I apologize for missing a week! I had a very busy time in my life lately (in a good way). I know the writing in this chapter isn't all that great but I just wanted to get it out there before I lose motivation. Thanks for sticking with me though.

Despite spending the better part of last night crying her eyes out, Flora still managed to wake up at the crack of dawn, in an unusually happy mood. First, her electricity came back on overnight, and second, today was the first day off she's had in months, with classes canceled due to a conference, and Aaron failing to put her on the schedule for today, so yes, she intended on using this day to it's fullest.

She quickly showered (luckily the water was somewhat warm and clear today),and got dressed in green sundress and sandals,then packed a light punch that would fit in her purse. It was then Flora realized she didn't have her swan with her. She usually kept it in her bag or on her desk, but it wasn't in either of those locations. She knew it was home with her, but where did it go?

Flora was just about to turn her apartment upside down, but then she happened to glance at the clock which said 7:22 am. The bus to Magix City Park would arrive at 7:25, and there wouldn't be another until late that afternoon, which was when Flora was supposed to be arriving back home.

Rushing out of her apartment and down the stairs, Flora forgone the swan for the day. She knew it was safe in her apartment, and she felt the odds of her meeting her soulmate today of all days would be too convenient, what are the odds of that happening on the one day she didn't carry her swan?

So the swan remained at the apartment, and when Flora stepped onto the bus without it, she unknowingly altered her fate.

A bonding interview was always the time for anxiety and excitement for the newest it couple of Hollywood. For one, it gives a chance for fans and the rest of Hollywood to "meet" the partner of their favorite celebrity. A bonding interview is also a chance to release important information about the upcoming engagement, wedding, and future plans, and hopefully the paparazzi would be satisfied with the information and leave the couple alone.

Most importantly, a bonding interview provided a chance for the still-single celebrities to have the attention moved off of them for a moment, even if it were as briefly as for a day. With every progressing day, the pressure to find his soulmate built, and if another journalist asked if Helia found his soulmate he'd swear he would snap.

"So Timmy, how did you and Tecna meet?"

Helia watched silently on the sideline as Tecna and Timmy conducted their bonding interview. The couple were dressed impeccably, courtesy of Stella, and literally were flush with love. Timmy continued to describe how they met at a convention, his personal interests, his devotion to Tecna, and the general questions one may ask when interviewing a stranger. Once the interview moved towards their upcoming engagement and wedding, the journalists moved primarily to Tecna. Usually, Tecna (and Layla, who was fuming on the sidelines beside Helia) would call out the inherent sexism, but today she was too enamored with her newfound excitement for her future to really care. And despite Layla's insistence otherwise, Helia recalled she was exactly the same when she had her bonding interview with Nabu.

He smiled sadly as he reminisced the past interviews, how everyone glowed and gushed over their new partners. He loved seeing his friends so happy, inviting new people to their group, and the general sense of joy surrounding everyone. He loved…love. He wanted to be loved and he desperately wanted to love someone for his own.

A clap on his back pulled Helia away from his thoughts. He turned to find Sky, silently indicating to Helia to follow him. Helia followed Sky through the television set, until they finally entered Sky and Bloom's trailer.

"How are you doing, man?" Sky asked as he plopped down onto one of the plush couches. He gestured for Helia to sit on the chair beside him, which Helia did hesitatingly, somewhat considering running away, but also understanding that Sky's concern was coming from a good place.

"Good," Helia lied, and judging by Sky's raised eyebrow Helia knew he could see right through his act. Maybe he didn't deserve an Oscar after all. "I'm fine," Helia reinforced.

"Helia…" Sky sighed heavily, "I can see how much this, is affecting you, and the huge pressure you're experiencing to find her or him…" Helia opened his mouth to protest but Sky raised his hand to silence him, and Helia complied. "I want to help you…"

"Sky, I want to find my soulmate naturally, like everyone else did. I don't want to have to hunt them down…"

"I know, I know Helia, but the Meant to Be services are available, and more importantly they're discreet. They can find your soulmate and no one would know the wiser. You could imagine whatever magical, beautiful meeting that you want."

"How do you know this?" Helia asked. He was partly joking, but mostly serious. He knew that Sky met Bloom met by chance, when he and Brandon defended her and Stella from a creep who nearly kidnapped them, so why was he so invested in soulmate investigative services? (1)

Sky sighed heavily, before he leaned in close to Helia, (despite it only being them in the trailer, always having a flair for the dramatic), and whispered, "Don't tell anyone this, but two princesses I know, Varanda of Castillo and Diaspro of Quartz, used Meant to Be to find their husbands when they were nineteen."

"Really?"

"Yeah. For public image reasons, their courts didn't want the princess getting married after they turned twenty-one."

The men remained silent as Helia pondered Sky's offer. He didn't want to force the meeting of his soulmate, but he also didn't want to wait any longer, and he was sure his soulmate felt the same.

So should he force the hand of the universe? Or should he wait forever?

"You know…what if you guys were meant to find each other like this?" Sky asked.

"I highly doubt that," Helia rolled his eyes, ignoring Sky's shrug and sly grin. "But…are you sure no one will find out?" Helia didn't exactly like the idea of a soulmate discovering service, but he had to admit Sky did have a point.

"I promise," Sky dropped his act and placed his hand over his heart solemnly, "No one finds out, and you find your soulmate, 100% guaranteed. t's a win-win."

Helia paused again, toying once again with the charm on his neck. His soulmate was out there, somewhere, and (hopefully) waiting for him. The universe just needed a push.

"Okay. Let's do it."

—

It didn't take long for Sky to contact Meant to Be and arrange for a representative to meet Helia, and it took her even less time to arrive. She looked every bit professional, with her long dark hair pulled up into a tight bun, and wearing a dark business suit that contrasted nicely with her pale skin. He felt slightly embarrassed by her presence already challenging his opinions on Meant to Be, but he would be lying if he said he still wasn't hesitant.

The woman shook hands with Helia and introduced herself as Nadine. After some small talk, the two settled in seats across from each other in Sky's trailer.

"So Helia, why don't we get started?" Nadine asked, then continued without waiting for his reply, "Our mission with Meant to Be is to connect soulmates who are taking a…longer period of time to meet. To do this correctly, it requires you to be completely open with me, and to follow any and all instructions to the letter. Do you understand?"

"Um…," Helia swallowed the lump in his throat. He…really wasn't sure if he should go through this, but Sky already got her all the way over here, and he really wanted to meet his soulmate, but did he really want to be that open and honest with a complete stranger?

"Your information is completely confidential and is only used to find your soulmate, then it is completely destroyed from our files. We have assisted thousands of clients, and none of their information has been leaked to the press. And more importantly, the more you cooperate, the more likely you are to find your soulmate. With your full participation, you have a 87% chance of us finding your soulmate within a week, 99.9% within a month. If you are less than fully compliant, then the chance of us finding your soulmate is a maximum of 55% within a year." Nadine supplied, sliding the contract towards him.

Helia was still so unsure of what to do, what to say. He simultaneously didn't want this, but he wanted this so much. But the pressure was building and Nadine's hazel eyes were bearing into Helia's, so he took the plunge and did what he felt he had to. "Yes," he said, and signed his name under the contract.

"Excellent," Nadine practically purred. "I have to ask you a couple questions, and as explained before I need you to answer honestly, okay?" Before Helia could even answer, Nadine inhaled sharply and began with her first question, "What's your sexuality?"

"I'm, um, I'm bisexual…I think."

"You think?"

Helia's face started to turn bright red. "I mean…I find everyone attractive really? But I've never dated because I'm waiting for my soulmate…so…I'm not really sure."

"Okay, I only ask because it's easier to narrow down who your soulmate may be depending on their sex or sexuality. Don't worry about it." Nadine shrugged, "What are you looking to provide to your soulmate, and what are you hoping they'll provide to you?"

"Well…what I really want my soulmate to do is to love me as much as I love them, to provide emotional support, companionship, and loyalty…and…I want to be inspired by my soulmate. Art is a huge passion in my life, and I am inspired by everything around me, and I'd want my largest inspiration to be my soulmate. "

"So beauty is important to you?"

"No, not specifically beauty, although that…would be a plus. I want to be inspired by their soul . How they treat me, or other people. I want to be inspired by the unique way they view the world. I want…a different perspective, and I want to see it through the eyes of the person I love"

"That's lovely. One more question, at least for now. What token did you gift your soulmate,and what was the meaning behind that token?"

"Oh, well I mailed my soulmate an origami swan. Before my grandfather died, we used to fold paper cranes and swans and frogs all the time. I really enjoyed spending that time with him, and he was a super important part of my life. The swan was the last one he and I made together before his death. I…just wanted to give my soulmate the most important piece of me, especially at that time."

"Wow," Nadine softly gasped, before offering Helia a tissue for his tearing eyes, "that's very meaningful. And I'm sorry for the death of your grandfather."

"Thank you."

"Of course. And thank you for answering all of our questions so earnestly. Whomever your soulmate is, they will be very lucky to have you."

"Thank you," he repeated. He didn't know what else to say, feeling slightly exposed for crying so freely in front of a stranger, especially her green eyes were baring into his soul.

"Well," she coughed after a few moments, "Now that the question phase is over, there is one more thing I must request from you, Helia."

"Anything, what?"

"I need you to loan me the token you have from your soulmate."

Helia's hand reflexively flew up to his necklace. "My token…why?"

"We have to analyze it…with the information you gave to us about the token you've gifted and the one you've received, we can analyze them both for a higher chance of finding your soulmate quickly."

Helia nodded, but he made no such move to remove the necklace from his neck. "How long do you need it for?"

"Three days."

"Three days?!"

"Helia," Nadine sighed, "You have to trust me. I know it may seem like a long time…but it'll take even longer to find your soulmate if you don't do this."

"Fine," he eventually grumbled as he handed over the necklace, "But I want it back in perfect condition."

Nadine nodded her promise. Then said her goodbyes and left, leaving Helia alone again. Tecna and Timmy were still conducting their interview, and everyone else was busy, so for the time being, he had absolutely nothing to do.

But wait.

(1) Reference to S1E1, where Sky and Brandon fight Knut to save Bloom and Stella.

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks 💜