After the life changing day Bell had yesterday, she couldn’t wait for school the next day. It is so much easier to pretend everything is normal at school where everyone still thinks her and Cross don’t have powers or soulmates.

“Bell!” Lou calls out from the parking lot.

She has to laugh as there is three stray cats sitting at Lou’s feet.

“It’s ok. Bell likes cats,” she coos to the animals, scratching a golden one behind the ears. The kitties appear to nod like they understood her which they did. That was Lou’s gift.

“Hey Lou,” Bell greets. Lou looks around curiously. “Where’s Cross?” A teasing lilt to her voice.

Bell couldn’t help but blush, thinking back to their first kiss.

“Oh my god, somethimg happened between them,” Roman exclaims, jumping up behind them. “Ow!” He winces when Jeremiah elbows him.

“Maybe she wants to keep whatever private,” Jeremiah says. She shoots him a grateful smile. He grins back and she swears that his power should have been light based instead of his nature powers. He and Roman are two people who have already found their soulmates, each other.

“I am only stating the obvious. She is blushing!” Roman points right at her cheeks. Swatting his hand away, she walks towards the school in an attempt to hide her deepening blush.

In her haste, her foot catches on one of the steps and she trips, knocking into someone.

“I am so sorry!” She glances up and it’s Amelie Holtz.

“It’s fine,” Amelie replies and hugs her bag closer to herself and hurries through the door.

“That girl is such a mystery,” Lou comments, helping Bell back up. Bell doesn’t respond. She and Amelie usually got along when they were around each other. Both of them tended to be left out when people talked about their powers. Bell because everyone thought she didn’t have any and Amelie because her powers are telepathic. She never discloses what others are thinking, but people avoid her because they are worried she’ll reveal all their secrets. This created a strange friendship.

“She’s acting weird,” Roman corrects with a roll of his eyes.

“She isn’t weird, just shy,” Bell defends, feeling a sense of loyalty to her. Amelie never teased or even spoke about Bell not having powers or a soulmate. One of the only people who seemed to not care about her not having one.

“I didn’t say she’s weird. I said she acts weird. There’s a difference.”

They all stop at Lou’s locker so she can grab her books. She has so many animals (mostly cats) at home that she worries that they’ll steal her stuff, so she doesn’t go to school.

“Isn’t Cross coming to school?” Jeremiah asks, changing the subject.

She feels herself panic but then a gentle hand rests on her arm, and she feels it ebb away. Roman isn’t acknowledging what he is doing, but she’s grateful nonetheless. Who knows if she would make it rain or something terrible if she worried too much.

“He’s at home sick. Texted me this morning he won’t be here today,” she answers, more calm now.

With the big revelations from yesterday, he had issues with his telekinetic powers. While he always was the calm one between the two, she appeared to have more contol over her abilities.

They agreed not to tell anyone yet.

“I’ll text him to tell him we all hope he gets better! Unless you think he’s sleeping. I don’t want to wake him up,” Jeremiah speaks in such a rush that he corrected himself halfway through. It makes Bell smile. He reminds her of an eager puppy.

“You’re good. I don’t think he’s sleeping.”

He is already typing, and she can see the many hearts and smiley faces over his shoulder.

The shrill of the warning bell makes them all groan. With a wave, they all part since none of them have first period together.

Bell takes her seat just as the final bell sounds off.

“Ok class, partner up and work on the proofread each other’s essays,” Mrs. Britol orders. When no one pays her any mind, she opens her mouth and a piercing whistle hurts all of their ears. Mrs. Britol’s power was mimicing any sound that she’s heard before.

Everyone turns to their friends and begin talking about non-essay topics.

“Hey Amelie, want to work together?” Bell asks, turning to her right. Amelie’s head whips to her like she wasn’t expecting anyone to talk to her. Maybe she wasn’t.

“Sure.”

They exchange papers. The prompt was an opinion that they have that isn’t shared by many.

Bell wrote about not needing a soulmate, which she had done before she knew she had one, not that this changes her views on it.

Her eyes gaze at the title of Amelie’s essay. “Soulmates Shouldn’t Exist.”

When she reads it, she finds herself entranced with Amelie’s writing. Her perspective is refreshing. Everyone is obsessed about who their soulmate is, when they’ll meet, and when they can get their powers back. Amelie discusses how damaging that can be for people who don’t have any. The isolation, the sadness, and the bitterness expressed in her paper are all things Bell felt at one point or another. Yet it was in Amelie’s words.

“Amelie?” She whispers. She scans the room, no one with superhearing is in this room. Good.

“No. I am not talking about this,” Amelie shut down immediately.

“You don’t have to. I just wanted to let you know that I’m always here if you want to talk.”

“Why? Because you understand me? You don’t.” Bell raises her eyebrows in surprise. No one knows that she does have one.

Her phone buzzes with a text from Cross. Amelie gestures to it, “That’s what I mean. I can’t actually read minds, but I can tell you’ll always have Cross. I don’t have anyone.”

Bell is left speechless with the confirmation.

Amelie doesn’t have a soulmate, and now Bell does.