The Darkest Soul

Prologue

Long ago a story was created.

A well known story about love and loss.

A story that has controlled us.

The story... of soulmate.

According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces.

However Zeus feared their power and decides to split them into two separate parts. One person turned into two. He then condemned them to spend the rest of their lives searching for their other half... also known as their soulmate.

Over time, the rulers of the world evolved that story. They made everyone see everything in only black, white, or gray colors. They were only gifted true colors once they have found their soulmate.

Now if you were unfaithful to your other half, you became color blind. It doesn't take long for your soulmate to find out if you slept with another.

Now in modern times, some people are alright with being colorblind. It has become a trend to be more supportive of your soulmate to try it out with others before finding you. Practice apparently.

But fortunately, most of the world has chosen to be loyal and spend their days searching for their other half.

Now they say when you meet your soulmate, everything clicks into place. The color bursts in your eyes and your heart pounds, alerting your body that it's found the rest of it. Your whole being shifts into focusing and loving the person you've probably never seen in your life. Because that's your soulmate. And every cell in your body knows it.

Some people grow up dreaming of this fairy tale love story. Others resent it. And I'm torn.

I'm only twenty-three but every fiber in me aches for something to connect with. I feel out of place constantly, as if always uncomfortable. And as I've grown, its always gotten worse. As the years go by, my friends and family have found their person and have left me behind. I stare at everything in the same bland color scheme on a daily basis and I've grown... bored.

Nobody gets me.

♡

"Excuse me, Miss?"

I snap out of my train of thought and turn to the man looking at me with a wary expression. "Yes?" I reply politely, turning to face him completely.

The man swallows hard and he dwindles his thumb. "You uh... you dropped this..." he trails off, looking down at the floor and holding his hand up. In his hand is my car keys, the unwrapped condom in its custom pouch my best friend made years ago. A giggle escapes my lips and I reach out, quickly snatching my keys from him.

"Thank you." I say greatfully. The man gives a curt nod before quickly scurrying away. I grin again and turn, making my way out of the coffee shop.

The little gift my friend gave me was a good laugh. She said "You can only use it on your soulmate so when you finally meet him don't be afriad to whip it out!"

I roll my eyes as I make my way to my car.

Scarlett has always been silly but that's why I loved her. I grew up in a home with hard expectations. Validation was everything to me and my siblings but then slowly, each of us trickled out one by one and my parents decided they didn't need to be so harsh anymore. It was hard for me to find a balance after High School. I had spent my whole life studying for perfection, presenting the most beautiful image, and being the good girl everyone loved. And then suddenly I had no expectations? No rules? I had flipped out but Scarlett had worked with me and has been patient on my attempts for being okay with doing nothing.

My drive home is the same. It is every day. The light turns into a light gray, meaning it's now green. I press on my gas and drive forward.

The impact is so forceful that it shatters glass and blows out the airbags. I watch as the glass slices the airbags, stopping them from fully inflating. Then it's all over.

~

I'm laying on my back when I regain consciousness.

I take a moment, resting my eyes as I check over my body mentally. Nothing feels hurt or out of place. I feel just fine. That's when I open my eyes. The room is very white except for the floor which is dark. I'm laying on a long chair thing, another chair a few feet away. It looks like a therapist is going to walk through that door before sitting in the other chair and asking about my feelings.

I sit up, glancing around nervously. Suddenly, the door clicks and it opens, a tall man stepping in. He's very tall. With the blackest hair I've ever seen and tank skin. Beneath the white button up, I can see the muscle.

He's looking down at a clipboard as he walks in. He sighs, tapping a pen against the paper. Then he clicks his tongue, sighs, and looks up.

Our eyes meet and the immediate pressure confuses me. I blink and when my eyes open again, I gasp. The room... it's full of color. But my eyes lock him.

The darkest hair, bright eyes, tall, handsome, muscular, and rough. His expression was soft but now he glares sharply at me. His body has tensed the same way mine has. I wonder if his heart is pounding too.

I open my mouth to say something but I'm speechless. Of course I spent my whole life looking for my person when all I had to do was die.

"No." He says abruptly. Confusion and hurt churn in my gut but I wait for him to continue. "No." He growls, standing taller.

I slide off the sofa, taking a tentative step towards him. "Who are you?" I ask, starting there. But he ignores me and turns away. For a split second I panic and think he's going to leave me. He glares at me over his shoulder and sighs.

"Your soulmate."