The Other Half Of It

CH 1

    It’s been a few weeks since the fire. I was moved to the hospital a few days after being tossed in a cell. My memories were blurry, there was a- a hearing, I think? My former classmate and old obsession could hardly look me in the eye, their burns all wrapped up. Most of their bodys were wrapped.

    Nurses' heels clacked in the hall outside my room, harsh whispers haunted into my room, their not so silent words choking me.

    The door swung open with a gentle click. It was noon.

    My mother’s perfume wafted in. In the past, it would have relieved my worries, now, it just fills me with regret remembering everyone I’ve hurt. She always comes at 12 exactly to have lunch with me and see if I’m doing better.

    I no longer glance up. I don’t think I can stand to see the pity and sorrow in her gaze.

    “The doctors might have an, explanation, for what happened.”

    “Go on.” I muttered, still refusing to look up and shrinking further in on myself. I know that if I don’t address what she has to say, she’ll push until I listen so arguing would be pointless.

    “Sometimes, when people’s strings don’t show…” I snapped inside, rage pooled through my veins.

    “Stop rubbing it in!” I grasped at my hair, biting my lip to keep quite, to not yell anymore.

    “...When they turn 18…”

    “I said stop!”

“...Their minds’ have a hard time processin-”

“I’m not crazy!” the room fell silent, I finally looked up and noticed a couple of guards starting to sneak in, handcuffs in hand incase I try anything.

Maybe I am. Maybe I am really crazy.

I finally studied my mothers face, her hair had started showing gray strands of stress and her eyes had dark circles under them from sleepless nights.

Backing myself against a wall, my mouth formed apology after apology, nothing could fix what I’ve done.

“You are not crazy. Honey, nothing can fix this, nothing can help the Agrests but time. But we- I can help you. If you’ll let me finish, the doctors think this happened because there's a severed connection between you and your soulmate. They believe that our minds need our other half to balance out, when you don’t form a connection with your's or you never get your string, your mind falls out of balance. We are going to at least try finding your soulmate incase that helps.”

“Will I have to be tailed by them?”

“No sweetie, I mean, they be there to observe but I promise, you’ll never have to see them.”

It didn’t take a lot of thinking. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. “Okay, let’s do this.”

My mother looked to the guards and gave a slight nod. They rushed to me, grabbing my arms and lifting me from the ground.

I couldn’t even let out a squeal of pain as their fingers dug into my flesh, dragging me down the cool white hall, the fluorescent lights buzzing above me, the pristine, white, cold tiles, freezing my feet as I stumbled to keep up with my guards.

My mother couldn’t even bring herself to tell them to be careful with me, she just followed silently down the hall as I let myself go limp in their grasp.

I deserved this.

They took me to another room with more medical equipment, guards, and medical professionals.

“Lila? I’m Doctor Margrete Smith, how are you today?”

I stayed silent, last time I gave a snarky response and was in solitary for 3 days and I especially don’t think I can hold back a snarky response this time.

She took my silence as an answer in itself. “I understand you don’t trust us, but we really are here to help you.” I avoided her eyes, rubbing my arms. I hardly noticed them letting go of me and ran my thumb over where they gripped my arm.

The doctor turned to the guards. “Next time, be gentle with the patients, they’re not criminals and even if they are, they shouldn’t be treated as such.” She waved to me giving pointed glares at the two who brought me in.

“It’s okay madame, I deserve it, I am a criminal.”

“No one deserves that, let's just work on helping you.” She opened up her file. “You mentioned in your questioning that you don’t have your red string, correct?”

I nodded.

“Well, we’ve developed a spring that mimics the real thing, it is still in testing, but if your willing, finding out about your soulmate just might stabilize you. You’d be released and under constant surveillance, but it might help you, would you be willing to try.”

I hesitated, do I really want to do this? I studied my fingers, maybe waiting for the string to show up suddenly and keep me from this experiment, proving everyone and myself wrong, that there was someone out there for me. But alas, nothing.

“I’ll, I’ll do it.”

She nodded. “Alright, we’ll prepare some plane tickets. We just need some of your DNA and you’ll be on your way out of Paris, maybe, by tomorrow morning.

My arm was outstretched as they took their sample. I barely felt it, my entire body was numb for the rest of the day. I might finally meet them, my soulmate. What am I supposed to feel? Because currently, I just feel nothing.

I could hardly sleep that night, the next morning, they tied the string around my finger and like a compass, I followed it. We got a last minute ticket to New York and set off. Just a pyromaniac, her doctor, and two guards. Good lord that sounds like the opening to a bad joke.