iMate

All around her, screaming girls yelled in her ears. Claire could barely think, let alone speak, so she was thankful Sydney’s hand was still wrapped around hers in the only form of communication they had.

Her other hand moved to her ear, rubbing the small chip just to remind herself that it was still there. It was completely unnoticeable to her now – no itching, no pain and most of all, no pulse.

Claire and Sydney were some of the lucky few who were able to snag front row tickets, and Claire was overjoyed in the fact.

In just a few minutes, the members of One Direction would be only a few feet away from them, close enough that they could almost touch. Even now, Claire could touch the stage with her fingers. The same stage the boys’ feet would be landing on at any moment.

Her heart was racing in her chest, making her pulse pound like the thuds of the screams of the crazy fans. She was so excited she could barely breathe.

On a screen in front of the stage, a clock appeared and began moving its hands forward, speeding up until the hands weren’t visible at all. The clock was then replaced with a series of numbers, that counted slowly back from ten. As the numbers got smaller and smaller, nearing the end of the countdown, all the girls’ screams got louder.

Claire wanted to scold them for being loud, but she couldn’t, because she was just as loud as they were. When your nerves were that wild, you couldn’t do much screaming.

When the clock hit zero, and music began playing, the venue was a roar. The only sound that could be heard was that of the fans yelling.

The boys graced the stage, their arms in the air as they skipped around. They were pumped up, which only made the crowd more excited. They didn’t wait for the crowd to calm down before singing, and instead used it to their advantage.

Their voices were loud and excited, but only just barely audible. Pretty soon, the crowd realized they’d have to calm down if they wanted to hear the boys, and the yelling was replaced with the sound of the same girls singing along with the lyrics to the song.

Claire could feel her pulse racing, as she watched her idols dance just a few feet in front of her. It was the best moment of her life, hands down, and her body felt tingly in response. Even the birth of her future children couldn’t compare to this moment.

Sydney’s hand wrapped tighter around hers, and they threw them to the air. Waving their arms back and forth with the rest of the crowd, the girls moved their hips, as they began singing as well.

The entire venue had a certain vibe to it that wouldn’t allow you to do anything but scream, dance, or sing. The boys just radiated that happy feeling that passed over the entire crowd. It was one of the many reasons why Claire loved them and why she had dragged Sydney to the show with her.

Even though Syd was just as big a fan of One Direction as she was, she hadn’t been as excited for the concert as Claire. Sydney hated crowds and noise, and most of all, screaming girls. Claire had always been the outgoing one, and Sydney was always the sensible one. They balanced each other out and made an overall perfect pair. Any quality you couldn’t find in Claire, you could find in Sydney, and vice versa.

The boys were constantly moving around the stage, never staying in the same spot for long. They’d reach their hands out into the crowd, causing the girls to scream in response. There was nothing they could do that wouldn’t make the crowd scream louder. Louis would jump into the air and the crowd would scream. Harry would make his voice soft and the girls would yell. Anytime Niall did anything, the girls would cry out.

Directly in front of Claire, just a few inches away, Liam sang out to the crowd.

I know you’ve never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile.

He continued singing, but Claire didn’t hear a word after that. His hand reached out to the crowd as the words fell from his lips. Claire reached out, hoping to slide her fingers against his.

His hand grazed against hers, and even as brief and as quick as it was, it sent her body in a frenzy. From the top of her head to the tip of her toes, she felt a pulse that moved through her like wind pushed against trees. The feeling was so strong and so different from anything she’d ever felt. She didn’t even have to question what it was. She knew immediately that it was her iMate telling her, screaming at her, that Liam Payne was her soulmate.

The pop star she’d been pining over for at least a year was her perfect match.

Her breath caught in her throat as her head went swimming. She could no longer breathe or move, or even form a coherent thought. Sydney didn’t appear to notice Claire’s sudden change, and she realized that no one had. No one else knew that she’d just found her soulmate – not even Liam.
It was then that she remembered what the doctor had said. He had warned her so subtly she almost hadn't noticed it at all.



“Please remind me why we’re doing this.” Sydney’s voice was practically a whisper and she was lucky Claire had even heard it at all.

Claire spun around, her hand still wrapped on Sydney’s wrist, prepared to continue dragging her after she was done speaking. “Don’t you want to meet them?”

Sydney’s mouth tightened, as she looked back at Claire. Of course, nothing Sydney could say would make Claire change her mind. Whether Sydney liked it or not, Claire was going to drag her to the front of the venue to wait for the boys to leave, just like the thousand other screaming girls.

Before Sydney could respond, Claire gripped tighter onto her hand and continued pulling her through the many girls.

A crowd far too thick to push through had gathered outside the venue doors. Even though each one of the girls had just finished seeing the boys perform live, they were still ready to wait outside for hours just for one more glimpse of them.

The whole time they pushed through the girls, they were met with elbows and knees fighting just as hard as they were to get to the front.

When a yell started at the front of the crowd and moved slowly to the back, Claire knew that the boys had just exited the building. If she didn’t push harder, she was going to miss her chance.

After a few more shoves and a couple more elbows to the face, Claire had made it to where only a metal barrier separated her from the boys. She had no idea what she was going to do from there. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

The girls next to her were all screaming to loud for any of them to make sense, and Claire knew any words she spoke would fall against deaf ears. Nothing she said would ever be heard. She could scream as loud as she wanted but Liam would never hear her.

It was then that she remembered what the doctor had said.

The iMate can tell you who your soulmate is, but it can’t make them fall in love with you.