Mel grinned at Kelly. “See — isn’t he great?!” she gushed excitedly. “I know you don’t like the idea of dating anyone who’s not your destined, but didn’t I tell you Benji is just adorable? You two would be just the perfect couple! Don’t you just want to give him a _chance, _now that you’ve met him, Kells?”

Kelly remained silent, her eyes blankly glued to the calandar behind Mel’s head.

Mel’s grin diminished slightly. “…Is something wrong?”

About time you noticed, said Kelly’s internal voice, cuttingly sardonic as always despite her numb inner turmoil.

“Benji is my true love,” Kelly whispered.

Mel squealed. “Oh, of _course _he is — shouldn’t I have guessed that!” She paused, and then leaned forward, voice conspiratorially hushed. “So what’s you power, Kells?”

Kelly didn’t answer.

Mel frowned. “…Is the power bad?”

—

Kelly looked around with wide eyes, taking in everyone’s frozen features. For a moment, nothing at all moved.

Then, she watched as the world swirled into motion. The people remained frozen, but their shadows lengthened and twisted and came up to stand on the ground themselves, with long strips of darkness still connecting them to their casters. They moved, humanlike but unnatural, constructing scenes out of the contrast of dark and light.

Kelly had eyes only for her true love. Curious but with an odd sinking feeling in her gut, she watched as Benji’s shadow stretched out across the ground towards her. She turned as it continued past her, then stood up from the ground, tall against the horizon. She watched as it portrayed a terrible scene: shadow Benji walked exaggeratedly across a shadow road, before a shadow car twisted into existence from the length of inky darkness and headed straight towards him. The moment of collision was defined by an animated mess of random seeming black lines — it was hard to make out anything specific within it, but it didn’t matter. It was obvious what happened.

The mess of black expanded until there seemed to be nothing else, before it parted again, just slightly, to form something written in the gaps of the shadow: 12 20 24.

She spun back around, and saw all of the other shadows, each finishing up gory journeys of their own, similar number sequences of their own being scratched into walls of darkness.

With horror, she realized what they were: they were dates.

—

When life resumed, Kelly could do nothing but stare.

Benji’s hands were covering his mouth, eyes wide and slightly teary.

“…You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment,” he said.

The words tumbled weightlessly through Kelly’s numb lips almost without her permission; she felt far away as she responded: “You’ve waited nearly your entire life.”

When I first met Estella everything changed. My mam had always waxed poetic about meeting my dad for the first time. Love at first sight, heavens opening, violin strings playing, my mother tended to lay it on thick but I figured some of it had to be true. With meeting the love of her life my mam got syntheses she could taste colors, hear the music of numbers. “My life cracked open and a million colors and smells and sounds flooded me,” she would always say to me. Dad was able to understand suddenly every language, long dead and every dialect. As a historian he was pleased as punch according to mother. When I was five he was recruited by the CIA or some alphabet group and we never saw him again. It made mam nostalgic for all things love, it made me nervous. I stayed loveshy. Throughout high school and into college, I did my best to avoid entanglements. I kept my heart on the shelf. And then Estella walked into Aberrant Psychology. Tall and pale as the full moon, she had small high breasts and mouth accustomed to sneering. We were both thunderstruck. Despite all of my carefully constructed defenses I fell head over heels. Against my will I stood and reached for her. Instantly my new sense unfolded. I could read other people’s emotions. Waves of alien feelings buffeted me. I wavered and Estella caught me. Estella’s eyes grew big as saucers. I swallowed hard. We looked around the classroom. I gripped my love’s hands. “Your name is Chelsea right? Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“You’re a two,” the Spanish exchange student said to Ana as they stood outside of the college bar waiting for their other friends and deciding who would go on which car to the next bar. Ignacio was the exchange student’s name. He offered this rating with no context, they were not even speaking. Then he hopped on the passenger seat of the black jeep pickup truck.

Ana opened her eyes wide, trying to process what had just happened. What the actual fuck?

“What did you just say?” She asked, taking a seat on one of the available seats at the back of the pickup.

“That you’re a two,” he said, unmoving.

“That’s so rude why would you say that?” Ana asked. They were speaking in English, and given that she was from Panama and he from Spain, it was all extra odd.

“Well it got me to get you in the car,” Ignacio retored. “So that we could all get going ti the bar. And I accomplished just that.” That clever motherfucker. Through his first rate asshole comment he got just what he wanted. What the actual fuck though,

He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was very attractive. But she herself was pretty enough. She didn’t need him to confirm it. And even if his goal was just to get her to go into the car there was something so wrong with it all…

He didn’t apologize or said he was kidding. As their very brief interaction finished, other people trickled into the pickup truck and the conversation was left at that. Ana can’t think of it without rolling her eyes in disgust.

He was causally walking with his hands in his jean pockets and his brown shoes softly thumping on the concrete, but he seemed to be studying the pavement intensely as if for a test. The breeze was playfully tossing his sunlit, chestnut-brown hair, but he was so focused on unknown things that the breeze finally got frustrated and moved on to a more corporative playmate. After watching him from behind an oak tree for ten minutes, I finally got up the nerve to say hi or anything else that wouldn’t totally embarrass me. I stood up, lightly dusted off my yellow dress, and walked over to him, fidgeting with one of my sun streaked curls. He heard my gentle foot falls and looked up. As he did I gasped, as his ocean-blue eyes had more depth and life to them then any other I’ve seen. Those eyes swirled with many shades of blue, which laughed and smiled as they twisted and turned. But even behind that, there was a light yellow, that was kind and considerate and respectful. As I came back to the present, he was still there, smilingly shyly. “Um, hi, Elisabeth.” He started.

She was everything, Archer wanted. Kind. Compassionate. Every sense was open to her but, his heart as well. She turned to him with a smile. Her eyes crinkled as she beckons him over. He can’t help but smile to her. The small creature in front of him- he loved. It was just nerving seeing her aura and all the colours she had when in a particular mood. He never knew he had this ability! But here he was, seeing the colour of love. A grin went across his mouth. He didn’t care then if everything failed. To see her smile was the best thing. So he shoved down his sense of auras and sat next over.

Life is bland.

I’ve never been able to smell bacon sizzling, a candle burn, or garlic bread, fresh out of the oven.

And because of my lack of smell, I’ve never really been able to taste much either. Which is really annoying. I’ve never tasted the Italian food my mom cooks which everyone raves about, or a birthday cake, or my vegetables, which is a bright side.

But yeah, life is just eh right now. It sucks having two senses missing. But I cope. I just hope I’ll meet my soulmate one day soon.

Life is boring.

I do the same things every single day, waiting for a chance that something will change. Anything.

One day I get my wish.

We get permission from the government to move to another state, which we’ve been requesting for a few years now.

So me, my parents, and my younger brother crowded into our car and started our trip across the country.

My brother and I sleep most of the time, and only interact when we have to go to the bathroom.

After a few days, we get to our new home that had been prepared for us. We all thought that this new home would be a better fit for us than our last one.

Our neighbors on either side greeted us.

The ones on the left were an old couple who’s daughter was married and who’s son was away in college.

The family on the right were younger, their son seemed to be around my age, sixteen. Their daughter was a lot younger, around seven I would say.

They brought dinner for us. Before we ate, the parents sent us to the playroom so they could talk privately. My brother ended up entertaining the young girl, while the boy and I sat against the wall and talked.

For some reason as he talked, some sort of notion was hitting my nose that never had before. He saw my quizzical look and asked me what I was thinking.

“You stink.” I laughed.

“Well I can actually hear now.” He said back.

“I guess I don’t have to wait to find my soulmate any longer, do I?” I asked.

“We should probably go tell our parents so they can report it to the government.”

“Do we have to right this minute? You know we’ll have to get married this weekend if we do.”

“Yeah, but that’s how things go, you know that.”

“I guess so.”

By then my brother and his sister noticed our new revelation. They ran out yelling to our parents.

We looked at each other in annoyance over yonder siblings, and then grabbed each other’s hands and walked out to meet our future.

Pizza is my absolute favorite, but two large, hot, gooey slices of pepperoni sit untouched on my plate.

I push it away and yawn loudly for the umpteenth time today. My chair squeals when I stand. My parents look up at me oddly.

“Not hungry. Going to bed,” I mutter, eyelids already two-thirds shut. I’m not even sure I’ll make it up the stairs.

I slept fine last night. What is this crazy exhaustion I haven’t been able to shake all afternoon?

There’s a frown in my mom’s voice. “It’s kind of early still, so we were going to watch a movie. Are you feeling okay, Cam?”

“Mhm. Fine. Just so tired.” I drag my feet toward the kitchen’s exit.

“Was baseball practice extra tough today?” My dad asks.

“Nah, same as usu—,” a yawn overtakes me and my eyes pool with water, “—aaaah!” I smack my lips. “Same as usual.”

I float to the back of the house in a fog, then rock-climb the stairs, calves wobbling and protesting with each crawl to the next step. The landing halfway up is starting to look pretty good as a bed, but somehow I continue on.

In my room, I try to strip down to my boxers, but stumble left into my dresser as I peel off my shirt, then careen right into my nightstand as I shake off my pants. The lamp on it tips and I barely catch it mid air.

“Stay,” I command as I right it. Maybe I’m coming down with something.

Euphoria hits like a silky cloud when I slip beneath my covers. No—I don’t feel sick at all. I feel…amazing. Impervious, even. Mighty, like a superhero. I chuckle at the odd sensation, as my limbs stretch and melt into the sheets.

I have one thought before the darkness swallows me like a whale and drags me into the deep. One image of one girl sitting in the bleachers—the reason I missed Eric’s fly ball into right-field (which even a t-baller could have caught).

Friends chatted all morning about the new sophomore who just transferred in. As a junior, I didn’t have a class with her, but could guess easily enough who she was by the small crowd of girls pulling her along and pointing out things in the school.

They sat on the lowest bench in the stands, shifting their guided tour’s focus to the baseball team, not even bothering to hide who they were pointing out and giggling over.

Their attention soon turned to me. Melinda’s head nodded in my direction, then she leaned in to say something to the new girl.

I was too far away to tell her features clearly. Her hair was wavy and dark, just past her shoulders and she was petite in comparison to everyone around her. That was about all I tell.

She looked my way,and although I couldn’t determine even the color of her eyes at this distance, a sensation that something reached out and connected between us was near palpable.

I stared. She stared. The air cracked and rang. Then the baseball dropped, ten feet away from me.

I smile at the memory like only an idiot would.

The whale rises up and takes me under. I even hear myself snore before I’m fully out.

It’s night on the baseball field. And I’m alone. Bright lights shine down, illuminating the bases. I stand next to the dugout, in my uniform with my mitt in my hand.

My baseball dreams are often distinct with game-related fears and always in the middle of a match. For example, I might hit a home run, but my feet are glued to home plate and I can’t run the bases—that sort of dream.

This emptiness is new. And scary.

I scan the setting more and realize I’m actually not alone. There’s someone sitting in the bleachers. I peer through the dark, but can only see the outline of a person’s form.

I make my way slowly toward it.

Within twenty or so feet the form stands up, revealing itself as a girl.

“Uh—,” I say. I’m brilliant in my dreams. “I-I don’t think there’s a game right now.”

She laughs. “Yeah. I honestly don’t know why l’m here. It’s creepy at night. You’re Camden Cade, right? I’ve heard about you.”

I move closer, heart beating inexplicably faster with each step, until we stand an arms length apart.

“I am. And you are?”

“Vera Finch. I just transferred to your school.” She dimples when she smiles. A breeze sweeps through and she tucks a wayward lock of her raven hair behind an ear. Two diamond studs twinkle there. I look back to her eyes—large and violet brown.

“Vera Finch,” I mumble. “Whoa. Did I just make that up?”

Her head slightly cocks to the side. “Make what up?”

“Your name. I never learned it. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream this detailed.”

She shrugs. “Maybe it’s my dream, not yours? Who is that rose for?” She points to my hand.

“Rose?! It’s my baseball mitt.” I laugh as I look down. But there in my right hand, I clutch a single long stemmed pink rose. It sort of glows and sparkles.

A few seconds pass as I comprehend it. I’ve never given anyone a flower. This one is a bit extra too, like Disney wrote this scene. I shift from one foot to the next and bite my lip.

Is this her dream or mine?

Wordlessly, I hold it out for her. I guess if she’s dreaming of me giving her roses, I’d better do it right.

“For you, of course. Will you take it, my princess?” I cringe. Why? Just why…did I add that?

She hesitates, reading my expression.

“You have really weird dreams.”

“You said it might be your dream!” I defend myself, dropping my hand with the rose to my side.

She shakes her head, tucking hair behind her ear again. I take it as a sign she is uncomfortable. “I don’t dream of flowers and princesses.”

“You might be right now. No one can control their dreams.”

She holds out a hand. “It feels like I can right now, though. Let’s test it. I wonder if I can feel you. Here, touch my hand.”

I reach out tentatively with my left hand—closer and closer, until warmth emanates from hers. My hand wraps around it. She presses her fingers into mine, clasping.

Music plays. My head swims and stirs. I turn toward the sound and through blurry eyes, reach out my hand and smack the alarm.

I pull it back, twisting it in the faint morning light, clenching and unclenching my fist. The feel of our test still lingers.

First things first when I get to school, I need to find out her name.

~fin

It felt as I was in a dream and couldn’t wake up. The real question is, was it a dream or was this really happening. Had to even pinch myself to make sure this wasn’t a dream but it wasn’t. I was still standing there, right in front of James feeling as if I had unlocked some sense. Like a sense of feeling like I wasn’t numb anymore, that I could feel the love with him. So who was this James you say just some guy that had bumped into me as I was writing here in the park. Like I said for some reason it felt like I was in love with him like we had a connection before. So I introduce myself by giving him my number so that way we can meet up again another time. He then leaves after. So I quickly look up online on what it could mean that when I run into someone how I felt a deep connection and it felt as if you were in love. Some pages gave me facts and theories about soulmates but that is not what caught my eye, what caught my was this page that read “reconnecting with your soulmate from your past life”. So I head home to take a nap because I couldn’t believe the experience I just had with James. After my hour nap I wake up and had gotten a text from him which read “ hey my love I would like to treat you to your perfect date tonight at the star pier for some ice cream and star gazing to end our night together. I am so confused on why he thinks I am his love and knows my perfect date idea when I only had just met him today. I say sure James and start to get ready for this date because I have only an hour to get ready before I have to head out for our date tonight. It gets close to an hour when I finish putting on my brown boots to go with my earrings and my beautiful white laced dress. I takes me a bout 30 minutes to get there since I live kinda far, but after today I know it will be worth it. I go to get down but he rushes over to me and opens my door along with kissing my hand to greet me. He said “lets go my love we have ice cream waiting for you”. So I hold his hand on the way there because like I said before I had a deep connection with him. Me and him sit down to enjoy our ice cream but before we sat down he put down this beautiful red blanket that I could have sworn I seen before but not sure where. After that he hops on his phone to put some music so we can jam out while having our ice cream. After we finish our ice cream he puts on some softer music so we can cuddle and star gaze before we head home. 45 minutes go by when a certain song comes on called “put your head on my shoulders”which is our favorite especially by frank Sinatra. I get a good minute into the song before all these flashbacks came back . So confused I get up and pace around while looking at James. He said “what’s wrong my love”as he holds me close. I said “its really you, it really is you James. He eyes lights up and smiles at me while squeezing me tight. My love , Myra you remember me , I told you I would always be with you even when we are worlds apart. So later that after our date he walks me to my car and I drive home, then heading to bed for the night. The next morning I text him and invite him to move in with me since it been decades since we have been together and want to make up for lost time. So he agrees and later day that he moves in with me and we live happily ever after. THE END

Valentina and Anag sat on the roof of the rocket and stared out at the constellations and galaxies that made up outer space. In the many years in which they had traveled through the universe, they had never taken a moment to admire the beautiful, colorful stars amidst the black void of nothingness that made up the dark sky. Anag exchanged a silent glance at Valentina, but looked away shyly, his face as pink as an azalea.

Then, his nervous system began to work faster than it ever has before. Anag’s hair turned to blonde, his eyes became blue, and now, he looked handsome, ready to charm Valentina. Valentina looked over and her face became the azalea pink his face became. Anag then began the conversation by saying “Hello Valentina.”

“Hi, you look different.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I decided to try a different style.”

“It honestly looks handsome on you.”

“Handsome?”

“Yeah, handsome and cute.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel good?”

Valentina stammered. “No, I would never say that.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Anag, I have something to say.”

“What is it, Val?”

“Well, I have been developing a gnawing monster inside my stomach, not literally but figuratively. This feeling is a crush. I have a crush on you.”

She said it while stammering, which made her confession seem rather childish and from an amateur.

“Don’t worry, I have a crush too. I love you Valentina.”

“I love you too, Anag.”

They shared a hug with each other, and Valentina’s personality glowed like a lightbulb, not literally but figuratively, just like Valentina said.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul…do you believe them?

—— “WE ARE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIX IT!!”
“Yes, we will.” “HOW??” I was close to tears. “We can’t lose someone else.” I grabbed my brother’s hand. “Jesse, I don’t know how much longer I can keep fighting it. I don’t know when tomorrow won’t be there.” I felt a warm, salty tear fall onto my hand. “Kat, don’t say that. We just have to find the cure.” Kathryne sniffed loudly. “I’m trying! I’m trying and trying and going to work everyday and working so hard, but I can’t fix it…and it’s killing me. Quite literally.” Jesse kissed my cheek. “Well, I know my genius little sister can solve any problem. I believe in you, Kathryne.” He hugged me briefly, then disappeared. He just de-materialized.

Ever since he started dating Elise, his fiancée, he’d been able to vanish in and out of thin air. Or thick air. Any type of air. I, however, could not. You see, I haven’t met the “love of my life” yet, so I don’t have a Sixth Sense. I walked into the kitchen, grabbing the leftover brownies from the fridge. I  cut one as my tears moistened the rest. I cried as I ate, talking to myself. “How can I fix it? How do I ensure the entire world gets this cure, and that nobody else dies?” I clenched my eyes shut, tears rolling down my face. “Let’s see, if I take the plasmatic form of tritamium…” I chewed absentmindedly.

My face lights up. “THAT’S IT! I’m such a numbskull! Why didn’t I think of that before?” I glanced at the clock on my wall, shoving the rest of the brownie in my mouth. “I’ve got to present this to the ISAPC,” I laughed, mouth full. I smiled wide, running upstairs with a skip in my step. I hurriedly change clothes and jumped in the van. I turned on the radio, pulled out of my driveway, on the way to the ISAPC meeting.

———————————————

I smashed the door open. “I FIGURED IT OUT! I figured out the cure we’ve been needing!” All eyes turned to me. Oh man, I felt very small. Director Slyfox glared at me. “Kathryne, you’re not authorized to be here. We’re in the middle of a classified meeting. GET OUT.” “NO,” I yelled, slamming my hands down on the table.

Someone gasped. “Director Slyfox, I know what the cure is now! If I could just-“ He cut me off. “KATHRYNE! That’s enough. Get out of my meeting. Go find someone else to piss off.” I frowned angrily. “Fine. I’ll go.” I turned on my heel, when suddenly, someone said, “Wait! Director, I believe her. Let her talk. She could help us save the world.” I turned around, confused. That’s when I saw him. Derek. 

All of a sudden, his eyes…they shifted. I could see him, babysitting his little siblings. I saw him helping his elderly neighbors pot their plants, putting them into the soft soil. I saw chocolate, too. His eyes, they were like chocolate. Smooth, brown, and gorgeous. I smiled, blushing slightly. “As I was saying, Director…” 	   

2/09/22