Spark

My mother once told me, 'when you see them, you'll know', whenever I asked about her relationship with my father, and how they met.

I learned what this meant when I turned eight. My mother and father sat me down on the couch and explained what soulmates were. My mother, Isobel, and my father, Peter, met when they were sixteen.

When you meet your soulmate, their body surrounds in a light. A yellow light; a literal light. I always found this strange, but when I was in public and people met their soulmates, it was confirmed that yes, there was a light. Soulmates can be boys or girls; it doesn't really follow the 'boys with girls, girls with boys' rule. A person only gets one soulmate, because that's their perfect match. When you see them, their body surrounds in the light. You both see it if it's a true perfect match.

"You'll know as soon as you see the light, Alex," my father told me.

I've been excited to meet my soulmate since I was young. Whenever we went to the store or anywhere, I always looked around for the yellow light. My mother said I was too young to even start looking at the time, and I would meet mine later. She also said that I should stop looking; looking would get me nowhere. Finding my soulmate would be effortless, like it was for everyone else.

I was on a trip to New York in senior year. The streets were busy, and the city was always alive. The lights were brightly colored while the goes were grey and white hues, the occasional yellow taxi here and there. The cars always moved, and took the streaks of their neutral colors and lights with them. It reminded me of a glow stick in the dark being wiggled around too quickly.

We were allowed to go on our own for the day. I just wanted to walk through Times Square and maybe buy a snow globe or something. I went on my own, while most of the classes went in pairs. Some kids met their soulmates, and some have had theirs since freshman year. I felt incredibly lonely, surrounded by strangers who'd probably never know my name. There were so many people — was this how cars felt during traffic? Jesus Christ.

I'd been bumped and pushed and shoved around like there was no tomorrow. I was thin and tall, so I was easily maneuvered around. This could've been a good or bad thing, but in this instance, it was definitely bad. If I fell over, I'd be trampled. Too many people to step on me and keep me down, and not enough to strength to pull myself up and forward.

There were tons of people trying to get to their jobs. I could tell by their suits. They had papers and coffee, and they walked with a purpose.

No one stood out.

I was eighteen; most people met their soulmates by sixteen or seventeen.

There was one person who stood out to me. A mop of dark hair pushed through the crowd, rushing to get past everyone. He didn't look much older than me, but he was definitely working an office job...

There there was the yellow light. It surrounded him completely.

I was pushing; running past people, making my way through the crowd. Each person only had one soulmate, and I couldn't afford to mess this up. This might've been my only change. This was my only soulmate.

When I finally got to him, I was out of breath. I quickly fixed my scarf, and held my hand out. "Alex," I said, coffee colored eyes glancing up into his darker ones. My word was rushed, but it was there.

"I'm going to be late," he told me. Normally, I would've felt bad. I hated making people late almost as much as I hated to be late. This was something that would change the rest of my life, though. This was an exception. When I didn't budge, and continued standing there with my hand held our, he sighed. "Jack," he breathed.

Jack's hand shook mine, and I was sure I had been electrocuted, or something. Jack looked down at me, puzzled. Did I grip his hand too tightly?

Up close, the yellow light was almost white. I was remembering everything my mother told me.

Don't look for your soulmate...

Each person only has one soulmate...

Finally, after Jack hadn't said anything, I spoke. My voice was strong, but I was scared. This was the start of the rest of my life.

"Do you see it, too?"

Jack stared down at me. His thick brows furrowed together, and his tongue poked out of his mouth in thought. My gaze was hopeful, but anxious. My heart felt like it was about to beat through my bones. He kept the confused look on his face as he spoke his next two words.

"See what?"