Soulbound - A Double Life Story

-Monster-

"Welcome back to Double Life"

"Last week our contestants found each other, what will happen this week?"

Cleo

   I slung my legs over the side of the cliff and looked out across the canyon as the sun's colorful rays peered above the horizon. The ravine looks like molten gold has been poured down its sides and the river at the bottom shines with deep blues and yellows. Every day seemed the same lately, everything but the sunrise. Its colors were always different, the clouds creating patches of white in varying patterns. This particular sunrise was full of golds and yellows with large swaths of clouds in ribbons across the sky. The dome of the sun rises over Scott's little house and the mountains beyond create a sort of halo. Scott's silhouette can be seen in his garden, kneeling on the ground and rummaging through the leaves.

   When I return to my house, a letter is on my doorstep, it's paper uneven with a greenish hue. Grian figured out how to make it from wood pulp and cane a couple of weeks ago and has been handing it out to everyone he could find. The real question in my mind was: Who would send me a letter?

Dear Cleo,

   I wanted to write and ask if you would like to meet me 

for a picnic tonight, before sunset. I will provide the food 

and anything else you would require. 

   We need to talk.

Martyn

   Martyn? Suddenly, my arm begins to burn and I wrap my hand around it. I know that the scar has long healed, but writhing on the grass as I am burning and unable to put myself out leaves a different kind of scar. This better be an apology. I fold the letter up and place it on the small table inside the door. I sheath my sword at my hip and grab my gloves, pulling them on as I exit the house and make my way towards the bridge. 

   The rickety bridge was a joint effort between Scott and me. It was janky and looked crooked, but it was as sturdy as if it had been built by professionals. Some others still refused to use it, but I used it enough to be pretty confident in its ability to hold my weight. Scott looks up as I approach, a smile spreading across his face as I kneel beside him and begin rummaging through the carrot patch, searching for ripe stalks.

   The sun begins to dip low on the horizon as I walk through the plains, along the well-trodden path to the Clearing. It still felt like just yesterday when we all arrived and now here we are. I don't know how long it has been since we all awoke, a few months at least. Now here we are. Scott and I have finished our homes and our bridge. The garden is in harvest season and a cold wind approaches. Jimmy and Tango's ranch has blossomed. They have been pretty busy with their new baby cow as of late. Ren and Big B have been working on finishing their home, the only one built in the mountains. They have to insulate much more than the rest of us due to the altitude. The beginnings of a tower have appeared on the horizon; built of stone and stretching to the sky. Joel and Etho have successfully turned the shipwreck into a cozy home. I stayed on their couch one night when I was visiting Jimmy and Tango earlier in the day, helping them solve a dispute. I have never met the men who live in the spiked fort. I've only ever seen one and he was yelling at another to get a cat out of their food stores. Joel says that they are perfectly nice, they just don't like to talk with people. 

   Seeing all of these people, meet and match with their Soulbound makes me feel so alone. I have Scott, and he is my best friend, but even he keeps secrets. There is something about him that I just don't understand. He is reserved but seems to have a large opinion of many of the people around us. He seems particularly unnerved by Tango and Jimmy, especially now they have announced that they are dating. I mean, everyone saw it coming, but Scott locked himself in his home for days, neglecting the garden and leaving me to tend to the animals and work on the bridge by myself. I often wish that Martyn would let me know he is still alive, whether that be through a letter, like today, or by stubbing his toe on a tree root. He has some serious apologies that need to be stated before I even consider seeing him as any more than a nuisance, but I have come to care for him. More than I would like to admit.