I Choose You

Tara

I would still choose him. Even if the fates choose otherwise, I'd still choose him over anyone that happens to be my destiny. The world is all worried about that thing that chooses their life path for them like they can't choose their own. I was shaking, I knew because I couldn't get my phone without it falling first, and that made my mom aware that I was awake.
"Honey, you're awake?"
Don't reply, don't reply, don't reply.
"Tara, sweetheart.." Again.
One, two, three.
"Yes, mother." I took a deep breath and got out of bed.
One, two, three steps.
"Come on downstairs, your dad and I have something important to tell you."
I was out of the room by the time the last word was said, but I didn't move until 5 minutes have passed.
I counted the steps downwards as if I don't know the number already. Fourteen.
They were waiting in the meeting room, the one all families had for those kind of days, a.k.a my eighteenth birthday.
Those people, I know them, they were the ones who gave my oldest brother his necklace.
All of the whispers were shut when I walked in, as if I couldn't possibly know what all this was about.
"Sweetie, sit down." Dad looked tired, and not at all happy.
Unlike my mom, dad wasn't excited at all, in fact if anything he was the first parent I knew to not believe in this whole thing, or in other words not to like it.
"Tara Smitherton," the lady in the black suit shook my hand, "sit down please."
I gave her a weird look before settling beside mom.
"Tari we know that you know a lot about the thing already, but that's still the tradition." Mom took a deep breath and nodded at the two semi-strangers, "Ms. Heather and Mr. John are here to fill you up with everything."
Ms. Heather spoke first, "Happy birthday Tara," I hope. "So as you know, at your eighteenth birthday you're handed a really precious gift, that is against the law to refuse."
"And it's only against the law because it'll be the cause of your death." That was Mr. John, I liked him better when he had his mouth shut.
I knew Ms. Heather thought that was cruel too because she continued quickly, "And as you heard and saw this gift is a necklace, a pure white necklace that would change your life forever." She paused, "This necklace was the idea of our greatest ruler 2000 years ago who made a contract with the goddess of love, Aphrodite, after the number of heart breaks rose incredibly. This contract consisted the names of all of the people that would ever be born and were linked, rather specifically, with a line between the two souls." She looked at the guy I already hated so he could continue but he dismissed with a nod. "They could control who was who's soulmate, but they couldn't control where they would be born or where they'd live.
"Here came the reason of the necklaces, everyone would get the necklace on their eighteenth birthday but that necklace won't work unless the one with the other half had received his necklace."
"And that usually meant the guy would get it before the girl, which in your case means your soulmate is already out there." Mr John said.
"This necklace we're about to give you would get you on a big journey, but," she paused and looked at my parents, "if you're lucky enough that journey won't be far away."
She knew, she knew about Simon.
"Sweetie, you mustn't get your hopes up, you of all people should know that the chances you have are one in a million and that isn't something you should hold onto." Mom looked worried.
I wish, I wish, I wish.
"Tara, just remember, it's not the first love that matters, it's the last one." I liked Heather and all but of all the things she could do, she chose to deliver the gift? Didn't she know that breaks more hearts than a mean word from your lover?
"I'm ready."
"Okay then," John got out a golden box that had violet jewels that formed my full name. It looked really beautiful, as if the key to my future and very likely the key to my hell wasn't just inside of it. He slowly opened it like it would burst into flames in any second. "The sooner you start your journey the better." He moved the box in front of my parents so my mom would put it around my neck.
It was the most beautiful necklace I've ever seen, it was the purest white, pearl's white, and for a mere second you could see gold shimmering all over it as if the sun decided of all the places she wants to be and of all the things she could kiss, it chose the necklace. I was so stunned that I haven't heard the first time my mom called my name, "Tara, darling," she looked at me as if asking my permission to put it on me, I nodded briefly.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror across the room and couldn't see anything of the necklace but a golden shimmer reflecting silkily.
"Ms. Smitherton, I hope you're aware of the things that would happen if those rules weren't applied." I nodded for the millionth time today. "Now, this necklace is white which is the symbol of purity and that means it's not any how dangerous for now, the more you wait and the more you get far away the blacker and darker it'll get until it's too late for anyone to do anything about what would happen to you." She looked annoyed as she said it, again, why did she choose this job? "The more red it got and the warmer then the closer you are to that person. When it's gold then you've found the one."
"I know all of those things." I hardly heard myself.
"We know, but it's still our job and your right to be informed and warned. As you may know as well, it's usually not further than two states or two countries, even though king Habardes and Aphrodite couldn't predict where people would live to make it easier for you, but researches have found that 99 percent of all the cases are not further than 2 cities."
"I wish it would not be too far away and you'd find him soon. But just in case he's not here, we're in San Diego, so your destination is all the way to Los Angeles, that means you'll cross Orange as well. Good luck."
It felt so cold upon my skin, I was so afraid of what it meant.