by Thea Chin
Tsukiko’s fingers twitch at the sight of the envelope placed neatly on her pillow. She had seen its soft pinkness and heart-shaped sticker before; it is an invitation to the hospital’s annual St. Valentine’s ball. Darren in particular was seen receiving one from the mail before.
Why was the Council inviting her of all people? Certainly, some of the Mu Alpha boys will be there. Is this to test how well her first neuro repositioner injection works after a period of time? Will there be trials she has to pass to prove her allegiance to the Council by sacrificing her ex-friends?
Tsukiko bites her thumb as she ponders the possibilities. There is only one way to find out.
* * *
Tsukiko is sent a red silk dress for the occasion. She pulls her hair into an updo to prevent her blue ends from clashing with the red and applies some of the cosmetics that came with the dress in order to look less like she has been trapped underground for half a year.
She takes a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She has not done so in a while. Timourously, she raises two fingers to stroke the reflection. Is this really the same girl who went to college and ate cheesecakes with werewolves after school? Tsukiko can barely recognize herself; she’s lost so much weight, she realizes, and makeup can only do so much for the frown etched on her face.
Tsukiko closes her eyes with a sigh. No, she is not that girl anymore. Tonight, she is a soldier—a man on the field sent to accomplish whatever the Council has in mind. After securing a soulmark signal blocking bracelet onto her left wrist, she grabs her coat and makes her way to the car.
The second the footman opens the door to the venue, her eyes dart around to find anyone she knows. However, it is what she is looking for that finds her first.
“Hi there, pretty thing.”
She nearly jumps at the sudden voice by her right ear. She steps back and sees Mark smirking down at her. Same ol’ flirt, she figures.
“Are you waiting for your date or are you saving yourself for me?” he winks.
“I’m here alone. If you would excuse me,” she mutters flusteredly. She had not expected to face them so soon.
Tsukiko walks away as quickly as her stilettos allow her. Curse whoever picked out this outfit, she swears silently. At least, she hopes as she throws a quick glance back to see Mark flirting with another lady, it seems like her memory erasing invention works just fine.
What business does Mark have here at St. Valentine’s anyway? Jaiden said his family isn’t quite like the rest of the fraternity’s, but if his soulmark experiments cost anything like hers, he must have a significant amount of funds. Maybe those experiments are why he’s here today. No wait, surely actions like that is a crime against the Council. That thought makes Tsukiko’s heart race. Is he in trouble with the Council too?
She is not allowed to dwell on it for long as she soon catches sight of someone who she is expecting to be here: Darren Dust. She makes a mental note of his outfit in order to avoid any signs of him all night. Once she has memorized what she needs, she promptly walks in the other direction when—
“Leiah?”
How much of Mu Alpha is here tonight? Maybe the Council really is testing the efficiency of her invention.
“No, sorry,” she says, avoiding his eyes.
“R-right. My bad.”
Jaiden swoops down a little to see her face, but Tsukiko keeps her eyes glued on the floor. He is the one face she had hoped not to see the most tonight. He is also the one person she hesitated injecting her experiment into the most. From their first meeting in chem lab lecture to him risking his life to save hers, she erased them all. He’d be broken if he ever finds out.
Still, she can’t help the curiosity that burns within her as she stares at the tips of her velvety red shoes, unable to pull herself away from the one person who always made her feel at home. What does he look like now? Has he been taking care of himself? How has he been now that the hole his soulmate left is open once more?
“Are you alright, Miss?” he asks.
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.”
He frowns and waves over a waiter. “You look a little pale. Here, maybe these chocolate almonds will help.”
“You’re right. I’m just a little hungry, that’s all. Thanks!” she squeezes out, taking the snack from his offering hand.
“Jaiden!” Darren calls from afar. Tsukiko can imagine him waving his friend over.
Jaiden looks at his brother then at Tsukiko. “Well if you need anything else, I’d be happy to help.”
“T-thanks,” she mumbles, still intrigued by her shoes.
She feels a sigh escape her as Jaiden walks away. She can’t tell if it is of relief or regret. No matter; she needs to be more diligent and not get caught off guard by someone she used to know again. With her new conviction, she spots John from her lab sneaking behind a pillar suspiciously and inappropriately dressed for the occasion. Another alarm goes off in Tsukiko’s system as she makes her way over to him. This night is going about as smoothly as she expected.
“How did you— Never mind, why are you here?” she demands, ushering him back to the door.
“I know I shouldn’t be, Miss Tsujii, but I have news so exciting, I just can’t keep it from you any longer.”
Tsukiko gives a nervous smile to the champagne waiter who raises his brow at the underaged boy.
“Speak.”
The boy grins proudly as he pulls a white mouse from his coat, one which Tsukiko quickly jams back into his pocket.
“It instantly remembered how to run the maze again after I gave it the REPO059!!”
“The anecdote to the neuro repositioners worked?” Tsukiko gasps, forgetting all earlier frustration.
The boy nods fervently. “I brought you some too in case you wanted to try it yourself.”
He takes out a small pouch with five orange pills, hands her one, and turns to leave. “Have fun tonight, Ms. Tsujii. You’ve been working very hard, so you deserve it. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
This kid… Tsukiko groans inwardly, ignoring the growing smile of pride on her lips.
“Is that your little brother? I like a woman with a motherly side.”
Tsukiko can’t help but yelp this time. “Mark!”
“Oh, you know my name! Am I that popular?” he smirks.
“Um, yeah. Some of the girls told me about you,” she saves.
Mark sweeps a dramatic hand through his hair and poses against the pillar for her. “So, since you know so much about me, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself, little mouse?”
Whatever it is his family deals in, it must be impressive if he hasn’t gotten hit for all his remarks yet.
“Oh, I’m just a nobody,” Tsukiko tries.
“Nonsense! You—”
“What about you? All I really know is your name. I’m sure you have something to gloat about to make you so popular,” Tsukiko transitions, playing on his pride.
“Oh, me? I’m just a humble little scientist.”
“Ooh, what project are you researching?”
“Soulmates,” he answers without hesitation. His readiness to break a Council law surprises her.
“Don’t be silly; there’s no such thing,” she tries to laugh off.
He tches. “That’s what they all say until I prove you all wrong one day.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for that day then.”
“Okay. Give me your phone number so I can keep you posted.”
That was pretty smooth, Tsukiko must admit. “I’m sorry; I don’t have a phone.” She lives underground with no reception anyway.
“A youthful lady like you without a phone in this age?” he speculates with a raised brow. “No matter; I’ll just give you mine so you can borrow someone’s or something if you’re ever bored,” he suggests.
Before she can object, he has already scribbled something on a napkin and slipped it into her clutch.
“Let me buy you a drink, and if I prove that there are soulmates, you buy me o
ne, deal?”
“Oh, I don’t drink.”
Mark laughs. “You don’t have a phone and you don’t drink? Who are you?”
She just laughs nervously and scratches below her ear.
“No worries,” Mark hums. “I like your quirkiness. I’ll get you some juice instead.”
“It’s not jungle juice is it?” Tsukiko asks worriedly.
“We aren’t at some wild frat party,” he snorts. “You’re adorable.”
Out of ways to escape him without coming off as rude, Tsukiko follows him to the upstairs bar. It’s an exclusive one, one which he had to introduce her to the security at the door as his guest in order to grant her access.
“An orange juice and your best white, please,” he says as soon as they enter. Then to Tsukiko, “You look like a scientist yourself, am I wrong?”
“You can say that,” she nods.
“What’s your field?”
“Medicine, mostly,” she answers vaguely.
“Cool, cool.”
“Excuse me, but is there a ladies’ room around here?” Tsukiko asks before he can say something that crosses into dangerous territory for her.
“First door after a left down that hall,” Mark replies.
She thanks him and apologizes for the inconvenience. He assures her that it is fine, and she walks away as quickly as elegance allows her. Mark most likely believes that she is another heir to some great company too, so she needs to keep up appearances.
The bathroom turns out to be a large private one for which Tsukiko is grateful. She locks the door behind her and sighs into the decorated sink. She intends to stay in there for as long as she can without seeming too unnatural in hopes that one of his business partners pulls Mark away soon.
That time frame turns out to be five minutes, she decides with another sigh. Luck must be on her side though, for when she walks back to the bar area, Mark is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a note and a tall glass of juice sit waiting for her.
‘I regret having to leave so soon, Miss Tsujii, but as you know, business calls. I hope you’d forgive my rude and abrupt departure. May this juice express some of my apologies, and I promise I will make up the rest of it to you the next time we meet. Love, MM.’
Tsukiko cannot hide the growing smile on her face. While she enjoyed her time with Mark in the past, he has been treading in dangerous waters the whole time tonight.
Slowly, she enjoys her juice in the privacy of the secluded bar. While the Council expects her to be here until the end of the event, she has not received instructions about having to mingle with the crowd. At last, however, the glass empties and she does not have any money to afford another. She places the cup down and prepares to re-enter the party with a foul taste in her mouth. Juices from bars always taste funny.
Once outside, she realizes she’d forgotten how bright the lights are. Wait, were they really always this bright?
“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” someone announces over the speaker. “The cupid tag! Ladies, you each should have received a little package at the door. Inside is”—he takes out a tiny pouch they’ve all gotten previously. From it, he pulls out a lacey red garter—“this!” he announces proudly. “The rules are simple: any lady with it still on her leg by the end of twenty minutes will receive a cash prize. Any gentleman who has one in his hand though, will get double the amount and maybe even a date! Now, ladies, take out your garters and put them on!”
At what point does rich people’s entertainment become classified as harassment, Tsukiko wonders. Regardless, she reaches into her bag for the said item. She finds it, but realizes another problem: the pill with the antidote is gone!
“Ready, go!” the MC’s voice booms.
Tsukiko does not have time to consider her problem while hungry men are approaching her with grabby fingers. The boy still has another four pills, and she knows how to make new ones. She just hopes no one takes them in a drunken haze as the side effects are not yet known.
She skillfully avoids a few people as she attempts to find a quieter place. She just wishes the lights weren’t so bright and flashy; it’s making her head hurt again. Carefully, she makes her way back to the exclusive bar with her back against the wall. Even there, she is not safe. The bartender himself raises an intrigued brow at her when she enters, so she shifts uncomfortably into a corner.
At last, Tsukiko finds herself alone in a particular hallway. She knows she will not be safe here for long by the approaching voices, but it’s enough to buy her a second to catch her breath and try to get her head to stop spinning. Not to mention, she can have a minute to think where she might have dropped the pill. Her best guess is in the restroom when she opened her purse to retouch her makeup. The restroom which is right—
A hand flies over her mouth and pulls her backwards. Instinctively, she flails her arms, hoping to hit something.
“Ow, ow! Stop! Hey! Stop it! I’m not going to hurt you or steal your garter. Just chill!”
That voice! Tsukiko ceases her attacks, and the man lets her go.
“I was just trying to help since you looked like you could use it,” Jaiden groans.
“S-sorry.”
“No, it’s understandable, given the situation.” He pauses to take a look at her. “Oh, it’s you again! Are you alright? You look a little pale.”
Tsukiko nods.
“You sure?” He gently takes her shoulder to face her towards him. Tsukiko can’t help but lift her eyes to meet his. Oh, how she missed her best friend! He looks worried as usual. She wished she could stop making him look like this.
Suddenly, the world begins to spin very quickly. The lights over the mirror seem to want to eat her soul as it first consumes her vision. She can hear Jaiden calling her from a distance.
“I’m okay,” she tries to mumble as her feet stumble backwards and trips over something. Did someone fill up the tub? Why does she feel like she’s falling endlessly into water? The lights are seriously too bright. Why won’t someone turn them off?
And then the world goes black.
“Leiah? Leiah!”
She slowly opens her eyes and lifts her head off the desk. In front of her, a teenage boy is poking at her cheek.
“You fell asleep again? Seriously, you need to stop pulling all those all-nighters.”
“At least I didn’t get detention for failing the math test again,” she teases.
“Ugh! Don’t remind me. I can’t believe it’s the week of the camping field trip too! I wanted to carve our names in a tree with a heart.”
She scoffs and pushes his forehead back. “Ew, you’re gross.”
“Pssh, you know you love me,” he says with a kissy face.
“Only cause I have to,” she jokes. “Now let me sleep in peace.”
She can feel his blazer being draped over her shoulders before her world goes black again.
When she opens her eyes, she’s greeted by stars in the sky and an arm around her waist. The grass feels damp under her back, but she doesn’t mind.
“I can’t believe you’ll be gone for the whole week,” the person next to her murmurs. She likes the way he’s massaging the hand she has in his.
“It’s just a week.”
“Still, I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, but I’ll be back and we can make up for lost time after that, okay?”
She feels him nodding as he leans closer. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Always.”
She angles her head towards him and he angles his to her. Butterflies swarm their stomachs as their lips connect. She closes her eyes.
Her eyes flutter open as panic rises in her chest. She can’t breathe. No matter how hard she tries, all that’s going in is water, water, and more water. She had tripped trying to find a secluded area to relieve herself, and her arm got stuck in some branches and rocks that pulled her under the river. She’s fading. She can feel herself fading. She just wishes she can see his face one
more time. Just once more she wants to tell him how much she loves him. Just one more before…
… blackout.
“Knowledge set number 1204176: inserted.”
What? Who are these people? She looks around frantically. She’s standing, but she can’t move. What is happening?
“Testing commencing. Walk.”
Why is she walking? There’s a panel of people in front of her. Some of them look familiar.
“Jump.”
The Grand Councilor, she realizes as she focuses on one of them.
“Sit.”
And Dr. Lawrence who is giving the instructions.
“Blink.”
There’s a third man there in the corner.
“Sleep.”
She can’t make out his face. She feels like she recognizes him from somewhere, but she can’t make it out.
“Testing completed. Experiment ready for soulmating.”
She feels something sharp on her left wrist. She looks down and sees Dr. Lawrence tattooing her with a gun.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Tsukiko gasps as she lurches forward. Her dress is completely dry despite earlier perception.
“You’re awake! Oh my moon, I was about to call an ambulance. That would be ironic considering who’s party we’re attending though,” Jaiden rambles.
“Leiah… Soulmates… the Council…”
“What are you saying, Miss? How do you know all this?”
She was right! She had her suspicions ever since her trial, but there is no refuting it now. Soulmates aren’t real; they’re just a product sold by the Council and made from humans who are naturally able to carry the W chromosome. That’s what “compatible body” means. On top of that, she didn’t lose her memories in a concussion at all, she never had them to begin with! Not as Tsukiko Tsujii, at least. The similar medical record numbers, the resemblance, the memories about water; it all adds up! She was Leiah Takeda, the late soulmate of…
“… Jaiden Han…” she whispers, eyes wide in realization.
“H-how did you know my name?”
She stands up quickly. “I-I have to go.”
“So quickly? You just fainted!”
He reaches for her wrist but instead snags his fingers in her bracelet. As Tsukiko pulls away from him, the accessory rips.
