: ̗̀➛ 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 · 𝓪 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓳𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓪𝓾

01 . annabeth

. annabeth chase

Every single one of us has a soulmate: our other half, our missing piece, our greatest weakness, our greatest love.

The connection is symbolized in a tattoo somewhere on your body. It moves and basically has a mind of its own, as it's connected to the mind and feelings of your soulmate. For practically everyone, the tattoo is centered around a uniquely designed heart, with objects around it that further characterize the person it's symbolizing. 

The heart is present from the moment your soulmate is born, and as they grow and gain a personality and interests, the image becomes more detailed, and more objects and such are added to it. They're are all contained in the same space together until you fall in love with your soulmate. The location itself is always somewhere easily hidden... fate just loves to play with her little toys, doesn't she?

As I mentioned, there's always a moving aspect to the tattoos as well... unless your soulmate died. Then the colors fade, the image stops moving, and the objects symbolizing their interests can disappear as well if they are forgotten by those who are living. However, if you are fortunate enough to have a soulmate that stays alive, your tattoo will always have a moving part to it. The heart is always thumping to the beat of your soulmate's own heart, and the other parts are moving according to the person's emotions or state of being. For example, when they are sleeping, the motions generally slow down to a steady, rhythmic movement, or if they're excited, so will the actions of the little objects. It's rather entertaining, growing up with this little movement... you can almost befriend the little objects themselves. It's actually pretty cool, seeing these actions, as everything your tattoo does is infused with the personality of your soulmate. 

The size of the tattoo itself also varies depending on the person. The only consistent story about the size of your soulmate tattoo is that when you fall in love with your other half, whatever moves in your tattoo will grow bigger and bigger and races across your body to the pace of your emotions. Perk is, only you can see it, until you tell someone about your feelings. Then they can see every jump, skip, and race your tattoo makes as it travels around your body.

I sighed where I was sitting by my window, attempting to read a book and desperately failing. I gently placed my worn bookmark on the page where I'd been staring for the past 5 minutes while my mind raced and closed the book. As I set the copy of Emma on my little table, a little motion caught my eye and I couldn't help but smile. 

My tattoo is located in the middle of my right shoulder, right on top, where it can be easily concealed while wearing sleeves. As I had on a simple tank top right then, I could see half of the multi-shaded blue heart that acted as the anchor for all the other little images around it. These had been added at all different times throughout my life, as soulmate tattoos tend to do. 

The heart had been unusually big from the moment I was born. It wasn't quite as big size-wise as some other people's, but it was dispoportionately big compared to the other objects around it. I'd always assumed this meant that he had a biiig heart, whoever he was. I then assumed that as we got older, especially through middle school and such, it would shrink at least a bit. School had a way of doing that to you. But no; it got bigger.

The waves were added when I was two and had thrived ever since. 

The blue drink I suspected was coke and the other miscellaneous blue foods came suddenly one day when I had just turned 8. That was a weird development, but I quickly became accustomed to it as an 8 year old does. Later on, I would be especially embarassed of these, mostly in middle school and early high school when I was most self-conscious about my tattoo.

When I was 12, nearly 13, one of the most interesting images appeared. It was just a little blue ballpoint pen, until it randomly turned into a shimmering bronze sword and then back again. It concerned me more than a little bit at first, nut then I just prayed to all the gods I knew that it meant that my soulmate had a wild imagination.

One day in the winter of my eighth grade year, a blowfish was added, appearing randomly in and out of the waves. For a couple days, it looked mean and slightly ugly--if I can even call a fish ugly. But after a little while, it changed to seem like a nice blowfish, and after a few months it stayed in the waters, instead of just making random appearances.

A lot of images came and went throughout my life, as they were put into his life then taken away. However, the newest part of the tattoo came a year ago, and I felt like it would stay: a bright star that stayed right on the heart. Perhaps it was my imagination, or my habit of reading too much into things, or maybe it was even my soulmate connection that hinted at this feeling that wouldn't go away that the star was someone he loved very much and wasn't letting go of anytime soon. It was sweet, sweeter than most of the sentiments I observed from boys my age. 

Whoever he was, I knew he was special. I mean, of course he was, but in a way that transcended just me talking about someone I would love. He was special to everyone, if they had any sense.

The movement caught my eye again and brought me back from my thoughts. I had a tendency to ramble about the amazingness of my soulmate, and ADHD certainly doesn't help with that. In fact, I'm pretty sure my soulmate had ADHD too, as the images constantly moved in a way that most soulmate tattoos don't. They seemed infused with energy at all times, which was definitely distracting when I could see my shoulder.

The tattoos could move anywhere on my right shoulder, down to right above the elbow. Luckily, somehow they can respond to you, so I had the ability (and practice) to chase them up my arm when they traveled below my sleve hem. I wasn't embarassed of my soulmate or the images themselves, don't get me wrong. I just felt that the tattoo, your one physical connection to your soulmate, should be something you hold close and private. It's yours in a way nothing else is. So I spent a lot of time shooing the little hyperactive images away from where people could see them.

The waves moved by far the most. In fact, they were never still; they had the most range, it seemed like, and they were the ones I had to chase away most of the time. However, when I was alone, I would spend way too long just watching them move and swirl and around the heart and the other things and dance around my skin. Once, I could have sworn I felt the cool, soothing touch of the waves circle my shoulder. They also didn't seem to be limited in how much water they contained; it could be a puddle swirling around the heart or it could be an ocean, its waves crashing near my elbow because it couldn't reach any further. They were definitely the hardest to hide, but they were also definitely my favorite.

The blue foods didn't move around, really. They stayed in their places circling the heart, but occasionally, I would see one get eaten. It was weird, seeing an invisible person take bites out of the cookie or pancake until all that was left was crumbs or sip the blue coke until it magically refilled. It was interesting, but cute. I hoped I would eat blue foods one day; I suspected they tasted 5 times better than regular food.

The pen/sword was certainly the most adventurous of them all. I would never see the pen actually write anything; it would stay stationary and unused until it turned into a sword. Then, it would race around my shoulder, fighting invisible enemies. It was also cute, as long as it was imaginative, not real. PLEASE don't let my soulmate be a psychopath.

As said, the blowfish would be seen darting in and out of the waves. It was honestly adorable.

The star, even though it always stayed on it's spot on the heart, always seemed to be alive. It had a soft glow, and occasionally it would spin happily, staying right where it was. It looked as happy as a star could be.

The waves crashed again against their limits, and I sat back in my chair by the window to watch them dance.

hey lovelies!!

soooo... how'd u like the first chapter?? ikik it was loong, but the others won't be like this. this chappie i had to get in a lot of info abt the tattoos and their nature. there won't be this much explaining in the rest bcs u'll alr know abt the specifics

mkkk luv u much <33

ayla.