thin line; daoming si

Chapter 2

You wake up the next morning, still groggy with sleep. It takes everything in you to even sit up in bed, trying hard to wake up your brain so you can get your day started. Out of habit, you peer down at your wrist to see that there is approximately two hours left. Wait...two hours?!? You haven't even gotten out of bed yet!

You suddenly feel a ton of emotions running through you at once and you begin to panic. Gosh, you don't even know what to wear! You stare at your small closet for what feels like way too long before picking out an outfit. Glancing at your phone, you confirm that indeed, you did take too long. You now have only an hour and a half.

You quickly throw the clothes on, no longer minding if it's wrinkled. You would try to put at least a little bit of makeup on but there's no time. Plus, you wouldn't want to risk messing up with your mediocre skills.

When you are done getting ready, you hop down the stairs, greeting your parents quickly.

"Hurry and eat your breakfast, honey. You're going to be late." Now feeling more stressed at your mother's words, you sit down and nearly scarf down your food. It's unladylike, but you couldn't care less.

"Good luck, honey!" She calls as you fly out the door. 35 minutes is all you have. In 35 minutes, your timer will disappear from your wrist and it will be time to meet your soulmate. And in even less time, your first class will start.

You make it to school just on time, quickly shoving random books in your locker. You watch as everyone scurries to class and your heartbeat speeds up with anxiety. You grab everything you need, running to your first class. You barely make it on time, the door almost closing in your face.

You feel eyes on you as you are the last one to enter the classroom, rushing to your seat with slight embarrassment. You get to your seat, panting and trying to catch your breath, but also relieved.

From there, class begins seamlessly. The professor begins talking in his normal monotone voice, nearly putting you to sleep. But you're determined to stay awake, more than usual because today is special. Speaking of that special day, you peek at your wrist to see that there is merely five minutes left.

You suck in a deep breath. Are they in this class? You certainly hope not. But you guess you will find out soon enough.

Four minutes. You glance at the clock to see that there is still a large chunk of class time left. You sigh.

Three minutes. You look around discreetly to see if there is anyone around you who you could tolerate if they ended up being your soulmate. Nope.

Two minutes. You stare at the professor, silently willing him to talk faster, add more expression to his voice, something.

One minute. Your wrist. Your wrist is burning and it demands your attention. You stare down at it, watching as the seconds wind down.

It finally hits zero and it feels like your whole world changes. You are no longer paying an ounce of attention to the professor. Your only objective is to find your soulmate. Now.

You don't hesitate to gather up your things and walk out of the classroom. It seems like the only choice you have at the moment.

"Excuse me, where are you going-" The professor stops his lecture, calling after you. But you ignore him, your mind and heart on a different matter entirely. Finding your soulmate is the most important thing right now.

You walk quickly through the hallway, trying to look for any clues that would lead you to your soulmate. That is, if they're even here. You watch down the hallways, peek into classrooms, and nothing.

Tears of frustration come to your eyes and you run towards the bathroom in an attempt to calm yourself down. But you don't notice someone running in the opposite direction. Their shoulder bumps into yours, effectively knocking you over.

"Ah!" You cry, landing backwards on your bottom. That hurt but strangely enough, the contact against your shoulder felt...good?

You sit there, stunned as you hear footsteps coming back towards you. "Are you okay?" You hear a voice call warily. You look up from your spot on the floor to see familiar eyes peering into yours.

Daoming Si?

He stares at you, an unreadable expression on his face. You're sure that you look the same. What is he doing here?

Slowly and hesitantly, he reaches his hand out. A couple seconds pass before you take it, and you gasp at the contact. His hand feels warm and comforting against your skin. It feels like nothing you've ever felt before. You never want to let go.

Si's eyes widen in surprise and he suddenly lets go, causing you to fall back to the floor. "What the hell?" You hear him mumble under his breath as he backs away from you. Then he's running, leaving you sitting on the floor in a state of shock, tears still drying on your cheeks.

You sniffle, looking down at your wrist. That's when you notice...the timer is gone. You've met your soulmate.