Leaving Laurabelle Falls

Chapter 12

I flashed back to gym class in the eighth grade, when Clyde was freshly new. The gym teacher had paired me, the only kid that wasn't already paired, with the new kid. I had been dancing with the teacher's aid before that.

"Oh God," I exclaimed. "Do we have to be good at it?"

"We have to not bump into anyone, which means we'll have to be better than we were then." He informed me. I buried my face in my hands for a moment. "Really, though, we just have to be seen together. Tonight is about us. It's about the soulmate pact that our corresponding celestials made when they made all of us, and it's about defeating the Deerman."

I nodded, my eyes widening.

"Everyone has one, right?" I questioned.

"There are some people who are aromantic." He said, shrugging. "And there are some people who have more than one, which is part of what makes it so special, I think. You were only paired up if you were supposed to be."

"That is beautiful." I agreed. I ignored the thought that the people without a soulmate must feel left out; I wouldn't understand how they felt. I experienced romance, I craved it. It would be a whole new ballgame if I didn't.

It was odd, standing next to him and knowing that I was destined to be with him.

"Do you find destiny comforting?" I asked him.

"Yes." He answered, immediately. His voice was impassioned, and he leaned his arm against me. I let my head fall easily onto his shoulder.

"I guess that's my answer, too." I said.

He moved, and I raised my head. He turned around and offered me his arm, which I accepted.

"We'd better get back to the party." He said. "They'll be waiting for us."

"Let's give them something to remember," I teased, and we started walking.

~~~

"So, what do you want to do for a living?" I asked. We were weaving through the crowds, waving to people as we went along.

"It's kinda already written," He informed me, "We're going to rid the forest of its darkness in this lifetime. There's an entire planet to explore out here, and most of it has been taken over. We're supposed to use our combined magic to bring the places the Deerman has killed back to life."

"So we're going to explore the world?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah," He agreed. "Not much else written for us. With all of the suffering we've endured in the matrix, we're supposed to use the rest of this time to heal."

"That sounds like a lot of free time." I said.

"I've heard you're going to get really good at cross-stitching." He responded. I laughed, shaking my head.

"You know, I have always wanted to try that." I agreed. "The colors just really seem to pop, when you do it right."

I looked over to my right. We were back over by the animals, doing little tricks in their cages. My brother stood in front of the vendor, admiring a small sprite.

"Made of mostly light," The vendor announced, "These guys are natural-born shape-shifters. They're very intelligent, which is why they usually end up appearing as fairies. They do have a distinctive glow about them-"

"Noah!" I interrupted. Immediately, I covered my mouth. I glanced at the shop-keeper. "Sorry, that's my brother."

"Oh, I know," He said, offering a kind smile. "We all do."

"Do you mind if I borrow him for a moment?" I questioned. "I wanted to talk."

"He can wait a couple of minutes." Noah confirmed, turning around. He gave me a wide grin, and opened his arms. "It's been awhile since I've seen you in this world."

I went into his open arms, and Clyde released his grasp. I felt safe. It felt comfortable to see his familiar face in this world, so full of unfamiliarity.

"I'm so happy that you're here." I said.

"I know." He agreed. "I wish I could come with you on the trip, but Velma and Therese don't want me to be gone too long. They both ask me questions when things go wrong in the council."

"Council?" I questioned.

"Political stuff." He said, shaking his head. "That political science class that I took in high school actually paid off. But it works a little different here."

"You know," I said, "I can see you doing that."

"I'm not on the council itself," He clarified, "But I am on a couple of committees. I take surveys that help them decide what rules to pass, and what the public needs at the time. I've been told it's an invaluable service, but really-"

"Anyone could not do it." Velma interrupted, cutting through the crowd. She looked at me, and shot me a wink. She walked briskly over to him, and immediately planted a kiss on his cheek. "He thinks he's less important than he is."

"You two are soulmates?" I asked. Then, something someone had said earlier caught up to me, and I narrowed my eyes at them. "...Where's Therese?"

"We three are soulmates." Velma corrected, nodding. "And Therese is busy setting up the symbolism in front of the ceremonial fire."

"Symbolism?" I questioned. Velma smiled.

"We're putting a mandala in the center of the ground." She elaborated. "Therese is helping the woman who designed it. They symbolize the unity of all life, stemming from a singular source of creation. And the paths that we take to turn suffering into peace."

"That sounds beautiful." I said, nodding.

"We're going to dance around it." Velma said. Then, her voice took on a mischievous tone as she added, "I've heard that you two already know the waltz."

"Oh God," I said, shaking my head. "This is going to be a thing, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." She confirmed.

Suddenly, there was a soft crowing coming from the right. I turned, and made eye contact with the dragon from earlier. She was waving her wings at me, and blew another soft fireball.

A sound rang through the air. It sounded like rain hitting a thousand tiny triangles, like a myriad of wind chimes submerged under a lake.

"Oh, it's starting!" Velma said, grabbing my hand.

"I think that's our cue." Clyde confirmed, stepping up beside me. His eyes were shining as he asked, "Are you ready to go dance?"