Eternity

by M.E. Timmons

  Chapter 33

  What had happened was all over the school by later in the day, and the talk lasted over a week, though luckily I was left out of it. What I'd done that night remained a secret known only by the teachers, Heather, Melissa, and Anna.

  It was decided that Adrian would be allowed to stay at school, mostly by my persuasion, though he was under the same restrictions as he was before. Jack was remarkably unaffected by his experience, aside from feeling bad about attacking Adrian. His punishment was a little more severe than Adrian's, and it involved therapy and janitorial work, as well as also being in isolation. He didn't complain though, since he felt it was deserved.

  Things continued on, and as the end of the school year approached everyone became busy studying for exams. I tried my best to act as normal as possible, but it was difficult because of how much I had changed. All of my school work was effortless, and I had no need to study, which left me with a lot of free time. I spent time with my friends when they were free, but when they were busy studying I would go to various locations around the world. I owned many properties, which I went to, and some businesses. I had my own small company to look after my fortune and expenses, and they had taken care of everything for me well enough.

  Even though I tried hard to seem normal, and I used my powers as little as possible, people still noticed a change in me. Jack commented on it one day when we were hanging out in his room. Even though he was in isolation, I had no trouble getting in to see him. Thankfully he never questioned that.

  "Are you okay?" he asked me.

  "Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  "I don't know, but you've been different ever since the fight. You used to be so much happier, and much more curious and eager to learn. Now you act as if nothing is ever exciting, and you always look depressed, even though you try to hide it. It's like you've aged a hundred years or something."

  I carefully hid my shock. I should have known that the person who knew me best in this life would be perceptive of the change in me. He was certainly right about the aging part, though he was off by a few thousand years.

  "Jack, I'm fine," I said again. "If I've been acting at all differently, I assure you it has nothing to do with you."

  Jack just shook his head. "Whatever," he said.

  I knew that Adrian was noticing the same thing, though he didn't comment. He internalized it instead, and he blamed himself, which hurt me. I started to realize that Anna was right. Even though I loved him, we weren't meant to be together. Our relationship had become painful for both of us, and I was being selfish by staying with him because he did indeed have a soulmate, which meant I was keeping him from the person he was supposed to be with. I knew I had to end our relationship, but it was a hard thing to do, and I wanted to make sure he was happy.

  On the weekend not long before the end of the school year, I decided it was time. Before I went to see him, I stopped by the library and picked up a book that I thought might be useful. I also decided that I would have to tell him the truth about myself in order for him to truly understand, and so I could take him where I needed to. I was also going to let him make the final choice himself, and I knew he wouldn't pick me. I was okay with that.

  "What's that?" he asked when I entered his room, which was the one in the north wing he was in before. He motioned to the book I had tucked under one arm.

  "There's something I wanted to show you," I told him. I walked over to the bed beside his and opened up the book. It didn't take me long to find the right page. Adrian stood and joined me.

  "Soulmates?" he said questioningly, scanning the page.

  "Read it," I told him. The book was an old textbook from a third year course that was almost falling apart, but it was still readable. We sat and read the page together, though I already knew what it said.

  The concept of soulmates has been around for centuries, but it was never widely believed, especially by the general public. It was not until the early thirteenth century that the idea was confirmed by Amun himself, but still few people valued the idea, and many thought it gave people unrealistic expectations. Soulmates, however, are not just a concept. They are a fact.

  Everyone is born destined to be with someone else, whether that person has been born yet or not. Because so many people die early, many people lose their soulmates without ever knowing it. Many others never meet their soulmates because of the physical distance that separates them. Some people have to wait a very long time for their soulmates if they are immortal or are destined to become so. Because of all of these factors, finding a soulmate is an extremely rare experience, which has contributed to the disbelief surrounding the subject.

  There have been many descriptions over time of what it is like to meet one's soulmate. Some describe the attraction as a seemingly gravitational force, and others as an invisible rope, but all agree that it is one of the most powerful feelings in the world, and it is unmistakeable. The love between these people is strong enough to withstand any force that life can bring them, and usually becomes their main reason for living, which is not always a good thing.

  Children between these couples are common. Some people believe that they tend to neglect their children because they are so focused on each other, but that is purely a myth. The children of soulmates are actually more loved than most because the parents see the children as an important part of the relationship and as a part of each other. The children are also generally happier because they grow up in a loving environment.

  The problem with relying so much on another person does become apparent, however. When one of the couple dies, the other usually follows either immediately or not long after. Sometimes one will live on after the other, but this only ever happens when there are children, who serve as an incentive to continue living. Despite the risk, however, everyone ever asked say it is completely worth it. Studies have even been done in the village of Morta, where one can communicate with the dead. Having spoken with many deceased people who had lived with their soulmates, the people there have found that even after death, soulmates are happy to have each other, and some who did not find their soulmates in life find them in the spirit world.

  "Do you think we're soulmates?" Adrian asked when he had finished reading. He looked at me intently.

  "No," I said. "In fact, I know that we aren't."

  "Well, why are you showing this to me?" Adrian asked, sounding confused.

  "You have a soulmate, Adrian, but it isn't me. I love you, but I'm keeping you from the person you're supposed to be with. I think it's time you met her. Her name is Mariella, and she lives in Florence, Italy. I can take you to her."

  He didn't really think I was serious, despite my solemn tone. "That's a bit far away, and we have no way to get there. It'd be a waste of time anyway."

  "Adrian, I'm quite serious, and I can take you there right now, if you'd like," I said.

  He smiled, still not believing me. "Sure, Juliet. Let's go to Italy right now to meet my soulmate. Lead the way."

  He was being sarcastic, but I did what he said anyway. I stood up and pulled him up with me. I then grabbed his hand and psychoported us both to Florence. We ended up in an alley because I hadn't wanted anyone to see us appear out of nowhere.

  Adrian was immediately disoriented and almost fell, but he caught himself in time. He spun around a few times in shock, taking in our surroundings, which were much different than the ones we had left. He felt like he was dreaming, but he knew he wasn't.

  "How did you do that?" he asked. He sounded breathless.

  "I'm Isadora," I informed him bluntly, which only succeeded in making him more shocked. "I might have told you sooner, but I didn't even know it myself until the night when Jack almost died."

  "You know, that kind of explains a lot," Adrian said, once he had recovered.

  I smiled. "I suppose. Now would you like to meet your soulmate or not?"

  He h
esitated. "I don't know. I didn't really think you were serious before. I'm not sure I'm ready for something that big. Besides, I'm happy being with you."

  I sighed. "No you aren't. I know you love me, but neither of us is really happy at this point. We've been through too much. We blame ourselves for what happens to each other."

  "Fine," Adrian said. "I'll meet her, and we'll see what happens. What did you say her name was?"

  "Her name is Mariella. She lives just down the street, but we're going to wait for her by the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria, since she'll be passing by there in about ten minutes. It isn't far."

  We started walking, and we got to the fountain in less than five minutes. The area was fairly crowded, and we stood out a little bit since we were both wearing our school uniforms.

  "Nice fountain," Adrian commented, looking up at it. He then started scanning the crowd. "How will we know her if we see her?"

  "You'll know her when you see her," I told him. "You'll feel the connection immediately."

  We sat down and watched the people pass by. There were so many people who looked so happy, and for some reason it made me feel sad. There were eager children pulling along smiling mothers, elderly couples holding hands, and young couples arguing passionately. They all seemed so much more alive than I felt.

  I felt Mariella approaching, but I didn't say anything to Adrian. She was walking slowly, and she had a book open in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. She barely looked up from the book to see where she was going. She was small, barely over five feet, and had a mass of dark curly hair and wide hazel eyes that went well with her olive skin tone. She was approaching from the direction opposite to the one in which Adrian was looking, so she saw him first. I watched as her book fell to the ground, and her eyes became as round as quarters.

  "Shouldn't she be here by now?" Adrian asked. He was getting tired of waiting, not that his level of anticipation was high.

  "She is here," I said, just as she reached him. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped and turned around.

  The moment was definitely magical for both of them. They stared at each other for a good minute, both of their hearts pounding. Adrian was the first to speak.

  "Hi," he said.

  "Hello," she answered. She knew some English, but not a lot, and her accent was strong. I could have translated, but I decided to give them some privacy. I walked over to a statue and pretended to study it, even though I had seen it many times before, and they didn't even notice.

  Almost an hour passed before Adrian came to get me, by which time I had looked at all of the statues in the area, and had gone back to the first. He was smiling and looked very happy. It made me feel both happy and sad.

  "Time to get back to school?" I asked.

  "Yes," Adrian said. "Mariella had to get back to her grandmother. She gave me all of her contact information, and I promised to write to her every day until I can see her again, since I don't know when that will be. She's incredible."

  "So now you see why we aren't meant to be together?"

  Adrian frowned and squinted in the bright sun. "Juliet, I'm sorry. I do love you, but I love her more than I ever imagined possible. I hope that someday you can be as happy as I feel right now. I feel like I have a whole new meaning and purpose in life."

  "Don't worry about me," I reassured him. "I'm only happy that you're happy. That's all I wanted."

  We hid behind a statue before I psychoported us both back to Adrian's room so that no one would see us leave. Before I left the room I made a promise to Adrian that he would see Mariella again soon. I had a plan that involved paying for an apartment in Florence so that he could live there for the summer until he had to come back to school. He thanked me profusely after I explained my financial situation to him, and he was excited to spend the summer with his soulmate.

  Exams came and went, and everyone was glad that they were over. Many people left right away, but a few stayed behind to wait for their flights, and some were even spending the summer at the school because they had nowhere else to go. Jack was one of those people. I felt bad for leaving him behind, but I wanted to spend the summer in my sanctuary. He was shocked when I told him I was leaving because he had assumed I would be staying with him, and it would be the longest we would be separated since we met. I told him I'd heard from a distant relative who wanted me to stay with her for the summer, but he didn't completely believe my story, since he knew I didn't have any relatives.

  I planned to leave on the first of July. By the thirtieth of June, three quarters of the student population had already left, including all of my roommates and Adrian, who I had taken to Florence as soon as he finished exams. I could still see Michael and Leon when I went to the cafeteria for breakfast in the morning, but I sat by myself at an empty table. Jack was still in bed sleeping.

  I realized suddenly that the room had become extremely quiet. Only a moment before there had been many people talking and laughing and there had been the sound of forks scraping against plates, but all those sounds had stopped. I looked up to see if everyone had left, but they were all still there. They were sitting still and they were all looking in the same direction. I heard footsteps approaching from behind me, but I didn't turn. I already knew who it was, and I couldn't help but smile widely. I was still smiling when he sat down across from me, and he was grinning widely as well. He leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  "Where have you been hiding?" I asked him. It was still painfully quiet in the room, and everyone was listening, but I was speaking Greek, so I didn't really care.

  "I've been in L.A. for a few months, though I don't think I'll be staying there much longer," Amun answered in Swahili. "It's too modern for my taste. I plan on going back to Nevali for awhile."

  "That sounds nice," I said. "I'll have to go visit at some point. I haven't been there in ages."

  "You haven't been anywhere in ages," Amun joked. "I was hoping you'd become yourself again just so we could have a party. I've already got it all planned."

  I laughed. "Well, we do have good parties."

  Amun's face became serious. "Planning parties is not exactly why I'm here, Dory." That was his silly nickname for me, which still annoyed me even after thousands of years. "I did come to see you, since I've missed you, but there's something else. We're not the only ones anymore."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "You missed our five thousandth birthday, which was a year after you were born as Juliet. I was celebrating in Nevali with my people when something extraordinary happened. At the exact time of day when we were both born, two new gods were born. One in Italy, named Tristan, and one in Canada, named Sarah. Of course, that was sixteen years ago. They both have plans to attend this school next year, but they'll be careful to hide what they really are."

  My heart leapt at the news. I couldn't imagine having two new friends who would be with me throughout my long years, but I was excited. "You've met them, then?"

  "Yeah. I haven't seen them too many times because they've been busy, but they're both great. I told them about you, and they know you're here, so they look forward to meeting you in the fall, unless you see them before then. Sarah has already created her sanctuary, though Tristan hasn't. Sarah's is hidden away in the Himalayas, inside of a mountain. I think Tristan is still deciding what he's going to do."

  "Well, it's not like it's a requirement. Having a sanctuary is a choice."

  "I know, Dory. It doesn't really matter. Anyway, I wanted to let you know. I have a meeting to get to, so I have to go. I'll see you soon?" Amun stood up, and I did as well.

  "Of course," I said, giving him a hug. "It was wonderful to see you."

  Amun kissed me on the cheek again, and then he left. The rest of the people in the room started talking almost immediately, but I ignored them. They didn't know what we had said anyway, so they didn't know th
at there would be not one, but three gods in their school in the fall. I couldn't wait to meet them. As I walked to the south wing to finish packing, I wondered what the next school year would bring.

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