Bryant

I had been listening to their conversation the whole time, and when Ron said those words, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I knew he wasn't lying from the way she reacted to him touching her hand. This isn't right, it doesn't make sense. It seems too out of place that both Tes and I have two soulmates. Altearis has never had one Stameion with multiple soulmates, let alone two. Tes yanks her hand away from Ron and searches the cafeteria, finally resting her tear-filed eyes on mine. I don't know what to do. I just stare back, every bit as confused and hurt as she is.

Then she runs out. I get up to follow her and so does Ron. I push him back and give him a look, letting him know this is not his business. I don't care whose soulmate he is, he needs to sit this out. Tes is my girlfriend and MY queen. I can't see Tes anywhere in the hallway so I run to the parking lot, but she isn't there either. Her car is here, there's no way anyone could miss that vehicle.

Where could she be? Obviously, she didn't drive anywhere. Tes must've opened a portal. She could be anywhere. I can feel her distress. I know that wherever she is, she's crying. I concentrate, trying to feel where she is. I can't sense that she's in this realm, that means she is in Altearis.

I find some trees by the parking lot and open a portal to my living room in Altearis. There she is, tucked into the corner of the couch. I sit next to Tes and wrap my arms around her. The sight of her crying like this makes me tear up. This isn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be together, be soulmates and take on whatever came at us as King and Queen.

"I'm so sorry," Tes turns and cries into my chest. I shush her and run my hands through her hair repeatedly.

"It's not your fault, Tes. You didn't plan this. These things are happening and no one knows why. Ron may be your soulmate as well as me, but you don't have to be with him."

"Bryant, I felt it. I... I felt something just go into place when our hands touched. I felt the feelings I feel with you for a guy I barely know. I don't want anyone else. I only want to be your soulmate," Tes sobs.

"I love you Tes and I only want to be with you too. It's going to be hard to fight off every emotion and urge, but it gets easier. I did it for you before I even knew you were my soulmate." There's nothing in any world that I want more than her. I've suppressed everything I felt for Skigh, I don't even think about wanting to be with her anymore. Every now and then I'll feel that pull, that's it though.

"I'm so sick of this, it seems like since I found out I was a Stameion, my life has turned to crap." Tes stops crying and wipes her eyes. I feel an immense amount of guilt that she's miserable. I know I have no reason to feel guilty, but I am.

We lay there on the couch for a while. I put a few movies on, but I think we were both too lost in our thoughts to even pay attention. I can feel that Tes is stilled upset because of what happened in school. I wish I could take her mind off of it. I want to see her smile again. Then I get an idea.

"Tes, do you want to go to one of the parties I was telling you about. We can forget about all this craziness right now and have fun tonight. You're going, even if you try to say no."

A small smile appears on Tes's face. "I don't know what to wear. I would have to go home and find something."

I get up and open a portal to her room.

"Let's go then," I say, grabbing her hand, pulling her through it with me.

Tes lets my hand go and runs to her closet. She opens it and pulls out an array of outfits, mostly dresses. Tes then goes into her bathroom, saying she is going to try all of them on and that I can't see because she wants it to be a surprise. I laugh and look around her room. It's still the same as it's always been. Bright pink walls, pictures covering the walls, bean bag chairs, a desk and her queen-size bed covered in stuffed animals. Tes loves stuffed animals.

Tes steps out of the bathroom, and she looks beautiful, otherworldly, which makes sense. I gasp at her beautiful form.

"What do you think?" Tes twirls.

She is wearing an ankle length dress that is bright green. It has silver swirl patterns covering the skirt. When she twirls, it flows around her like a blooming flower. Across her head she wears a sparkling silver head band, underneath her hair flows out with subtle curls. And to complete her outfit, her make-up consists of smoky eyeshadow and winged dark green eyeliner. I sweep her into my arms and kiss her.

"Is it too much?" Tes adjusts her headband.

"Your beautiful," I say against her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Don't you ever forget it, Bryant Peters," Tes says in reply. She then escapes my grasp and opens a portal back to my home in Altearis. "Now you need to get dressed."

We go through and I go up to my room to change. I find a green dress shirt and black pants to match Tes. While lifting my shirt over my head I hear Tes behind me. I turn around.

"Wow, this view will never get old." Tes lays her hands on my chest. I may or may not workout in my free time. I cover one of her hands with mine and lift it to my lips. Tes's cheeks turn a deep shade of red and her heartbeat speeds up. She takes her other hand and puts it on the back of my neck, pulling me in for a deep, sensual kiss.

As we kiss Tes runs her hands over my, chest and back. I wrap one hand in her hair and the other one on her waist, pushing our bodies together. Just when things start to heat up, Tes pushes me away.

"You have to get ready! I don't want to be late. I'm so excited." Tes glides around the room, twirling. I throw on the outfit quickly and come my hair.

"How do I look," I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"You look handsome. You're perfect, Bryant." Tes leads me out of me bedroom.

When we exit my room Ron is standing at the tops of the stairs. He must have just gotten home. Tes stiffens beside me. Ron looks like a mess. He steps around us and into his room without a word. Tes doesn't move. I can sense what she's feeling and I don't like it. I know she's fighting it, but I can't stand feeling it.

"C'mon Tes, we'll worry tomorrow. Tonight, is for us." I tug her along.

It's dark outside due to the lack of a moon. There is still some light near the ground. We have this species of flower that light up at night, casting a golden glow upon the forest floor. I release Tes's hand and run at full speed, through the forest. Tes catches on quickly and runs along with me. When I run, it feels almost like flying. I love being in Altearis, I don't have to hide who I am.

Tes stops and gazes all around us when we arrive at the field where they hold the festivals. There are hundreds of Stameions dancing, lost in blissful hazes. Lights of every color float above their heads. Stameions have advanced technology just like humans, but we've learned how to have it and not destroy our world with it. The glowing flowers, Lunias, are planted around the field for extra natural light.

Tes dashes into the sea of people and begins dancing immediately. The way she moves so gracefully makes her look like a true Queen. She looks completely at ease, dancing with everyone. I walk down to join her, but of course she's already lost in the crowd.

When I find her, she is practically glowing with joy. The biggest smile I've ever seen covers her face.

"This is so amazing. Everything seems magical and unreal. There's so many Stameions here and there all so kind. I feel like I belong here." Tes shouts.

"You do, my queen." I smirk at her.

An older male Stameion comes and takes her hand, asking her to dance. She looks at me for permission, and I nod. He whisks her away. I have no worries about him. Then a little girl, I notice it is one of my many cousins, Liliana, comes over.

"Bry Bry, can we dance?"

She's wearing a blue dress with a tutu and she looks adorable. I lift her and spin her around causing her to burst with giggles.

The song ends, and a slower one comes on. I put Liliana down and hug her goodbye then look for Tes, again. I see her across the way and see she is making her way through the dancing couples to me also. We meet in the middle; I pull her close to me and she rests her head on my shoulder. I kiss her on the nose, and she squeaks. Typical Tes cuteness.

"Thank you, Bryant, I'm having a great time. Everything that's wrong doesn't seem so bad here." Tes nuzzles into my neck.

We sway together in a perfect silence. I wish this could last forever. I spin, then dip her, and she laughs. They say that no one is perfect, but if they knew Tes, they would change their minds. I will never stop loving this girl, this beautiful, magical girl. The song ends, unfortunately, and another fast one comes on.

We dance together. We dance until it is just us left, and even when the music stops, we dance. Finally, when we both are exhausted, we head home. We walk home slowly, admiring our surroundings and enjoying our time together. I am more than happy to distract Tes from all the pain, even if it doesn't last forever. When we eventually reach my house, it is bittersweet.

"Goodnight new world," Tes says looking in the direction we came from.

We both head upstairs. I point Tes in the direction in one of the guest rooms and kiss her goodnight. I go into my room and get undressed. After, I sit on my bed feeling like I'm missing something. I know it's because Tes isn't with me.

My door bursts open, making me jump up and I see Tes in the doorway. She stands there and stares at me. She's still in her dress, looking like a goddess. An overwhelming need to kiss her takes over me. I stand up and look at Tes. I know she feels it, too. It's like a fire burning between us; it always is. I take her hand and gently pull her to me.

We stand like that for only a short time before the fire becomes unbearable. I look Tes in her eyes as my lips close the distance between us. Once our lips meet, any control we had, is gone. Tes tangles her hands in my hair and pulls me closer so that there is no space between us. I kiss her neck quickly making her giggle. I take in the happiness of that giggle. I love this girl. I would get the moon for her if she wanted it.

I pick Tes up and lay her down on the bed. She is smiling. Her beautiful hair is splayed around her, and her eyes are holding my whole life within them. Tes pulls me down to her, and our fire becomes explosive. She takes of my shirt and traces her fingers around every curve on my chest and back. I want her, now. I gaze into her eyes for permission; to know she wants this too. Tes hesitates, but then she nods. Together we make love for the very first time, but not the last. I plan on loving her far longer than eternity.

I wake up to Ron yelling that we're gonna be late if we don't get up. I look around, and Tes is still in my arms sleeping. I gently shake her awake. She is glowing. Last night was the best night of my life.

"Come on, beautiful, we're going to be late if you don't wake up." I get up and throw a hoodie on with dark jeans.

Tes looks at me and smiles like she is the happiest girl in the world. I delight in her happiness, even though we'll both have to face the bitter reality of Ron being her soulmate. Tes sits up in bed with the blankets around her.

"I don't have any clothes here," Tes states, worried.

I walk to my closet and pull out a wife beater, a hoodie and some skinny jeans. Hey, lots of guys have their skinny jean faze, don't judge.

Tes takes the clothes and heads to the bathroom. As she walks out, Ron walks in. I immediately feel guilty and hope Ron didn't see. Tes is my girlfriend though. I shouldn't feel bad.

"Hey man, you alright?" I should be the one asking him that. He looks worse than he did yesterday.

"I'm fine. Listen, I know you what happened yesterday. I'm not sure why we are both her soulmates, and I don't blame you for anything. I just want to let you know that Tes is with me, so don't try anything."

"Bryant, she is yours. I'll do everything in my power to keep it that way," Ron says in reply.

We look at one another for a moment, but then Tes comes back in, fully dressed. She opens the portal like a pro and goes through. I stand there for a second wondering how she got so good. Tes brings me back to life by yelling something at me, and I step through the portal and get ready for the beginning of many difficult days.

Ron and Tes disappear as soon as we get to school. I'm sure they're not together, I don't think Tes is ready to speak to Ron yet. I know she has accepted what's going on and she is trying to hold herself together, but I can feel it's not working too well. During lunch, I see Tes and Ron sitting at the same table talking, but Tes still doesn't seem ok. She is just playing with her food and occasionally responds to whatever Ron says. Normally, I would listen in, but I'm not so sure that would help me at this point. I'd rather to go back to last night, Tes's silk touch and intoxicating scent, her smile.

I decide not to eat lunch and spend the period outside in the courtyard. When I walk outside, I immediately feel a little better, especially with the sun beating down on me. I love being outdoors. It's one of the things that soothes me. I hear someone come in behind me.

"Hey, Bryant. What's going on with you and Tes? You guys haven't been together all day, and Tes hasn't spoken to me either. I'm kind of worried." I open my eyes and look at her. She does look worried.

"Can you just go away? I don't want to deal with you right now." It comes out harsh and Skigh flinches. I don't mean what I said, I just don't want to feel what she makes me feel.

"You know, I thought we were finally over the immature fighting, but I guess not!" Skigh cries and storms away. Damn, this is just not my week. I'm not going to let Skigh be mad at me though because I don't want to fight any longer either.

I find her easily by the window that overlooks the garden in the courtyard. I walk over slowly trying to plan what I'm going to say. Skigh doesn't look at me, and she's not crying either. She is a pretty strong girl when it comes down to it.

"Skigh...I'm sorry. It's just this week hasn't had a very good start for me, and I took it out on you. That was wrong," I say sincerely. Half of it is the truth at least.

"Why did that happen, Bryant? When we were younger? It was like you electrocuted me, but there was no pain." Skigh still stares out at the garden. Wow, I was not expecting that. I wasn't sure she even remembered.

How am I supposed to tell her she is my soulmate, but I wanted Tes instead? I don't answer her right away. instead, I think back to that night.

It was during the time Tes and I got into a fight. I was hanging out with Skigh all the time. The night it happened, we were in my backyard, and she was swinging and tried to jump off and didn't land right. I gave her my hand to help her up, and that's when the sparks went throughout both our hands. She pulled her hand away from me horrified.

I was horrified too; humans weren't supposed to be able to be a Stameion's soulmate. How was I supposed to tell my family that one of the creatures they despised most was my soulmate?

I take a deep breath. "I'm not sure how to put this. You probably won't believe me." I pause. Why am I even telling her this? Humans aren't allowed to know about us, but this seems like a special circumstance and I'm tired of all the lies.

Skigh looks at me expectantly. "I can't believe I'm about to tell you this. Skigh, I'm your soulmate."