Chapter One

DISCLAIMER: Just a fan, own nothing to do with SKAM.

I saw my new friend Eva in a classroom with a blonde haired girl I had never met before. I walked over because I wanted a word with Eva, but then the blonde turned to face me and I saw her clear green eyes. That was when I felt a tingling sensation start in my arm. She must have felt it too, because she suddenly grabbed hold of her arm.

"Guys, what's going on?" Eva asked, looking incredulously from me to the blonde. "Did you both just...?"

I looked down, frantically pulling up the sleeve of my beige trench coat and I saw a name forming in a spacious handwriting on the inside of my wrist.

Noora Sætre.

I was very shocked, and I stood there frozen in place. I could not believe it. My soulmate was a girl. She was exquisitely beautiful, and I knew I was fortunate to have met her – some people never met their soulmate. I had always assumed my soulmate would be a guy but I had been wrong. Still – she was my soulmate, I was fated to be with her. So I took a deep breath and looked at Noora. She and Eva were both looking at her wrist, and I cautiously stepped closer to look too. I smiled when I saw my name written on her in my small, cursive handwriting. All my life I had longed to have a soulmate, and now it had finally happened.

"It's lovely to meet you..."I wanted to hug her but she also seemed quite shocked. So I held out my hand to her, and gave her a tentative smile. "I'm a very lucky girl to have you as my soulmate."

"You're very pretty, Vilde, but I'm interested in men..." Noora shook my hand quickly, then let go. "So I don't understand why we would be soulmates."

Eva nudged Noora with her elbow. "What Noora means is that this is just a big surprise, and she needs more time to come to terms with it."

"I'm not a lesbian, or...I mean, I like guys too, I've never liked a girl before," I was hurt by the way she had said she did not understand but I knew it must be hard for her. I had been shocked too, but she was my soulmate and I was determined that she would like me as much as I was already starting to like her. "It's just...you can't deny that I'm your soulmate. It's imprinted in your skin, and it will stay there forever."

"Not forever. Until we die." Noora replied bitterly, a frown forming on her face. "Look, I'm not denying you are my soulmate. I just...I'm not in the right frame of mind for a relationship right now, and especially not with a stranger, a girl I just met."

"What if I was a man? It would be different then, wouldn't it? You'd be all over me if I was a guy," I snapped, then put my hand over my mouth. Noora's face was suddenly like a stone wall, her red lips pressed together thinly and I knew I had gone too far. "No, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."

"I have to go now. I'll see you later, Eva," Noora walked away, ignoring me and that hurt me badly but I knew I deserved it. I wanted to chase after her but Eva's hand was there on my shoulder, gently restraining me.

"No, Vilde," Eva gave me a stern look. "You have to give her some space. You know...she just moved here from Madrid. She's new here, and just settling in. And now she finds out she has a soulmate who's not what she expected. And then you were rude to her, which doesn't help..."

"I know," I felt bad for hurting Noora, and I was dismayed that she had a terrible first impression of me. I was suddenly tearful, overcome with sadness. I had never thought meeting my soulmate could turn out so terribly wrong. "I was out of line. I said it, and then I realised how horrible it sounded. I was just upset; I wanted her to be excited like I am about us being soulmates. It was a shock for me too..."

Eva wrapped her arms around me, as my tears finally started to trickle over. "It's alright, don't cry," She held me, gently rubbing my back in soothing circles until I had calmed down and my tears stopped. "Noora is a fair person. She won't be upset with you forever, and I bet she'll be willing to become your friend. I know that's not what you want, but right now I think it's the likeliest possibility. I had trouble with one of my soulmates too, who is also a girl. My Ingrid..." A soft smile appeared on her face. "She hated me when she first met me, but now she loves me so much she keyed my Math teacher's car just because he humiliated me in class."

"You have two soulmates?" I asked, wiping my eyes with a tissue Eva handed me from a small pack she had in her bag. "Are they both girls?"

"No, my other soulmate is a guy. Jonas. He and Ingrid had met and become soulmates a year before I even met them." Eva replied. "So it was tough, because they already had a bond and then I appeared but it worked out in the end."

I felt more hopeful, after hearing about Eva's soulmates. "Do you think maybe that's what will happen with me and Noora? We both like guys, after all..."

"I don't know..." Eva shrugged. "It does happen, but it's not so normal and some people don't think it's real because they think it's only right to have one soulmate."

"I wouldn't mind another soulmate, but I suppose having two would just be more trouble, wouldn't it?" I questioned.

Eva shrugged her shoulders then gave me a wry smile. "Sometimes it can be, but I love them and even if I could go back in time and just have one soulmate, I wouldn't do it."

"Eva, can you try to persuade Noora to join our Russ group? Then at least I can see her at group meetings. I know she's probably going to be avoiding me from now on..." I sighed. "Don't worry, I will give her space but I still want to be able to see her sometimes."

"Vilde..." Eva seemed uncomfortable. "I don't think it would be Noora's thing, but I will try. I can't promise she'll listen, but I will try to get her to join us."

"You're an angel, Eva!" I exclaimed, hugging her again enthusiastically before we parted ways to go to our next class.

A few days passed and I had not seen Noora apart from in the classes we shared. I kept my distance and I sensed that Noora was going out of her way to avoid me. This went on for two weeks until finally I could not stand it anymore. I waited outside her locker until I saw her approaching. She was alone, and did not look pleased to see me. "Hi, Noora."

Noora opened up her locker and put a textbook inside before slamming the locker door shut. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it, I was just..." I hesitated. "It doesn't matter. I don't mean to make excuses. I'd like us to start afresh. Just as friends, I promise."

Noora gave me a scrutinising stare, and I was afraid she would see right through my lies but instead she held out her hand. "Then it's nice to meet you."

I shook her hand, and it felt pleasant just like the other time she had shaken my hand. I didn't want to let go, but I knew I had to so I did. "It's nice to meet you too. Will you consider joining our Russ group?"

"Yes, I'll join but you have to stop giving Sana a hard time." Noora replied, crossing her arms. "She's a cool girl, and the main reason I will join the group."

"But I'm not giving her a hard time. I'm nice to Sana, it's just that she likes to take charge and I thought-"

"You thought you would be in charge," Noora interrupted me. "Which is why you got kicked out of the Pepsi Max Russ group, wasn't it?"

I felt ashamed, and I knew a pink flush was creeping onto my face. It was true, I had gotten kicked out of the Pepsi Max group because I was too controlling. However, the girls there were shallow and self-centred and a small part of me had been relieved that I would not have to be in a Russ group with them anymore. I stayed silent and Noora continued to talk. "I heard that you asked Sana if Muslims were allowed to join Russ groups? You have to get over yourself, you know. We're all just girls, our religion doesn't matter and it shouldn't make you feel awkward to have Sana in our group."

"I know, I was wrong," I admitted. I hated to have Noora chastise me, but I knew she was right. I had judged Sana without even knowing her, and that had been a mistake. "Noora, can I have your number?"

"I suppose you can..." Noora looked at me warily. "But remember, it's just because we're friends."

I could sense Noora slowly warming up to me as the weeks went by. I hung out with her and the other girls in our Russ group a lot. It felt really great to have my soulmate around and that I had made some new friends I could trust. Thanks to my best friend Chris, we had been invited to a Penetrator party, after she had bumped into one of them and found out he was her soulmate. The Penetrators were third years, and very popular so Sana thought it would be good for our group to be associated with them. I had heard of them by reputation alone but I had not really had the chance to meet any of them. It was a funny coincidence my best friend Chris's soulmate also had the nickname of Chris, but his real name was Christoffer.

When we arrived at the house where the party was being held, Christoffer let us in. I hoped he was a good guy once I got to know him. I did not want Chris to get hurt by her soulmate. She was an amazing best friend to me and she deserved to be treated with love and respect. He gave us all a smile but I noticed he seemed uncomfortable when he set his eyes on Chris. She also seemed unlike her usual cheerful self and they stared at each for a few moments silently.

"You guys go ahead," Chris made shooing motions at us with her hand. "I'll join you all soon."

I hesitated while Eva, Sana and Noora went upstairs as I was concerned but I knew it was not my place to interfere. Chris would talk to me about it when she was ready. When I walked up the stairs, I noticed there were a lot of handsome guys but there was one guy who stood out from the rest. He was tall, with dark brown hair, deep brown eyes and he was very attractive. I felt the same tingling sensation in my arm I had felt on that day when I met Noora. I looked down to see a name forming on my arm.

William Magnusson.

I looked at Noora nervously, wondering how she would react to the fact we now had a second soulmate. She looked faintly puzzled as she glanced from her arm, then to me, then to William.

I looked at William too. I saw a frown on his face as he looked back at me but his frown changed into a smirk once he switched his gaze to Noora. It made me feel like he approved of Noora and not of me.

"This is perfect. Now we've got a stronger hold on the Penetrators than those girls over there," Sana declared, giving us a look of approval. "Well done, Noora and Vilde."

"What girls?" I asked, and then groaned when I saw in the distance the Pepsi-Max girls. "Why are they here?" I complained to my soulmate and my other friends. When they saw us they seemed a little taken aback but gave me false smiles. I smiled back, to be polite but I was dreading more contact with them. I started to walk over to them but I was stopped by Noora linking arms with me.

"Don't go, Vilde. Don't let them make you feel unhappy. Let's have fun tonight, okay?" Noora smiled at me softly. "We have a second soulmate, we should celebrate that together."

"You're right, Noora..." I smiled back at her, wishing I could kiss her but knowing I had to respect her personal boundaries. I was glad that she had acknowledged the fact we were soulmates for the first time while not being upset or building up a wall whenever I tried to gently discuss it with her.

"Well, I should go and say hello, since Ingrid just joined them. I don't like them either, but she likes being in their group." Eva gave us an apologetic look before walking over to greet her soulmate with a kiss and greeting the other girls. Ingrid pulled on Eva's hand insistently and made Eva sit on her lap. I could see Eva's face flush pink but she never protested and she looked content to be with her soulmate.

"We should go speak to William," I suggested. "I think he would like to meet you."

Noora gave William a sharp look. He was drinking wine, and casually chatting with his friends. Even if he sensed Noora's eyes on him he never turned to look at her. "He can come over and talk to us. We don't need to go to him. I'd like a drink, then I want to dance."

"With...me?"

"Of course, with you. Who else?" Noora dragged me over to the kitchen and we both had glasses of champagne then she led me to back to the living room to dance.

I felt nervous about dancing with her, but the pre party drinks I had, combined with the champagne made me more daring. I put one hand on her little waist, the other hand going to rest on her shoulder. I still kept a little distance between our bodies, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable with my closeness. I was barely listening to the music, more focused on dancing with my beautiful soulmate. Nora looked happy, relaxed even. The thought that it was me making her feel that way sent a thrill through me. I wanted her, I felt a desire to kiss her and touch her and do things I'd never done before. I could not resist the urge to I lean closer to kiss her, but she turned her head and pushed me away. "I'm sorry, Noora..." I hastily apologized. "I didn't mean to...You just look so pretty, and I've been drinking a bit too much..."

"It's alright," Noora took a deep breath. "I'm sorry too. I'm just not ready..." I could see a pink flush rising on her delicate face, and she gave me a thoughtful look. "I think that we could be more than friends one day, but I want us to take things slowly. I don't want to get hurt again and it's been a big shock for me to have a girl as my soulmate. I like being around you, Vilde, but I need more time to get used to the idea of being with you. And we still have to think about William too."

"Noora..." I wrapped my arms around her tightly, and it felt so good to have the soft curves of her body pressed against mine. "Thank you, thank you so much..." I mumbled into her neck, which held a light scent of her flowery perfume. I reluctantly let her go. I was happy, even though she had rejected my kiss she was open to us being together in the future and it meant so much to me. Just to have a chance to be with her was amazing, especially considering how she had felt about me when we first met.

"Hey, you must be Noora, right?" William was there suddenly, standing in front of us with a barely there smile on his face as he stared at Noora. "I'm sure you know who I am."

Noora crossed her arms in a defensive manner, her eyes turning cold as she looked at him. "No. Who are you?"

William seemed taken aback by her reaction to him, but he recovered quickly and laughed. "I see you like playing games. I do too..." His gaze travelled over to me and his smile disappeared entirely. "How come you didn't say hello to me earlier?"

"Oh...We thought you would come and see us when you were ready," I replied quietly, noticing that once again he had singled Noora out for attention. It hurt a little, but I was probably just being too sensitive. He had barely even met us yet. However, I still could not help myself from telling him how I felt. "And you didn't look happy that I'm your soulmate." I felt Noora's hand on my back as she stepped closer to me, silently supporting me. "Noora also wasn't happy with me at first, but I'm growing on her."

"Vilde..." Noora sounded upset. "Don't put yourself down. If he can't see how lucky he is to have us as his soulmates then it's his loss, not ours."

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting to find my soulmate..." He paused, looking back to Noora intently before his eyes went back to me briefly before returning his gaze to Noora. "...sorry, soulmates, so soon but it's alright," He shrugged casually. "It's like I won the best prize in an arcade and they just decided to throw in another prize for me."

"Don't talk about us like that ever again if you want to have a meaningful relationship with us," Noora snapped at him. "You're really hurting Vilde's feelings, and you're making me start to hate you, William."

"I like the way you say my name..." He seemed unperturbed by her anger towards him. "But okay, I apologize. Vilde, I'm sorry if I made you feel left out," He walked closer and suddenly wrapped his arms around me. "Noora, you can join us too if you like."

"No, I don't want you touching me," Noora replied coldly.

William laughed before releasing me from his hold. "Well, we'll see how long you can resist me, Noora...I have to get back to my friends, but I'll be in touch with you both soon." He kissed my cheek and attempted to do the same to Noora but she stepped back to evade him and he walked away.

"He is such a jerk..." Noora sighed. "I can't believe this is happening. First I get a girl soulmate, and now I find out my other soulmate is a dick."

"I'm sure he's not that bad. He did apologize, and at least he likes you. He doesn't like me really."

"Don't worry about him, Vilde. We have each other, and we don't need him," Noora sounded sure of herself, but I caught the way her gaze wandered over to William in a way that was not just a glare but also a gaze of curiosity. He was arrogant, and rude, but after all he was our soulmate.

Eva ran up to us, looking alarmed. "Guys, we have to leave. Sana just slapped Sara and it's starting to kick off..."

We followed Eva as she pushed her way through the crowd, our hands clasped together as we left the house with Sana close behind us.

I was surprised when I saw Chris pressed up against the wall of the house by Christoffer, their lips glued together and his hands were roaming over her body. "Chris! We have to go now..."

They paid no attention to me, too lost in making out. Sana raised her eyes to the sky then an irritated expression came onto her face as she forcibly pulled them apart. "Chris. We're leaving, you can let him hump you some other time."

Christoffer smirked at us, giving Chris one last kiss before he ran back into the house and slammed the door shut. Chris looked a little embarrassed, but she had a big grin on her face as we all ran away from the house. We all parted ways after a while to go home.

I found it hard to sleep that night. I was happy that Noora was finally agreeing to give me a chance to be with her like I wanted, but William was very much out of my reach. And as much as I hated to admit it, a small part of me felt jealous of Noora. My own soulmate, who had done nothing wrong. She was my gorgeous, smart girl. Of course William would be attracted to her, and while it made me happy that he liked her I also kept thinking about how disinterested he was in me. It was not Noora's fault. William was wrong to act the way he did, but I still wanted him to like me. I resented him for preferring Noora to me but although he had hurt me I still liked him. He was my soulmate, and all I wanted was for us all to be together.

Thanks for reading :)