Hi again! Just a quick blurb before we dive into the chapter. To everyone who reviewed, liked/reblogged my post on tumblr, or even just stopped by to read, thank you so much! It was extremely encouraging to see people were interested and I missed writing multi-chapter fics so much.

Enjoy the next chapter, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts!

Eli could count on one hand how many people he'd befriended in his seventeen years.

While some might have considered that a failure on his part to effectively communicate with others, even that small number was a significant accomplishment to him. For someone who was so deeply introverted- the trait all but flowing through his veins- opening up to another person enough to befriend them was a difficult task. It made the fact that he was currently on his way to Adam Torres' house for a day of gaming almost impossible to believe.

Drumming his fingers absentmindedly against the steering wheel, Eli couldn't help feeling as though the past week had been a snippet out of another person's life. His parents had been pleasantly surprised, (relieved, more so, but it made Eli feel slightly less pathetic to use the former term) to see he hadn't come home from his first day with a black eye decorating his face, or a panic attack on his hands. He knew they'd been expecting the worst, and rightfully so, but the day hadn't been unkind to him.

Between becoming accustomed to the layout of Degrassi and situating himself in his classes, he'd been far too occupied to dwell on anything negative. The added fact that he'd even managed to make an acquaintance in the process brought the day into miraculous territory, both of his parents overjoyed to hear the fact.

The invite to Adam's house hadn't gone without several attempts of avoidance and decline, Eli insisting to him that he had things to do over the weekend that were so urgent, he couldn't possibly spare a few hours to hang out with him. But Adam wouldn't hear any of it, simply sending him the address and imploring him to show up.

He still felt completely rusty to the concept of friendship, almost to the point where he wasn't sure how he'd spend more than forty minutes with the boy without turning him off entirely to the idea of spending time together. But Adam made it easy to converse, all but dominating the discussion if he was allowed to ramble on and on. It was something Eli didn't mind in the least like others might, more than happy to let the boy prattle on. Their interests were mutual in several respects, a refreshing change of pace for the boy who felt alienated from his peers more often than not.

His rational side was telling him that this meet up would go fairly painlessly, far less traumatizing than he was envisioning at the very least. Though it was hard to believe, things were looking up for Eli just a little so far, and he would have been lying if he said he wasn't afraid he would ruin it.

Arriving at the address Adam had texted him earlier in the day, Eli parked his vintage hearse, Morty as he was named, just outside of the home. He locked it up and made his way along the walk path to the door, taking in the property before making a move to knock. It was just as he'd expected; a suburban-looking house smack dab in the middle of a suburban neighborhood.

The fact didn't surprise Eli in the slightest, already having assumed that the boy was from a well-adjusted family, despite his inability to chew with his mouth closed or allow anyone else to finish their sentence before interjecting.

It was a contrast to his own family, one he knew didn't fit the conventional mold for how a household operated, but Eli chalked their friendship compatibility up to happenstance. He was becoming grateful for Adam's boldness in approaching him initially, finding that the day was easier to get through knowing he'd have an enjoyable distraction halfway through it.

Rapping his knuckles on the wooden door, he took a step back, awaiting an answer. As the door swung open, Adam hardly noticed Eli standing before him, his eyes fixed instead on the conspicuous beast of a vehicle behind him.

"You drive that?" he gawked, peering from Eli to the hearse, as if thought his compact body simply couldn't drive something so much larger than he was.

"I need something to keep the dead bodies in, don't I?" Eli retorted, a light scoff leaving him. He was more than used to the reaction to his beloved car, seeing ones ranging from utter horror to morbid curiosity – quite literally.

Recovering from his shock, Adam rolled his eyes, stepping to the side of the door to allow Eli in. "Hardy har, someone's just as morbid outside school as he is in."

"What you see is what you get." Eli rebutted smoothly, giving a small shrug of his shoulders.

Adam gave a dismissive wave, already becoming used to Eli's typically snarky sense of humor. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I've got the Xbox hooked up in the basement, let's head down."

As he led the way, Eli followed wordlessly behind, only halting as Adam paused along the staircase. He bumped against the taller boy's back as he stopped, fumbling and then regaining his balance.

"Drew? Are you down here?" Adam called out, noticing the TV screen light glowing within the otherwise darkened room.

"Yeah, what do you want?" a male voice called out, Eli quickly realizing that it was his brother. Adam hadn't gone into explicit detail about his family or the reasons why they moved, only saying that he and Drew were step-brothers. Despite that, it was clear that shared a deep bond, something Eli couldn't help but admire considering the lack of blood relation.

Adam huffed out in exasperation, continuing down along the rest of the way."I told you I was having company over."

Rounding the corner, Eli could just make out a figure lounging on a couch a few feet away, a video game controller in hand and bag of chips at his side.

"So...? I got here first. You can't go complaining to mom since she isn't even here. Go use the TV upstairs."

"The Xbox is set up down here, and that's what we were going to use."

Eli shifted uncomfortably in his spot as the two brothers quarreled, feeling like a third party onlooker more than anything.

After a moment of what he assumed was internal debate, Drew finally relented, groaning as he got up from the couch and stood to his feet.

"Fine, but as soon as you guys are done here, I'm starting up my game again." he grumbled, handing Adam the controller briskly.

"Whoa," Adam mumbled, grasping the controller and then grabbing Drew's arm before it had the chance to return to his side. "Your counter..."

"Oh, that. Yeah." he replied, his tone offhand and aloof.

Eli's brows knitted together, not understanding what Adam meant until he stepped to the side for a better view, noticing the absence of the device in his wrist.

Stupefied, Adam took a moment to collect himself before speaking. "You didn't tell me the day was coming up."

Shrugging, Drew stretched his arms over his head, letting out a loud yawn. "It's not like I want a soul mate anyway. And luckily the girl I got doesn't really want one either."

It caught Eli's attention immediately that for once, someone wasn't entirely fixated on the idea of their counter and who would be on the receiving end of it, generally feeling like an anomaly for how little attention he paid to the device.

"Wait, so you don't really care that you met her?" Eli interjected, too curious about his take on things not to ask, regardless of the fact that they'd never spoken before.

"Not really, no. I mean, she's hot as hell, so that helps but do I actually see myself being with her?" he asked rhetorically, snorting as he shook his head. "She's not interested in a relationship and neither am I. Especially not one that we'd apparently be stuck in for the rest of our lives. Long term stuff is a drag. I'm not about that."

Drew's apathy wasn't along the same vein as Eli's necessarily, but it was comforting to hear his take on it; realizing that perhaps he wasn't so unusual for putting little to no stock in the entire process. He didn't understand how people could blindly put all of their faith into a gimmick that could easily be fictional, just a lie fed to people so consistently and convincingly that they had no other choice but to believe.

Of all things humans seemed starved and greedy for, even above that of wealth and status, love ranked the highest. It was the most logical thing to prey upon, and Eli's skepticism felt warranted when he considered how easy it would have been to fool people into the idea of a fairytale love story.

It was a genius concept, really. But he knew there was no end in sight to the tradition with its longevity. All the same, he wasn't about to resign himself to the same beliefs.

Adam, thoroughly bewildered and taken aback by the situation, wasn't feeling quite as understanding as Eli. "So that's it? You met her, you two don't really like each other and want to play the field, so you're not going to give it a shot?"

"I never said we didn't like each other." Drew corrected, Eli sensing a 'but' following closely after, "But we're not about to confess our devotion to each other. She doesn't date. And frankly, I don't want to either. I'm QB1 this year, at a new school. I'd be crazy to just stick with the first girl who comes up."

Shaking his head bitterly, Adam crossed his arms about his front. "You're such an idiot. You got to meet her so early. Not everyone's that lucky." he mumbled, his tone growing more agitated as he went on.

"I know it's gotta be hard waiting, but trust me, this entire thing is overrated, Adam. You'll see that when it happens for you." he assured, clapping his hand on his brother's back as he started towards the staircase. "But hey," he started again, turning back to face Eli and Adam. "She brought me down to the boiler room like, ten minutes after we met. At least I got something out of the whole thing." he grinned, continuing up along the stairs and into the living room.

Once the door shut, Eli returned his focus to Adam, sensing the irritation still hanging in the room between them.

"Drew always has it so easy, he doesn't even get that. Everything gets handed to him, he doesn't have to work for anything except football. And even then, it comes naturally to him."

The pair took a seat on the couch where Drew had been lying moments before, Adam distractedly setting up the game for them to play.

"Do you mind if I ask how long you have to wait?" Eli queried, trying to breach the conversation delicately, knowing it was something of a sensitive issue for the boy.

A silence fell between them, one so long that it left him wondering if Adam simply wasn't going to answer at all.

"Twenty five years." he finally said, his gaze never leaving the TV screen as he navigated the menu list.

Had that number been the one displayed on Eli's arm, he knew it wouldn't have come as a disappointment to him. The amount of days or weeks or years held little to no weight for him, putting no belief in the entire system to begin with. He easily likened it to that of a child believing in Santa Claus – merely defending his existence because they wanted to believe.

But to Adam, it meant having to wait eons longer than his peers to find his other half, wandering the world alone until the time came.

He could hardly imagine how it must have been for him as a kid, ten years prior, seeing thirty five years flickering back at him when his brother's was practically around the bend in the great scheme of things. It gave the term sibling rivalry a whole new meaning, one Eli wouldn't have wished on anyone.

Taking a moment to phrase his thoughts, he turned his head to glance at Adam. "I don't necessarily believe in the entire thing, but I know you do and I'm sure the wait is going to be worth it." he encouraged, grabbing his own controller while Adam began their game.

"You what?" Adam repeated, looking at him incredulously for the second time in under an hour. "First you drive a hearse like a morbid wackjob, and now you don't believe in soul mates? What planet are you from?"

With a short laugh, Eli shrugged, taking his confusion in stride. "I don't think it's possible to have a counter tell you who your soul mate will be."

"There's evidence to support it." Adam shot back, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he attempted to divide his focus between the game and talking. "Biological evidence, statistics over the years, accounts from scientists and psychologists that say it works. It has a ninety nine percent success rate."

"I must be that one percent that it doesn't pan out for then. I know mine is just a piece of crap embedded in my arm. Nothing monumental is going to happen when it goes off."

"When's yours?" asked Adam reflexively, the question segueing perfectly from Eli's last statement.

Though it was logical to ask, Eli immediately froze up at the inquiry, a sense of discomfort traveling up his spine and into his limbs. The date was something he kept to himself, even hiding it from his own awareness for a time up until recently. If his parents had done the math from when he was younger and knew, then Eli wasn't made privy to the fact, since the topic was scarce in the household. After Julia's death, the subject didn't bode well with him in the least. It was off limits to everyone, even more so with a person he'd just met a week prior.

"Doesn't matter." he answered curtly, hoping to deflect attention off of the subject. Eli's resistance was an unwavering thing when it needed to be, able to hold his ground up against even the most insistent of pestering. Adam wasn't going to get an answer out of him, he knew that for sure.

"Are you serious? Come on, man. I just spilled my pathetic guts to you about mine. You gotta tell me yours." he pleaded, going so far as to pause the game and turn his attention solely to Eli. "It can't be any worse than mine. And if it was, I'd just say I'm right here with you and maybe we'll both end up finding love when we're wrinkly and senile in a nursing home."

His comment brought a small chuckle out of Eli, but it didn't change the fact that this was one of the things that he flat-out refused to speak about with people, hardly even wanting to consider it inwardly himself.

"The day will come and go just like any other. It won't be remarkable. I won't encounter someone from across the room and lock eyes dramatically with them, as if there's no one else there. It's not going to happen like that. It's impossible. Even if it wasn't, I don't want any of that."

"They might be called soul mates, but they don't have to be as cliché as that, jeez. And you call yourself a writer." Adam chided, shaking his head. "You've got to be at least a little curious. What she's going to look like, if you two will have things in common or not..."

If Eli was being honest with himself, he had wondered, but the curiosity was always heavily outweighed by his own logic. It wouldn't allow him to entertain such ridiculous thoughts.

"No one in their right mind would fall in love with me. I wouldn't put them through that in the first place anyway, I don't care if some timer tells me I should." he said shortly, his patience wearing thin. "Can we get back to playing now?"

Adam stuffed the controller behind his back, evoking a groan of annoyance from Eli. "Not until you tell me the date."

Tipping his head back, Eli let out a hearty laugh, one that implied disbelief rather than amusement. "Why does this even matter to you? I keep saying I won't do anything about it, even when it happens."

"Then just tell me. If nothing's gonna happen, no harm in telling me, right?" Adam reasoned in return, quirking a challenging brow at him. It didn't matter that he had a point; Eli wasn't going to cave and do something that specifically rubbed him the wrong way. With a heavy shake of his head, he maintained his gaze at the boy, hoping at some point he'd grow bored of the debate and return to their game.

But Adam had other plans, his fast reflexes working in his favor as he suddenly reached for Eli's arm, gripping it firmly to pry off his bracelet.

"What the hell!?" Eli exclaimed, trying to tear his arm away from him. "I said no, can't you just accept that?"

"If you're not gonna tell me something as simple as this, I'm just going to find out for myself!" he rebutted, succeeding in unbuckling Eli's wristband a moment later. As it fell away, Adam kept his hold on his wrist just long enough to read the digits, his jaw dropping open once he relinquished his limb. Eli pulled his hand back and hastily fastened the bracelet back over the counter, disgusted at even the sight of it.

"Five days." Adam mumbled in awe, not so much a question but instead a pair of words he couldn't wrap his head around for the life of him.

"Nothing will happen. This piece of crap will go off, my life won't suddenly be changed, and I'll finally be able to get it removed like I've been wanting to all along."

It seemed Adam's resolve to argue back and forth had finally diminished, reaching for his controller and turning back towards the TV as he pressed play. Ten minutes of silent gameplay passed before Adam piped up again.

"But what if something does happen? What then?"

Eli closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he forced himself to humor the question, simply because Adam seemed so invested in the answer.

"Then I suppose I'll be eating my words once I fall in love with her. But it won't happen, so please drop it."

Satisfied with the reply, the rest of the afternoon went on as previously scheduled, but not without heavy consideration on Eli's part after Adam's interrogation. In the event that by some impossible occurrence, his timer would lead him to his soul mate by the time the last second counted down, was it something he would even be capable of handling?

"I'm thinking we should go with something pastel, something mild and sweet. Like you."

Clare smiled at her mom's comment, her head tilting downward bashfully. Though she had debated with her about their plans for the day, Helen had inevitably won out, all but pushing Clare into the car so they could go to the mall. It had been all her mother was focusing on during the week, which came as a relief in comparison to the perpetual argument going on between her parents. Anything beat listening to their back and forth battles, some of the cruelest words Clare had ever heard being shared between them. It only grew worse with each passing day, but the distraction couldn't have come at a better time.

"You like yellow, don't you?" Helen asked, holding a lightweight spring dress just in front of Clare. "It's a little bright though."

Nodding in agreement, Clare wandered off to the opposite side of the clothes rack, her small fingers separating each article of clothing to peek through them. She had more than enough clothes at home, nearly enough dresses to wear a different one every day of the week for a whole month, but her mother had insisted on picking out something special for the date.

Even with the beginning of school weighing heavily enough on her mind, Clare's primary thought process centered around the days ticking down, only five left until she'd be face to face with her soul mate. She found it comical that her mom was almost as excited about the entire ordeal as she was, anticipating what kind of boy it would be on the other end.

The closer the date came, the less she could wrap her mind around it, the closeness of it feeling surreal to Clare. Her parents, aunts and uncles, and even her grandparents on both sides had experienced success with their timers, going on to have loving families from there. She came from a long line of soul mates, which made it all the more intimidating to consider how the meeting with hers would go.

Clare couldn't be sure how everyone viewed her, but she couldn't readily claim to have any enemies, her disposition usually cheery and personable. On the whole, she enjoyed the company of others and made it a goal to befriend as many people as possible. The tendency never let her down in the way of friends, but she couldn't claim to have any experience with relationships. Of all her crushes, only one had stuck, but even that one was fleeting at best.

It never occurred to her to attempt seriously dating someone prior to entering grade ten, knowing that it would only be a waste once her counter ran out. It wouldn't have been fair to commit to a boy, only to find that he wasn't the right match after all. Clare didn't understand how anyone could settle with a person who wasn't their soul mate; how they could handle the uncertainty of what was to come.

Aside from the unrelenting fear of losing her soul mate before ever getting a chance to meet them, she also feared being disliked by them. Though her parents and friends assured her that it wasn't likely—perhaps even impossible- to dislike her as a person, Clare's fears weren't diminished, the insecurity only becoming more prominent as she drew closer to the date.

Her attention had drifted long enough for her mom to pick out six dresses, her eyes widening in surprise as they were thrust into her hands.

"Try these ones on, see which one fits best." she instructed, gesturing in the direction of the dressing room.

Walking herself into the changing area, Clare picked a small cubicle and closed the door behind her, settling the hangers on a hook to her left. "Can you tell me about how your timer went off when you met Dad again?" she called through the door to her mom, beginning to take off her shirt and pants.

"Oh, Clare. It was years ago now, practically a lifetime with how fast time flies. I can't remember every detail anymore. I've told it to you a dozen times already." Helen replied, her voice sounding from just outside the door.

"Please?"

It took a moment for Helen to comply, Clare taking the opportunity to slide one of the first dresses over her head. It fit her nicely but came up just a little too short for her liking, her nose scrunching in distaste as she imagined herself trying with little success to bend over politely in it. Shrugging herself out of it, she returned it to the hanger, smiling as her mom finally began to recount the story.

"It was a Sunday in the spring, May twenty third. I woke up in the morning knowing it would be the day, which surprised me since the time coincided with an event we were holding after service. I almost talked myself out of going, simply because I couldn't imagine running into my soul mate there, of all places."

"But you went to the event, didn't you?" Clare added, smiling widely as she tried on another dress, this one far too clingy for her tastes.

"I did, I did. The entire afternoon was tortuously slow, I almost didn't think the time would ever come."

Clare could feel her own heart warming as she envisioned the moment, even if she hadn't been there to experience it herself. "When did you two see each other?"

Helen paused for a moment, emitting a soft sigh to herself. "It was right as we were packing up-"

"I thought your timer went off during the beginning of the event?" Clare interrupted, furrowing her brows in confusion at the mix up in her mom's story.

With a laugh, Helen began to speak again. "Oh, no, you're right. See? The years really do make the memory blurry." she joked. "I was caught up in the middle of setting things up, arranging tables and making sure the raffle tickets were in order, so much so that I nearly forgot the moment was coming. I didn't even have a chance to panic like I thought I would." she said, her tone soaked in nostalgia.

Shimmying into the last dress of the pile, a floral design with a flattering scoop neckline, Clare swayed slightly in it, seeing how it fit her from every angle. "And there he was?"

"There he was." her mother repeated, Clare able to hear the smile in her voice. "I thought it was too good to be true. We caught sight of each other and eventually the timers stopped beeping. He..." she trailed off, Clare waiting impatiently for her to finish her sentiment. "He was it. I just knew. Even if our timers hadn't been there to tell us so, I would have known. I could feel it."

Hearing her mother speaking so fondly of her dad made Clare equal parts elated and saddened, still confused as to how such a perfect love story could go so horrible awry years down the line. Soul mates weren't meant to argue and grow resentful of one another, or so she always heard from those around her.

She understood that all marriages had rough patches, but the one her parents had been up against felt more like a tidal wave, steadily crashing down on them until nothing remained in the wreckage.

"...You still love dad, right?" she questioned softly, looking down at her bare feet in the changing room.

"Of course I do, sweetie. Soul mates are forever." Helen answered swiftly, easing the sense of rising dread in Clare's stomach instantly. Things would surely be okay, even if it took a while for the pair of them to find their way back to each other. She had unwavering faith in the fact.

Taking another look in the full length mirror before her, Clare sighed happily at the way the current dress felt on her, a surge of excitement for when she would wear it already coursing through her. "I think this is the dress, Mom." she announced, opening the door and stepping out to show her.

"Oh my, yes. This is definitely it. A perfect fit. You look beautiful, Clare." she praised, cupping her daughter's face dotingly in her hands. "Whoever this boy is, he's going to know how lucky he is right away."

Clare could feel heat sweeping over her cheeks over the mere thought of seeing him for the first time, hoping she measured up to whatever expectations he'd have. Her mind was open to whoever it would be, and hoped his would be as well.

Stepping back into the dressing room, she carefully removed the dress and put her own clothes back on, working on her shoes as her mom called through the door again.

"I also want you to invite him over for dinner after school is over. Your father and I want to meet him."

Clare's jaw fell open slightly mid-shoe tying. "Right after I meet him?"

"Why not? Getting an early jump on it couldn't hurt, right? My mom met your father shortly after we met. It's a nice way of getting to know him, seeing how he fits into the family."

The thought didn't sit well with Clare, already feeling bad for whatever poor, unsuspecting boy it would be. She knew without having to ask that the dinner would be more of an interrogation than anything, her mother an expert at needling people with critical questions. She'd been on the receiving end of it more times than she preferred to reflect on, and it never ended well.

It would be her luck to chase away her soul mate immediately after meeting him because of her overbearing parents, she reasoned.

"I guess I can invite him over. I just hope that won't seem too rushed."

"Clare-bear, you're not asking the poor boy to marry you just hours after meeting each other. A dinner is nothing. If he's a good, respectable boy from a nice family, he'll agree in a heartbeat. We'll all enjoy ourselves, don't worry." she assured, though it didn't put a dent in Clare's anxieties about the subject.

After leaving the small dressing room, dress in hand, Clare and her mom went to the check out line to pay for it. By the time they reached the parking lot, most of her nerves surrounding the dinner to come had subsided, replaced instead with her usual impatience for the time to come.

Entering the car, Clare pulled her seat belt over her torso, clicking it into place as her mom pulled out of the lot. The radio filled the silence between them until Helen spoke again.

"Your life is going to change after this. You know that, right?"

Nodding, Clare fiddled with the fabric of her pants, her gaze flitting from it to the scenery passing outside the window. "It's a little intimidating, meeting him so soon. I wouldn't want to wait an eternity, but I never realized how...surreal it would be."

Helen let out a small "mhmm" in reply, taking a turn that led back to their block.

"I just want it to be like you and dad. I want to know right away that he's the one for me. Even if it was a perfectly silent room, no counters and nothing to convince me otherwise. I want to feel it in my gut, that we're meant for each other."

Her mom took a moment to reply, pulling up to their driveway and parking there. Once she cut the ignition and removed her seat belt, she turned to Clare, grasping her hand. "You'll know." was all she answered with, offering a reassuring smile before opening her door and stepping out of the car.

Clare allowed herself to remain inside a little longer, withdrawing the dress she'd gotten from its bag.

In five days, a whole world she'd been dreaming about her entire life would finally be open to her. She could only hope her soul mate would be waiting just as impatiently to meet her as she was him.