Who Would've Thought?

Who would've thought?

[Warning: Some swear words ahead]

━━━━━━━  ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ ━━━━━━━

Soulmates. People who were destined to be together. Some say it's a myth. Some say otherwise. But one thing stays the same. Every person on this planet has the chance to meet their soulmate. It was obvious from the initials seemingly tattooed to their wrist since their birth.

It was every little children's dream to meet their soulmate and get together with them. After all, they were meant to be, were they no?

"Are you listening?" The words snapped a brunette out of her thoughts as she looked up to see the gazes of her friends. She finally registered what they asked and smiled sheepishly. It was obvious she hadn't been listening. Her friends merely rolled their eyes at this, already used to her zoning out every so often. "Come on, Mackenna. Stop zoning out," One of her friends, Sapphire spoke as she she gently shoved Mackenna as a joke. A laugh escaped Mackenna's lips as she shook her head. "As if you can say anything Sapphire. You zone out every class!" Her retort caused laughter to erupt between all of them as they knew just how true Mackenna's words were.

After they calmed down, Kaylee, one of Mackenna's first friends, decided to ask the question that was burning on all of Mackenna's friends' mind. "What were you think about?" The girl in question said nothing as she merely grabbed her left wrist and began to rub the initials that were seemingly tattooed on it. Her actions were an answer in it of itself. A somber silence took place between the six friends as they all remembered one memory.

While Soulmates were really common in their world, there was still a possibility that you won't meet your own soulmate. Besides, even if you do find out who they were, it's not an absolute possibility that you'll get together. That was the ugly truth that the the friends came to a realization back when they were but freshmen and Kaylee... Well, let's just say, she found her soulmate yet her soulmate continued to be together with another girl and Kaylee was forced to only be friends with the guy she was supposed to end up with. Cruel, ain't it?

Marlene, one of their friends and a junior by one year, decided to break the somber atmosphere. "We should get going. Mathematics is our next class." Laura and Kaleb — both in Marlene's year and Kaleb being the only boy between the six of them — nodded mutely in agreement. Sapphire cleared her throat and nodded. "Yeah, you should go. Ma'am Jennifer isn't the kindest to late students." The three juniors nodded before going to the direction their Mathematics class was held in, leaving the three seniors all alone as two of them wondered how to handle this situation.

"Kay—" "We should go." Kaylee didn't give Sapphire or Mackenna a chance to speak as she cut them off and began to walk to their next class. Sapphire and Mackenna shared a glance and the former gave the latter a small, encouraging smile knowing how the latter felt guilty for basically bringing the subject up. Even if it had been years since then, it was still a sore subject for Kaylee. After all, her soulmate did basically left her for a girl he wasn't supposedly destined with. It was...tragic. A sigh escaped Mackenna's lips before the two then followed Kaylee to their next class. It shouldn't have been this way. Kaylee was supposed to get together with her soulmate. That had been their plans since...since the moment they found out about soulmates but of course, fate wasn't on their side.

"Okay. Class dismissed." The words erupted cheers from the class as they all began to pack their stuff. That class was their last class of the day and quite frankly, all of them were ready to go back home and take a rest for forever. Among the class were Mackenna, Kaylee, and Sapphire. They were three of the few people who decided to stay behind and do whatever. Mackenna was packing her bags when a movement from her side caught her eyes. She glanced up only to see their class heartthrob, Miles Johnson Bailey.

M. J. B.

The same initials tattooed on her wrist. Yet, somehow Mackenna had a feeling he wasn't her soulmate. She didn't know why or what but she just knew for a fact that they weren't meant to be. No matter how many times they unknowingly "flirted" with one another. They weren't actually flirting, they were just talking. That's all. But her friends didn't believe her and continued to tease her with Miles. As if they could ever be "the one" for each other.

Miles felt someone staring at him before looking back to meet Mackenna's eyes. Her cheeks flushed at being caught but Miles wasn't judging. In fact, he sent her a warm smile before turning around and leaving. "If that wasn't a sign that you two are meant to be, I don't know what is." Mackenna blinked at that and turned to see Kaylee and Sapphire smirking at her. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Her response ended with a small laugh despite her seriousness. "Miles and I aren't each other's soul mates!" Mackenna exclaimed as she ended her response only to roll her eyes as she saw both her friends unconvinced. "Yeah right," spoke Kaylee as she adjusted her hold on her bag. "Tell us, Mackie. What's the initials tattooed on your wrist?" Mackenna didn't even get the chance to answer as Sapphire did that for her. "M. J. B. Which also happens to be Miles' initials, mind you."

Mackenna rolled her eyes at her two friends before shouldering her bag. "Just because he has the same initials tattooed on my wrist, doesn't automatically mean he's my soulmate." A scoff escaped Kaylee's and Sapphire's lips. "I'm serious. Besides, he probably doesn't have my initials tattooed on his wrist," Mackenna defended as the three of them began to walk outside the class.

"You act as if you don't have a crush on him." Fuck. As much as Mackenna loves her two friends, she wished they weren't as sharp as they were. How the hell did they know she had a crush on Miles? Was it that obvious? Oh god. What if the rest of the school finds out? No! That would be bad. Real bad. Especially considering their school's record of having a lot of drama. You must be wondering why she's panicking. It's just a crush. But it isn't. No matter how much she denies it, Mackenna is hopelessly in love with Miles. The only reason she denies it is because she has this imagination that if she denied it then maybe they could get together? It's silly, she knows. But she's young and in love. And because of that, even when it was obviously silly, she still believed in it. Because she's in love with him. So hopelessly in love, it hurts. If everyone found out... That wouldn't be good. "Don't worry. The only one who knows are the two of us. You hid it pretty well," Sapphire comforted the panicked brunette only to fall on deaf ears as Mackenna stopped at the sight before her.

She felt as if she couldn't breathe. It was like the walls were closing in on her. Like her world just suddenly stopped spinning. She wanted to puke and cry then puke again. Her throat already felt dry as she continued to stare at the sight that met her eyes, not knowing how her usually lively brown eyes went blank which concerned her two friends. "Mackie?" The said brunette snapped out of it as she heard the call of her nickname. "Yeah?" She mentally cursed as she realized the blank and almost broken tone she spoke in. "Are you...alright?" A sharp glare was sent in Kaylee's direction as Sapphire began to ask if Mackenna even looked alright to Kaylee by the use of her really expressive eyes. It was like she was screaming at Kaylee through her eyes.

Mackenna on the other hand stayed silent as she let one lone tear fall from her eyes before reaching out and wiping it. "Yeah, I'm fine." She wasn't. God, she wasn't. Why was she even trying to hide it? It was obvious she wasn't. But she knew the answer to that. Mackenna had so much pride that she refused to let anyone see her weakness even when it was so painfully obvious.

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

No, definitely not.

"You don't look so good..."

"What are you talking about, Saph? I'm just as fine as I should be."

Why? Why do I hide?

"If you say so..."

Her friends were obviously not believing her as she didn't even turn to look at them but knew better than to ask. They knew that no matter how much she's hurting, Mackenna would still continue to hide it. No matter what.

"Look guy, I'm fine."

I'm really not.

"There was just something in my eye."

I saw something I probably shouldn't have...

"It's nothing too serious though."

It makes me want to sob and curse everything.

"You don't have to worry about me."

But I won't tell you...

"I'll be just fine."

Because...

"I always will be..."

I'm afraid you won't care...

I always have been...

With that, Mackenna turned around and smiled at her friends before patting their shoulders and going the other way. The long route to the exit of the school. Despite Mackenna's words, Kaylee and Sapphire were both still worried about her. They've never seen her that sad before... The two looked at each other before turning to try and locate what Mackenna saw only for Kaylee to growl and for Sapphire to gasp.

There, in the middle of the hallway, stood Miles and Leah...in lip lock.

"Mackie. If you're hearing this, please call back. Kaylee and I have been worried about you. Please, Mackie..."

Mackenna listened to Sapphire's voice mail but did no move to call back like what her friend wanted her to do. After Sapphire and Kaylee saw what happened, they tried to catch up with Mackenna but the said girl ran her way outside of school, tears in her eyes and rain pouring as if to mourn with her. They hadn't heard from her since. You see, that school day not only had been their last school day of the week but also their last school day before spring break which meant that Mackenna didn't have to go back to school for a few weeks which was fine by her. More weeks to spend mourning about some stupid crush. But she knew it wasn't a stupid crush. She loved Miles from afar. If only she'd confessed before that... If only...

But Mackenna didn't want to ponder more on if onlys, mostly because it'll end up with her crying, as she continued to stare blankly at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her family was worried about her. Sure, they've seen her sad and heartbroken before. This wasn't her first crush after all. But they hadn't seen her so... so heart broken. And it's safe to say that they were lost on what to do. It wasn't helping that Mackenna refused to tell them the reason of her heartbreak. Like always, the brunette was too stubborn to admit that she was hurting. Damn her stubbornness...

"Sweetie," Her mom called from the other side of her door. "Open up, I have your dinner." Ah, yes. Dinner. Ever since she was heart broken, she never came down for food or anything which lead to her mother giving her the food herself. A sigh escaped Mackenna's lips. "I'm coming." She flinched when she heard her voice crack from the lack of use before slowly standing up. She then walked to the door and opened it to stare blankly at her mother who desperately tried to be positive. "Hey there." Whatever response her mother hoped to receive from her daughter didn't come true as Mackenna continued to stare at her mother before grabbing the plate of food and the glass of water. Her mother didn't argue as she watched Mackenna place the plate and glass somewhere before returning to her with the plate and glass her mother gave her for lunch a few hours ago. Mackenna took notice of how her mother tried not to frown as she noticed a portion of the food not eaten. Clearly, Mackenna hadn't been eating well.

Her mother opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Mackenna closed the door. The brunette heard her mother sigh before turning around and sitting down, her back on the door. She knew how worried her parents and siblings were. But she couldn't help it. The image of Miles kissing someone else was still on her mind and didn't seem to be leaving any time soon which made her mood even worse. A laugh erupted somewhere outside making her perk up in curiosity. She slowly stood up and walked to the window of her room. Mackenna looked below and to the road of her neighborhood only to see kids playing. Oh. A sigh escaped her lips and she was about to go back to her sanctuary when she noticed a boy pedaling across her neighborhood with a bike. Curious yet inspired, Mackenna grabbed her flannel before walking downstairs. "Mackie? Where are you going dear? It's nearly 7!" Mackenna didn't respond to her mothers worries as she walked outside the house and to the garage. "I'm going biking! I won't be long!" Was all she said to her family before she, too, began pedaling across her neighborhood like the boy she saw before.

Mackenna closed her eyes as she felt the wind brush her face and a sigh of contentment escaped her lips. This was definitely refreshing. Her eyes snapped open and light seemed to appear again as she continued to bike. After days of being isolated in her room, fresh air was what she needed. A smile graced her lips as she began to close her eyes once more.

"Watch out!"

The warning had her snap her eyes open and quickly stop her bike. But she wasn't fast enough as she came in contact with another bike. The two bikes and it's riders fell on the ground as no one was fast enough to react to the sudden gravity. "Agh!" Mackenna laid on the road as she desperately tried to process what the absolute fuck happened. She then sat up slowly, groaning in pain as she does so before looking around and widening her eyes at the sight of the groaning boy beside her. "Are you alright?" She asked the boy as she helped him sit up. "I will be," The boy spoke softly which was cute. Wait, hold your horses. Cute? Mackenna get a grip on yourself! "Why were you biking with your eyes closed anyway?" The boy's question had her flush in embarrassment before crossing her arms in defiance.

"If you saw me biking with my eyes closed then why did you hit me still?" She shot back in defiance, too annoyed to understand what she just said. "Well excuse me for not having expected at girl biking with her eyes closed to appear from the turn i was about to take!" The boy retorted not in the mood to be pushed around by some girl. Mackenna realized what she just said and flinched. "Sorry."

The boy blinked at Mackenna's immediate change of attitude. He expected her to have shot back another argument but apparently he was wrong when she apologized. He took noticed of the flush on her cheeks and the sincerity in her beautiful eyes and couldn't help but note how cute she was. Okay... What the fuck did he just think? Hold you horses man. This girl was definitely beautiful. A beautiful girl like her definitely has a boyfriend... Wait, why the hell was he sad about that? She was just a stranger! A beautiful stranger... Okay, it was official. He hit his head too hard on the ground.

"It's alright," He spoke which shocked both Mackenna and him. The two didn't expect him to let it slide. In fact, both of them were expecting him to continue arguing with her. But something about her made him change his mind... "What's your name?"

"Why would I tell you?" Her response had him roll his eyes before glaring at her. "When I get into an accident, I'd rather like it if I know the name of who caused me to be in an accident."

Mackenna huffed and decided that there was no harm to it. After all, she wasn't in a mood to argue right now. "Fine then. I'm Mackenna, Mackenna Clara Sullivan." She reached her hand out to him for a handshake and took notice of the curiosity and excitement in his eyes. "How about you?"

"Matthew Jonas Black at your service." He reached out and shook her outstretched left hand with his right one as he smiled, which she mirrored.

M. J. B.

Wait, M. J. B.? Could it be...? Her eyes flickered down to his wrist only to see a familiar set of three letters.

M. C. S.

A bright smile graced her lips as her heart soared. She had found her soulmate. What a turn of events. Unlike Miles, Mackenna had a feeling that Matthew was her soulmate and he seemed to agree as he grinned. "Nice to meet you, Soulmate."

A laugh escaped her lips as she nodded back at him. "You too, Soulmate."

At that moment, things seemed to be all well. Somehow, meeting Matthew made her forget the heartbreak called Miles Johnson Bailey and that made her happy beyond belief. Even if they were both still sore from the fall or if her friends and family were probably worried out of their minds for Mackenna, being with Matthew just felt right.

'So this is what it feels like to be with your Soulmate Huh?' Mackenna mused to herself as she sat there, on the cement road, grinning widely at the boy named Matthew Jonas Black.

Yes, everything was all it should be.

"You know, when I thought of my soulmate, I didn't expect her to be crazy enough to bike with closed eyes."

...And they were back arguing again but this time, a small smile were both on their faces as they realized just who they are in each others lives.

They were soulmates.

Who would've thought that it would take one crazy stunt from Mackenna for the two of them to meet?

Unexpected Turn of Events

━━━━━━━  ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ ━━━━━━━

Bored. Supremely bored. That was what she was feeling as of that moment as she watched the rain fall from her window seat, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She watched the rain fall and stared at the raindrops on her window. A sigh escaped her lips as she turned her eyes from the window and to the hot chocolate in her hands. Blowing it slightly, she took a sip before leaning her head back to the wall behind her.

It had been raining for quite a while now which dampened the girl's mood. While she wasn't the most outgoing of the bunch, she did, however, wanted to go outside particularly on that day but fate wasn't on her side it seems as the rain fell right asleep she was about to leave. A few minutes later, she found herself in her current position. Curled up in her window seat, a cup of hot chocolate in hand, and a blanket around her to shield herself from the cold that came with the rain. Not to mention she was bored out of her mind. Her eyes flickered over to where her vast collection of books were and was tempted to read or re-read a book or two but she knew she'd probably give up on it halfway. Yeah, that's right. The bookworm, also known as the girl is so bored, not even books can help her. Oh the horror!

Her thought process made her crack a smile before she shook her head at herself. Boredom and Isolation really made her weird. She wondered what she could do. Her eyes raked her entire apartment as she tried to find a way to keep herself entertained, all the while taking a sip from her mug. What to do? What to do?

As she was finding something to entertain herself, padded footsteps can be heard coming from the hallway making her perk up with a smile. Whatever it is, it clearly wasn't a threat as the girl seemed relaxed despite hearing the footsteps. "Hey, baby. Slept well?" She cooed at the seemingly jogging pup once the pup was near her. The pup was a black and white Havanese pup and was a cutie as well. The pup smiled at the sight of her owner before jumping up and landing on the girl's laps making said girl laugh. "I missed you too."

The girl — a blonde of average beauty, if she does say so herself — smiled at her pup before finishing her mug of hot chocolate. She placed it down the small table she had near her before readjusting her sitting position so that she was no longer slouching and rather sitting up. The blanket moved and we finally caught a glimpse of what she was wearing. The blonde wore a baggy sweatshirt and a short to go with it. Her hair was in a messy bun as she nuzzled her face on her pup's exposed stomach. "Cute baby," She cooed as she smiled at her pup who smiled back, her tongue sticking out. Her pup then sat up and licked her face making her laugh and lean back, holding her pup in place so the pet doesn't fall. "Stop it!" She exclaimed through her giggles which made her pup stop licking her face and tilt her head. Before the blonde could even comprehend what was happening, her puppy ran off somewhere. A sigh escaped her lips as she sat up from her window seat. The blonde began to stretch and yawn as she realized how long she had been curling up for.

Blinking the tiredness away from her stunning crystal blue eyes, she put on her flip flops before walking off to follow her puppy. Who knows what would happen if she left her puppy alone for long? "Cookie? Where you, baby girl?" She called out for her pup, momentarily smiling as she called out the name of her pup, Cookie. It was childish, she knew but the moment she saw her pup, cookies were the first to come in mind which then led to her name. She walked around her apartment to try and find her pup but to no avail. Where could have Cookie ran off to? The blonde furrowed her eyebrows as she began to worry about her pup. Yet, she need not worry any longer for instead of finding Cookie, the pup found her.

A sigh escaped her lips as she stared at her mischievous, nearly a year old, pup who simply tilted her head, not knowing that she had basically almost made the blonde panic. "Don't scare me like that," She spoke softly as she began walking over to Cookie but the ever so mischievous pup only smiled before running off somewhere. Not really in the mood to run, the blonde owner merely just followed her pup, not bothering to run. She wondered where Cookie was going to as normally the pup doesn't run off...unless she wanted to show her something. The thought made the blonde curious as she quickened her footsteps.

Her crystal blue eyes caught sight of Cookie's furry leg turning around a corner to — wait, that's the storage room. Why was Cookie going to the storage room? Even more curious, the blonde followed the pup and put a hand on her hips as she watched Cookie put up her paw on the storage room's door as if to will it to open. Mentally melting at the cute sight of her baby, the blonde snapped out of her trance before going over and opening the door for her pup. Cookie was obviously overjoyed at this and she immediately dashed inside the moment she was able to. "At least wait for me." A laugh escaped her lips as she followed her pup. Looking around the room, the blonde was suddenly hit with a rush of nostalgia as she looked over the many "trash" inside the storage room, all of which she didn't have the guts to throw away. After all, each and every one of these so-called trash held great value in the blonde's heart and she simply couldn't let them go.

Her amused eyes slowly began to haze as she recalled all of the meanings behind all of the items. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she forgot that her pup was there as well. She only ever remembered when her feet felt something furry hit her. Looking down, she saw Cookie look at her making the blonde smile sheepishly in awkwardness. "Sorry, baby." It was also in that moment that she noticed that Cookie was standing in front of a box filled with yet another set of items she didn't have the courage to throw away.

"What do you have there?" She asked softly as if Cookie would be able to answer, all the while she slowly began to crouch down to get a better look at the box. Cookie didn't respond as jshe merely put up her paw on the box as if to tell her to look inside. Sighing, the blonde crossed her legs underneath her so she was sitting in a more comfortable position. She then gestured to her lap and Cookie immediately obliged, moving to sit on her lap yet again as the blonde began to look into the box. It didn't take long for the blonde to realize that all the items in the box were her "souvenirs" from her school that she stayed in since the start of middle school to the end of highschool before she transferred away for college. The school has always been close to her heart, closer than her college school had been, for she had met many people and made friends. In that school, she learned to open up and let people in which greatly helped in the making of the woman she was today. She rummaged through the box, finding things that made her wish she was young again but was careful not to hurt Cookie.

The blonde smiled brightly as she looked at the elegant black necklace box. She opened them only to grin even wider than before as she saw the necklace inside. The necklace wasn't anything fancy. It was just a simple necklace with a blue heart in the middle. She lifted the necklace in the air as she stared at it in awe. "I forgot I had this," She muttered to herself before looking down at her pup who stared right back at her. "What do you think? Should I?" Seemingly already knowing what her owner was asking, Cookie merely licked her face in agreement which made the blonde laugh. "Okay, okay," She spoke as Cookie stopped licking her. The blonde sighed before putting the necklace around her neck. She marvelled at the simple beauty of the necklace before looking at the box only to furrow when she saw a note inside the necklace box. Grabbing the note with great delicacy, she put down the necklace box before opening the note and smiling at what was written in an ever so familiar scribble.

I thought you'd like the unnecessary gift.

~ E. C.

Tears gather up in her eyes as she continued to smile. He actually went out of his way to buy her a gift when it wasn't an occasion. How sweet. She put the note on her lips and kissed it as the tears fell from her eyes. Guilt swallowed her whole when she remembered how she only merely grabbed the gift years from his hands and didn't even open it until now. All because she was petty and jealous... Just how foolish had she been?

Looking down, the blonde put the note back in the necklace box before snuggling to Cookie. "You made me cry. Why did you bring me here?" She asked her pup through her furs but was never the less grateful Cookie led her here. It just reminded her of something she had to do... Something she had to fix...

Cookie obviously wasn't done yet as she got out of the blonde's hold before nudging the box again and turning to look at the blonde in the eye. The blonde merely stared back with her still teary eyes before sighing and looking at the box again. This time, the one that caught her attention was a worn down photograph. Still feeling numb, the blonde slowly but surely grabbed the photograph and held it with so much care as if it would break if she didn't.

The picture was of two children. Possibly teenagers, around 15. Both of them were wearing uniforms. The girl of the two wore a beautiful light blue button up classic above the knee length dress with a light blue blazer with a dark blue trimming and the school's emblem embroidered on the left pocket. She also wore dark blue stockings and a lightly blue shoe with a small heel. She was a beauty. Even as a teenager, or so it seemed, the girl could be considered gorgeous. She had light hair, blonde it seemed and stunning blue eyes. The girl was standing near a boy with her posture straight and hands behind her back. Her face wasn't all that expressive but anyone can tell she was happy from the glint in her eyes and the quirk on her lips. The blonde who stared at the photograph knew exactly who the girl was. After all, how could anyone forget what they looked like back then?

She then looked at the boy and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Unlike the girl, unlike her, the boy had no problem with showing emotions as he smiled brightly in the photo. Yet the bot wasn't smiling at the photo, she was smiling at the girl, fondness and excitement clear in his face. The boy wore the same blazer as the girl but instead of a dress underneath, the boy had light blue pants and probably a random shirt inside the blazer. Though, the boy also had the same shoes as the girl, minus the heel of course. The young blonde woman who stared at the photograph almost wanted to cry right then and there yet she didn't as she turned the photo around to see two different handwriting, one was a scribble and the other a beautiful cursive writing.

“No matter what.”

Éric and Amélie

5th year and 6th year, respectively

The writing had the blonde, now known as Amélie, cry silently as she put her head down, her tears landing on the photograph her somehow, it wasn't ruined. How? She didn't have the time to think about it as she put the photograph aside and hug Cookie who didn't complain one bit. Everything came rushing back to her as she remembered her so called Highschool sweetheart, Éric. The were one of the school's power couples despite Éric being a year younger so it was a surprise when they found out they broke up. If only they knew that the reason for their breakup was because Amélie got jealous over Éric's friends which promptly led to the two arguing and breaking up... Tears fell ever faster from her eyes as she cursed her young self. A sob escaped her lips as she pressed her face on Cookie's fur. The breakup, despite being years ago, still hurt for Amélie as Éric was the one who convinced her to open up... To be the woman she was today... And she ruined her chance of happily ever after just because she got too insecure. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Éric probably hated her now for being too clingy, too needy, too insecure but it wasn't as if she could help it. After all, her childhood bullies did make it so she'd always doubt herself... Amélie took a deep breath as she finally removed her face from Cookie's fur. "I'm sorry, baby," She cooed softly as she ran her hands through Cookie's fur. The pup merely shook her head and left. Cookie's actions confused and hurt Amélie but didn't bother to follow the pup as she stared at all the old school items around her, her hand subconsciously clasped around the necklace. She noticed how all of the school items around her were mostly form Éric and if not from him then it's an item that holds a memory with him in it. A broken chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head. "How foolish of me," She spoke to herself, referring to her old self before getting ready to store all of it and leave it alone like she had done all those years ago. But, before she could do that, Cookie came running in with something in her mouth. She ran over to Amélie and placed down the item only to reveal it's a phone before nudging Amélie and nodding to the phone. Confused, the blonde slowly picked up the phone and looked at Cookie in confusion. The pup seemed to roll her eyes, if that was even possible, before putting her paw on the photograph and more specifically, on Éric.

Understanding what Cookie wants her to do, Amélie shook her head. "No. Besides, he probably changed his number since then. It has been years," She immediately denied only to fall silent at Cookie's stare. Defeated, she sighed. "Fine, I'll call but he might not answer anyways," She spoke as she began dialing the number she hadn't failed for years.

Hearing the familiar ringing, she placed the phone to her ear and stared at Cookie as the seconds passed. The blonde seemed to be saying that she knew that he wouldn't pick up to her pup through the use of her eyes yet the pup stood strong. Rolling her eyes, Amélie took a note of how Cookie could be so stubborn sometimes before realizing the the phone has been ringing for quite a while now. As it reached it's final ring, Amélie slowly began to pull the phone from her ears, trying to hide her disappointment despite the fact she expressed that she didn't want to call him a few moments ago but then—

"Hello?"

The familiar voice made Amélie's eyes widen as it registered in her mind. Despite it being years, Amélie knew that voice. It was definitely Éric. She also noticed how his voice grew deeper but didn't dwell on it that much. No, rather she was too busy panicking that Éric actually answered her phone call. Sure, she wanted to talk but what was she supposed to say? What if he heard her voice and knew who she was before just hanging up? Or worse, what if he began yelling at her the moment she revealed who she was? What if?—

"Look, if this is a prank, I'm not in the mood right now, I'm too—"

Amélie glanced at her triumphant looking pup, momentarily rolling her eyes before responding to Éric, not really think much about it.

"Éric?"

Silence came from the other line which made Amélie nervous. Oh great. Now he knew who she was. She shouldn't have said anything! But then again, if she didn't, Éric would have hung up...yet he is silent. Too silent. Her eyes widened. What if he's too shocked right now and once he realizes it's her, he'll start yelling? She had to hung up. But she can't leave without a small goodbye...

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called I—"

"Amélie?"

The way he spoke her name so tenderly like all those years ago made her almost want to cry. Tears already in her eyes at the mere sound of her name coming from his lips, she nodded but then she remembered that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Why are you calling?"

Because I miss and still in love with you.

Those were what she wanted to say but she didn't dare utter any of that as she stayed silent. Sure, what she thought was the truth but not the entire truth. After all, she had been practically forced by her pup to call him. Not that she'd tell him though. She'd rather not have him think her as crazy.

"Amélie?"

"Uhm..."

It was one of those times that Amélie hated herself. Really? You're calling your ex and the only answer you can think of to his question is uhm? Wow, Amélie. Just wow. Just great. Fantastic. You're doing great, honey.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. I just— I should go—"

"Wait!"

His voice stopped her from hanging up as she waited for him to continue. Yet he never did. A sigh escaped her lips.

"Look, I'm sorry to bother you, I'll just—"

"Do you want to meet up?"

Amélie swore she stopped breathing as she heard the offer her ex gave her. Sure, she heard it was bad to go back together with your ex but they were only meeting up. It wasn't as if they'd immediately get together. No matter how much she wanted to. While Amélie still love Éric, she's more cautious now. She didn't want to feel the pain of heartbreak again. Not when she wasn't even fully over the first one yet. Realizing she had yet to answer, Amélie smiled as she does so.

"If I say yes, are you going to stop cutting me off?"

A laugh resounded from the other line making her heat soar. It's been too long since she'd heard his laugh. Too long.

"That's a yes."

"Then I agree."

Her immediate answer caused Éric to smile in relief, not that Amélie knew. Like Amélie, Éric was also still not over their breakup and meeting up with her might just fix all their ties. Even if they won't go back together, at least they'd have each other back in their lives and that was all they needed.

"I'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow then."

"You don't even know where I live."

"Trust me, Amélie. I know."

"Have you been stalking me, Éric?"

"I thought it was romantic."

A laugh escaped Amélie's lips as she shook her head, not knowing how her laugh caused Éric to smile widely from the other end of the line.

"I'll just see you tomorrow at 8, you dork."

"See you then."

With that, their phone call ended with the two young adults smiling widely as if they were still teenagers. Amélie glanced at her pup and ruffled Cookie's fur. "Thanks for that, baby," She spoke as she slowly stood up. Amélie looked at Cookie before looking around the storage room, an idea in the making. Her crystal blue eyes glanced at the door and smiled. They still had plenty of time before they go to sleep. "What do you say we redecorate our apartment?"

A bark followed by laughter can be heard coming from their apartment as the pair began to grab the items in the storage room to use for their redecorating.

Who knew that was started out to be a boring day would have such an unexpected turn of events?

I NEED MOTIVATION GODDAMMIT

"You're loved. Never forget that."

— You are loved.

Enigma - The Prologue

Enigma Series Masterlist

— — — — — — — —

T h e P r o l o g u e

— — — — — — — —

an eerie feeling. that's what it felt like as a girl who looked to be only 14 or 15 neared a very worn down house. the house was like any other house in a horror movie. it had vines everywhere and all of the windows were broken, majority of which were only nailed with two wooden planks in a cross position. the lawn was filled with grass that nearly reached the girl's knees. it looked like it was going to break apart any second now. the fact that it was already sunset added to it's mysterious and scary outlook. still the girl carried on. she wore a baggy sweater, leggings, and running shoes. if you looked closely enough, there was a belt with pouches around the girl's waist. as she neared the house, the girl suddenly stopped. she turned around to reveal familiar brown eyes that were alert and... scared? the girl looked around as if she was looking for something as the eerie feeling grew. after a while, she sighed. whatever she was looking for wasn't there to endanger her. not yet. the girl then tied her hair into a bun and looked off into the distance as the sun finally set and night came. she gulped.

she then slowly turned around and looked at the house that seemed to grow larger under the moonlight. her eyes were transfixed as the eerie feeling grew to the point it was nearly unbearable. the house seemed to taunt the girl as it stood there under the moonlight, even scarier and mysterious as it was before. despite the scary house that seemed to glare and challenge her, the girl took a deep breath before sighing. with determination in the girl's brown eyes, she carried on but before she could even reach out to open the slightly ajar door, it opened on its own. the house seemed to welcome the girl as she continued to walk to inside the house, seemingly not fazed by the door's movements. the eerie feeling then began to grow as the girl snapped her head to the sides. her eyes widened and a scream tore through her lips as she ran forward and up the stairs. not soon after something followed after her. something inhumane. something that shouldn't exist. something like a monster. something like the... undead.

the girl ran through the corridors of the house as the monster's heavy footsteps can be heard somewhere behind her. her eyes were filled with tears and she continued to run around the house as if she knew where to go. the monster let out a scream as it jumped making the girl push herself even more before she finally reached a room and closed the door just as the monster fell and nearly grabbed her. she leaned back on the door and evened her breath as the monster, as the undead began to thrash and try to open the door to no avail. after a while, the undead's footsteps slowly began to go away from her hearing range giving her the idea that it left. confused yet still alert, she continued to lean back on the door ready for the undead to try and barge through the door...yet it never came. still confused, the girl slowly stopped leaning on the door and began walking backwards, her hands going to one of her belts pockets as she continued to eye the door warily. waiting for the monster...yet still it didn't come. she continued to walk backwards until the back of her leg hit something making her turn around and gasp at the sight before her. there was a boy, around her age, crouched down a the back of the room, his head down as it groaned in pain. looking behind her to check for the monster and finding it nowhere to be seen, the girl slowly crouched down to get a better look at the boy before her eyes widened.

“jason?” the name left her lips in a whisper as she reached out to touch him only to flinch when his head snapped up and his hands grabbed hers. a tense silence passed as the two began to assess one another, the girl in wariness and the boy in distrust but then the boy slowly let go of her hand as recognition flashed through his eyes. “mckenzie.” at the sound of her name, tears gathered up in her eye as she nodded, crouching down to put her hands on the boy's cheeks, her head nodding. “it's me. i'm here baby. we'll get out of here,” she spoke in a quiet whisper but jason didn't have any chance to respond as the door suddenly broke with impact as the undead monster that chased mckenzie before came walking slowly and with a limp through the door. the two teens stood up abruptly at the sight of the monster as the girl of the two reached for her pouch only to be stopped by jason who grabbed her wrist and was pulled down to a hallway, the monster quickly following the two.

with their hands together, the pair continued to run to different rooms hoping to escape the monster only to stop when they saw a monster that looked exactly like the one that was chasing them. the new monster looked at the two and it was silence before the monster that was chasing them finally neared their sight making the two go back to running, now with two monsters on their trail. but it seemed as though monsters that looked exactly like one another began to appear out of nowhere to chase the two as said two continued to try and get out of the house. no matter where they go, they meet a new monster to chase them and it seemed as though they wouldn't be able to leave the house any time soon. in a matter of seconds, the two were then cornered into a room with dozens of undead monsters slowly walking to them. mckenzie began to look over the room only for her eyes to settle at one of the windows near them. she nudged jason and nodded at the window discreetly before the two looked at each other. a second passed and the two suddenly broke for the window and the dozens of undead monster began to chase after them. they neared the window and all seemed to look up but then jason fell. stopping, mckenzie turned around and her eyes widened as she saw one of the undead monsters hold jason's feet which led him unable to run. “go! leave me!” jason yelled just as the dozens of undead monsters jumped at him.

“jason!”

—

a sharp gasp tore through the air as a figure sat up from a bed, their chest heaving and audible. their eyes frantically scanned the room before they laid eyes on the digital clock beside the bed. 3 am glared back at them as their breathing slowly evened. it wasn't that dark, you can still see the silhouettes of the room but it was still dark. the figure reached out for the lamp near the clock and opened it only to reveal a familiar face. the figure had been a girl. a very familiar girl.

her hand reached out to rub herself in hopes to banish the sleep from her eyes but it wasn't that effective. she then leaned back at the headboard of her bed as the light from the lamp was bright enough for her scared, alert and...confused eyes stared at nothing.

the door then opened which made her flinch and turn abruptly only to sigh in relief when it was only a woman who looked a lot like her, her mother probably. “are you alright, kenzie?” the woman asked. “yeah,” 'kenzie' replied with a weak smile. “i'm fine mum.” the woman, now identified as the girl's mother looked over her in worry before shaking her head and sighing. “just call me if you need anything alright, mckenzie?” the girl, mckenzie apparently nodded and her mother left. the weak smile she had managed to make left her lips the moment her mother left the room. she then leaned back on the headboard yet again as she stared at the ceiling, a sigh escaping her lips.

“just who are you, jason?”

Why is this so damn true? I-

i don’t think people really get how little feedback fanfic authors actually get? like the effort to reaction ratio is so abysmally skewed here that a fic nearly 50,000 words long takes an entire year to amass like. 16 comments. someone reblogged a fic i wrote at 4 am and tagged it with a 5-word compliment and i can’t stop thinking about it, not because it was so nice but because half the time you post a fic you’re going to hear nothing and anything feels like so much

fandom culture is so, so good about giving artists the credit they’re due, but we gotta start doing that for writers too. you’ve got no idea how much people put into their stories and get maybe a handful of reblogs and a dozen-odd kudos. that’s not enough. writing is an endurance sport and y’all need to start giving fic writers a reason to endure it and improve their craft. encourage writers like you encourage artists. reblog fics, leave tags, leave comments, acknowledge that these stories do not just spring into being for your entertainment. 

every single damn writer i know feels like half of their readers see them as a machine. that’s gotta change.