Hope
Okay, I believe in true love and all that. But a Soul Mate? One person who was made, just for you. That is a little farfetched for me. Is Mom going to go along with this? She doesn't speak. She just looks intently at Delilah. "Think about it Tempest. How many times did he call you that? I know he told you just how important you were to him. He was adamant about it. He made it clear that you were the only one for him." Mom nods her head. Still thinking about what she is hearing. Deciding if it was true.
"My husband was my Soul Mate. It's a very special bond. Stronger than any other. When you find your Mate, you are drawn to them immediately. You can't avoid it. You need to be near that person. The more time you spend with them, the closer you get. The more powerful the bond will be." Delilah goes on to explain. We are both listening intently.
"Do you remember the first time Raiden touched your hand?" I notice that Mom is crying. She nods. "It was so powerful. It felt like an electric current ran through me. I thought I had been shocked. But he continued to hold my hand. The feeling turned into tingles everywhere. It went from my hand through my whole body. He looked me in the eyes and didn't look away."
"That was the Soul Mate bond. It connects the two of you together every time you touch. Have you ever felt that with anyone else in your life?" Delilah asks. "No, never." "And did you feel the tingles every time you touched?" "Yes, every time." Mom admits. "Could you sense him before he came into a room?" "Of course, I could smell him." Mom tells her. "Do you have that ability with anyone else you have ever met?" "I can sometimes sense Hope. I can tell where she is in the house. It's not as much a smell, but a feeling. It's not as strong as it was with her Father."
If what she's saying is true, then that is exactly what I feel with Noah. He did tell me I was special. And he clearly refuses to touch me. I continue to listen. I glance at Noah. He is looking intently at me. Those powerful eyes are mesmerizing.
Delilah turns towards me. "Hope, have you ever felt any of these things?" Should I answer her? She must know the truth. What will Mom say? I can't hide this. I look at Noah and he nods his head. Okay, I can do this. "Yes." I simply state. Mom looks at me with wide eyes. Then she immediately looks at Noah. An uncomfortable silence permeates the room. Mom takes my hand. "What have you experienced Hope?" Mom asks. "I can smell Noah from pretty far away. I thought maybe it was just his cologne. But then I started feeling sick when I wasn't near him. Headaches. I'm not sleeping well. I only have an appetite when he's close. I'm anxious and my thinking is cloudy until I walk into his classroom." I tell them honestly.
"What about the tingles?" Mom asks me. "I don't know, he won't touch me." I say with a little irritation in my voice. Mom giggles and then squeezes my hand. "It took your Father two weeks to touch me. I thought I must have leprosy or something." I laugh at that. Then we both look at Noah. I think he has some explaining to do.
"Yes, well, I suppose you would like to hear from me." He begins. "I knew Hope was my Soul Mate the moment she walked into my classroom on Monday. I tried not to look at her or touch her. Those two things in particular trigger the need to be near each other. I thought if I was careful, she wouldn't have to go through any pain. But when I went home that night, I was already starting to feel sick. I knew she had to be as well. I hated the fact that she might be suffering. The stronger the connection, the sicker you feel. Mom and I couldn't figure out how it had happened so quickly. It should have taken a couple months at least. Especially since I hadn't even touched her.
I asked the twins to keep her as close as possible so that she wouldn't be in pain. They brought her into my classroom at lunchtime. Then they brought her over for dinner. We were trying to figure out what could have triggered our deep connection. A profound link was the only way the pull could have been that strong so soon. It was last night that we realized it was because of our connection to you and Raiden. Our bond started while you were still pregnant with Hope."
I was shocked. I had so many questions still. But I didn't want to interrupt him. He continued. "When Raiden died, it severed your connection. But the death of your Soul Mate is incredibly significant. Some people have died from the pain. I know it must have been horrible. I think that having a piece of him with you helped. Hope really was your savior. My Mom's pregnancy with the twins helped her. She is also an incredibly strong and resilient person." He said with pride. He looked at his Mom and smiled.
This is unbelievable. If I hadn't experienced the pain myself, I don't know if I would believe it. "We had to tell you as soon as possible. I don't want you to suffer. And I needed you to understand your feelings a little more. And mine." He said looking me in the eyes. "So what do we do?" I asked. "That will be up to you and Tempie." Delilah said. "What are our options?" I wondered. "Well, obviously you need to stay near each other. Ideally, you should at the very least see one another every day. That will help ease the pain, slightly. But the more time that passes, the harder it will be to stay apart. The pull will eventually be too much." She told us.
"I remember it very well. I had to be with Raiden. It was almost like an obsession. I couldn't think straight when we weren't together. I thought I was losing my mind honestly. But now I understand it. I wish he had explained it to me." Mom tells us. "So it's not a blessing, its more like a curse. You can't leave each other's side ever or you will get sick and possibly die?" I asked. "Oh no sweetie! Not at all. This is just the pull. This feeling will eventually subside substantially. It gets better." Delilah reassured me. "When?" I asked. "I'm going to let you speak privately to Noah about that." Delilah told me.