The String

I'm Claire, and I live in a world where soulmates exist.

I recently transferred to a new school. It wasn’t planned. My mom suddenly decided to move so she and my stepdad could live together. I didn’t argue. I just packed my things and followed.

The new school felt unfamiliar. The hallways were loud, the faces were new, and the air smelled different. I didn’t know where to sit, who to talk to, or how to act. So I stayed quiet. Observed. Tried not to be noticed.

And then I met him.

Michael.

I didn’t notice him at first. Not even the small throb on my pinky finger. I was too busy scribbling cats in my notebook, pretending I wasn’t nervous.

Then came the nominating of class officers.

Only then did he catch my eye.

He was fair-skinned, had curly buzzed hair, monolid eyes, tall, handsome—yet awkward—and smart. I scanned everything about him, trying not to stare. But what caught me the most wasn’t his face.

It was the red string.

Tied to his pinky finger. Glowing faintly.

Oh no.

That could only mean one thing.

Michael was my soulmate.

I looked down at my own hand. The string was there too. I hadn’t noticed it before. Not until now. It pulsed lightly, like it had just woken up.

In our world, only one in two could see the string. That’s how it worked.

So if I could see his... that meant he couldn’t see mine.

That day, my mind couldn’t focus. Not on the lesson, not on the teacher’s voice, not even on my notebook cats. All I could think about was the string. The way it glowed. The way it tugged gently whenever he moved.

Was this real?

Was he really mine?

I didn’t know what to do with that thought. So I kept quiet. Kept watching. Kept wondering.

The next day, our teacher rearranged the seating.

I was disappointed and relieved when Michael wasn’t seated beside me. That’s usually how it goes in short stories, right? Soulmates sit next to each other. Sparks fly. Eyes meet.

Instead, he was behind me.

Close enough to feel his presence. Not close enough to speak.

At some point, I wondered if the scientists were truly right about the red string. If fate really worked like that. If soulmates were even real.

But the string was still there.

Still glowing.

Still tied to him.

And I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

-

Uh... Thank you for reading the first chapter of Only One Can See.

I'm just going to spat bullsht below since it says it needs 500 words

HI I don't know what to say to you I just want to know what's going on with you and I will be there for you and your family and your family and your family and family and family and family and family and family and family and family and family and family and

And I, thank you.

-Claire

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***