Two days later we were boarding the school bus to the Soulreaders.

We passed by Coalstar Cave, the prettiest cave in all of Moiral, to which no one ever went because of the huge amount of ivylore surrounding it.

In case you were wondering, ivylores are large lily-looking flowers that are a pale gray, like the clouds when it's about to rain very much. They have red pollen instead of yellow and they are as pretty as they are deadly.

I really wanted to get in that cave, but couldn't because of my allergy. Some really stubborn people, actually do go inside that cave, but they are really stubborn and quite prepared. And they also need a permit to do so.

You would need a gas mask to go through that patch of flowers without dying.

I was sitting with Jasmine, Kyle was sitting with Felicia in front of us and Chris was sitting with Jon behind us.

We were planning on switching on the way back, but I doubt Kyle and Felicia would agree to commit such an atrocity and be without each other for more than ten seconds.

Soon we arrived at a huge, coral red building, with golden doors and all that expensive-looking stuff. It looked weird to us, the kids from the Clonies.

«Fancy...» Chris whistled.

«You think?» his sister asked him sarcastically as we walked in.

Personally, I felt underdressed. Everyone was wearing so formal clothes in the capital and we were just casually dressed teens. Even the teenagers wore fancier clothes.

«Okay, kids. Stand by here and do as you're told by the staff. I'm gonna hit the buffet.» Mr Crig announced and left us all alone, which is something I would call a big mistake. Leaving fifty 16-year-olds unsupervised in a building where the ashtrays were more expensive than one's apartment in the Clonies... Not the most responsible thing to do.

Fortunately, everyone was pretty dazzled by the stuff in the room, so they didn't really break anything or blow up the building like they would if we were in any other place.

A young woman, in her middle-twenties by the looks of it, approached us with a smile (which looked pretty forced) and started explaining us what we had to do.

«Alright, kids! Uh, your teacher said you're from the Clonies, right?» she asked. We all nodded. Nobody said a word.

What can I say? When people act like we're five year olds, we give them the silent treatment. Everyone does that in the Clonies, so I guess it's probably in our Clonie DNA.

«Tough crowd... Okay, here's what you have to do. Stay here and wait for the Soulreaders to call your names through the speakers. When you hear your name, just go up the stairs. There will be someone up there to help you out. Now... Don't break anything while you wait. Please. I'm already on probation.» she cringed and walked away fast and awkwardly.

A couple minutes later we heard a voice on the speakers.

«Kimberly Summers? Is there a Kimberly Summers here? Room 103 please.»

Kim waltzed by us smuggly, as if being called on first to find out who her soulmate was, made her better than the rest of us. I rolled my eyes at her as she walked by me.

Other kids were called on and returning, but for the next twenty minutes Kim was nowhere to be found.

I had started to get my hopes up, that maybe she died, when she made an appearance at the top of the stairs, while yelling at someone on the other floor.

Okay, I have to admit that what I said about her dying was pretty rude. I went too far. Sorry.

She eyed us all weirdly as she walked by, and I hardly noticed her stare lingering on Chris a little longer than on the rest of us.

I shrugged it off. Maybe it was just her undying hate for all of us.

«Christopher Berley, on room 379 please.» the speaker boomed.

Chris rushed off and went upstairs. A couple of minutes later, Felicia was called on too.

«Wish me luck.» she smiled and pecked Kyle's cheek.

Felicia looked content when she came back, but didn't say anything to Kyle. They had agreed they would only tell each other when they were both ready.

«Jinx Raven on room 193, please.» I took a deep breath and did what everyone else had done before me; I went up the stairs.

If the ground floor had been fancy, I don't know what word I would use to describe the first one. There was an old guy up there.

«Jinx Raven?» he asked. I nodded. «Follow me.»

At the end of the corridor (thank God I didn't have to go really far) there was room 193. I knocked on the door and went in.

It was a pretty normal room, unlike what I had (once again) expected. There was an office deep inside. I walked slowly and awkwardly towards it and sat in front of the same young girl that had explained to us the rules.

«Hi, I'm Psyche. You must be Jinx!» she introduced herself.

«Yeah, that's me...» I muttered nervously.

«Okay, no need to worry. This is a little more complicated than the Fatereading ceremony, but it's not as important or dumbfounding or anything. Your soulmate is probably someone you already know. I won't know who it is unless you tell me. You will see something that reminds you of him or her, their face or even a really characteristic smell. The thing is, you will just know who it is. Even if you haven't met them yet, you'll know when you meet them.» she explained. I took a deep breath. «Whenever you're ready.»

«I'm ready.» I lied.

«Okay. Give me your hand and close your eyes. I'll guide you through the whole process, alright?» she asked.

«Yeah.» I replied and gave her my hand.

She held it in her palms and chanted some stuff I didn't know what they meant, but felt like I had heard somewhere. She let go with one of her hands and held it again, but this time with some oil.

Before I could process what that was, I was having a vision.

I could smell the rain as if I was in the safety of my balcony. I could smell hot chocolate. And then I could feel extreme happiness and the warmth of a friendly hug. And then I saw a pair of green eyes.

I would recognise those eyes anywhere. These were Jon's eyes.

What the hell?

I snapped abruptly out of the vision and shot backwards.

«Are you alright?» Psyche asked worriedly.

«Uh... Yeah. I'm fine. Are we done?» I lied. This was so weird and so stressful.

«Yep. You're free to go whenever you want. Do you need anything?» she asked again.

«Can I have a glass of water, please?»

«Of course, sweetie. Wait a minute.» Psyche replied and walked off to what I assumed was the kitchen. She came back a couple seconds later with the water I asked for.

«Thank you...» I said and gulped it all down.

«It was nothing. Do you need anything else?»

«No, I'm fine. Thanks.» I shook my head.

«I'm gonna go on a blind and say you already know your soulmate...»

«Do I know him... We practically grew up together.» I explained.

«Yikes. That's always a little weird at first...» she cringed.

«Anyway... I'll deal with it. Bye!» I told her.

«Bye sweetie, and if you ever need help with anything, you know where to find me. I don't usually do that but I like you.» she smiled.

«Thanks again.»

«Don't mention it.» she said and I walked out the door.

I went downstairs and acted like nothing had happened. I noticed Jon and Jasmine were gone.

«Where did Jax and Jon go?» I asked.

«They're getting their souls read as we speak. They got called a few minutes after you left.» Chris explained.

«How long have I been gone?» I asked.

«About half an hour.» Kyle shrugged. My jaw dropped.

That couldn't have been half an hour. It was just a couple senses and about five minutes of talking.

«Kyle Flow on room 126, please.» the speaker boomed again. Kyle ran upstairs and I was left alone with the twins.

The other kids had probably gone for coffee or something until the time came to go back home.

«Does anyone want to talk about who they got?» Felicia asked.

«Not really...» Chris muttered. I nodded in agreement.

«Okay... Can I tell who I got?» she asked again hopefully.

«Let me guess; Kyle?» I guessed. Her smile gave it all away.

«I saw that one coming...» Chris sighed.

«Are you okay?» I asked him.

«Yeah. I'm fine.» he replied. I could see he was lying but I didn't push him.

Jasmine appeared at the stairs with a sad look.

«My soulmate is dead...» she sighed.

«Jessie?» I asked the obvious. Jasmine nodded bitterly.

«You?» she asked me.

«I don't wanna talk about it...» I muttered. Jon came down the stairs frowning in confusion. That worried me. A lot.

He didn't say anything, so we all got that as a sign that he didn't want to talk about who he got either.

Half an hour later, after Mr Crig realised we were over, we returned to the school and then we went home.

Chris and Jasmine wanted to sit together this time and if Ellie and Kyle were inseparable before, you should see how they were when they found out they were soulmates.

So I had to sit with Jon. And try to not make it awkward. Fortunately, it didn't take much, because we were both exhausted, so we slept on each other's shoulders during the ride back to the Clonies.

After all that fuss, we all went back to our homes to, once again, think over what had happened. Felicia went to her house to discuss the whole thing with her parents. I doubted they were gonna take it well but I still had hope for her and Kyle.

Now, a normal person might say they were moving a little too fast, so let me tell you a story.

My sister and Ben went on vacation together (our parents were there too, but still), when they were 13. She realised she liked him when our parents left, three years later. They got together when they were 17 and got engaged when they turned 20. Now Claire is 23 and pregnant.

And you know what? They're happy together and our parents didn't even allow her to check if he's her soulmate. He didn't because he didn't want to force anything. They don't know if they're meant to be, but they're in love and don't give a damn.

They can still go and find out if they're soulmates, but as I told you, they don't care. They're just glad they're happy and they're doing what everyone should be doing; they're living in the moment.

I opened the door and stopped in the house. Claire was watching TV all alone. Ben was probably at school.

«How did it go? Do you know who your soulmate is?» she asked. I sighed. I was already hiding my fate from my sister. She deserved to know that, at least.

«Jon.» I confessed.

«And you're surprised about that? I was expecting it.» she said and casually munched on her chips.

«Wait, what?» I asked her.

«Yeah, I placed a bet with Pearl, Michael and Ben this morning. We met up for a while and arranged the double date. We're going tomorrow.» I looked at her with a shocked expression on my face. «Forget I said that.» she rushed.

«I'm just so confused... I hadn't felt anything before that. Or, maybe I had and hadn't noticed. This is so weird!» I yelled, exasperated, and fell on the couch with my face.

«I get it... It will pass. You'll get used to it. Finding out about feelings you didn't know existed like that... It must be hard. I got through that. Not like you, but it was tough.» she cringed.

«Yeah, I remember the ice-cream phase...» I laughed. «Wait. Am I going to go through an ice-cream phase too?» I asked looking terrified.

«I dunno... Anyway, have you told anyone else?» she asked.

«Nope. And don't tell anyone. I don't even know if I feel anything like that yet. I don't want the word to get out.» I told her.

«Deal. Besides, this isn't the first time a Raven has fallen for a Blake.» she shrugged.

«What do you mean?» I asked.

«Before I realised I was in love with Ben, I had a tiny crush on Pearl.» she shrugged. «Don't tell him I said that.» she frowned.

«Deal.» I cracked a smile.