Patrick blinks away sleep as his alarm blares. He grunts, slamming his hand against his nightstand until his finger catches the button to turn it off.
The thirteen year old rolls onto his side, ignoring the world for a little longer. He spends a couple more minutes in dark, warm bliss before his overhead light flicks on and his covers are yanked off his body.
"Pehfur! Winq ur!"
Patrick's eyes snap open. He turns to his mom, who looks at him with her blue eyes narrowed.
"Pehfur!"
He stares at her for a while, with concern and confusion etched on his face. It doesn't make her any happier.
"Wyu awq ybr slkriag aw mr lozx tupe!?"
Patrick's heart races in his chest as he shakes his head. "I can't understand you!"
His mom's frown fades and her brows furrow. "Wpbr?"
Patrick knew this would happen eventually. But so soon? He's so young.
When the eldest of two soulmates turns eighteen, both soulmates lose the ability to comprehend language until they meet one another. They meet by understanding each other and only each other. Then, once they meet, everything goes back to normal. Unfortunately, this process can take a very long time; days, weeks, months, years.
Even though he expected this at some point, it scared him. He feels tears in his eyes as his mother calls out into the hallway.
"Mom!" A tear falls down Patrick's cheek as he rushes to his feet and into his mother's embrace.
"Iq'r owmk!" She does her best to soothe him, but it's all in vain as her words are just a jumbled mess.
Patrick sees his dad enter his room, eyes wide. "Pehfur!"
Patrick grips his mom tighter, watching his siblings run in, speaking to him in a language he can't understand.
"Gbpz Pehfur skjq slvep!" His mom extends an arm, instructing her family to move away from the shaken boy.
Patrick's teary eyes bounce between his family member's worried faces. They continued to speak, but Patrick understand anything but the concern in their voices. Finally, his mom turns to him.
"Ybr awq gxmei tn spyikl, owmk?"
Patrick looks up at her, shaking his head. "What?"
"Spyikl," She repeats, biting her lip, looking around for anything to help him understand.
Patrick's mother pulls away from him, grabbing a piece of paper from his desk. "Spyikl!"
"Paper?" Patrick asks, swallowing past the lump in his throat.
"Nb, spyikl!" She drops the paper, and searches some more, grabbing a pencil. "Spyikl!"
"Pencil!?"
"Nb!"
They're both distressed. Patrick cries more as his mom continues to speak to him. Finally she grabs his backpack, holding it up. "Spyikl!"
"School?"
She beams, nodding. "Yco, spyikl!"
Patrick connects the dots, wiping his cheeks as he asks, "I'm going to school?"
"Yco!"
Patrick doesn't quite understand why. He can't comprehend anything anyone is saying to him. He won't learn a thing.
"Mom, I can't hear anyone. Why would I go?"
"Ybr cuisd mbva yzmw skmnqucz!"
The more she speaks, the more it scares him. He just whines, looking around hopelessly. She notices, grabbing him and hugging him tight.
