Stace didn't know where she was going, adrenaline was still pumping through her whole body. She kept expecting to wake up at any moment and find out that this was all just a dream. Everything felt so surreal.
"This is it! There's no turning back now," she kept telling herself.
She couldn't believe that she had done what she thought had been impossible. Stace knew that she was truly capable of anything if she put her mind to it. It was like she was seeing the world around her with a fresh set of eyes. She wandered around before she realised she hadn't phased back to her human form in a while. Stace raced to the nearby village where She snagged up an unattended old cloak. Then she continued to walk on foot following a long strip of worn grass. After a short time Stace saw the small fenced off town up ahead. She had walked through a valley and past more fields to reach it. As she neared, she noticed a small child stood by the open gates, he turned to look at her and then suddenly ran away.
"I must have scared him," Stace chuckled. Cautiously, she walked closer to the village, a very handsome man greeted her as she entered. The child, she had seen earlier, was hiding behind him clinging onto his leg.
"Hello, I'm Tate. This is my son, Jaymie who is a little shy. Welcome to the village," Tate gestured.
"Nice to meet you, Tate and Jaymie, I'm Stace. I didn't mean to scare you earlier. This is a lovely village you have here," Stace said.
"We certainly like it. Come on, I will show you around. You don't look like you're from around here?" Tate asked.
"No, I'm not. I'm travelling with no real destination in mind. I am looking for an adventure. Just going to see where the path will lead me." Stace answered, feeling a little insecure.
"Wow! Ok, I hope you find your adventure, and here comes mine," Tate said, waving to a guy. Stace stared wide eyed and opened mouthed as he walked up. She was sure she knew him but she couldn't place him. As he hugged Tate, Stace noticed the guy's eyes again and she was struck with how familiar he looked.
"Hello Stace, long time no see. How are you doing?" The guy greeted her like she was an old friend.
"I'm doing good, thank you. Do I know you? Have we met before?" Stace asked.
"You mean you don't recognise me!" Jay chuckled, Stace shook her head.
"No, I don't, you seem familiar, but nothing comes to mind" Stace said in frustration.
"I apologise. I forgot you haven't seen me in my human form before. It's me, Jay," he said apologetically.
"Jay? That name sounds familiar," Stace whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
"I guess I'm gonna have to show you," Jay announced with a small smirk. Then, before her very eyes, he phased into his bird form, circling high above their heads before landing in front of her shifting into his human form. Stace's eyes widened again and her smile widened from ear to ear as the recognition dawned on her.
"Jay? Oh my god! It's so good to see you. Since when could you phase into a human?" Stace asked.
"Since I met Tate. He is the reincarnation of my first love, Tatum," Jay explained.
"Wow! That's amazing. I thought I found my soulmate too until I fell out of love with him. I didn't think that was even possible," Stace told them her story with a small echo of sadness edging her voice.
"I'm sure that's not true. I heard of a theory that some soulmates can become one, but later on drift apart for a certain amount of time. This is so they can gain clarity and to make them realise how much they miss each other when they next meet. It could be this lifetime or the next, but it's only a theory," Jay explained.
"Or maybe he wasn't really your true mate, just someone you were comfortable with, someone who is your familiar," Tate added.
"Wow, I didn't know you knew about that kind of stuff," Tate smiled at Jay and kissed him passionately. Stace watched for a moment before quickly looking away. A feeling of loneliness and longing filled her heart. Not wanting to sour their moment she plastered a smile on her face.
"Get a room." She teased jokingly.
Jamie tugged on to both his fathers trousers to get their attention, "Ok Dads, you can stop now. I want to go home and play with our new friend," Jaymie yelled. They stopped and apologised.
"Shall we go back to our place then?" Jay invited Stace, "We can grab dinner on the way as well," he added looking at a grinning Jaymie.
After they had finished their meal, Jay lent Stace some clothes and took her out into the back garden. There halfway down was a stone archway. There was nothing around it, it stuck out and blended in all at the same time. She gave him a confused look when Jay gestured her to walk on through. She hesitated, then with a deep breath she stepped through and looked back at Jay who was following closely behind her.