No one was quite sure as to why the world was the way it was. It worked in mysterious ways. One moment, it was on your side, the next, it wanted absolutely nothing to go well for you. One of the most notable of the world's ways being was the concept of soulmates.
Soulmates were an abstract concept, two people destined to be together from the moment they were born. As romantic as it sounded, it did cause quite a bit of trouble. But, for the most part, it was positive, bringing even the most hopeless of people together. It was quite simple, really. The closer one is to their soulmate, the warmer it becomes. The further one is from their soulmate, the colder it becomes. Of course, this doesn't take effect until the age of ten, when a person has successfully lived a decade in the world. If soulmates happen to be different ages, "the Soulmate Effect", as many scientists had dubbed it, does not take place until the younger of the soulmates reaches the age of ten. When one's tenth birthday does eventually come, they do not experience the Soulmate Effect until the very tenth candle is blown out on the birthday cake; unless, of course, their soulmate happens to be of younger age of them. Then the effect does not take place for either until their soulmate blows out the final candle.
The concept, strange as it is, worked out well. It helped people find not only love, but a beautiful friendship as well. Never has there been a couple that has not succeeded in their relationship. The world does work in mysterious ways, after all.
23 April 2004
Arthur stirred restlessly in bed, occasionally making little groaning noises as he turned. Why wasn't his mother up yet? It was his birthday! And not just any birthday, but his tenth birthday! This was the most important birthday! Arthur's birthday was so late into the school year… in April! He had to wait all the way then to experience the Soulmate Effect. It was no fair…
Arthur sat up in bed, accepting the fact that his mother was probably never getting up. The young blond stuck his bottom lip out and crossed his arms, pouting. It was almost 09:00! Shouldn't she be up by now…?
Thought in mind, Arthur climbed from his bed and walked down the stairs, nearly slipping due to the fact that he was still in his socks. He grabbed onto the railing by the stairs, but, to no avail, as he fell down the stairs when he finally thought he had a good grip.
Fortunately, it wasn't long of a distance, as their stairs only went a fairly short way. Still, it did smart quite a bit…
Arthur sat, now on the ground floor, and rubbed his elbow. It really hurt.
"Arthur, darling?"
The young boy looked up at the sound of his name, eyes filled with tears. His mother was up, finally! Perhaps the noise had woken her up…
Upon seeing her son on the ground, with tears in his eyes no less, Ms. Kirkland pulled him up from the ground and knelt down to his level.
"Are you alright? Where are you hurt?" Ms. Kirkland looked around at her son's body for any blood or scratches. Arthur lifted his elbow, sniffling.
"I fell and now my elbow hurts…"
"Oh! Is that all? I'll get you a plaster for that and it'll make you feel better! Just remember to stay right in this room" Ms. Kirkland winked, scruffing her son's head, and walked off to the cabinet for the plasters.
Arthur watched his mother walked away and frowned. Was she not going to wish him a happy birthday?
"Hmph," Arthur crossed his arms and flung himself on the sofa, burying his head in a pillow.
His mother returned soon after, with not only a plaster in hand, but a dish of food in the other. And not just any food, but Arthur's absolutely favourite cereal, Coco Pops!
Arthur slowly took his head from the pillow and sat up on the sofa, a smile beginning to form on his face.
"You wouldn't think I'd forget about your birthday, now would you, Arthur? I've poured you a bowl of Coco Pops that I picked up at the grocer's last night! And as promised, I have that plaster right here for your elbow," Ms. Kirkland handed the bowl to Arthur and sat down next to him. "Make sure you set your breakfast on the coffee table so I can put this on your elbow."
Arthur nodded, a bit of hair flopping in his face, and set his dish on the table, lifting up his elbow for his mother to put the plaster on. It had little bunnies on it.
It only took a small moment, but once it was put on, Arthur did feel much better. Happily, he picked up his cereal and shovelled the chocolate-y deliciousness into his mouth.
His mother laughed, quite happy at seeing her son enjoying himself. This was a very important day, after all. He was to begin to find his soulmate today. This day would forever alter his future.
It was about eight hours later when the time had come to celebrate Arthur's birthday. He was incredibly nervous, to say the least. There was no reason to be! He had been awaiting this day for quite some time, why was he wimping out now?
Arthur's eldest brother, Alistair, must have noticed he was a bit nervous, so he pulled him aside to speak to him.
"Are you nervous about today? You seem nervous."
Arthur hadn't realised he was crying until Alistair wiped a tear from his eye with his sleeve.
"It's… completely normal to be nervous! When I was your age, nine entire years ago, I was shaking with fear! It was exciting, but I couldn't help but be afraid of who my soulmate was; what if I hated them? It was ridiculous, I know, but, agh, just know it's going to be okay. I usually don't act so… helping, toward you, or anyone for that matter, but I know exactly what you're going through… So, uh, don't be sad, okay?" Alistair held out his fist awkwardly for Arthur to fist bump, and Arthur happily complied, sniffling a bit afterwards.
"Are you going to be sad anymore?" Alistair looked down at Arthur, genuine concern in his eyes.
Arthur shook his head 'no' and wiped his sleeve against his face. Alistair smiled at his younger brother and led him toward the lounge, where his mother, as well as his remaining brothers were sitting. The room was dimmed, and a large table was set out in the middle of the room, a circular cake sitting atop. The cake looked so tasty, Arthur couldn't help but stare! From the distance he was at, he could tell that the frosting was strawberry, his favourite!
Slowly, he walked toward the table and gazed upon the cake. There were ten candles on the cake, one for each birthday he has had. Once he blew out the tenth candle… he would begin to embark on a journey to find his soulmate. This one moment would… forever alter his future. How horrifying.
His three brothers were staring at him in anticipation, as his mother was giving him a subtle thumbs up. Arthur nodded, and carefully blew out each candle, one by one. Soon, nine candles were out; there was only one left. Arthur sucked in his breath, and, closing his eyes, blew out the last candle.
Nothing.
"Is it cold or hot?" Dylan asked.
"Or warm?" Seamus added.
Arthur frowned, "nothing."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Seamus' mouth gaped open as a fish's would.
"I don't feel anything. It feels exactly the same as it did before." As if possible, Arthur's mouth tilted even more into a frown.
"Oh! What if that means your soulmate is in the UK?" Dylan shrugged.
Alistair bonked him on the head with a bottle, "you know that's not true, idiot. He would've felt something." He then turned to a heartbroken Arthur. "Your soulmate is probably just younger than you, that's all. Just wait a bit, I'm sure you'll feel it in no time!"
Arthur doubted that. His real fear was to be left unspoken; his family was sure to make fun of him for it. It was ridiculous, after all. Everyone had a soulmate, how could he not have one? He needn't speak his stupid fears out loud, he would look even more stupid than he already did.
So, as any ten year-old boy would do when upset, he ran upstairs to his room, slammed the door, and buried his face into the big fluffy blanket on his bed. This was the worst birthday ever.
4 July, 2008
Alfred. F Jones was a rambunctious child who enjoyed friends, jokes, and making people happy, just like any other boy his age. But, that was all about to change. Or, more so, be directed onto a different person, a certain person.
"When I meet my soulmate, I'm going to be the best boyfriend ever! I'm going to give them lots of gifts and then they'll give me gifts back! But then I'll pull out another gift and I'll say 'this is for you!' and they'll be happy! I really want to make my soulmate happy!" Alfred had been speaking consistently about his soulmate for what felt like hours to Matthew. But, who was to blame him? One's tenth birthday was an exciting event, especially in consideration of the fact that the Soulmate Effect was to begin!
Matthew, being a year older than Alfred, had first experienced his the previous year. It was… everything he had hoped it to be, really. Magical, astounding, and completely and utterly life-changing. It was no wonder Alfred was so excited for it.
Due to it being summer, the two were at home, playing outside in the garden. They had an old cushioned swing that was most likely older than they were. It was their absolute favourite thing to go on! They never had those big playsets like other kids did, but they could make fun out of almost anything! There was a big tree beside the swing that the two loved to climb! Alfred remembered Matthew almost broke his arm falling out of the tree because he saw a spider. Nevermind their family not having as much money as others, they did have quite the amount of fun with just them and their imagination.
"You're going to be a really good soulmate, Alfred!" Matthew said, giving a thumbs-up and a grin to his brother.
Alfred's eyes lit up at that. "Really? You think so?"
Matthew nodded more than a few times, "Yes! You'll be the best soulmate ever, your soulmate is one lucky person!"
Alfred's eyes widened and he pulled his fists through the air, a loud "Yes!" leaving his mouth.
Matthew could only smile at that. He wasn't only trying to be a good big brother (although only a year older), but he was genuinely serious. Alfred really did care for others. He had been talking about this day for as long as Matthew could remember… He really was excited for it, and he really did deserve the best.
"Alfred! Matthew! Your father and I are inside, if you're ready to celebrate~!" A voice called out from the doorway. Their mother! She was standing by the screen door, waving her hand in the air as a gesture for the boys to come inside.
Matthew looked at Alfred, "I'll race you."
Alfred furrowed his eyebrows and nodded.
And then they were off. Their backyard was fairly large in size (but an absolute pain to rake…), so it took the two a considerable amount of time to make it to the back door. Alfred came out the victor, cheering as he reached the steps.
Matthew panted and gave the younger a thumbs-up, who then grinned triumphantly.
"Are we opening presents first or eating cake?" Alfred pushed open the door leading to the back room and looked up at his mother.
"Hm, well, what would you like to do?"
Alfred, now in the kitchen, put his hand on his chin and hummed. "Open presents!"
Mrs. Jones was certainly surprised at her son's answer. "Alfred, wouldn't you rather blow out the candles? It is your tenth birthday, after all."
"No! Because then I'll be focussing on my soulmate instead of the presents when I'm opening the presents! I want to do presents first!"
Mrs. Jones nodded in understanding. Alfred really was a peculiar boy… She couldn't help but wonder who his soulmate was going to be. Matthew's had been quite a surprise. By the temperature he had been feeling, it was most likely someone who lived in Europe, toward the east, the doctor had said. Washington D.C. was just on the east of the United States, so it wasn't as tragic as it would have been if they had lived in Los Angeles. She just hoped Alfred's soulmate lived close; he really did deserve to be happy.
"Can I open this one?" Alfred shook a large present in front of his parents, a look of pure delight on his face.
"Oh, woah, woah, woah, Alfred! You know the rules, biggest presents go last," Mr. Jones took the over-sized present from his son and instead handed him the smallest present, about the size of a small book.
Alfred pouted, but snatched the present up anyway. Carefully, he tore the paper off and about died at what he saw. "The Indiana Jones LEGO Set I wanted!"
Matthew's mouth gaped open at that. "No way! Let me see!" The elder brother leaned over the table to look at the LEGO set.
"Look, Mattie! It's from The Last Crusade! Where he and Elsa are on the Venice Canal Chase!" Alfred excitingly pointed to the box.
Their mother and father chuckled at each other upon seeing the young boys' reactions to the LEGOs. How could they not get it for him? Alfred had been about begging for a LEGO set (and Indiana Jones no less) for the past year. It would be cruel not to get them for him!
The remainder of the presents Alfred tore through fairly quickly. There weren't that many, but in all honesty, Alfred didn't mind. What he was really looking forward to was the cake afterwards. And not just the cakey-deliciousness, but blowing out that tenth candle and finding out the first clue about his soulmate! It was all so exciting, he could hardly wait.
"Cake, cake, cake!" Alfred began chanting.
Matthew noticed this and joined in. Soon enough, while their mother was off fetching the cake from the refrigerator, the brothers were chanting together. "Cake, cake, cake!"
Rather than stopping them, their father engaged in the chant as well. As Mrs. Jones walked into the room, a cake in hand, she smiled upon the sight. She was very glad that… she had found the right soulmate. Her husband was a very caring man and she was ecstatic upon how their children had turned out. She only wished just the same, if not better, for Alfred and Matthew.
When the cake was set on the table, Alfred knelt on the chair he was sitting on and looked at the cake, a huge smile on his face.
In short time, he began blowing out the candles, not bothering to even make a wish. The excitement was practically killing him!
Three candles, four, five, six, eight, and at last, the ninth and tenth were blown out, together.
What Alfred felt next was… ethereal. He felt as if he was floating, no longer in the dining room of their small home in Washington D.C., but instead up in the clouds, on the very top of a roller coaster, never coming down.
It came as fast as it left. There, Alfred was left standing in his dining room, the rest of his family staring at him expectantly. And then he felt it. A sudden burst of chilly air, but not too cold. All at once, the temperature in the room began to alter to the distance of Alfred's soulmate, and then at last, it was complete. the Soulmate Effect had officially taken place.
"Alfred, what do you feel?" Matthew, put his hands on the table, making direct eye contact with Alfred.
"It's chilly, but warm. Kinda like when you step outside on a warm day but it's windy? I guess…"
Matthew's eyes widened. "Really? Oh my gosh! That's what I feel!" He turned toward his mother. "Does this mean Alfred's soulmate is in Europe, too?"
Mrs. Jones nodded, a smile on her face. "It does, but we should go to the doctor to see! You never know, it could be different."
Alfred nodded once, but couldn't help the absolute joy he was feeling inside. This was just the beginning...
4 July 2008
Arthur was fourteen when he felt it. The sudden rush of cool air, the absolute adrenaline. He happened to be laying on his bed, playing a Nintendo DS when the Soulmate Effect had taken place.
It was unexpected, to say the least.
All Arthur was focussed on was getting past this level; he had been stuck for days and he couldn't find any cheats online, so it was up to his wits and game playing abilities to pass it. Of course, all hopes and aspirations of passing this level were gone when it happened.
He felt as if he was floating, up in the clouds, never coming back down. It was… an indescribable feeling, to say the least. It was more than him just floating, it was… complete and utter adrenaline. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought that he was descending into the afterlife.
The feeling went on for a few moments, until, at last, he felt a rush of cool air and then a sudden change in temperature.
He knew what it was immediately.
Arthur's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the change around him. It was… windy? Wait, no. He was inside, it couldn't be windy. It was strange and he couldn't find the strength or even the thoughts to compose himself. It felt as if we was outside, in the early springtime, where the air was still cool but the sun was out shining. But it was summer. He was inside.
He should tell his mother… She should've been down the stairs in the kitchen, making supper. It was a Friday, she had just returned home from work, so that's where Arthur presumed her to be.
Carefully, he let himself off of his bed, adjusting to the new change in temperature and overall ambience. Where was his soulmate? It wasn't hot, not at all, so they couldn't be in Europe. Maybe Asia? Russia, even? That was a big country… it was hard to say. He had no idea, so his best bet was to ask his mother. Arthur was sure she would be ecstatic of finding out the news.
"Mum!" Arthur didn't bother waiting downstairs to call her name, he was too excited. "It happened! the Soulmate Effect! It happened!" The young teen ran down the stairs, making sure not to fall down, and trotted down.
As expected, his mother was at the bottom, waiting for him expectantly.
"It happened! It feels cool! Well, not really, but it's warm! Not Europe-warm, maybe Asia-warm? I don't know! What do you think?" Arthur rambled on, not even bothering to make space to breath in his sentences.
"Woah, calm down, Arthur. What do mean, Europe-warm and Asia-warm? The temperatures? Or where they could be?" Mrs. Kirkland asked.
"Where they could be, obviously. You're a nurse! You told Dylan his, you could tell me mine! Plus… some parts in Europe are cold."
Mrs. Kirkland frowned. "Arthur, you're going to have to be more coherent with your sentences. I can't understand a word you're saying."
"I'm not mumbling or anything…" Arthur mumbled, his smile turning into a frown. He was speaking clearly! "But it's like, when it's spring! In May! That's the weather. Like in the tens…"
Mrs. Kirkland raised her eyebrows, "Really? Hm, how strange. They're definitely not in Europe, then."
Arthur knew this, as he had already figured it out himself, but he grumbled anyway. It was going to take so long to find his soulmate. They didn't offer travelling programs at school, as they used to, they only let you find your soulmate when your schooling was complete. The latter of people finished at sixteen due to this choice.
"Which way is the wind moving? The fictional wind, but you know what I mean. Left or right? If you were to be looking toward the north. "
Arthur looked at his hands. Which way was left again? Oh, yeah. Of course.
"Left," Arthur spoke.
"Well, your soulmate is somewhere in the Americas. Judging by what you said about May temperatures, it's definitely not in the south, so either in the middle and eastern part of Canada or the United States."
Arthur stopped. His soulmate was in north America? How… strange. He knew it was a possibility, but he never would've imagined. The thought carried much contingency with it, given that it could've really been anywhere. Wait. So did that mean his soulmate spoke English?
"Does that mean they speak English?" Arthur asked.
His mother nodded, "most likely, although there are some immigrants in both places that do not speak English, but it's unlikely. You lucked out on this one! You'll definitely have to go through less trouble to find this one. Unlike poor Alistair, whose soulmate had ended up being a lady in New Zealand. He was so cold!" Mrs. Kirkland laughed, reminiscing Alistair's tenth birthday.
Alistair was the only one in the family, besides their mother, who had found their soulmate. He was twenty-four, and living with her in a small town up in Scotland. Alistair had wanted to move to New Zealand, but she had said it wasn't necessary and she much preferred it in Scotland, where he was born. The two, being soulmates, had agreed upon Scotland, sufficing both halves of the couple's wants. It was a match made in heaven, really. Arthur just hoped that his would be the same.
"If I go to Canada or the United States will I tell a difference?"
"Yes, of course! As soon as you step foot in North America, you will be able to tell which country your soulmate is from. It may not seem like it from here, but the closer you are to them, the more the temperature changes, sort of like a hint to you."
Oh… So… the more Arthur embarked on the journey to find his soulmate, the more the temperature would change? It seemed like a pain, but if it would help him find his soulmate, he deemed it something that he would have to deal with.
"Now, go empty the dustbin, it's overflowing."
