I didn't realise at first. I thought he was just another person. My brain hadn't quite yet realised what my heart already had. I could tell he was getting quite sick of constantly introducing himself so I thought I could change it up a bit; make things different. "So you're the new guy huh? The name's Matthias and I'm from Denmark!" I grinned, a full length smile decorating my features. "Born and raised in Norway, Lukas Bondevik." We became quite close in that lesson. He was actually really funny and, by the end of the lesson, he had gone from frowning to smiling. It suited him. It suited him so well. For me, well, by the end of that lesson I had fallen. And man, I had fallen hard. 

You see, I'm also linked to the magical world. I was born in the Danish part of it and grew up there. However, it got too dangerous when - you guessed it - the government showed up. Now my family lives at the top of the cliff that Yao's house is situated at the bottom of. There are many complicated enchantments on the border between our world and theirs and it's my family's job to regulate who comes through and who doesn't. My ability is to see people's souls. I can see whether they're good or bad. Another thing that comes with this is that I can see small parts of information about the person. Sometimes it's hobbies, other times it can be deep dark secrets that I wouldn't share with the world even if I was to die if I didn't. This ability helps us decide who is able to cross the border and who shouldn't. It helps us see if they're the enemy or not. When I saw Lukas, I found out that he had a younger brother whom he adored more than anything. But with that... just one word. Suicidal. The guy I have a crush on is suicidal. 

 That was why it made me so joyful that he was smiling by the end of our encounter. Nothing has ever made me as happy as that moment. When I saw him smiling, I just knew. I really liked this guy. And for the next couple of nights, everything was fine. That's is, until my ability showed me something new. More specifically, while asleep I found myself viewing Lukas' entire life. Not only did I view his life, I viewed it as if I was Lukas. I saw everything. Lukas as a baby, when his brother was born, when his mother died (that was especially painful to watch), his brother having to live in Denmark for awhile (he actually stayed with us) and when he was bullied throughout secondary school. 

Sometimes I would wake up and still think I was Lukas. I experienced all his private thoughts, his emotions and suffering. This caused me to sometimes walk into the bathroom, pick up a razor, roll up my sleeve... Thankfully, as soon as I laid the razor on my wrist I realised who I was. That would always snap me out it. The dreams were quite sporadic as well. Some nights there was nothing, some nights there were so many things. What was the weirdest part of this was finding out why I was having these dreams. Sure, I'd never had a crush before but was my ability going to make me live the person's life each time I grew to like someone too much to be recognised as platonic?

I found out one evening when my parents and I were all around the table, eating a meal. My dad just looked up at me and said: "So, I think you're almost near that age. The one where you meet your soulmate and our ability causes us to dream of that person's life through their eyes." Needless to say, I had to spit out my drink back into its glass from shock. "What?!" And then my mum just chimes in with this, "It happened to your father and I. It's perfectly normal." Yeah, I guessed as much. I'm more shocked about the fact that Lukas is my soulmate over anything.  

A few weeks passed and I got even closer to Lukas. Each experience only made me fall for him harder. "Hello, Matthias. How's your day been so far?" He glances at me. Just that one glance gave me so many emotions and so many butterflies blossomed in my stomach. The lesson was normal until, for whatever the reason is still unknown by me, I collapsed. Completely fainted in the middle of class. Nothing was wrong with me either. A flashback of Lukas' past entered my mind and this one consisted of him staring at a drawer. He opened it up and grabbed the large knife concealed under many objects and paper. He was so calm and collected as he held it by his chest, head glancing around to make sure his brother wouldn't walk in on him. Lukas then exhales and whispers, "Here goes." Immediately, I'm filled with intense pain as he plunges the knife deep into his chest, rivers of blood gushing from the wound. More things happened after that but I wasn't paying attention. None of that mattered to me. Only the fact that I had just seen the person whom I care about most stab themself in the chest.

When I awoke, I was in the Nurse's office, lying down on a bed, tears streaming down my face. A face peers over and realised I'm awake. "Thank God! Matthias! I was so worried!" Lukas. Lukas is here. Lukas is alive. And he's standing right over me, wondering why I'm sobbing my heart out. He pulls me into a tight hug and I cry into his chest. Oh God. His chest. "Matthias? What's wrong? Are you ok?" Our eyes become level and I'm honestly surprised that his are full of concern. I have no clue what to say. How do I start off a conversation that's about the fact he almost died? I wipe the tears away, "Lukas, I, um, just want you to know that you are the most beautiful, most amazing person I have ever met." And I'm hopelessly, irretrievably, eternally in love with you. But those words don't come out my mouth. It's too soon. He barely knows me and is just recovering from a suicide attempt. "At the end of the year, when you leave, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life without you in it." Suddenly, Lukas is crying slightly. "That-" He starts, "Is probably the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Thank you... just... thank you."
"Hey, don't cry. I'm your friend. Friends say this sort of stuff to each other."
"Well I guess I don't know how it feels." We're still in each other's embrace. "Because of society?"
He nods, "To them I'm a freak. A freak who can see magical creatures."
"Let me tell you a secret." He glances at me, "I can see them too. You're definitely not alone Lukas. You may have been before but you will never be walking through life by yourself ever again."

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I really should be doing something more productive XD Jk, I love you guys and this story. I don't think I've ever been so motivated before. Usually 8 chapters would take me 8 months not 8 weeks.

I found these really cool pictures on Instagram (art is not mine - I'm not as talented as whoever the artist is). I'll post one every chapter.

(Sorry about the stuff around it.)

Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!
Bye!
~Peanutsfan1