Soul Bound

Chapter One: Of All the Gin Joints in All the World

"We'll see each other again soon, right?"

"Of course we will. Soulmates forever."

"Yeah. Soulmates forever."

~

"Virgil! Are you even listening?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Mrs Erickson. I'm absolutely riveted."

Virgil couldn't help but be rather sardonic with his teacher. Was it his fault that chemistry was the last thing he wanted to think about right now? Was it his fault that he had more pressing matters on his mind than electronegativity and the periodic table?

Coco jumped up into his lap and began purring, forcing a smile onto his face. He couldn't help but scratch his black cat animalis behind the ear, which she thoroughly appreciated.

Everyone was born with an animalis, a unique creature that contained a fraction of one's soul. That animalis also contained a fraction of that person's soulmate's soul, uniting them for eternity. Animali helped people find their soulmates.

People could also see a vague form of their soulmate's animalis — often referred to as a "quasianimalis" or an "animalis vision" — as a way of helping them identify their soulmates. The only ones able to see animalis visions were the ones whose soul they shared.

In Virgil's case, well, he was practically surrounded by fluff, feathers, and scales, and he was the only one suffering as a result.

He had four soulmates, their animali each being a rattlesnake, a Labrador retriever, a raven, and a white tailed buck. Living with all these animals, even just in a ghost-like form, was absolutely exhausting and Virgil felt as though he deserved a damn medal.

It wasn't long before the school bell rang, though it felt as though centuries had passed before the sound signalled freedom. Virgil packed up his belongings and went to his locker, Coco riding on his shoulder. His friend Thomas seemed to have been waiting for him with his own animalis; a desert cottontail named Smoky.

"Hey," he greeted. "So, my friend Davi is having a party tonight, and I want you to come with me. Please say yes?"

"Nice to see you too," Virgil replied with a smirk, Thomas rolling his eyes with a smile.

"Dude, I'm serious. I really, really, really want you to be there! I... think it'd be fun, ya know? So how about it?"

"Why? You know I hate parties. Actually, don't you hate parties too?"

"Aw, c'mon, Virge, isn't hate kind of a... strong word?" he asked a bit awkwardly, Virgil raising an eyebrow. "C'mon, Joan will be there! Really, it's just gonna be a... little get-together. It's not gonna be too crowded, I promise."

"As much as I appreciate the invite, I doubt Davi wants a stranger to show up at their party."

"I already asked them if I could invite a friend, and they said yes. So how about it?"

Virgil sighed softly, thinking it over for a bit. He may not like parties, but he did like Thomas and Joan. Would his love for them outweigh his hatred towards parties? Maybe, especially if it's as small as Thomas made it sound. Even still, he wasn't sure if he wanted to test the waters.

"I don't know, you know I don't—"

Coco suddenly bit his ear, causing him to yell out in pain as he jerked his head away and grabbed her off his shoulders. He rubbed his ear and glared down at her.

"Coco, what the hell?" he snapped.

"That's weird," Thomas noted, as if it wasn't obvious. "Does she usually act up like that?"