‘I need to be with Father. He’s our guardian now,’ I replied.
‘What about Mother?’ Sagi said. Her light green eyes met mine and I had to look away. She was quiet for a fire sign but she spoke up when called for.
‘I want to be with Father right now.’ What else could I say? I couldn’t tell them that Father had always been my favourite. For some reason I trusted him more than Mother, especially after Mother told us that Father was a threat when all he wanted to do was protect us.
I loved them both equally but Mother was trying to control us. My intuition told me that something wasn’t right with her, however, I didn’t know what was wrong. Hopefully Father’s absence hadn’t made him want to control us, too. I hadn’t had the opportunity to ask him where he had been for the last five years. I needed to find out.
‘We all miss him but he abandoned us.’ Sagi stated the obvious.
‘He left initially because Mother wouldn’t let us have a life. We know that, we saw that.’
We had lived in the same house our whole lives. We’d watched our parents’ marriage break down because of us. There was a point when we’d plotted to leave so they could have a chance to rekindle their love but we didn’t have anywhere else to go.
‘But he had you kidnapped?’ Scorpio asked.
Aries’ knuckles turned white as he grabbed the wooden table surface. ‘That’s not right.’
‘I had the opportunity to get away but I was curious. He said that he knew none of us would listen if he just turned up.’
Aries let go of the table and thumped it with his fist. ‘He still went around it the wrong way.’
‘You can talk, Mr Lover Man,’ Leo said.
I glanced at my brother and he winked. Leo was the clown of the group and could always be counted on to try and lighten the mood.
‘Shut it.’ Aries glared at his best friend.
We had bonded into two groups. Scorpio, Leo, Aries, Cancer, Sagi and I made up the first group. The opposite fire and water elements made things interesting. Virgo, Taurus, Gemini, Capricorn, Libra and Aquarius stuck together as the second group, although we all got on well considering.
Looking down, my eye caught Aries’ bracelet. It had been ripped. I reached out and touched the thick band. The men’s bracelets were chunkier but they still had the same silver charm on them.
‘I caught it,’ he lied, pulling his arm away.
I had tried to cut mine several times, too. In fact, I was sure that we had all attempted to get them off in our teenage years. We were twenty now. All born in the same year. We had finally started to relax into the knowing that we had a battle ahead. Being older and having more freedom helped us to accept our fate. We had to fall in love and then go from there.
‘What does he mean, Aries?’ Sagi said as she leant forward on the table. She was a feminist. I often wondered how a man would tame her. Then I remembered how much she liked pretty things and knew that as long as a man treated her like a woman, but with respect, he would be fine.
‘He pulled two women last night but didn’t even give them his phone number.’ Leo sat back and rested his legs on the table.
‘That’s so…’ Sagi started.
‘Wrong,’ Leo said, ‘I agree. He could’ve at least let me have one.’
Sagi hit his arm. He raised an eyebrow at her. She was strong but his muscles absorbed the impact.
‘Pack it in,’ Aries grumbled.
I got to my feet. The others rushed to do the same.
‘Sit down!’ Aries’ voice thundered through the room.
They did. I didn’t. He glared at me and I felt the full force of his fire energy. I stepped back just before his hands burst into flames. His temper created fireballs and he often threw them. He breathed deeply before absorbing the fire back into his body.
‘Someone’s winding Aries up,’ Leo sang.
Scorpio pushed Leo’s chair over with a kick. The blond man flew across the floor. Aries’ lips broke into a smile. I lowered myself back into my seat.
‘What did Mother say about winding Aries up?’ Sagi asked Leo as he lay on the wooden floor.
‘She said that I would get burnt…literally,’ he mumbled.
‘And you did,’ Aries said.
I glanced at Leo’s arm. He had a burn scar on his right wrist, just above his bracelet. It made him look manlier now but he had been in a lot of pain when he was twelve. He had paid heavily for tripping Aries with his foot.
‘Can we just get on with it?’ I wanted to go back to Father’s house and get started. Once I had something in my head, I went for it. It took me a while to make a decision, but once I did, I instantly acted on it.
‘There’s nothing we can say to persuade you to stay with us?’ Scorpio asked.
I shook my head. They knew me well enough not to push. If they did, I would shut down and not speak to them for days. I didn’t want that to happen.
‘You trust him?’ Cancer piped up.
‘Yes, I really do.’
The others sat back. The ones who had stayed quiet had already accepted that I was going. The rest of them sighed or nodded as I stood.
‘I’m leaving now. I’ll be back when I can. I’ll let you know what’s going on.’ I bit my lip as I headed across the kitchen. ‘And thank you for all you have done for me.’ I had said goodbye once before, when I moved in with my flatmate, but it was different now. We all knew that if I found my twin flame, I probably wouldn’t come back to live with them. I was the only one that cared about moving out. The rest of them were happy to just get on with it.
‘Who do you think her soulmate is?’ Cancer asked as I walked away.
Aries’ chair scraped the floor as he pushed away from the table.
‘I don’t know and I don’t care.’
I had to laugh when I heard his coarse answer. The men were less convinced about the whole soulmate mission. Most of them didn’t want anything to do with it. I was surprised they still lived under the same roof as the girls. I had assumed that Leo and Aries would run away but they had stayed. Scorpio was the only man that never let on his true feelings. It was something I was used to. I was similar. People were only allowed to see a part of me. There was a lot more to me than any of them knew. Maybe I would be able to show my soulmate who I really was.
‘I can’t believe you’re leaving us again.’
Scorpio sat on the bed as I packed. For a second I wanted to climb onto his lap and let him hug me. My brothers gave the best hugs. It often fascinated me how twelve men and women managed to live together so easily. We were always fighting but it wasn’t ever bad enough to separate us. The dynamic of our sibling relationship was weird. Although we weren’t blood related, we had grown up as a family.
‘Don’t you think this is all a bit…strange?’ I asked him as I took out my journals and put them in my suitcase.
‘What, Father coming back?’ He ran his hand through his fluffy light hair.
‘No, the way we’ve been brought up together. Waiting for the moment we were old enough to fall in love.’
He shook his head and fell back on the bed. ‘Yeah, it’s weird.’
I probably wouldn’t get any more than that from him.
‘I want to fulfil my mission. I want to be in love but I’m blinded by the fact that I’ve not lived yet.’ Once the words were out of my mouth, I had to face them. Did I really feel that way?
‘Then go and live. They taught us not to go looking for love, so just go and live. When it’s supposed to happen, it will…or whatever.’
He grunted as I laughed. Putting my clothes into my suitcase, I zipped it up, wondering if it would be the last time. I didn’t need all my stuff yet. I was only going to stay with Father until the first part of my mission was complete. Once I had united with my twin flame soulmate, we would have to work together to track down the Dysfunctionals.
‘Are you scared?’
His question made me stop. His eyes were closed but I could tell he wait
ed for an answer. Sitting next to him, I lay back on the bed. I let my eyes close, too. He made me jump when he reached out and took my hand.
‘Yes…I’m scared. I have no idea what love is, or what it will look like. I don’t want to fail, Scorpio. We’ve been here too many times.’
He squeezed my hand and let go. ‘I think we’ll be okay this time round.’
The bed moved as he got up. I didn’t open my eyes. The door clicked shut behind him. A lone tear escaped and ran down the side of my face. I could do this. I was prepared for love. Or that’s what I thought, anyway.
The wrench in my gut told me otherwise.
Chapter Seven
‘Come on!’ I cried, running towards the lake.
‘Wait up.’ He laughed as he started to sprint.
I didn’t slow down. I was ready for the cold splash of water as I jumped straight into the deep lake. Opening my mouth, I allowed water to flood me. A smile spread when the sensation of drowning gave way to a different type of breathing. My whole soul expanded as I floated underwater.
‘Pisces…!’
The shout from above was muffled by the water so I pushed myself to the surface.
Antony blinked rapidly when he saw water gushing from my mouth and nose. My cheeks heated at the way he almost cringed. I never thought to hide myself from him.
‘That’s pretty gross,’ he said, looking down at me.
He made me laugh. It was only Antony. I didn’t really care how I looked around him.
‘Thanks…well—’
A gunshot sounded, cutting me off mid-sentence. A small splash next to me made me squeal. Antony ducked down and looked towards the small trees that lined the garden.
Another shot rang out. He grunted and pitched forward, into the lake. He had been hit. I dived under as his body started to sink.
His eyes were open. He tried to kick to the surface but only one of his arms moved. The bullet must have gone into his shoulder. Blood swirled and swelled within the water. I didn’t know what to do. He opened his mouth and I panicked, knowing that water was about to fill his lungs. Grabbing his face, I placed my mouth over his. I put my hand on his chest and breathed into him. The rise of his chest made me feel better as we floated to the surface and broke through. He spluttered but was able to pull in a breath.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, that worked.’ He panted.
We couldn’t see the shooter from such a low vantage point. The pop of a gun sounded again so Antony grabbed me and pushed me underwater. Holding onto his good shoulder, I pulled him down with me. There was no way I would let him take more bullets for me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and took his face between my hands. He held his breath and for a second we just gazed into each other’s eyes. When his eyes widened, I breathed into his mouth again.
As we floated to the surface, I took my hands away. He took in another deep breath and wrapped his arms around me. My legs were still around his waist. I suddenly felt hot when he held me close.
‘It’s okay. I’ve run the shooter off,’ Derek called from somewhere nearby.
I tried to pull away from Antony before his brother could see us but he held on.
‘Your shoulder…’ I whispered as he looked at me.
My hands rested on his chest. He didn’t say anything.
‘Are you okay?’ Derek called, his footsteps sounding nearer.
Antony let me go, so I took his good arm and dragged him to the edge of the lake. It was deep and didn’t slope out like most lakes. Derek came into view and took hold of his brother.
‘He was hit in the shoulder, I think,’ I said as I pulled myself out.
Water ran off me. I ignored it as I turned towards the men. As soon as he was upright, Antony’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he started to slump. Derek caught him just in time. He put one arm under his shoulder. I went to Antony’s other side and did the same. We helped him through the garden and into the house.
‘What happened?’ Father came out of his library.
‘Antony’s been shot,’ Derek said as we took him up the stairs. ‘We’d better take him to your room.’
I frowned but did as I was told.
‘Why have we brought him in here?’ I asked when Derek put him on my bed.
‘Because it’s the only room with a sink and a double bed. It will be easier to sort him out. Plus our room is a pigsty,’ he said, turning the tap on and letting it run hot.
‘My side isn’t.’ Antony’s voice was quiet.
He was awake. He winced when he tried to lift himself up so I took his hand to stop him.
‘Stay still. Father has called a doctor. Why hasn’t he called an ambulance?’
Derek came over with some scissors and started to cut away Antony’s sopping wet T-shirt. I swallowed as smooth ridged muscles and bare skin came into view.
‘Too many questions.’ Antony squeezed my hand. ‘I’ll be okay, it doesn’t feel too bad. Just a graze maybe. Bloody lucky if you ask me.’
Derek rolled him and ripped off the rest of the shirt. I couldn’t help but trace his body with my eyes. He had a couple of tattoos but I didn’t take the time to see what they were.
‘It’s not too bad,’ Derek said as he studied the wound.
I was no expert in gunshot wounds. Derek squeezed water from a flannel over the wound. The blood washed away to reveal a hole where the bullet had gone in.
‘Is he okay?’ Father came into the room followed by an older man.
‘Let me see,’ the doctor said, stepping forward and taking over from Derek. ‘It’s quite clean. I just need to take the bullet out. It’s lodged within the skin’s surface, not too much of a problem. He was lucky.’
‘Pisces, I think you should go downstairs.’ Father pulled me away.
‘But—’
I wanted to stay and help. Antony had been hurt because of me. I needed to make sure he was all right.
‘Leave!’ my father barked, pushing me out the door.
Why had someone been shooting at us? How had the Dysfunctionals found me already? I hadn’t even met my soulmate yet.
‘Come with me, love.’
Father’s new wife, Bev, came up the stairs and led me down them. I let her guide me. She had been kind since I’d arrived but I kept my distance. A part of me couldn’t believe that my father had moved on from Mother.
‘He will be okay,’ Bev said, sitting me in the library.
The bookshelves that surrounded me had sent thrills up my spine when I first saw them. I had already read some of the books as I got used to my new home. A memory of Father in the old house came back to me. He used to read to us from a book that explained our mission. I stood suddenly. The chair tipped. I ignored it as my gaze roamed the bookshelves.
‘Here you are, dear.’ Bev handed me a mug of tea.
‘How much do you know about me?’ I asked, righting the chair and taking a seat on it.
Father would know where the book was. It was time I took charge of my own mission and learnt what I was supposed to be doing.
‘Everything…’
I glanced at her as she smiled and left me alone again. Was she more than Father’s new wife? Was she a guardian, too?
‘Antony is recovering. The doctor has taken the bullet out and stitched him up.’ Father walked into the room and fiddled with the paperwork on his desk. ‘He’s been very brave. Will you take care of him while he recovers? I have a meeting in New York and need to leave later today. Derek will be here to keep guard and Bev will need to run the house, so you’ll be the only one to look after him.’
‘Yes, I’ll do that,’ I said. ‘I’m so relieved Antony is all right. We had such a shock…’ I tried to hide my tears and changed the subject. ‘Father, do you remember the book you used to read to me?’
He went completely still. If I reached out and pushed him with one finger, he would’ve fallen sideways. He held his passport in his hand but looked away from me.
‘Of
course I do. Although I’m surprised you remember,’ he said, lowering his arm and looking over his shoulder at me.
‘Can I have it? It’s time I learnt about my mission from an adult’s point of view.’
The smile that lit his face was so big I wondered what I had said to make him happy.
‘I’m not surprised you’re the first one.’ He came over and pulled me into a hug.
‘What do you mean?’ I asked, my voice muffled against his suit jacket.
‘Only when you’re ready to learn will you seek what you need to find.’ He stepped back and put his hands on my shoulders. Looking into my eyes, he nodded once and turned to the nearest bookshelf.
‘You’re not that special, Pisces. Hear me out before you get offended,’ he said. ‘Everyone on Earth has a purpose. It’s just that yours is a bit harder to forget about. People have free will when they come here, but I’m afraid when you signed up to do this, you gave up most of yours. The Zodiacs, as I like to call you, have that extra special mission. You’re going to awaken and teach the other twin flames.’ Father took out a book from the shelf and handed it to me.
The first thing I noticed about the book was the picture of the entwined couple. Light radiated from their heads and showered them completely. It spoke to me. The beauty of the cover sunk into my veins. I was a sucker for beautiful things.
‘You’ll read that book several times and still not know everything. The whole purpose of life is to learn from experience. You can have feelings when you read, especially with your emotional intelligence, but it won’t integrate until you experience it in reality. Remember that and you’ll be fine.’
His words resonated. They made my stomach flip. I hadn’t experienced much in life. How would I know how to find my twin flame? I traced my finger over the male on the cover.
‘It’s not about trying to find something, Pisces. It’s about allowing it to find you at the right time.’
[Zodiac Twin Flames 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set Page 5