inchoate | tommyinnit

[ prologue ]

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It is a rather rudimentary term.

On Webster's Dictionary, the definition might seem overtly simple.

And yet, complicated at the same time.

However, while it may be the exact definition of what a soulmate is, dictionaries lack emotion. They are merely definitions that happen to fit into a the context of a word in a sentence. They are aloof. Dispassionate. Hollow.

You see, a soulmate is... a complicated feeling. It meant many feelings: love, understanding, perfection in some ways even. It was a homonym— sort of... not really.

The point is: the concept of "soulmates" is not an easy one to explain.

For many, it was personally and vaguely defined as a person who you have a very deep connection with. It was weird. The idea of soulmates was weird, scary, and overwhelming. It was the "Waldo" of the natural world. It didn't seem to fit in like atoms, gravity, and evolution did. Even experts that've been trying to crack the code for decades do not know what the science behind them is.

But, one concrete notion part of the world of soulmates that everyone knows is: 17.

Yes, the number.

To be more exact: the age.

At exactly 17 years of age, soulmates switch bodies. It's temporary, and it only lasts for 3 hours after switching. It was a chance. A chance to find out who your soulmate was. Actually, technically, it was two chances— for both soulmates' 17th birthdays.

The only way to find out who your soulmate was, out of the billions of people on Earth was through both soulmates' 17th birthdays. There was no other way: no mark, no first words written on their bodies, no other extraordinary connections.

Whoever's 17th birthday came first would be the day of the first switch. It was the premiere meeting, where you'd find out what your soulmate looked like by looking in the mirror, and of course— for the younger generations— leave a note with your number on it so that after they switch back to their own body, they could contact you (that is, unless you have already previously known who they were by appearance and already have a way of reaching out to them).

The tricky part was, while one soulmate knew their 17th birthday would lead to a switch, the other would have absolutely no clue since they don't know exactly who their soulmate is and the date of their birthday. The soulmate could be on a roller coaster at midnight, and suddenly switch bodies with their soulmate at that exact moment.

It was why many of those who haven't switched randomly that wasn't on their own birthdays yet, don't do anything stupid at 12 o'clock at midnight. You never know when it could happen to be your soulmates 17th birthday.

Except, for those with the latter 17th birthday— most would already be in contact with their soulmate through the first switch. And of course, they'd let the other know when their birthday was coming up so that they could reduce the surprise factor.

It might sound fun, but imagine going to bed and then waking up in a totally different one. It was scary and disorienting. And that was honestly an understatement.

Here let's create a scenario. It'll be easier to explain from your perspective.

Pretend it's your birthday tomorrow.

You're getting ready for bed and you can't wait to wake up tomorrow and celebrate your 17th birthday with your family. On the other hand, maybe you're celebrating with your friends (for those who don't imagine themselves in quarantine).

It's going to be an exciting day, but your only thoughts are on your soulmate.

In exactly 3 minutes, it's going to be 12:00 AM.

In exactly 3 minutes, you'll be 17 years old.

In exactly 180 seconds, you'll switch bodies with your soulmate.

You're trying your best to look as presentable as possible, because if you're switching bodies with your soulmate, they're definitely going to be looking in the mirror just like you will be. You wonder what they're doing right now, actually. They have no idea that it's going to be your birthday in 2 minutes.

You're kind of worried that they're talking to someone while you switch, or maybe they're doing... other things that you wouldn't want to know about.

Perhaps you even know them! Maybe they're your best friends brother or sister, or the weird kid in the back of your class. Or maybe they live half way across the world. That scares you a little bit. But you shake those worries out of your head. Now wasn't the time to be freaking out. It's the day that everyone looks forward to, and finally it's your turn to find your other half.

You dash over to your bed, fixing your hair last minute, and roll over so that you were facing your bedroom ceiling.

Any second now, you think.

You wait 5 seconds, but time seems to be passing extra slow, so you quickly glance at your phone.

20 seconds.

You huff, shift a little bit, and take a deep breath in. Dazedly, you look at your baby blue colored ceiling one last time, before fluttering your eyes shut.

Butterflies erupt in your stomach.

Because in 20 seconds, you won't be seeing blue anymore.
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