The Soulmate Project

“Well, this is it,” She shut the door behind them. “Our new apartment,” Katelyn set down her bag and went to the window, opening the curtains to expose the city buzzing with night life.

It really wasn’t much, this apartment that they were given. It was certainly much smaller than Antonio’s mansion. The girls would miss sitting by the pool for hours in the sun. The city was pretty nocturnal though, so there wouldn’t be much time to bask in the sun’s rays by the water anymore.

“What do you think?” Katelyn asked her. “I know it’s not what we’re used to...but it’s safer, right?”

“Yeah,” McKenzie agreed. “Safer...” She ran her hand over the back of a dusty chair. She could practically hear his voice in her head, telling her to keep polishing the furniture. “What kind of work do you think we’ll be able to get?”

“Well, we’ll get the little bit of money from blood donations, but other than that I don’t know. What are we even qualified for?” Katelyn flopped down onto the couch. “I barely know how to read, let alone use a computer or whatever.” She turned on the lamp next to the couch. “At least you can read pretty good,”

“Yeah, I guess.” McKenzie dropped her bag next to Katelyn’s, joining her on the couch. “You really think we’re safer here?”

“I think so...I mean we don’t really know what the Council did with him. They sent us here for a reason, didn’t they?”

They both looked out the window, watching people walk up and down the sidewalk, cars passing by every now and then. It was pretty bright for being night time, but that wasn’t completely unusual around these parts. There was no TV for them to watch even if they wanted to.

“Do you think they gave us our own beds?” McKenzie wondered aloud.

“Dunno.” Katelyn stood up from her spot on the couch and disappeared into the only bedroom to check. “Just one. It’s small too.”

“I’ll take the couch then, if you don’t mind.” McKenzie tossed her feet up onto the couch, shoes still on.

“You sure?” Katelyn questioned. “I don’t mind taking the couch,”

“I’m sure.” McKenzie confirmed, curling up with her face to the back of the couch.

It had been a long day for both of them, so McKenzie drifted off pretty quickly...but quicker than that she awoke again, her skin slick with sweat.

“Get off me!” She groaned, she was sure she felt his weight on top of her again. Crushing her with his body and pinning her in place so he could use her.

“What’s the matter, Z?” He taunted. “You know you love this,”

She could feel his fangs on the skin of her neck, she was sure of it.

His voice and breath in her ear...

...His skin, a wool blanket over her. Stiff, heavy, suffocating.

She leaned over the couch, dry heaving, gagging, with tears in her eyes.

“He’s not here,” McKenzie promised herself. “Just a dream...” The rest of the brief night was spent tossing and turning until the sun came up. “Damn.”

“Gooood morning Kenzie,” Katelyn greeted her, stretching her arms over her head as she came out of the bedroom.

“Morning,” McKenzie returned, looking out the window still. There was hardly a soul on the street now. “You think anything’s open?”

“Maybe, but we don’t have much to buy anything with, just the prepaid from Antonio.” She reminded her. “But I’m kinda hungry too...should we go look?”

“I’m not really hungry, just wanted to get outside for a little bit,” McKenzie explained, her gaze still out the window.

“You slept like shit too, huh?” Katelynn guessed, taking a seat on the arm of the couch next to McKenzie’s feet.

“Yeah...Preacher dream, you?”

“Feels weird sleeping without Antonio in the bed,” She admitted. “But I’m sorry about your dream. That sucks. Oh wait, good news though, Holly texted last night. She said we can drop by whenever we want. You think she’s up?” Katelynn suggested.

“Maybe.” McKenzie sat up, brushing one of her braids behind her back. “So you miss Antonio, huh? I guess that makes sense. You were his favorite,”

“Favorite? No way, he doesn’t have favorites,” Katelynn argued.

“You fed him dinner every night, then slept in his bed and gave him breakfast in the morning,” McKenzie reminded her as if Katelyn had forgotten.

Antonio had been good to them, but she didn’t have the same connection to him that Katelyn and some others had. McKenzie was never anyone’s favorite, well until Preacher at least. It wasn’t Antonio’s fault though, he didn’t know what would happen when he hired Preacher...no one could’ve known.

But the things Preacher did to her, to all of them, it was...it wasn’t right. The Council managed to heal all her physical wounds, but mentally? Her mind was still foggy. It all happened so fast.

After all, she was the one that Antonio caught Preacher with. Beaten, bloodied, tears in her eyes. It was clear that she wasn’t there voluntarily. Preacher had gone way farther than usual that day, and so McKenzie’s cries got a little too loud and Antonio took notice.

So, being the man he is, Antonio called the Council, and they came and removed the girls and sent them away to the Obsidian district. Far from where Antonio lived in Diamond. They wrote their names in the book of soulmates, did lord knows what with Preacher, and called it good. The book of soulmates, that’s right....

“When do you think we should start looking for our mates?” McKenzie asked.

“I don’t even want to think about that yet,” Katelyn admitted. “Not while I’m still thinking so much about Antonio. I’m sure you can start looking whenever though,” She assured her.

“Yeah, maybe whoever they are they’ll help me forget Preacher and all the bullshit he did,”