Hushed Dreams

Longing

At sixteen years old, each person would have their soulmate's first words curl themselves onto their wrist. The words would slowly appear without pain, and the black italic writing would tattoo itself silently. Some had words that were easily understandable, such as a simple "hello". Others had words that were strange and would make the bearer confused.

When Lucy Heartfilia had turned sixteen, she thought that something was wrong with her. No words adorned her wrist, so Lucy was completely petrified that she did not have a soulmate. Her friends told her that they would appear soon and that there must have been a mistake. With her head hung low, she cried herself to sleep that night, hoping that someday a greeting or at least one small word would appear on her wrist.

At twenty-two, however, there were still no words written there. Her heart ached, and every day she was slowly getting more annoyed with the fact that perhaps she had no soulmate. Everyone else had found one... why hadn't she?

It seemed like every one of her friends had their soulmate practically joined at the hip to them, leaving little to no time for friends or family. It was true that soulmates usually became quickly attached to each other... but it also opened up doorways for abusive relationships. Infatuation sometimes led to obsession, and Lucy was at least a little relieved that nothing like that would ever happen to her.

Besides, so what if she was soulmate less? Independence was something that Lucy valued. She could go out for drinks with friends and go home at five in the morning, and no one would be there to scold her. She could go out on dates with men she had just met and be able to have the satisfaction of turning them down for a "walk" or "coffee at their apartment". Lucy knew all the tricks, and she had used them herself a time or two.

If Lucy didn't have a soulmate, what was stopping her from dating whomever she pleased? Dinner and a movie was a good way to get to know someone, which was fantastic for Lucy. She loved getting to know different people even if she wasn't interested in them other than a friend. And every so often, she would even look at their wrist to see if they had a soulmate. If they did, it was just a smile and a goodbye for that date. But if they didn't? She was fine with having fun for a night. Honestly, what was the harm?

Sure, she wasn't exactly happy with who she dated, but what did she care? No one was going to love her for the rest of her life, and hold her like her father held her mother before she passed away. Her mother's first words to her father had disappeared off of the man's wrist, and almost a year later her father died out of remorse. She wanted a love like theirs... a relationship with a person that was so loving and caring that she couldn't spend her life without them. A person that made Lucy's insides burn when she wasn't around them and made her heart flutter when she was.

Of course, not having a soulmate led to somewhat uncomfortable questions from people, Lucy had to admit. Strangers asked questions like "did he die?" or "did she already have another soulmate?". It did get a little annoying, but sometimes Lucy did have a bit of fun with the questioners. "He ended up being a pig, and I'm not into bestiality." she would joke. The look of shock on the face of the asker would put her in a fantastic mood for days, so much so that she would forget about the pain in her heart.

As Lucy walked to her first English class of the year, she felt a glimmer of hope rising in her chest once more. There were new people in her class. What was keeping her from finding her soulmate there? The wind whipped through her hair gently, blowing it out of her face. Her eyes focused on the building before her. This was it. Time to make some new friends. And maybe find a soulmate.

Lucy pasted a confident smile on her face in hopes that no one would understand the longing in her heart. Rounding her shoulders and straightening her back, she made her way into the lecture room with a happy gait.