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Word count: 2032
MADELINE AVERY SMITH always thought she'd be fine without a soulmate. She grew up dreading the day a tattoo of her supposed soul mate would appear on her wrist. She prayed and prayed she would be one of the lucky few who were born without one.
Soulmates had been around for centuries. Nobody knew their origin or how it was possible. For years, scientists tried to find a solution to the strange phenomenon but to no avail. There was simply no explanation for it.
But, to most, it was a miracle. A dream come true. Eighty percent of the population who found their soul mates claimed they lived in a fairy tale come to life. Sure, there were ups and downs just like any other relationship but there was nothing quite like having a soul mate.
The soul mate mark—called a soul tattoo—would appear on your wrist on your eighteenth birthday. That was the first connection to your soul mate. The bond between soul mates could only be initiated after touch. That was when your tattoo would glow a beautifully ethereal gold and change color, signifying soul mates had met.
Each soul mate had a unique tattoo that helped identify soul mates. It could be a flower, an object, or a symbol that was personal to them or their initials. It varied from person to person. Nobody had the same tattoo if they weren't soul mates.
It wasn't uncommon for there to be more than two people in a soul bond. Harems or reverse harems were very common. It used to be frowned upon by society but as soul mates became and people realized the beauty of those bonds, they became well-known. The current record was eleven soul mates and it was reported they were extremely happy.
Madeline knew all of this. From a young age at school, she was taught all about soul mates. During 7th grade, she had to take a subject on soul bonds to learn about the history of it, the science, and what to expect when meeting your soul mate. She always hated the subject.
Madeline came from a rare home where her mother didn't have a soul mate. From what she knew, not long after her mother discovered she was one of the few unlucky people, she had a one-night stand with a man who later found his soul mate. Her mother was distraught by the tragic news and struggled to be a mother. Her father tried to be there as much as he could but it became difficult when his soul mate fell pregnant.
Most of Madeline's childhood was spent bouncing between two houses, feeling alone and unwanted. Her mother worked regularly to keep them afloat whilst her father was often too busy raising her younger half-siblings.
Because of this, Madeline spent most of her life as a loner. Watching how devastated her mother was over her life, Madeline began to hate the very concept of having a soul mate.
Since her mother had no soul mate, it was highly likely it would pass on to her too. Madeline always hoped that was the case—wishing to avoid heartache and pain. To her, that was all she knew when it came to soulmates.
Whilst she had witnessed her father and his soul mate—June—happy and in love, she never thought it would be possible for her. Not with how much her mom was depressed because of it.
So, not long before her eighteenth birthday, she wasn't worried about a tattoo appearing. In fact, she felt happy and content, knowing it was practically impossible for her.
She spent the evening before her birthday with both of her families, in her father's luxurious home. Her three half-brothers—Creed, Dash, and Lemar—were the only people who were really close to her. None of them held any ill will to her being and hoped that she would have a soul mate who would show her the love she desperately needed.
When the clock struck twelve, Madeline held her breath in anticipation, reciting the same words over and over.
No soul mate. No soul mate.
To her astonishment and her father's family's happiness, Madeline grunted in pain and cradled both of her wrists. Everybody knew what that meant.
Whilst her father and her younger brothers cheered in delight and congratulated her, Madeline felt like her world was imploding. Her mother was sitting in a corner of the room, nursing a red wine, her face unreadable.
It took Madeline a while to process what was happening. Her father was babbling about how happy he was for her to June, who had tears in her eyes.
Her younger brothers were the first to pick up on her inner turmoil. Creed—the oldest and the one she was the closest to—approached her and knelt in front of the couch.
"Mads?" He whispered over the noise. Somehow, she managed to hear him.
"It can't be possible," She murmured, chanting the words over and over in her head. It simply couldn't be.
"How many do you have?"
She hadn't even looked at them. She felt the slight twinge of pain that came from the mark appearing but hadn't been brave enough to sneak a peek yet.
"I—I don't know. I can't look," She panicked, too scared to look.
After asking, Creed twisted both of her wrists and stared at the beautifully written initials. He gasped in shock and snapped his eyes to his brothers. "She has seven."
"Holy shit," Dash exclaimed, catching the attention of everybody else in the room. They all hovered over a frozen Madeline, who was still struggling to process any of it.
"Wow," June mumbled in shock, happy for her stepdaughter. Whilst they weren't related by blood, June considered Madeline to be her daughter. She was the daughter she didn't biologically have. "They're beautiful."
"Why are they purple?" Lemar, the youngest sibling asked, confused. He was only fourteen years old and had always been seen as the baby of the family.
"I don't know," Creed answered, frowning. "Perhaps it's a link to her soul mates?"
"What are their initials?" Madeline's mother, Larisa, who had been watching the scene unfold, piped up. Silence ensued, many surprised by Larisa's sudden interest.
"K.S. is the first one," Creed started, his eyes roaming over his sister's wrist in wonder. "Then M.Y., J.H., K.N.," He stopped and glanced at her right wrist. "P.J., K.T., and finally, J.J."
In the back of Madeline's mind, something tugged. It was like she somehow recognized those initials. But from where? She didn't know many people. She wasn't a social butterfly. In fact, at school, she was an outcast. Voluntarily.
"Do you know who they could be? Usually, if there's a group of soul mates, the majority of the people know each other in some way." June queried, her big green eyes bright. For thirty-seven, she was a gorgeous woman who could pass for twenty-eight.
"Mads?" Dash called her name, crouching next to Creed. "How are you feeling?"
Madeline gazed around the room, drinking in everyone's faces. Her father and stepmom were gleaming with joy, her brothers were concerned and her grandparents on her father's side were proud of their granddaughter who they rarely saw.
Finally, her eyes landed on her mother. She wore a poker face, hiding her true feelings from her only daughter. It stung Madeline to see her mom so detached from this monumental event. She needed her mother to say something—anything. But she didn't. She never talked about soul mates.
Madeline was lost. Confused.
"I—I," She stuttered as sweat coated her forehead. "I need to get some air."
Jumping to her feet, she rushed past her family who all yelled her name in worry. She paid no heed to them, her feet stomping along the tiled floor to the back door.
Her father owned a reasonably sized house with a big yard. She threw the door open and released a breath, letting the cool air hit her flushed skin.
Madeline couldn't control her thoughts. They were firing at all areas, trying to solve this new development. She was so prepared to not have a soulmate—let alone seven—that she hadn't even considered a mark appearing.
"How could this happen?" She said to herself. "Why? Why me?"
Her eyes gazed down at her two exposed wrists. Hesitantly, her digits skimmed the soul tattoos. A rush of emotions flowed through—surprise and shock. Were these her emotions or her soul mates? Some people could feel their partner's emotions when they touched their mark. Was she one of those people that could experience it too?
Then, suddenly, as if a star exploded before her very eyes. The identities of these people flashed in her head. She was ninety percent certain those seven people were her soul mates.
Everything matched. There was no way they couldn't be.
K.S. had to be Kim Seokjin. Mr. World Wide Handsome. The oldest member of BTS and was known for his terrible dad jokes and confidence during interviews. It was well known that he hadn't found his soul mate, despite being thirty. That was the only time he talked about his soul mate and whenever he did, his face would scrunch in pain.
M.Y., therefore, had to be Min Yoongi. Suga or also known as Agustd. The second oldest who loved napping and had a cute gummy smile. He was known for being quite a work alcoholic. He didn't talk about his soul mate to any interviewers. He was good at avoiding questions or refusing.
So, her third soul mate—J.H.—had to be Jung Hoseok. Mr. sunshine himself. Hoseok, known to his fans as Hobi, was another rapper who was insanely good at dancing. Hoseok once referred to his soul mate as Sunshine even though he hadn't met them yet.
The fourth initial—K.N.—must be for Kim Namjoon then. Rap Monster. The person who spoke the most English, who had an IQ of 148. He was the leader of BTS—the man who took charge and helped keep the flow. Namjoon hadn't said a lot about his soul mate other than he hadn't met them yet. Like Yoongi and Seokjin, he was quite secretive.
It was all starting to match up. So far, the fourth initials of the Hyung line matched up well. Too well. She was scared to think about the Maknae line.
P.J. stood for Park Jimin. It had to. The most charming man, who managed to steal the hearts of millions. He was a mochi in his fan's eyes. Jimin was one of the few members who had expressed his sadness at not finding his soul mate. Most of the others dodged any questions on if they had found their soul mate or not.
Born in the same year as Jimin was Kim Taehyung—K.T. To his fans, he was V. Taehyung had a gorgeous boxy smile that could light up any room. He was one of the tallest and had a wild personality. He had once mentioned that he would never lose hope of finding his soul mate.
And finally, J.J. had to be for Jeon Jungkook. The youngest member of the group—the golden maknae. He had the voice of an angel, just like Jimin, and could dance so sensually, you would wonder if he was the same man when he wasn't on stage. Jungkook had said he wasn't too bothered about finding his soul mate at the moment since he was so young. That interview was two years ago and he hadn't said anything since.
The seven of them made BTS, the biggest boyband in the world.
And, it was highly possible that they were her soul mates.
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