It's Only a Matter of Time

Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I made this fanfic up on the spot. Literally. Just sat on my bed and wrote what came to me here and now, not thinking ahead.

In this world, everyone is born with a timer on their wrist, saying when they'll get to meet their soulmate. Hours and minutes before the meeting. It might take months, or it might take years. Some people base their whole life on when the timer might run out.

Inej Ghafa's soulmate timer shows 00:00. Has always, as far as she can remember. 0 hours, 0 minutes. This can only mean one thing: She's already met her soulmate.
Problem is, she doesn't remember it. And she won't know if she meets them again. 

Inej had many problems. The main one was her uncontrollable urge to murder her boss. Don't get confused: She loved her job in the library cafe, delivering food to the people who ordered it, and putting away the books they read while waiting. It was her boss that made Inej's blood boil.

Tante Heleen, as she liked to be called, was in charge of the whole branch of cafes, and didn't seem to know what the traditional work hours were. She'd make Inej work day and night, from the earliest hours of the morning to the late hours of the night. As long as there were people in the cafe, Inej was there as well.

Inej only tolerated Tante Heleen because the job was fun and paid well, which Inej needed to ever accomplish her dreams of going to college far away from here. She dreamed of going to an ancient school somewhere near the ocean so that she would be able to feel the sea breeze from the windows as she studied to become a marine biologist.
Inej loved the sea, ever since she had been born. She had been born and grown up in a small town perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, up until her parents had gone overseas and never come back. Then, Inej had been moved to the city to live with an aunt, and never been back.

"Inej!"

Inej whirled around at the sound of her name, almost dropping the tray she held in her hand. As she beheld the green-eyed girl who stood in the doorway, a smile stretched across Inej's face. "Hey, Nina! Come on in and sit down! I'll be done soon."
She turned away from her best friend and moved to the table in a corner, which was occupied by a pair of boys.

"One Earl Gray tea and a chocolate croissant for you, mister." She set the tray down swiftly on the table, dark blue scarf around her wrist fluttering. She wore the scarf to hide her soulmate mark, which was second on her list of problems, right after Tante Heleen.

One of the youths sitting at the table lifted his head, which was crowned with a fancy tophat. "Thanks, love." He smiled up at her, revealing a row of white teeth that gleamed against his dark skin.

The other boy also glanced up, though his manner was much more closed off than the top-hatted one's. He himself had pale skin, though it was only obvious by his face, as he wore dark gloves. Quite unusual in this day and age.

"No problem, 'love'." She echoed the nickname, turning back to the boy with the tophat, and was rewarded with an even wider smile.

The top-hatted youth took a sip of the tea and stretched out a hand. "My name's Jesper, nice to meet you."
Inej took his hand with a smile of her own, noting the uncovered soulmate timer on his wrist. It showed he had a few more weeks to go before meeting his soulmate. Seemed this 'Jesper' wasn't one to hide things, unlike his dark-clothed companion, who sighed.

"Jesper, stop being so sunshiny. You're giving me a headache." His voice was quiet and had a rough quality to it, like stones grinding against one another. Another unusual thing. This boy was getting more and more interesting.

"Kaz, stop being a spoilsport and let me be as sunshiny as I want," grumbled in reply Jesper, though his eyes sparkled humorously.

From the other side of the room, Nina coughed slightly, drawing Inej's attention away from the two boys. She picked up the tray and smiled at Jesper. "I've got to run now, but nice to meet you, Jesper." She hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Kaz. My name's Inej."