Keltie leaned in. Her soulmate’s hands were on her shoulders, caressing gently. It was too dark for her to make out a face, all she could see was a shadowy figure and a bright smile. After looking for years, she had finally found someone who was hers, and only hers. A kiss would make it real, Keltie had always thought, and she was only moments away. She could practically hear her heart beating. And then, it all disappeared. A loud crash roused Keltie from the deep sleep she had been in. She sat up, confused and a little irritated.
No matter how many times she had the dream, something always woke her before she got a clear view of the other person. Shaking her head, she realized that her priority should be what made the noise, not how some silly dream had ended. Keltie’s legs were still shaky with sleep as she stood up, wandering down the stairs slowly. “Miss Wilson? ” There was no sign of the woman, but Keltie had lived with Miss Wilson long enough to know that she was likely just laying down drunk somewhere, talking to herself. The most logical place would be MIss Wilson’s room, but that was the last place she would go.
The last time she had made the mistake of going to “the forbidden room”, she had ended up with a bleeding back and tear stained cheeks. Keltie didn’t end up having to look far for Miss Wilson, or for the loud crash she had heard. Merely two steps into the kitchen and she was tripping over none other than Miss Wilson herself. Her pudgy body was sprawled out on the floor, mousy brown hair covering her face. She was breathing, that Keltie could tell, but that was about all she could figure out. Questions bounced through her head at the speed of light.
Miss Wilson was always drunk, sure, and Keltie had always assumed it was a matter of time before she passed out. But now here she was, and Keltie was downright confused. Her thoughts floated through her head, and at first she was unable to focus on any of them, but one in particular flashed in her mind light a strobe light. I could leave. It was something Keltie had thought about, of course, but never genuinely considered it as a possibility. She held her breath as she reached her foot out, gently nudging Miss Wilson’s side. Nothing happened. Miss Wilson showed absolutely no sign of stirring.
Keltie’s heart was racing as she played out the situation in her head. She didn’t really need anything, she had stolen before, she knew she could get food from somewhere. She could just walk, just go, and finally live. She could sleep in people’s tree houses and garages.. Keltie was good at lying, and she was practically positive she could find a way to live. She tried to ignore the part of her that thought about how if she died out on her own, it would be better than dying by Miss Wilson’s hands. Keltie never really thought things through, and deep down she knew she was making a mistake.
But she felt triumphant as she strode away from Miss Wilson’s pathetic, slumped frame and toward the front door. Part of her wanted to slam the door as soon as she stepped out, but she didn’t want to risk losing her opportunity and wake Miss Wilson simply because she wanted to feel powerful. So, she closed the door quietly, took in a deep breath of fresh air, and ran. She was grinning as she started to sprint, staying on the side of the road. The wind was hitting her face, her blonde hair blowing behind her, and first the first time in her life, Keltie didn’t feel trapped. –
Standing in the midst of around eight small shops, Keltie really wished she had a watch. She had no idea what time it was, or how long she had been gone. When she thought about it, a watch wouldn’t really help because she didn’t even know what time she had left Miss Wilson’s. Her legs were weak, and she had run what felt like miles. For all she knew, it could’ve been. Keltie had never been allowed to go into town with Miss Wilson. She had been secluded since she was about three, so the busy streets were completely new to her. People came from every direction, some of them running into her.
She felt lost and alone, until a hand clamped down on her wrist. Keltie froze. Her feet felt glued to the ground she stood on, and she was almost positive her heart stopped for a second. She couldn’t turn around, was afraid to see Miss Wilson’s scowling face staring down at her. The grip loosened slightly, and Keltie tried to wriggle away. “Hey, hey,” a smooth voice rang through the air, the tone gentle and high pitched. “Sorry if I scared you. ” Keltie’s head whipped around, knowing immediately that her fear of MIss Wilson finding her in the street was irrational.
Dark browns eyes were staring at her, and Keltie’s cheeks felt hot. “What do you want? ” Keltie attempted to snap at the girl, tried to be demanding, but her voice came out timid and soft. “You looked lost,” the girl’s brown eyes softened, and small smile on her face. Keltie tried not to stare at the girl for too long. She hadn’t seen many people in her life, but occasionally Miss Wilson would let her watch television and she knew that this girl was absolutely gorgeous. She let go of Keltie’s wrist, a look of concern on her face. “Are you okay? ” Keltie stuttered over her words, and finally just nodded.
The girl grinned at Keltie. “I’m Tegan, nice to meet you. ” Tegan reacher her hand out, and Keltie shook it cautiously. “Keltie. It’s nice to meet you too, I guess. ” Keltie sort of regretted adding the words “I guess” to her sentence, but Tegan didn’t seem to mind. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet excitedly. “How come I’ve never seen you before? ” “Uh,” Keltie froze up a little, her entire body tense. “I’ve never been into town before. ” “Wow,” Tegan quirked an eyebrow at Keltie. “Why not? ” Keltie simply shrugged, and luckily Tegan didn’t dwell on the subject. Do you want me to show you around? Keltie was confused. She didn’t understand why this girl had taken such an interest in her, and why she was so happy. The world was so ugly to Keltie, and it seems that from this girl’s perspective, the world was a good place to be. “Where would you take me? ” Keltie finally decided to ask, completely torn between saying yes and no.
“Couple of my favorite places. ” Tegan’s seemed at peace when she spoke the words. “The coffee shop, for starters. If you don’t like that, you can go home afterward. But, if you’re not sick of me by then, then just maybe, I’ll show you the tunnel. What’s the tunnel? ” “You’ll have to find out. ” Tegan grinned, and for the first time in a long time, Keltie grinned too. – “You want a latte? I have enough money, get whatever. If you want something to eat too, I can get that. Croissant? Cookie? Anything? ” Keltie was overwhelmed by her options, and by the amount of words Tegan had spoke on the walk to the coffee shop. The girl never seemed to stop talking. “Can I just have a hot cocoa? ” Keltie asked the question shyly, afraid that Tegan would refuse, but she broke into a giant grin. “Of course!
Amazing choice,” Keltie told herself that she imagined Tegan winking at her. “One small tropical smoothie and a medium hot cocoa, please. ” The man behind the counter smiled fondly at Tegan, almost like he knew her. Keltie realized that he probably did, considering how much Tegan seemed to love the place. Tegan gave the money to the man, he gave her change, and then she motioned for Keltie to come sit with her. “They’ll call out when our stuff is ready,” Tegan explained as she sat. She had chosen a small table, only big enough for the two of them. Keltie sat opposite her. “Why do you like this place so much?
Keltie was finally trying to make small talk with Tegan, but she was stumbling with her words. “It’s calming,” Tegan’s voice was finally calm, not over excited and loud. “I feel at home here. Why haven’t you ever been to town before? ” “Why should I tell you? ” “You asked a question about me. It’s my turn. ” “Fine,” Keltie huffed. “I’ve never been allowed to go to town. ” Tegan’s brow furrowed. “What? Why? ” “Hey, no, one question at a time. ” Tegan pouted but Keltie wouldn’t give in. ‘How are you so happy all the time. ” “Balance is a huge part of my life. Yin and yang, ya know?
Equal amounts of good and bad. If no one else is gonna be positive and balance out the negativity, then I will. ” Tegan shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Keltie wished she could think like that. “No matter the amount of negativity you’re presented with, a minute from now you could have the best moment of your life. You just gotta hold on. ” Tegan talked with her hands a lot, Keltie noticed. She waved them through the air, making gestures almost constantly. Keltie was over thinking and imagining things, she decided, when she noticed the scar on Tegan’s lower forearm.
She was definitely imagining how much it resembled her own scar. There was no way that it could be the same one, because Keltie knew what it would mean if it was, and there was no way that was happening. “Okay, my turn. Why haven’t you been allowed in town? ” Keltie swallowed hard. She thought about lies she could come up with. She lived too far, she had bad social skills, anything but the truth, but her mouth had a mind of it’s own. “I don’t know my parents. Never met them. I was found as a baby on the side of a highway, not even kidding. Was in the foster system until I was three, still am technically.
Miss Wilson, she was a foster parent to one girl, but the girl’s real parents found her somehow and took her back, so MIss Wilson got me. It was fine at first, I guess, I don’t really remember. And then Miss Wilson told me we were moving, and we left in the middle of the night. I pretended like I thought it was normal. By the time I was four and a half or so, I figured out that Miss Wilson wasn’t supposed to go anywhere with me. I still don’t know why. She probably has a criminal record, or something. ” Keltie took a breath, refusing to meet Tegan’s gaze until she was done.
When I was five Miss Wilson started drinking. She was almost never sober. I was too young to really get it, but that was when it started. By the time I was six, I was getting hit. Almost constantly. I was eight when I first tried to leave. I didn’t get far. She started hitting me with her belt. Whipping me, basically. I couldn’t leave, ever. ” Keltie didn’t know how she got through the story without crying. Tegan looked near tears. She was silent for a few moments, looking down at her lap, while Keltie stared at her. “T? Your stuff is ready,” the man behind the counter called out, grinning brightly.
Keltie waited for Tegan to get up and grab their drinks, but she stayed still, seeming paralyzed. Keltie stood up awkwardly, walking toward the counter and grabbing the drinks. The man looked at her strange and she muttered a thank you. She turned and went back to sit by Tegan, who had finally moved. She was looking at Keltie, an unreadable expression on her face. Keltie sat, sliding Tegan’s smoothie across the table toward her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” “That’s fucked. ” Tegan declared, her voice shaky. “That’s… god. How could someone do that? ” Keltie shrugged, unsure of what to say.
Can I ask a question now? ” Tegan seemed surprised by Keltie’s question, but nodded anyway. “How did you get that scar on your arm? ” “Honestly? No clue. Woke up with it one morning, never questioned it. ” Keltie ignored the hope the statement gave her. “I have an idea, sorta. It’s kinda taboo, probably not even real. But, some people say that everyone has a soulmate. ” Keltie held her breath. “They say that anything that you’re soulmate feels, you feel too. If your soulmate, gets a back massage, you get a back massage. If your soulmate gets cut somehow and has a scar, you feel the cut and get the scar.
Sounds like bs to me, but, what other explanation is there? Maybe if I found my soulmate, it wouldn’t seem so ridiculous. ” “I’ve heard that before. ” Keltie left out the part about how she believed in it, how it was the only thing that kept her going, how she had dreams about meeting her soulmate every single night. “Tegan, are you talking about that soulmate crap again? ” The man behind the counter called out, and Tegan flashed him a smirk. “Be careful with that, you know how people feel about that kinda stuff. Talk about it in private, never in my shop.
The man’s voice was stern, but he winked at the girls. “You two close? ” Keltie muttered the question, finally taking a sip of her hot cocoa. Tegan shrugged. “We used to go out. ” Keltie pretended like her choking in her hot cocoa had nothing to do with Tegan’s statement. “D’ya wanna get outta here? ” Tegan asked, standing up and taking a slurp of her smoothie. “We could go to the tunnel, if you want. ” “Sure, yeah,” Keltie nodded, trying not to look confused. This Tegan girl was still sort of a mystery to her, and she was still overwhelmed. “Cool,” Tegan smiled. “Come with me. ”