AN: I am really enjoying writing this, so this chapter was written pretty quickly in the early hours of the morning, so there might be a few mistakes. Cat x Just to clarify this story is set in 2007.
Bye Fronds
Chapter Two Phil's Pov
I got the bus to London from Manchester, and it took ages. I was greatly surprised that my charge on my ipod had lasted the whole journey, but it had. When I got there, it was still early. I must have left my house around ten in the morning, and it was now around half twelve, and I was hungry.
As soon as I got off the bus and thanked the driver, I went in search for some cheap food. I didn't want to spend too much money on unneccesery goods. It was only me, and I wasn't all that fussy about eating too much food nowadays, but I had been two days without, and my vision was beginning to blur, so I decided it was time that I ate.
I found a McDonalds just off a side street, and I ordered a kids meal, giving the toy to a little kid on my way out. I didn't need it. Also the little unelectronic furby scared me. I sat down on a bench, holding tightly on to my suitcase and rucksack. I didn't want to get robbed, as London was a much bigger place than I was use to.
I finished it off, as well as my chocolate milkshake really quickly, before I set off again. For some reason I was exhausted just like I had been for the past couple of weeks, and with it being two in the afternoon, I decided if I was to find a bed and breakfast, and put my cases in there, and then search around. I didn't want to spend any more five days in London, including that one, so if I could cover as much as was possible in each time, then I had more of a chance of finding them.
I signed into a b&b that turned out to only cost around fifteen pound per night, which I was glad was incredibly cheap. It also had free wifi, which was great as I had to look up something before going out. I had forgotten my book on soul bonds at home, and I needed to look something up.
I looked up how close you would have to be to your soul mate to feel the attraction to them. It was within twenty miles. This was good, as it meant I had less area to cover within London. As long as I did a certain radius, and made sure that even if I didn't step foot in a certain place, I was at some point within a twenty mile radius of it, it meant that I was able to know if they were near.
As soon as I finished, I made sure my things were hidden in my room, as I was particuarly paronoid. I was only fifteen with no muscles to speak of, so there was no way I would be able to fight anyone off if they attacked me. I needed to do something to find my soul mate, and though to some people this may have seemed extreme, they didn't know me. They didn't know the pain I was feeling. Sure they may feel pain themselves, but pain was different to every person, and it always demanded to be felt.
I left, smiling at the woman at the desk as I left. She smiled back, but she seemed kind of exhausted. I shook my head, knowing she would be asleep by the time I got back. I wondered whether there was anyone to actually change with her at any point, or did she just spend the whole day doing that boring job.
I decided the best way to do this, to make sure that I could visit every place was to take the London bus routes, which go every where, and run very late. With this, there was no chance that I was going to miss any place within twenty miles. It didn't cost me all that much for an all week ticket either. I managed to go many places listening to music on my phone, and yet nothing.
I explained to the driver what I was doing, so he didn't have to ask why I wasn't getting off the bus, and he was fine with it. He admitted he hadn't found his soul mate until he was twelve which was pretty late for some. He understood, ushering me onto the bus, and I took a seat and plugged my head phones into my phone.
I would know if I got the pull, and the bus driver said he would stop. I was willing to walk miles for my soul mate, but that day, even after sitting on five different buses, and getting back to the B&B at around eleven thirty that night. I collapsed onto my bed, after checking everything was still there,and putting my phone and ipod on charge, and fell asleep fully clothed.
When I woke up again, it was the next morning. I paid for another night before I got the things I needed for that day. Before leaving the B&B, I had looked up all the bus services in London, and crossed off the ones I had done the day before. I still had a lot to go, though, so I knew that I needed to get more done. I had to get as much as I could in a day. Food didn't matter. I just needed drinks, and if I remembered to put them into my bag each day, I wouldn't even have to get off the bus, unless it was to change to a new line.
As I sat listening to Muse Supremacy on my phone, I thought over things people had told me. Chris and Pj especially. We were all still friends, we were just not hanging out as much anymore, but when I got my person, we would. I was sure of it. I remembered something Chris had once said to me, it seemed to fit in with how I was feeling at the moment.
" Everything is a waste of time if it isn't making you happy. make sure you are actually happy when doing something and you're not actually doing it to compensate for something missing in your life." Chris had told me.
I remembered thinking hard over what he had meant by that. There were many things, but I was sure he was refering to my specific situation. Did he mean don't try and fill the missing gap I had within myself with my family, as it wasn't the same, and it cheered me up, but it didn't make me happy, and between the two, there was a lot of difference. He knew it, I knew it, and Pj knew it.
I decided to text them. I wanted them to know what I was doing. They were my best friends, I had no idea whether they still identified me as one of them, but in my head I did. I identified myself as one of them, and I hoped they still wanted me to be their friend. I had to text them, I knew that much.
Chris, Pj I am finding my soul mate. I've left, but I'll be back. I am in London, in my opinion it was the best place to start. I think with it being the biggest place in England, the capital, if they are able to look for me, they might look there, and also as there is so much living space there, there is room for them to live. So many chances. Phil x
I pressed send, nervously, wanting to know if they would actually reply.
Hey Phil,
It's Chris and Pj, we are glad that you are doing what is going to make you happy. You are still our best friend, and we are going to be here as soon as you get back. How are your arms? Are you still doing it? I can't wait to meet whoever your soul mate is, and I bet you can't either. But it will be worth it Phil, I know it.
Pj (and Chris) xx
I sighed. I felt so much better. Panic! At the Disco came on, and I hummed along quietly as it played. The music relaxed me, as I thought up my new reply. I wanted to make sure it was the perfect reply to this. I didn't want to make mistakes, and by keeping my mind busy, I didn't dwell on the fact that I had yet to find my person.
Chris, Pj,
Guys I have missed you. I hope we are still friends, though I will understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore. I need to find them. I know they are in England, I can feel it. Apparently, according to the internet that is, that the bond between me and the person would be stretched even further if we weren't in the same country. So I have some information, but I need more.
However, only now I can hope and dream. I am searching. I am dreaming. Maybe one day, my dream will come true. I can't wait to meet them too! You will be the first to meet them after my parents, and sisters, as if they decide to come back with me, they are going to need to come to my house, and yeah.
I will send you the first photo of them though. I hope that's okay. If you don't want me to get in touch, just message me, and I'll stop. I swear.
Phil xxx
I let out a breath. I wanted to find my soul mate, and I was going to. I had to! They were here somewhere, maybe they were just out of the radius. Maybe they were looking for me too. I swore to myself, whoever they were, where they were, they would find me, or I'd find them. I needed them, and I hoped they needed me.
Phil,
OF COURSE WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS! We are best friends! Always have been, always will be! We want that photo. We can't wait for you to meet them. Chris and I have been all lovey dovey for years, and it was only three weeks ago that it broke you, and you had a lot of self restraint, and you didn't try and ruin who we are, because you didn't want us to be all lovey dovey. You are one of the most unselfish, kind, loving people we have ever met, and whoever ends up with you deserves everything!
Yeah we want to meet them as well. Find them Phil. Get the happiness you deserve! Chase the love and find it. Be happy Phil! We will be here when you get back. Chase those dreams, and we know if you set your heart to it, you will achieve it.
Good lucky Philly
Pj and Chris
I decided to give it a while before I replied. I didn't want to see too eager, but I did want someone to talk to, and surely they were meant to be in class. I couldn't distract them from work. They were going to be happy together, married, maybe even adopting kids, but to be able to raise kids they needed money, which meant rich parents or a job. As neither of their parents were totally rich, I mean we all had a fair bit of money, but they would still need to work for a little bit.
I changed buses, and my stomach grumbled. I ignored it. It had been two days since I had eaten, but being hungry was not an option that I had time for. I drank some more juice, before I sat down on the bus, travelling more and more. Still nothing happened. I didn't feel a pull, and there was nothing to say that my soul mate was in London, and I decided when I got back to the B&B I would think through my options and choices.
I got back to the bed and breakfast by half nine that night, and I automatically placed my phone and ipod on charge before getting out my map of London and my pencil case as well as my laptop. I had perfectly planned out where I was going to go, and when I was going to go there, but as I marked off the places I had been over the past two days on the map, I realised that I had covered every distance within London that would lead me to within twenty miles of each place, and that surprised me. I didn't remember sitting for so long on the buses, but I had apparently, and now it was time for me to move on.
I sighed. I grabbed the diary I had hidden at the bottom of my bag. I crossed London off, and decided to write an entry. I knew that if I kept track of it, one day when someone asked, I could tell them of what happened to me, and if I did get killed on the mission to find my one love, then I would have something personal that they could hand over to my family.
Dear Diary,
I have spent two days in London, and already I have covered every part of London. Well, not exactly, but I have been in every part of London within a twenty mile radius of where my soul mate could be, yet still nothing. I know I should be happy that I have cleared one place of my list. One less place on the list of where they could be in England, but there are so many places, and yet I have no idea where to start looking for them.
The list has a few that I could go to:
Leeds
Hull
Harrogate
Beverly
Pocklington
Selby
York
Oxford
There are a whole load of places in England, and these are the main ones I want to focus on. However, I cannot tell which direction my soul mate is in. They could be north, east, south, west, or they could be moving locations looking for me. If that is the case, then I have less chance of finding them.
I have cut another eight times today. I am loosing it. Nothing other that my soul mate comes to my mind nowadays, excluding Chris and Pj who I have been texting. I forgot about my family! What sort of person does that? Not a good one, I know that much.
Maybe I am going mad. I know that there is a certain point that has negative consequences, if you don't find them for a certain amount of time, but from what I remember it was around seventeen that it happens. Does that mean that I am going insane early?
I did google it, but I never know what to believe on that site. I have to agree with some of what they say, but with this, I don't want to believe it. I couldn't, yet I know what it told me to be true.
I had a slightly higher brain capacity than everyone else. I matured faster, meaning by the age of two, I was ready to find my soul mate to be my friend, where as it took someone who was considered normal at least until they were fourish to find them. Some found them early, but it never really had any effect on them, but maturing early did have a consequence.
They say seventeen before the breakdown. What if because I matured earlier I have a chance of breaking down earlier? I can't allow that to happen. I need to find them. If this was the case, finding them should be a major priority, that may end up with me finding them, or us both dying. I NEED TO FIND THEM!
I am going to York next.
Early the next morning with all my things packed up I got the train to York. I knew from London it took three and a half hours by car, but by train it was so much quicker and easier. I got to York, and I found a nice bed and breakfast. It was nice and calm. They let me stay for ten pound a night. I looked at what I had left from the money I had brought with me, not including the money on my card, I had five hundred left. I paid for fifty nights, gave my name at the front desk, in case anyone wanted to know where I was, and I secluded myself into the room, writing down the mere things that I thought might be useful.
Phillip (Phil) Michael Lester
30th January 1992
Lived with parents in Manchester.
Looking for soul mate,
I sighed, closing my eyes, and slumping down in the bed. All my things were once more on charge as needed, and I closed my eyes tiredly. I had started having headaches, and at random moments my mind would tune out, and hours would have passed without me noticing it.
When I woke up again, I had no idea what day it was. I didn't let that bother me. I just curled back to where I had been laid, and decided to just let myself lie there.