Sawyer

The year was 1990 and the idea of soulmates had been around for a couple decades at this point.

It all started when a few babies suddenly started to have tattoos, mysteriously appearing on their bodies like birthmarks. It's safe to say many parents started to get hysterical. But then it turns out that they weren't ordinary tattoos, but instead a map to your 'soulmate'. I put soulmates in quotation marks because it's not something everyone universally agrees upon.

You see, not everyone gets a soulmate. Sometimes soulmates are never found, some people simply never get their tattoo, some soulmates die before they ever find their partner; in that case their tattoo slowly fades away.

However, 50% of the population are lucky enough to be born without the soulmate mark. Yes, that's right, I said they're lucky. This brings me back onto my first point.

It was a normal day, as long as you ignore the fact that it wasn't. It was a pleasant spring afternoon, one of those perfect spring days where the flowers are in full bloom, cherry blossom petals litter the ground you walk on and the sun gently warms your face as you play outside. It was playtime at school and I was taking full advantage of it.

As I laid down in field of green, plucking daisies from their roots to make my chain, my arm started to tingle... A lot. I cried out, and grabbed my arm as it started to burn, tears streaming down my face. I looked down through tear-soaked eyes to see what was happening to me, and screamed as I saw my skin becoming branded with the words.

"It's you, you're the one."

***

"Sawyer..."

"Sawyer!"

"Sawyer!!!!"

My head jerks up at the sound of my name as my eyes shift away from my tattoo and I realise I've been doing it again.

"Sorry dad." I mutter as I sheepishly poke at my oatmeal.

"It's alright kiddo, I was just asking if you're excited for your first day at sixth form?" He mentions cheerfully as he goes to put his empty plate to the sink.

As long as I can remember my dad has always been so hardworking. Ever since his parents brought him to the UK from the Ivory Coast as a child, he's always been told that he needs to work 10 times harder than his Caucasian counterparts if he wants to succeed. And succeed he did, he's worked hard his whole life and now he's a senior partner at some fancy law firm in Canary wharf.

"Dad come on I've been at St Benedict's since I was in pampers. It's not like anything is gonna change." I respond as I try to tackle the lion's mane I call my hair in the kitchen mirror.

In fact, the only thing that has changed this year is the fact that I'm finally out of those horrid plaid skirts and into a sweet skirt suit that is probably way too short for school standards and a bright blue Ralphy jumper to go with it.

"You never know you could find your soulmate this year." he suggests teasing.

I roll my eyes in response "You say that every year."

I put on my platform shoes and get my black north face from the coat room. "Plus, you know how I feel about all this soulmate business anyways."

"I know..." He sighs as he walks over to me. "But just because it didn't work out with your mother and I, doesn't mean it won't work out for you."

With that he gives me a brief kiss on the forehead and wishes me good luck at school.

***

My favourite part of the day by far are the mornings during my walk to school. Living in Notting Hill is as aesthetic and picturesque as it sounds. There's always a pretty looking shop or dusty old book store on almost every corner, it's practically impossible not to get distracted. I constantly stop to take pictures of the view around me with my camera that I carried with me everywhere, because of this it took me a lot longer to get to the tube station that day.

"Finally! I've been waiting here for hours!"

"Sorry Quinn I got a little bit distracted." I say sheepishly as I hold up my camera.

"You and that bloody camera." She rolls her eyes exasperated as her raven's black hair blows wildly in the wind. "You're lucky I don't have time to be mad because I have way too much to tell you about the party last Saturday!"

"Well you can tell me on the train, now hurry up or we're gonna miss it!" I start running towards the platform with Quinn in tow behind me.

As we dash through the closing doors and find our seats Quinn quickly dives into the story of the party on Saturday of how she gets the numbers of this really hot guy and really cute girl before realising the next day that they're actually siblings!

Quinn has always been the adventurous party type and people are naturally drawn to her. Her dark cat like eyes and half Korean complexion as well as her care free personality seems to be a winning combination for her. Quinn has never been one to follow the rules, this is evident from her insistence of wearing black air force ones instead of school shoes, a skirt way too short even for my standards and a million chains and rings because, why not. In other words, Quinn is the coolest person I know.

"Ah the smell of white privilege and upper middle class, it's good to be back." Quinn grins as we walk through the gates.

"Sawyer! Quinn!" All I see is a ball of platinum blonde hair before I'm being crushed into a massive bear hug.

"It's good to see you too Darcey how was skiing?" I hear Quinn chuckle from beside me, before being released and having air circulate back to my lungs.

"Rubbish...who going skiing during the summer holidays anyways, I wanted to be tanning on a beach somewhere."

"You don't tan Darcey, you go red remember." I remark teasingly as we head towards our lockers.

"Shut up." She grumbles as Quinn and I continue snickering "Anyways I gotta go, all the prefects have to go meet the new sixth formers; make them feel welcome and all that."

"Have fun with your prefect duties little miss prefect!" Quinn shouts down the busy hallway as she walks away.

Darcey gives her the finger in return, we laugh as we reach our lockers.

"Hey where's Emma?" I question as I grabbed English and philosophy folders from my locker.

"She's probably still in the pool, she doesn't have P1 and they have a huge gala on next Friday at the Olympic pool, the Bath Cup or something"

"Nice, we going to that?"

"Topless guys and girls in tiny bathing suits of course we're going to that"

I laugh in agreement, my tattoo tingles at the idea of going to the gala next Friday, but I try my best not to think about it...

_______________

Hi!

This is the very first chapter of A heart worth loving, hope you enjoyed it! By the way, the name of the chapter is the st Benedicts motto in Latin meaning 'From the smallest beginnings' which felt very fitting for the first chapter.

Feel free to vote, comment and just tell me what you think of the story so far. I'll try and update as frequently as I can but I don't have a set update day yet. I'm currently editing chapter two from atticus' pov so that should be up fairly soon.

So until then,

Bye!