Prolouge
Analis felt pain everywhere as she grew closer and closer to meeting her child. She and her husband had been trying for a couple years, but their pregnancy was secret from the beginning. They wanted to keep everything quiet in case something happened. Nine whole months they had spent cherishing every moment with just themselves, hidden away from the world to protect the magic that was going to enter their lives.
As soulmates, every moment was all the more special. Soulmates were connected. Some mentally, emotionally, some even physically. The bond was different even in strength. Analis and Reid shared a emotional bond, one of the least common. From the moment their marks developed, Reid felt what she did, and she felt what he felt. When they met, their bond only grew stronger. Even now, in pain, Reid felt a bit of what she felt.
He just wish he could take it. He couldn't take her pain away and that made a pain of his own. The only thing that kept him standing and hopeful was Analis and her own hope. She knew she could do it and so did Reid. She was strong and could bring their daughter into the world.
“You’re almost there,” Reid whispered in her ear. His hands wrapped around hers she held on tight. “Just a little more, I know you can do it.” Analis felt her husbands face on hers as she took her moment of rest. It wasn't long before she began squeezing his hand as she could as she felt the pain begin again. “For her.” He whispered.
Analis pushed. Her midwife kept encouraging her. Analis felt her husband keep their connection helping her through the pain until relief washed over her body and she got her child into her arms. Tears filled and fell from their eyes as they held onto their daughter. “She’s here,” Analis held her daughter close as she cried. “She’s here.” Exhausted she still had the strength to hold her daughter close to her chest.
“You did it. I’m so proud of you,” Reid kissed her forehead admiring their beautiful daughter. Her working and loud lungs. Her cheeks and nose. The small delicate hands that griped for anything they could, including his finger. Her grip was so strong he was sure he felt something more.
“Fiona,” A doula said walking up to the midwife. “Her arm,” Fiona rounded to the other side of the birthing tub seeing the crying child’s arm. A dark mark like a tattoo on the inside of her right forearm. Fiona didn't know if was she saw was true but she suspected she knew what it was after all, everyone in the room had something similar.
“A moment,” Fiona put her hand to Reid’s shoulder quietly telling him to move to the other side as she not only checked Analis but the baby. She pulled her small arm out carefully seeing the lone black picture of a rose. Not just the flower that sat right in the middle but a stem with thorns and incredible detail ending at her wrist. “She has a soul mark,” She looked to them surprised. Analis and Reid looked at the mark as well, surprised, before looking at each other.
No one in the room had heard of a soul mark appearing at birth. Almost everyone’s mark appeared when they hit puberty. Some people has simple shapes or odd symbols. Behind Analis’s left ear and Reid’s right they shared a small paper airplane. All marks mirror each other. Reid was attempting to throw one to another student in their senior year history class and instead hit Analis’s head gaining a glare right from the eyes of his soulmate.
No one in the room had ever seen soul marks so detailed before or big. Everything about it was never seen before. No one had any idea what to do. Or if anything had to be done. So, Fiona continued to do her job until she had Analis and her daughter in their room comfortable and resting allowing her and the doula’s to clean up with assistance form Reid.
“Should we be concerned?” Reid asked.
“I don’t think so. It is curious though. I’ve never seen anything like that before. You could get her checked out but...” Fiona trialed off. She didn't want to worry him. Fiona's been with many families and had assisted in the birth of many more babies. She never expected to care for a family like she did this one.
“What?” Reid asked as the doubt in Fiona’s voice appeared. Reid only wanted to protect his wife and daughter.
“Something like this...I can imagine she’d just be treated like a lab rat for some time. They may even try and locate her soulmate to test more. Word is they want to start looking into the marks and connections. Technology is advancing and people want answers.” Reid took a deep breath as fear began to take over. They tried for so long for their daughter the thought of putting her through tests scared him. He was sick as a child and hated doctors to this day because of what he went through. “Whatever this is...I don’t think we can stop what’s coming her way. Her and her soul mate will have one epic story I’ll say that much. I don't think she has anything to worry about. She has you two.” Fiona gave him a reassuring hug before shooing him away to return to his wife and new child.
Reid return to their room seeing his wife half asleep as she played with their daughters hand. Admiring all her tiny fingers and toes. Reid knew he didn’t have to be connected to her emotions to know that she never knew it was possible to love something-someone so much. Walking over he calmly got on the bed careful not to disturb the newborn.
“Is she okay?” Analis whispered.
“I think we need to keep it quiet. We need to hide it.” Analis fully opened her eyes looking over her shoulder to her soulmate. “People are starting to study the marks. I don’t want her poked and studied. I don't want her to feel broken.” He brushed his hand over her small head her dark hair sticking up. “I won’t put her through that hell.” He said remembering his own time in a hospital.
“We’ll protect her. Always. They can’t force us to study her.”
“But they won’t leave us alone either. That’s just as bad.” Analis nodded agreeing with him. They’d protect her no matter what. Reid kissed the baby forehead lightly. “We’ll always protect you Luna.” Analis smiled at their daughters name. Fitting as outside shine the full moon in the clearest of sky’s they’ve had in weeks.
Two years later Reid passed in a sudden car crash. Analis felt as her soulmate was ripped away from her causing her to fall to her knees crying out in the middle of work in the office. Her soulmate gone Analis had no other option but to leave. Creating a life for the two of them close to Seattle they kept their secret.
Luna was only seven when she asked why she couldn’t go to school like the other kids in the neighbourhood. Why she couldn’t leave with her mark uncovered. Analis gave quick excuses and little white lies telling her she wasn’t allowed to show the marks until a certain age.
As they had predicted, people really did start to look into the soul mark and the connection. The highest reading connection found so far was thirty two percent. The more information that came out the more she truly began to understand her husbands fear. She knew she needed to protect Luna from it.
Analis knew she had to protect her daughter so she did everything to keep her mark a secret.
Luna on the other hand found it difficult. She’s always felt a connection to someone out there. She would laugh at random times. Cry for no reason even if she was happy a second before. Analis soon learned school was out of the question for a while starting homeschool after only a month of kindergarten. Analis attempted to teach Luna to control it only to find out she couldn’t. Luna couldn’t because she liked the connection. While she felt things from the one she was connected to she knew that he felt her. She knew things like that he was a he. She knew that when she was scared or nervous he comforted her. How could she put up a wall to the one person who could truly help her. How could she put up a wall to the only thing she's ever known.
She had asked those questions young. Her mother had no idea what to say or do because she also knew she couldn't take that feeling away from her daughter.
Luna begged her mother to let her go to school after she got her first period. She’d hit puberty meaning other girls who had would have their soul marks exposed. That's when Analis finally told her daughter the truth. Her mark was special. Her mark was unique. Most importantly her mark could get her in trouble she didn’t want to be in. She still couldn't go to school with the risk of her mark being seen. Luna, smart and stubborn, found a way. Her mother helped her get a tattoo in secret on her opposite wrist where she she had been drawing a small lightning bolt for years. Luna played it off as her real soul mark as a tattoo for her father after her sixteenth birthday and she began to show it more.
Though the topic of her soulmate came up a fear followed.
Of Rejection. Of never finding him. Or worse losing him. Luna knows she’s never known the real version of her mom since her father passed. Losing a soul mate is almost as bad a rejection. So she’s let it be and pretended to be like everyone else. Even as her connection to her soulmate seemed to grow. Gaining bruises or soreness as he did. Hungry was also common for her to feel making her wonder what was making him forget to eat. Random cravings for food could be odd especially for things she’s never had before or couldn't get her hands on.
With it all she’s been able to keep her connection a secret. Something just to herself. Until now.
