as possible- it will paint some events in an entirely different context and possibly explain certain behaviors on Jade's part. This is my first story for this fandom and I'm a little nervous about starting it from Jade's perspective, but I hope I'll be able to keep her at least somewhat close to her canon characterization.
The overall, the story is rated M, but the majority of the chapters will be T or K+. I'll try to put in a warning if the chapter is going to be M rated.
Bits of world building have been borrowed from dozens of Soulmate AU's from other fandoms, so if something seems familiar, I claim no credit. Also, I do not own Victorious or any of the characters. Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider do.
soulmate: noun; 1. a person with whom one has a strong affinity, shared values and tastes, and often a romantic bond; their perfect match, as signified by the appearance of a name on one's wrist during the adolescent phase. 2. the love of one's life
The day the name of Jade West's Soulmate reveals itself starts out just like any other. She's thirteen and a half, barely even old enough to have a mark, so she's definitely not expecting it when Jessica Davis speaks up during their middle school drama class and interrupts her monologue right when it gets to the good part to point at her wrist with an excited squeal.
"Jade got her mark!"
Jade's annoyance at being interrupted dissipates as she realizes what turns her arm to look at the inside of her wrist. Sure enough, the skin there is no longer pristine but marred with scars that are awfully angry looking for something that didn't even hurt.
"What's it say, Jade?"
"Is it someone who goes to school here?"
"Is it a boy's name or a girl's?"
Her entire class has come to life. Everyone is talking over each other, completely ignoring their teacher's feeble pleas for everyone to calm down. Jade's hand curls protectively around her wrist to hide the name as she glares at everyone in turn.
"It's none of your fucking business!" She snaps.
Her teacher is, of course, pissed at her for her language but the idiots in her class have shut up, and that's all that matters. She doesn't even pay attention to the teacher as she walks over to her desk and picks up her bag, leaving the classroom without a word. She'll be in trouble for it later, but that's not what's important right now. What's important is that she gets something to cover her wrist. The names of soulmates are, as Jade understands it, supposed to be intimate and private. She's heard that some of the kids who get their marks don't follow that. She knows that people compare names, making jokes about which name sounds hotter, but Jade is never going to be one of those people.
Jade will never admit it to anyone because even at thirteen she's worked hard to present herself as cold and cynical as possible, but deep down she's a romantic. Hidden in a box under her bed are copies of all of the literature she could find regarding soulmates. She's secretly been longing for this day- the day the universe decides that someone out there is her perfect match in every way. She hadn't been expecting it this early, but it doesn't matter, because it's here. Somewhere out there is someone who will understand her and love her no matter what she does or how cold she acts.
There's a rare smile on her lips as she opens her locker and reaches for the little bag in the corner that holds all of her jewelry. She finds a black cotton wristband with a red rose embroidered on the front and starts to slide it onto her wrist, pausing one more time to read the name there before it's hidden from the prying eyes of the world.
Beck Oliver.