"How," I began asking, "how the hell are you still here? I thought you said that your religions' point of view is one strike, and you're out."
Sam grinned, "Once I got back to my house, the council summoned me to a meeting. At that meeting, I had found out they had listened to your rants and decided to discuss it. After that meeting, they had agreed to give me more chances. How are you feeling," she asked me as I round the counter.
I shrugged, "I'm feeling much better, especially now that I can do more," I replied, "so it was because of me that they let you stay?"
Sam nodded as she looked around the house, "Where's Aili?"
"She's at work," I answered absentmindedly. "I was doing college prep things and rereading one of those books I'm supposed to read for my temporary driver's license," I explained. "Why do you ask?"
"I wanted to sort of giving her that same surprise. I didn't know that she was back at work. I was only allowed to watch you guys now," she answered, and I nodded. "Something I believe they should've done last time, so I knew when one of you were in danger," she muttered as I closed the door.
"How would you be watching us," I asked her, and she smiled
"I can see what's going on with the both of you. I can divide my mind in two and watch what you're doing-especially if I feel that you two are in any pain. Sometimes it's really disturbing when I pretty much tune in to watch you two," she said sheepishly as I blushed
"So, you can pretty much see through our eyes," I asked, and she nodded as I thought for a minute. "What is Aili doing now," I asked her, and she smiled before she closed her eyes and breathed
"She's currently blocking out a man's flirtatious actions towards her while she's scanning his products," Sam answered. "She's getting tired of this many flirtatious people around her," she added, and I smiled as she opened her eyes. "You do need to go on a grocery run though, care to surprise her there," she asked as I chuckled
I nodded, "Yeah, just let me get ready to go outside because I'm not going to surprise my soulmate in pajamas," I said, and she nodded with a smile
"Keep in mind that I'm paying for everything for you two aside from your college education until you both get sustainable jobs," she yelled as I started climbing the stairs
"I will keep that in mind, thank you," I yelled back before closing the door to get changed. I put on a short-sleeved tie-dye t-shirt, a short-sleeved jean jacket, along jean shorts. I put my hair up in a high ponytail and fed it through the loop of a worn Yankees baseball cap as I slid on some converse. "Okay, I'm ready," I said as I climbed down the stairs with a smile on my face.
Sam looked me up and down before nodding in approval, "I would take some mace or something for self-defense, but those legs look like they can kick the nuts off of even a woman," she said, and I smiled. "Let's go," she said, and I nodded, following her out of the house with my phone and house keys. "It's a good thing you finished everything," she said with a grin.
"If I hadn't, I wouldn't have done this right now," I said, and she smiled as we got into the car. "What did you tell her as you two were leaving the hospital the other day," I asked her once she started the car.
Sam sighed, "I told her that I couldn't tell her the future of either of you, all that I told her was that she could get through it if you died and what her choices were if you did die and a name didn't appear. On her wrist."
I nodded, but then Sam sighed once more, "What's wrong?"
"It was what happened before Tracy came," she said, and I arched an eyebrow, "Aili was telling me how she screamed for you, but you didn't hear it. I had her try it while making the rest of the soundproof; after she screamed, Tracy came saying that she heard it even when the whole house was soundproof."
I blinked, "So what you're saying is that the intruder wasn't an ordinary man," I asked, and she nodded. "Why didn't any of you tell me this beforehand," I asked her.
"Because Aili asked me not to when Tracy was helping her clean, she asked me not to because she didn't want you to worry. The man is in jail, so there isn't any point in this," she explained as my lips pressed into a line.
"Yeah, but there's a chance that there may be more people like him, not just the fact that he didn't have a soulmate but because they may have the same abilities as him," I said, and she nodded.
"I'm sorry, Liz," she said, and I shook my head.
"There's no reason for you to apologize. You only did what you were asked to. I'm not mad at you for that," I said, and Sam smiled as we started pulling out of the driveway. "I wish she told me that at least when she was leaving for work because of the number of times I was left home alone and helpless. I just got the email today that I could resume rigorous activities," I explained, and Sam nodded in response. "Aili made me promise her when we went back to my mother's home to tell her if I didn't feel good like I had chest pain or something," I said, and she looked at me.
"I want you to tell me if you ever feel something like that as well," she began, and I nodded. "When were any of you going to tell me that you were going to go to your mom's to get your dorm things?"
I sighed, "I was going to tell you when it was finalized. None of us said anything about that being an ironed-out plan," I answered, and Sam nodded. "I was told to run the new guard through everything that's happened since the shooting but not a lot has happened since then aside from me being able to do more now."
"I believe that requires some at-home celebration because the doctors told me that you may not have a chance to do a lot because the bullet went through your back," she told me, and I smiled.
"Well, the doctors told me that I was lucky because, on a closer look, they realized that the bullet didn't hit anything that could keep me from walking," I informed her. Then it was her turn to smile.
Soon we got to the store, "You do know now that you're here that people are going to swarm you," Sam asked me, and I arched an eyebrow.
"You're saying that as if the men and women flirting with her don't know it already. I'm pretty sure they're only flirting with her just to see if she'd cheat on me," I explained as Sam started laughing. "What," I asked as she looked at me.
"That is exactly what they're doing," she said as she regained her breath, "how did you figure that?"
"I haven't looked at the news in a bit, but I'm pretty sure that our pictures are all over the news with crazy CNN theories," I answered. "I mean, anybody with a brain would think to watch the address since it was happening during quarantine, and those same people would be able to figure out what I looked like. I mean, how much different do I look from a male to female," I asked as we walked up to the store.
Sam only shrugged, "You're not wrong there," she said, and I smiled, "so how much do we need to get?"
I thought for a minute, "We'd need a lot for the celebration since what's a celebration without food and drinks," I asked. "Aili and I are probably going to go to college in late August, and it's currently late June, so that leaves July and most of August. I'd say that if none of us wanted to deal with the paparazzi again, we should get enough food for July and August," I answered as Sam chuckled.
"Just a fair warning," she said, "If any of you get tired of paparazzi, then I can change your looks, so you don't look recognizable."
I smiled, "I'll keep that in mind. I won't abuse it since the news does have to report that the first soulmates do have a life."
"Thank you," she said, "it is kind of a power drain for me," she said, and I nodded as we stepped inside.
"Understandable, you have to imagine a whole new look for one person and apply it to them," I said as I walked over to grab a cart. "I can't imagine how much trouble it is with two people," I added, and she nodded as we walked further into the store. We froze right in front of the door as we saw the crowds of people around the cash registers. "Please don't tell me that she's in the middle of that," I said as Sam groaned.
"She is," she replied, and I handed the cart to her, "but I'm supposed to protect you both," she began to retaliate, and I shook my head.
"You can see what we're seeing, and you know that she's not in any immediate danger," I began. "I know her. If she's freaking out, she needs a familiar face to bring her comfort and back to reality."
Sam's lips thinned into a line, "Fine," she said, grabbing the cart and heading off into the produce section. I then turned to the crowd, which was getting bigger by the second, and dove in. I pushed aside people from left to right as they failed to notice who I was that pushed them.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing," a man yelled, who I just pushed aside. "Each of us has to wait to see her," he retorted
"Well, maybe because your need to see a celebrity has caused her to freak out, and the only thing that can calm her down is someone familiar," I shot back before returning to my journey to the center of the crowd
Soon I got to the center and was greeted by the manager, "Ma'am, I can't let you through. We're trying to get her out of here, but the crowd is too big," he said absentmindedly.
"Perhaps I can help," I said, and he arched an eyebrow
"How she's pushing away everyone that goes near her," he said, and I smiled as I began to lift my arm
"Because she doesn't know you or find comfort in you is why she's pushing people away," I said as I showed him her name on my wrist, and he paled
"You are welcome to try," he said, stepping inside
My heart broke to see her in this state. She was huddled underneath the register, her head in her lap as she cried. "Hey," I began, but she waved her hand as if to say go away. "You and I both know that it would take a lot more than just a wave," I said with a smirked as she suddenly looked up in shock
"Liz," she breathed, "what are you doing here? How did you get here," she asked in a string of questions before her breathing quickened into a panic attack
"Hey, hey, hey," I said quickly as I crawled over to her, "it's okay. I'll explain everything in more detail when this is done, and you've calmed down. I was going to do some shopping and was brought here by our guard; everything's going to be okay, you do not need to worry. I'm here, and I don't ever plan on leaving," I said as her breathing slowed down. "No matter what happens, I'm not leaving, no matter what arguments we have, I will not leave you even if it means me having to die," I added as her breathing steadied. She rested her head onto my shoulder.
"You promise that you'll always be there no matter what," she asked me once she regained her breath. "Always and forever," she added, and I smiled.
"Till death do us part," I said, kissing her forehead softly, "now let me take care of this crowd," with a small nod, she let me get up and look at the crowd. "Hey," I yelled, and all of the yellings stopped. "We are just normal people trying to live our lives. She is working here just to fund college right now. You don't need to swarm us to ask about our relationship or anything. That is our own business and what you do with your soulmate is for you to decide," I said. "We will not answer any of your questions. Just let us live our lives," I finished as the crowd started to disperse.
The manager turned towards me with a look of surprise, "How did you do that," he asked, stunned.
"Well, when you're trying to make sure that your soulmate is doing okay," I looked down at Aili's tearstained eyes. "You're able to do everything," I finished with a smile, and she smiled back.