Book 1: Through A Tiger's Eye
Book 2: Through The Eyes of a Secret Tigma
Chapter 7 – The Dream, He’s living it. He’s a Soul Mate.
His eyes closed and he fell silent. What’s wrong with me? Part of me wanted to cry but I barely knew him. I felt an ache in my chest I’ve never felt before. Brittany. I have to go to Brittany. This seemed way too familiar. I grabbed my phone and locked the doors behind me and ran as fast as I could to the library. She wasn’t anywhere in sight so I snuck back to the restricted section. She was in the corner with a pile of books next to her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw it was only me.
“I need you to come with me.”
I think she saw the panic in my face because she didn’t ask for an explanation. I helped her put the books back and we ran to my house. Brittany gasped as she walked in.
“What happened to him?” she asked.
I stood next to him, “He doesn’t have a pulse.”
“We have to do something with him!”
“He told me not to! He said even if he doesn’t have a pulse, don’t move him. He says he’ll wake up.”
“Wake up? Lily he’s dead!”
“Listen to what I’m telling you!” I yelled at her, “He said he’ll wake up after dying! Think about it!”
Her face went pale and her hands started shaking, “The dream.”
I nodded, “He’s living it.”
She sat down on my chair and put her hand on my head, “This is actually happening. Oh my God.”
Tears came streaming down my face, “I’ve never seen anyone die before Brittany.”
“Don’t cry.”
Brittany stood up and hugged me. I hugged back and she let me cry. After I was done crying we went to the living room and watched TV.
“It’ll be okay,” Brittany tried to comfort me.
“Can we talk about something else?” I asked her, “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
“Okay,” she smirked a little, “Mike asked about you today.”
“Oh God,” I threw a pillow at her and we both laughed.
“He did!” she said, “I think he seriously likes you.”
“Mike’s not serious about anyone. He’s the only guy here like that.”
“Isn’t that weird?” Brittany asked.
“Kinda,” I shrugged.
“Okay if you had to be with anyone in school who would it be?”
“Anyone?” I asked.
“Anyone.”
“The president of the 12th grade class is pretty cute.”
“Ooh,” she smiled, “Good choice. I’d choose him too.”
We both laughed. “Who do you think you’re going to end up with?” I asked her.
“I hope it’s someone from the other side of town.”
“The rich side?”
She laughed, “Perfect! Your turn.”
“Truthfully with all that’s going on I have no idea. I hope it’s someone who doesn’t live here.”
“Why?”
I shrugged, “Then they can show me the other worlds. We can travel. I won’t be stuck in the same place.”
She smiled, “I want to know what else is out there too.”
“What should we eat for dinner?” I asked her.
“We can have Mike deliver a pizza.”
“Stop!” I laughed, “I’m never going to be with him.”
“I’m serious this time. Promise.”
“As long as you bring back cheese fries then I’m in.”
“I’ll get the money from my mom and bring the food back here.”
“Thank you.”
Brittany closed the door behind her and I put in one of my favorite movies. I was only able to watch half of it before falling asleep. When I woke up it was completely dark. The TV was off too. I stood up and went to the kitchen. I turned on the light and there was a note on the counter.
Cheese fries in the fridge. Thank me later J
I opened the fridge and spotted the fries when I heard gasping from upstairs. Carter. I closed the fridge and ran to my room. I stopped in the doorway. Carter was sitting up on the bed. He was gasping for air. I couldn’t move. I didn’t know whether to smile because he was alive or freak out because he survived death.
“Lily, let me explain.”
“What happened?” I asked before letting him continue, “Did you die?”
“Yes,” he said, “but I have a good explanation.”
“Then explain.”
“Are you at least going to come in? You don’t need to be afraid of me. I hate when people are afraid of me.”
I stepped in and sat next to him on the bed.
“Lily, I’m a Tigma.”
“You? But I thought –“
“I know,” he interrupted, “I don’t know how I ended up there. I came back to life because that’s what happens to Tigmas.”
“They can’t die?” I asked.
“They can, but not the normal way. The first death is always the longest.”
“What’s that make me?” I asked him, “And what’s that make Murera?”
“Lily everyone here is a Tigma.”
“But you said Tigmas have powers.”
“You do but you’ve been in hiding for hundreds of years. You don’t know you’re using them. You’re not trained to. That’s why my eyes look different from yours. Mine are humans and I can change them to Tigma’s eyes when I want to; your eyes are Tigma all the time.”
“I’m so confused! This whole thing started with my stupid dream! I wish it never happened!”
“It was going to happen either way,” Carter said, “Dreams don’t change that.”
“I can’t do this,” I told him, “It’s too much. I don’t understand any of it.”
“I’ll help you,” he said, “I can bring you a book I have at home.”
“What book?”
“It’s a history book about the Tigmas. I’ve already read it. You can have it. I know a lot more than I led on the first day.”
“Are you sure?” I asked him, “That stuff is against the law here.”
“A book?”
I nodded, “We don’t talk about our history here. They block most sites and have all history and research books in a restricted section in the library.”
“Then how’d you know so much before?”
I chuckled a little, “Brittany and I broke the rules. I was so freaked out about my dream that she helped me break the rules. We snuck in and did some research.”
“And I thought I was the trouble maker,” he chuckled.
We both laughed, “I guess that makes us both trouble makers.”
His voice got really serious, “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“That’s okay. You’re alive now.”
“What scared you more, that you were watching someone die or that it was me dying?”
“I didn’t want to see you die,” I admitted.
“Why? No one else up there in my world would have cared.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” he told me.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I feel something.”
“Feel something?”
“I don’t know what it is,” I told him, “They don’t talk about love here. They take all that too seriously, but something’s here. I can feel it.”
He moved closer, “It’s serious to me too.”
“Why does it have to be so serious?” I asked him, “Everyone here treats it like a job. Like we don’t have a choice. I want it to be more than that.”
“It’s because our people believe in loving forever. There’s only one other person for us in the world. One true love.”
“One?” I asked, “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” he confirmed, “According to my history book that’s the way it’s been for thousands maybe millions of years.”
“Thousands of years? Do you think we know who that person is when we first meet them?” I asked.
He smiled, “If you know the signs.”
“What signs?” I smiled.
“When you find the right person different phenomena occur.”
“Is there a reason you’re not telling me?”
“Kind,” he chuckled, “One of the phenomena is reading minds.”
I laughed a little, “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“What else?”
“I’ll let you know later.”
“Are you telling me that we’re meant for each other?”
“Do you see any other explanation for reading each other’s minds?” he asked.
“Not really,” I smiled, “It’s interesting though.”
“I’m okay with it.”
“Me too,” I smiled.
“I haven’t gotten you out of my head since that first day. I kept picturing the look on your face and the first conversation we had.”
“I have everything stuck in my head. The conversation, when I first saw you, but especially the reading minds thing.”
“You have to admit it’s cool.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “And it makes sense. If you’re meant to be together then you should know all about each other.”
“Want to try it again?” he asked.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“You think something and I’ll try to read your mind.”
“Okay.”
I closed my eyes and imagined the only thing I thought was safe to think about: the palace. The gold walls and the shiny glass windows. It made me wish I knew what was inside it.
The palace? I heard his voice.
“How’d you do that?” I asked him when I realized his mouth wasn’t moving.
I don’t know. It’s really cool though.
“My turn!”
“Okay,” he chuckled, “Just concentrate. It’s like putting your guard down.”
“Okay.”
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on his mind. Then I felt it. It was exactly like he said. Both of us letting our guards down and letting the other person in. I saw what was on the surface, but it was only my face.
That’s because I only think of you he thought.
How is this possible? I thought back.
I want to try something else. I want to know if my book is right.
“What is it?” I asked, opening my eyes.
He opened his eyes too and held out his hand.
“Your hand?”
“We haven’t touched each other yet,” he explained, “We’ll know we’re meant to be if we touch.”
“That’s a weird rule.”
“Yeah but how much do you want to know?” he asked me.
I looked at him suspiciously but took his hand without hesitating. The second we touched something went off in my head. Electricity ran through my body and I didn’t want to let go. He pulled closer and I didn’t have any time to think. His lips touched mine in our first real kiss. He deepened the kiss and I held onto him.
Lily?
Carter?
This is it he thought to me, We’re soul mates.
Soul mates?
We’re meant to be together.
We are I thought. He was right. There’s no denying it now but it’s dangerous. He’s not even from this world. I can’t imagine the trouble I would get in if they knew.
“Lily?!”
Carter and I pulled apart. Apparently we were together like that a while because it was light again.
“What’s going on?” Brittany asked. She was standing a few feet from us.
“Uh… he woke up?” I was too embarrassed to form any real sentence.
“Do you think I’m stupid?” she asked, “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“To the hall. We are talking about this.”
“Fine.”
I followed her out to the hall and she closed my bedroom door.
“What the hell?!”
“Okay,” I said, “Before you say anything else there was a very good reason for what you saw.”
“Lily if your mom finds out you’re seeing him you’re in big trouble and even more trouble if the government finds out he’s from a different world.”
“I know but it’s different with him and he is one of us. He just got stuck up there with all those people.”
“What do you mean he’s one of us?”
“Well not to freak you out but we really are Tigmas. He is too. When our world went into hiding the Tigmas were split.”
“What does that have to do with you kissing him?” she asked.
“It’s him Brittany. When we were joking around yesterday about Mike. It’s not Mike, It’s Carter.”
“Are you sure?”
I smiled, “I’m positive. Trust me.”
“Okay,” she gave in, “I’m going to school but this discussion isn’t over.”
She started walking down the stairs, “I’m sick if anyone asks!” I called down to her.
“Got it!” she yelled back.
I went back into my room and Carter was near the door.
“Eavesdropping’s a bad habit.”
“Not if I can read your mind.”
“That’s fair.”
“Who’s Mike?” he asked.
I sat down in one of my chairs, “He’s one of my classmates.”
“You like him?”
“No it’s not like that. He’s just a friend Brittany’s always thought I’d end up with.”
“Why?”
“He flirts a lot. He’d be in trouble if his parents knew but I think he’s just confused. He doesn’t know who he’s gonna end up with. A lot of people do.”
“Did you?”
“I do now. Are you jealous?”
“It did cross my mind,” he admitted.
“Don’t be. I told you they take that kind of thing seriously around here. No one’s ever had me.”
“What time is it?” he asked. He was now sitting on my bed facing me.
“Almost eight o’clock,” I replied.
“Don’t you have school?”
“I can skip today.”
“Lily?”
“I don’t care about the rules anymore. I’m done with them. They hid this from me and it wasn’t fair.”
“I get that but I have a feeling a lot of laws are being broken with this.”
“We are, but I don’t care. Something’s starting here and we’re all wrapped in it. We don’t have a choice. Maybe it’s finally time for a rebellion.”
“You want to start a war?” he asked.
I shook my head, “I want to be free.”