The Mute

24 | twenty-four

Melionë Brewer

The 3 different ways you can lose your soulmate and get reassigned one:

Death (natural causes, car accident, suicide, etc...) *Common*

Unforeseen Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, etc...) *Rare*

Rejection *Extremely Rare*

I attempted number one. It is rare for a person to commit suicide if they've met their soulmate. But if they do, it can lead the other to do it themselves or they can get very depressed. So you would understand why Ace could be mad at me. But he's not. At least I think he's not.

It's been two weeks since the accident. I've seen my therapist more these past two weeks than in a whole month. She also prescribed me some anti-anxiety pills (I have to take one every two weeks). Ace has been very protective and clingy, which I can understand. My mom and Dimitri let me stay at Liberty Winters Academy, but they've kept me home for two weeks, so I haven't been in my dorm. My room is probably dusty.

Anyways, today is a Saturday, so I'm going to head to the mall and try to find something for Ace. But I'm going to go by myself. Without Percy. I know, right. Such a big step. Okay, I know this is a normal thing for people to do, but let me have my win.

I took off my shorts and threw on some jeans. I liked the shirt I had on—it's a pink tie-dye crop top (but it doesn't reveal my stomach too much). Then I put on my white converse and headed downstairs. I grabbed my purse which already had everything in it. I patted Percy on the head, put on my white windbreaker, and picked up my phone from the side table at the door.

"Mom! I'm going to the mall!" I yelled.

"Okay! Who are you going with?" She exclaimed.

"No one!" I yelled back.

"Are you sure?" She asked, coming downstairs. "Last time that person almost touched Percy."

"I'm not bringing Percy," I said, opening the door.

"You're what?!" My mom shrieked.

"Bye!" I smiled.

"DO YOU HAVE YOUR PEPPER SPRAY?! AND YOUR LOCATION SERVICES ON-" She yelled, as I closed the door because I knew her question would run on forever. Of course, I have all of those things on me. I know how to drive, I just don't like to because I get really bad anxiety. So I called a taxi ahead of time that was now waiting for me outside. The taxi guy pulled up to the mall and I handed him 10 bucks.

I first went to Urban Outfitters and saw a men's Street Fighter II graphic t-shirt. I remembered Ace saying he used to play that game at his uncle's house when he was younger, so I picked it up and bought it. As I paid the cashier, I heard a loud bang. Everyone in the store turned and faced where the noise came from.

"Sorry," Said the guy who had knocked over a clothing rack. He was wearing black jeans, a dark gray shirt, a black hoodie.

The cashier sighed and handed me my bag and change, then walked over to the mess. I walked out of there and headed to the cafeteria. I got a lot of Thai food because it was lunchtime and I didn't have breakfast (don't tell my mom, she'll kill me). As I was eating I saw the guy from Urban Outfitters sitting a few tables down. I shrugged and finished up my food.

The next store I stopped by was Hot Topic. I didn't get anything for Ace, I just wanted to buy some Demon Slayer pins. I got one of Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro! While I was picking the pins out, I saw the guy from Urban Outfitters, again. This is starting to get suspicious.

Getting back to shopping for Ace, I walked into a Calvin Klein store. I started to look at some of the clothes, but my eye caught the guy from Urban Outfitters, again. I started to feel very uncomfortable because I realized he kept looking at me from afar. I was about to talk to the people at the cash register when Bryce walked up to me.