Kai thought that having a soulmate wasn't anything special.

Sure, there were perks, like the connection between them that "nobody could ever compare to," or the "understanding and love that ran deeper than just the heart." At least, that was what Carswell had said.

Kai swore that Carswell was a completely different person before he met Cress, his soulmate. Maybe he went through an identity crisis, or something. Before Cress (which Kai referred to as B.C.), Carswell had hooked up with every single girl in the entire school. He goofed around with girls often, moving on in less than a week sometimes.

But then, one fateful day in November of last year, Carswell had met Cress.

"It was like an angel had descended from heaven onto earth," Carswell had said. Kai gave him an unimpressed look. "Really!" Carswell hurried to defend himself. "She was glowing."

"Mhm," Kai hummed, bored.

"Hey!" Carswell smacked Kai across the head. "Take notes! You haven't met your soulmate yet."

That was like a poison arrow straight to Kai's heart. Everybody around him had already met their soulmate. Cress and Carswell, Scarlet and Wolf, even Winter and Jacin! Most of them seemed like the most unlikely pair, but they clicked together as easily as two puzzle pieces. Pinned as the "lonely and single" friend of the group, he often trailed behind them whenever they did something together, not able to bear the looks that the soulmates shot each other, being the seventh wheel.

They were so cheesy that he wanted to throw up, but somewhere deep in his heart, he ached for a person that would understand him like that. Sighing, he pulled himself out of his thoughts and yanked his sleeve up. He delicately traced a finger over the azure butterfly tattoo that rested on the inside of his wrist.

"Someday," he whispered. "I'll find her someday." Tugging his sleeve back down, he stood with a huff, flipping his hood over his hair. His phone buzzed from his pocket, and he took it out, seeing Carswell's name on the screen. "Hello?"

"Kai!" Carswell yelled into the phone. His speech was slightly slurred.

"Carswell?" Kai's eyebrows furrowed. "Where are you?" From the loud music booming in the background, he concluded that he was at the club. As if confirming this, Carswell let out a giggly laugh, followed by a loud belch. "I'm coming to pick you up," Kai sighed.

"Aw, Kai, you're no fun-" Kai hung up on his drunk best friend, grabbing the car keys from the drawer before setting out for Carswell's favorite club. He hoped that his best friend hadn't gotten himself into too much trouble before he got there. Surprisingly, when Kai pulled up in front of the club, Carswell was already waiting outside.

He had draped himself over the wooden bench in the front, barely supporting himself. Swaying side to side unsteadily, he shot Kai a drunken smile when he reached him. "Oh, hey buddy!" he chirped. "Didn't expect to see you h-here." He burped. Kai wrinkled his nose at the smell of alcohol that came off of Carswell in waves, grabbing him right before he collapsed to the ground. Carswell giggled again. "Oopsies."

The door to the club opened, and out stumbled two other girls. One had a head of messy, red curls, her body slumped onto her companion. Her companion - an olive skinned girl with caramel hair - supported her the best she could.

Kai swore that she glowed. He almost dropped Carswell from the shock of her beauty. This was her. He had found his soulmate.

"Why'd you drink so much?" the one with the caramel locks groaned.

"Loosen up, Cinder," the red headed one slurred back.

Cinder. Before he could call out after her, the two girls had already disappeared around the corner, and Kai couldn't run after them, because he had a drunk Carswell latched onto his arm like a leech.

With a roll of his eyes, Kai slung Carswell's arms across his shoulder, slowly dragging him down the stairs and towards his car. "Why aren't you with Cress?" Kai grunted, trying to distract himself.

Carswell's head lolled to the side. "She was s'posed to meet with her friends today, so I got me some fun." His words were starting to mix together into incomprehensible murmurs, so Kai gave up trying to decipher them. Unlocking his car door with great difficulty, he threw Carswell's body into the back seat before shutting the door behind him.

Already tired, he slipped into the driver's seat, glancing in the rearview mirror at his drunk best friend. Carswell's face had a goofy smile on it, his limbs splayed awkwardly over the leather seat. When they made eye contact, Carswell's smile grew bigger. He tried to make himself sit up, but his hands kept sliding on the seat. Then, suddenly, his face grew very, very pale. His cheeks puffed up.

Kai's eyes widened. "Don't do it! Carswell, I swear if you throw up in here, I will-"

Carswell bent over and threw up all over Kai's new, leather seats.

Kai made yet another trip to the bathroom to get more towels, determined to get every speck of barf off of his leather seats. He had used so much bleach and cleaning detergent that his car reeked of it, but he was convinced that the germs hadn't been washed off yet.

Carswell was snoring heavily on Kai's couch, a bucket next to him in case he felt sick again. Kai had placed a large glass of water next to him, knowing of the horrible hangover Carswell would experience when he woke again.

Once Kai was satisfied with his clean car, he moved all the cleaning supplies back in, putting them in their designated areas. He stepped into the bathroom again, turning on the faucet. The soothing, cold water rushed over his hands, and he rinsed them quickly before splashing water on his face.

Grabbing a towel, he slung it over his shoulders before stepping into the kitchen, grabbing a bunch of vegetables and a can of chicken broth to help Carswell make some hangover soup. Heating the water, he grabbed a knife and started to neatly peel the rough, outer skin of the carrots.

From behind him, Carswell let out a tired groan. Turning, he saw Carswell sit up, glancing around. "Welcome back," Kai said. "How do you feel?"

"Like hell," Carswell said, grabbing the glass of water and chugging it down in one gulp. Kai grinned, starting to chop the carrot into small, easy-to-bite pieces. "This headache is killing me." He stood up, wobbling his way over to the cook. "Whatcha making?"

"Hangover soup-" Suddenly, Kai dropped the knife onto the counter. The knife sliced into his skin, creating a long cut that spanned the length of his hand, but that was nothing compared to the pain that he felt on his wrist right now.

"Kai!" Carswell said with a gasp. He reached out for him, but Kai yanked himself out of Carswell's grip. Tugging his sleeve up his arm, he stared at his soulmate mark. It burned like never before, sending shots of fire up his veins, searing his nerves and invading his senses. The edges of the blue wings were starting to fade, turning the new skin there a bright red. His skin burned.

Something was wrong.

Kai remembered his mother telling him that if his soulmate mark ever burned and started to disappear from its spot, his soulmate was in grave danger.

"I have to- I have to…" he trailed off, glancing at Carswell. Carswell nodded, his eyes wide as well.

Tossing him the car keys, he said, "Go find her, Kai."

Fervently, he nodded in thanks before rushing off to his car. He peeled out of the driveway faster than he ever had before, nearly crashing his car into the oak tree in front of his house, but he didn't care. He just needed to get there - and quick.

Kai didn't even know where he was going, but he knew that he would end up in the right place. His mark would lead him there. Soon, he reached an area where many police cars were lined up, their sirens wailing. Bright blue and red lights flashed across the cement, illuminating the scene. Pillars of smoke wafted from the middle of the circle.

Throwing open his car door, Kai ran out of the car, tripping over a crack on the ground. Undeterred, he picked himself back up, sprinting towards the first line of caution tape. "Hey, hey!" a police officer yelled, rushing towards him. He grabbed him by the arms, dragging him back. "What are you doing? You can't go in there."

"I have to," Kai said, struggling out of his grip. Before he could get past, three other officers came and grabbed him. "I have to!" he repeated. "Wait, look!" He shook his shirt above his wrist, showcasing his soulmate mark. Half of the butterfly had burned away. The officers exchanged a look.

"Let him go, boys," the first officer said. His eyes were sad.

Once they released him, Kai bolted towards the smoke. Three cars were grouped next to each other. One had been flipped over, its glass shattered. Nobody was inside that car. The other had crashed straight into the last car, denting the metal. Its headlights flickered on and off before sputtering out. Nobody was in that car, either.

Kai gritted his teeth as his mark burned again. He didn't have to look to know that the butterfly was being erased. Finally, his eyes landed on the last car.

Just like last time, she glowed. Her body was slumped over the dashboard. A trail of blood trickled down her forehead down to her lips. Her eyes were fluttering shut, but they always snapped open again. Kai took a sharp intake of breath, and like she had heard, her eyes lifted and connected with his.

Electricity crackled between them, and then Kai felt it. A click. The butterfly mark burned momentarily, but this time in a good way. However, it wasn't long before the searing pain returned, and Cinder winced. She coughed loudly, and splatters of blood spilled onto the dashboard, painting it crimson. Kai stood there, frozen. He knew he wouldn't reach her in time, so he just stared. He could feel his heart crack, burning into ashes along with his soulmate mark.

But she was still awake. So he smiled through his tears and held up his wrist, showing the sapphire butterfly that was being erased. Her eyes widened momentarily, and then weakly, she lifted her own hand. An identical butterfly mark sat there. They both shimmered in the sunlight, flashing gold.

Then, Cinder took in one last, shuddering breath, and her arm fell. Her eyes shut.

A single tear trickled down Kai's cheek. The pain gave one last bite before disappearing completely. Kai's skin felt normal again, but he was broken. He retracted his arm. The sleeve revealed the inside of his wrist, with nothing but the burnt skin to remind him of what had happened.

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