My Best Friend Can See My Soul

Chapter I - Adil.

I've been this way since as long as I can remember. At first, I didn't think anything of it. I assumed that it was happening to everyone, I wasn't anything different. I wasn't special. When I was curious about my abilities, I was to shy to ask, thinking that everyone would think I was stupid. So I kept my mouth shut, and now I'm glad I did.

I found out that I was different in High School. I was fourteen years old, and in the lowest year. I remember the moment so vividly...

~Flashback start~

I was sitting in the back row of the classroom where I had 'Historical Studies'. It was the second day of the year and I had made no friends in that class. My seat was situated next to the bookcase, which was packed with different year level textbooks. The teacher had to run an errand and told us to talk amongst ourselves. Great, I thought, everyone's going to talk to their friends and I'll be left to sit her like a loner. I looked around for something, anything, to do. my eyes landed on the bookcase next to me. I sighed, I'll look like a nerd, but at least it's something. I reached over and took the closest textbook. I opened to a random page, which was labelled; 'Chapter 4.5.1, Soul-readers.' Soul-readers...? I shrugged, Why not? With that, I started to read...

"Soul-readers are humans that are able to see, or read, souls. They have the ability to track down a person's 'soulmate' and to sense people's emotions. For unknown reasons, a soul-reader rarely finds their soulmate, or when they do, their soulmate is some sort of criminal.

When soul-readers first appeared, they were praised and sought after by people searching for their soulmates. However, as time went by, many despised the thought of having their futures set out before them and revolted. Female soul-readers were claimed as 'witches' and were burned at the stake, while the males were secretly captured and slaughtered, or sent of to war in which they would never return.

Eventually, the slaughter was stopped, but not before thousands of soul-readers lost their lives. Now, soul-readers are rare. And while they are accepted into society, they tend to keep their abilities to themselves, only using them on close friends and family. Despite this, some soul-readers have come forward to speak of their abilities;

'I can't speak for all of my kind when I say this,' Dean Smith, a middle-aged soul-reader, explains, 'but, my abilities are not like those rip-off stories say. I don't see strings connecting people, and I can't tell you who your soul mate is just by touching you. I have talked to other soul-readers and this is the case for them as well.'

After further discussion with soul-readers like Mr. Smith, different soul-readers access their abilities in different ways. The most common ways are; hearing, touch and emotions. The less common ways are; taste and thoughts. The most rare way, with only one known soul-reader using this way, is sight. These will be discussed further in chapter 4.5.2."

I finished reading just as I felt something poke my shoulder. The information still processing in brain, I quickly stuffed the book back and turned to see what it was. A boy with messy light brown hair and grass green eyes was standing next to my desk awkwardly. I looked at his chest for a split second and saw his light.

"Yes?" I said politely, still quite spaced out from reading.

"Well, uh," He shuffled his feet a little, "I don't really, uh, know anyone here and I wondering if you wanted to, uh, like hang around each other? So we're not alone."

I smiled, geez, he's awkward. "Sure."

"Cool! My name's Ayden, by the way." My new friend introduced himself while smiling, his light illuminating.

"I'm Adil --" I started to say, but was cut off by the teacher entering the classroom.

"Back in your seats, class!" She commanded, sending my fellow classmates scurrying to their desks, Ayden with them. I watched his back as he walked away from me. His aqua-coloured light seemed to shy away from the people around him. Once he was at his desk, he turned and smiled at me, his light brightening and enlarging slightly.

With my new friend back at his desk, I had some time to properly digest the information that I read in the text book.

~Flashback end~

In the space of ten minutes, two major things had happened to me. Two things that would change my life forever.

The first was that I had made my first friend at this school. Sure, he was awkward and shy, but he turned out to be one of the most influential people in my life.

Second, and probably the most important, was that I, Adil Elcaro, was a Soul-reader.