When you called me
I became your flower

Neutral Bay-  New South Wales

Inner North Shore Suburbs

You were thinking about catching stingrays when your alarm started to buzz. You took hold of that pointless alarm clock and threw it against your painted slate wall. It was worse on the seventh alarm. You're grinning mindlessly while another one perishes.

You could be happier in the morning. With a moan, you crawled behind your covers, determined not to acknowledge the start of a new semester and your dislike of being stuck at university, where youths want to become adults!

A loud voice rang out from behind your closed door. Gazing through your patterned duvet cover, you watched as the door slowly opened to reveal an orange-red, curly-haired woman with a wide smile peering inside.

"Ruby, reckon you'll get the next one? G'day, lovely Merida!" Your dear mom pops in with a big cup of coffee.

You throw the duvet back over your red hair, frustrated. Gosh! You hate that name.

"G'day, Mum. Can you please stop calling me Merida!" You snapped impatiently.

Ever since she watched the Pixar film 'Brave,' your mum's been head over heels for that redheaded princess who's just like you—courageous, rebellious, fiery, and, of course, with that red hair. Etc...etc.

Your university peers even make fun of your ridiculous name, which is something you can't bear. Everyone respects that fearless personality. You got into many fights back in school because of your hair and the adorable freckles on your nose. You had a reputation for being easily agitated and frequently being made fun of for your appearance. It made you feel uneasy about who you were and unattractive. However, you have had a boyfriend since you were sixteen, and he liked you just like you did.

Your mother smiled warmly when you woke up and sipped your coffee.

"G'day, Mum, why'd you put in only two spoons of sugar? I take four. It's so bitter. Cheers for the cuppa," you said, placing the mug down and noticing your mother's concerned expression.

"Ruby, I'm sorry if I upset you yesterday, but your old man wants to see you and reconnect. It's not all his fault," she cautiously informed you.

"Yeah, right. Heard that a million times. It's always the system's fault," you scoffed, air-quoting with your fingers. "Does he think I'm thick? I'm not slow or dumb."

"Ruby, please!" Your mother began pleading, a move you detest. The incident was fourteen years ago, but forgiveness hadn't come yet.

"No... No! He's not my dad, Mum. He always thought he was top dog—better than everyone else. Let me go for my annual. Calling me after years of abandonment just rubs salt in the wound," you felt a migraine brewing from the suppressed fury. You couldn't handle it right now.

You bolted out of bed to run a bubble bath, wanting to block out anything about your father, the source of your pain. It's February, time to head back to uni for your master's degree.

Your mother, sitting on the bed, watched you with soulful eyes. She grabbed your arm before you dashed to the bathroom. "Are you sure, love? Don't let it stop you from being happy. Our mistakes won't be yours or your siblings'. Be the best you that you can be, okay? Don't give up on love."

You chuckled bitterly. "Love's overrated. Watching Mom's heartbreak is the worst. Look at you and 'dad.' Both of you were hurt." You wiped your face. "You started dating at 27, married at 28, had me at 29, Bryant at 31, Becky at 33, then dad got his 'late whisperer mark' at 34 and found his 'true' soulmate at 36. He could've said no; he was already married and had moved on, but no, when he saw her, he forgot all about us. So, tell me again: if this system isn't messed up, don't blame it on the system. He lost love for your mother, who supported him for years and helped him through law school, so you abandoned your dreams of being a stay-at-home mom. And what did he do while you raised three kids? He packed his bags and left in the dead of night with his beautiful blond bombshell to New Zealand, starting fresh, forgetting about the poor red clan. So, I hate him, and I hate this system!" The bitterness was palpable.

You broke free and ran to the bathroom, tears streaming down your cheeks.

Your mother's eyes welled up, too. The pain still lingers after 14 years, and you've not recovered from your dad's betrayal. She doesn't know how to mend your relationship with your dad, and it does nothing to prevent you from reliving the pain.

You sobbed in the tub. The betrayal by two men you loved hurt too much.

You used your 'Alchemist' cosmetic products to scrub your face hard, hoping to forget.

That was half a decade ago. Your first puppy love was before the soul mark appeared. Greg Sutherland and two of your girlfriends first met in a theme park. You clicked right away. He went to Redlands Private School in New South Wales, which is close to your home, when he was 16 and in Year 10.

When you both turned twenty, you had been together for five years. However, he met and fell in love with a girl who wasn't even his soulmate on a three-week family vacation to Hawaii. He returned and broke up with you, claiming his ridiculous "deep connection" with her as his reason for doing so.

He was annoyed because you were unwilling to pursue a deeper relationship. How absurd! You gave it some thought. Could he have overlooked the moral code for under-20s before receiving his soul mark?

You were in complete shock. It wasn't easy to move on for a full year. Two difficult years have passed since you lost the person you believed to be your soul mate. You were supposed to have him forever. He even moved to study at Perth University, another university, to study acting. He had his new girlfriend, Willow, there. Much prettier than you.

Your confidence fell from 50 per cent to zero. Samantha is the friend from whom you need a lot more since she supported you, encouraged you to start over, and saw your worth. It changed the way you saw life.

You got rid of all those phoney pals who were secretly wishing for your breakup with Greg, and you changed your phone number. You disappeared from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and all other social media sites. You could only be located by Samantha, her family, and the lecturers. No one else.

She said Greg had asked her for your contact information a few weeks prior. None of it appeals to you. Ironically, it turns out that he is also tarnished. Not even his soul partner was his "new true love.".

He became popular as a model, getting roles in acting and business due to his good looks. But when you turned 21, you were marked as Tarnished. Another kind of outcast in society. It's not a happy situation, perhaps because deep-rooted resentment still lingers.

You've been scrapping since middle school and getting into problems all the time, so your mother insisted on therapy. You were class president, an ace in volleyball, and an excellent student. Perhaps the kids were afraid and voted for you.

You attempted to move on. Samantha and you both secured part-time jobs at a five-star hotel. Three weeks was all it lasted. You met this really attractive Asian guy then; he was so hot! You quickly fell in love with him and had a secret romance.

You thought your belief in love was restored until you caught him flirting with another girl. You shook your head, not wanting to dwell on the past. But you quit the hotel job that day and swore off "love" forever. Your heart's closed, never to love again. Fortunately, fate stamped you Tarnished just like your folks. Now you have a choice.

No more worries about soulmate nonsense. It still hurts, but you're 23 now, wiser, and mentally stronger.

You make sure your makeup's flawless,dressed in your skinny blue jeans, army print tee, and denim jacket. Your deep, melted honey eyes shine.

You double-check your bags for the upcoming first semester. You got your undergraduate game development degree in early February. You love playing on your PlayStation, PC, or mobile. Some years ago, you were a Sims fanatic.

With your Digo duffle bag, you roll your luggage out.

You find your mom and siblings at the breakfast table, laughing and chatting casually.

Your mom flashed a grin, and your sibling shouted out a loud greeting. Mum dished up a ripper brekkie with snags, eggs, toast, bacon, corn fritters—the whole shebang. This morning, Mom was flat out.

She nods towards the spread. "Get in, love; tuck into Brekkie, Becky. We'll need to scoot; traffic might be bonkers."

Becky looks stoked; it's her first day as a Y12 senior. She's pumped to kick off the new year at 17.

She grinned and snagged a slice of brown toast, slathering on some Vegemite, her favourite. You can't stand that stuff; it's the end of the story. But Aussies go nuts for it, especially in this house. You give her a grin. "Ready to tackle Y12?"

"Oh yeah, dead set... I'm hoping our teachers are tops this year. Otherwise, I might go troppo."

She pulls a face, but there's a tad of worry in her nutbrown eyes. She's a redhead, too, covered in freckles all over; she still looks cute. On the other hand, Bryant has no freckles, and his hair's more dark brown than red. Pair that with his hazelgreen eyes—lucky bloke. He's got a soul mark and met his 'soulmate' at med school at the Uni of Sydney. He's 21.

Genetics blessed you and Becky with red hair. You sport freckles dotted across your nose, and fellas dig it... If they ever ask you out, you give them a heads-up about the chance of ending up with a bloody nose or a busted bone. Thankfully, you've got the best makeup to cover it up.

"Don't stress, Becky; reckon you'll snag top-notch teachers this year." You settled in for a scrumptious brekkie with the fam.

Your mother left you and your siblings to enjoy breakfast by yourselves. She's in the kitchen making Bryant and you some sweet treats, like bikkies.(biscuits) You both crash in different digs (dorms) and attend separate universities. You're a resident of Yura Mudong Student Housing at UTS, the University of Technology, Sydney.

Bryant chuckles, "I hope you don't get stuck with that old maths dragon. She was a right pain back in school. No one in her class scored below 80%. I owe her big time. Now I'm on the path to becoming a neurologist."

You only had a couple of bacon strips, some pork snags, and two sunny-side-up eggs.

"Finish your brekkie; don't waste it," your mom says, eyeing your still-full plate.

"Urgh, Mum, I'm chockers and not hungry," you tell her.

"I have to leave now, Mum. I'll be back in two weeks. "When your two siblings were finished, you quickly wiped your mouth and helped clear the table. You kiss your sister and wish her luck, getting a promise that she'll text you. Hugging Bryant, you pass on your regards to Lily, his soulmate.

You grab all the containers from your mum's hands and hug her tightly.

"Thanks a bunch... You're my hero. We'll work hard as your kids and make it right for you..."

She beams brightly, still keeping a positive outlook on life. Her current main goal is to see her kids, especially Becky, through school. Her older kids secured scholarships for their studies, so they're sorted.

Glancing around to ensure privacy, you ask your mum quietly, "Mum... are we going to lose the house? I saw the letter in the study... the bank's talking about taking it back?" You seem worried.

She shakes her head, "No, we won't lose this place. I'm doing everything I can to save it. Alright? We're not moving again. This is a safe community."

"Alright, but fill me in on everything. I'm your partner in crime. We're in this together." Giving her another hug, you swear to yourself that someday she'll live a life of luxury. You can't even afford new furniture or fancy stuff.

Becky can't work part-time at the seafood joint anymore; she's gotta focus solely on finishing Year 12.

Your mum grins and kisses your cheek, "I'll ensure you're safe and have a top-notch new year as a master's student."

"Please stay safe, Mum," you express your concern.

You head out of the backyard and to the garage to load up your ride—an orange brown  Ford Falcon 2017. Opening the boot, you stuff your bags with sweets and snacks.

You hop into the car, the automatic garage doors swing open, and reverse out. You waved to your siblings and mum as you bolted through the gates.

Samanta and Brendon buzzed you and gave you the lowdown on where to meet up. You're stoked to be back at uni. This year, you're aiming high for the best-paid internships.

Tune in to your favourite radio brekkie show, Ben Fordham Live, during the early hours. Bloody entertaining. Remember his chat with Naomi Watts, the A-list actress, a few days back.

You rocked up at the main gate of UTS in just over 11 minutes. Your uni's a bloody masterpiece in architecture. The whole place is a sweet glass set-up. The light is streaming into the building's epic. Hanging out in the academic block during winter days is always a hoot. You're mad about your uni. Parked your wheels in the student lot until you sorted out your new digs.

Two of your mates, who never stop squabbling, were heading your way at the entrance. You greeted them with heaps of excitement.  haven't seen them for a couple of weeks.

"

"G'day, you two still at each other's throats over the small stuff," you jest at the pair. Samantha pulls you into a long, tight hug.

"Yep, always have. When have we not?" She laughs.

"Yeah, like when you're pashing ( kissing), thinking no one's watching," you tease with raised eyebrows.

"Oi! That's not..." she protests, cutting you off. You stifle a laugh.

"Hey there, Brendon. How's it going?" you address the lone bloke in your crew. He's the most chilled despite being friends with a firecracker like Sam.

"Not too shabby, mate!" Brendon grins down at you.

"Heard you were a bit devo yesterday. How's things hanging?" Sam looks at you, a touch of concern in her eyes. Even if you tried to hide it with mascara, your eyes might still seem red.

"I'm doing spiffy, just peachy," you reply, a tad sarcastic.

She smiles at you.

You adore this girl. She's always in tune with your feelings, easily spotting any fibs. Best buds since you were ten. Mixed Aboriginal-white, Samantha Harrison. The same year as you, studying game design.

She's also a part-time model. The school was tough on both of you. Dealt with a lot of racist bullies targeting Sam. She was always calm and collected. Not much ruffles her feathers. She's an introvert but stands her ground strong. That's why she can throw down in an argument.

He gave me a warm hug.

He's doing chemical engineering, and his folks are rolling in it. Brendon's known as the big notes man, a label he can't stand. The Titus family's loaded.

Surprisingly, he and Samantha are red-gold soulmates. Back in school, they couldn't stand each other. Always butting heads, trying to outdo the other.

You grab them both by the elbows and steer them toward the assembly hall.

"Why're you at it again?" You chuckle at the pair.

"He's on about me moving in, but I've said no a thousand times. I don't believe in moving in together before tying the knot," she snaps back.

"Blimey! Are we all hormonal or what!" you exclaim in surprise.

Brendon moans, "We're planning to get hitched, Sam. We're red-gold. The system already bonds us."

"Yeah, I'll wait for your ring and proposal in two years. But I'm not ready to play house with you," she says, peeking.

They're red-gold, tough to be apart for so long.

"I've missed you, Sammy," he pouts, looking over you to his soulmate. You sigh.

"No need, I'm right here. So pull yourself together... will you? Oh, and by the way, I love you too," she huffs.

Sometimes, you get weary of these two warring soulmates.

They loathed each other for ages, and now they're head over heels in love, much to their parents' amusement. FATE played them well.

"I love you, my little Abogi!" He smirks.

"Oh no, not that!" Sam whines.

You giggle. These two soulmates will be the death of you... but you adore them to bits.

A/n  Hey, superstar readers. I hope you are thriving and healthy. Gosh, it took a while to get to Serendipity. To all my Jimin stans. Here is our first chapter 1. I've updated the character profiles. Kindly check it out.

Please vote and comment. I would love to hear your thoughts on this story.

A shout for the first commenters.

@PornesianParapio94