"Do you guys know about the legend of The Red Thread of Fate?" asked Mr. Bennett, my English teacher.

I shook my head as my fellow classmates responded the same way.

"The Red Thread of Fate is similar to the modern idea of having a soulmate. The one person we are destined to be with. The red thread—which is invisible—connects two people who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread can stretch or tangle, but it could never break."

"I think that's sweet. I think to be destined with someone is so romantic." said a girl named Aubrey.

"Nah, to be with one person our whole life is boring." said a boy named Trent earning a glare from Aubrey.

"It may be boring for you but for other people—like Aubrey for example—it's romantic. And to some other people, it's neither," said Mr. Bennett.

"What do you think, Mr. Bennett?" asked an eager Linda.

"I think it's a gift. To find that one person you will spend the rest of your life with, is a priceless gift. There are so many people in this world who have yet to find their soulmate. These people have come across so many potential soulmates. Their hopes get high every single time. And when the relationship falls apart, it crushes them. Because they realized that person is not their soulmate. Never was, never will."

I shut my eyes tight at Mr. Bennett's words. He reminded me of everything I was trying to forget. He reminded me of that one person I absolutely loathe. He reminded me of him. I swallowed back the rising bile in my throat and looked back at Mr. Bennett.

"But at some point, every relationship fails and falls apart. So, how will we actually know if we have found our soulmate?" asked Linda.

She had a good point. A very good one actually.

"Remember how I said that the thread can stretch or tangle, but it will never break? The stretch or tangle is a metaphor for how there is a strain in the relationship. The couple might have an argument or a huge fight or a disagreement and they might even go as far as breaking up. But at the end of the day, they'll always find their way back to each other. Always. And that's how you know they're soulmates. Because their thread will never break. Because their bond and their love for each other is so strong that they can get past anything and everything."

That seems impossible these days.

"What seems impossible?"

I looked up and quickly noticed that every pair of eyes were settled on me. Oh no, did I say that aloud? My hands started to get sweaty and my mouth went dry at the sudden attention from everyone in the room. Clearing my throat, I decided to speak simply because I dug my own grave.

"Uh, having a bond and love that's so strong seems impossible."

Suddenly everyone's attentive gaze turned into a sympathetic one. Including Mr. Bennett's. I grimaced subtly as I knew I shouldn't have said that. Because now I'm just a pity case to everyone.

"It does seem impossible because there aren't many success stories out there. That is our reality, sadly. But I personally like to believe that fate isn't that cruel. I believe that we will all experience true love at least once in our life. For me, it doesn't matter if it lasts or not. The fact that we were lucky enough to even have a love like that? That's what truly matters." Mr. Bennett said leaving us all in our own thoughts.

The bell ringed indicating that class was over. I heaved a sigh of relief because I was finally able to get out of this suffocating discussion about love, destiny, and soulmates. But my relief was short-lived when Mr. Bennett called me.

"Yes, Mr. Bennett?"

Mr. Bennett sighed as he looked up at me from his seat. "Hera, you know you're one of my favorite students and I care about your grades. So, that's why I have to ask you to redo your previous assignment. This was so poorly written and you didn't even fulfill the criteria. I know you need that scholarship and this assignment of yours will not be of any help in keeping that scholarship. You understand?"

I saw this coming. But in my defense, it was a stupid assignment. All I remember was just how much I hated writing it.

"Mr. Bennett why are even doing this assignment? We already did a book analysis in sophomore year. Why must we do it again? And why can't we analyze a non-fictional book? Isn't that more educational and knowledgeable?" I said releasing my pent-up frustration.

"Fictional books are educational and knowledgeable. Just not in the same way as non-fictional books. And I'm very sure that you know that yourself. Hera, you're graduating soon and so are the other kids. That means everyone needs to work on their college application essays. I'm just trying to prep my students by giving them a writing assignment that's enjoyable."

I sighed as I knew he made total sense. Damn it, why does he have to be so awesome?

"So, now that I have answered you, it's your turn to go and redo this assignment. I expect the best from you, Hera. No lesser than best, you hear me?"

"Yes, Mr. Bennett."

"Good. Submit it by the end of the week. You know what that means, right?"

"Get started on it today," I said dryly.

"That's absolutely right. Now, go and get your stomach filled."

I nodded and started to walk towards the door. But I halted in my step when I heard him call my name again.

"Yes, Mr. Bennett?"

"Life will only get better when you move on. Don't let your sadness rule your life."

I opened my locker and placed my backpack inside so that I don't have to carry it around as it will definitely be a burden to me. I shut my locker and started walking towards the school library.

I decided to go there after school for a book hunt because of that stupid assignment. Even though I own a whole bookshelf worth of paperbacks, I didn't want to use any of it. I didn't want to accidentally remember something that I know will make me sad or furious.

As Mr. Bennett said and I quote, 'don't let your sadness rule your life', I was going to do just that. I am not going to let him ruin my life. I am not going to be sad anymore. I am going to be happy again.

As I was walking, I took out my phone and sent a quick text to my mom who was currently in a town—three hours away from here—attending her friend's wedding. She was worried about me being home alone for tonight but I assured her that I'll be fine. It was just for one night anyway. What could possibly happen?

Standing in front of the library, I sighed deeply knowing that I was going to walk into the same place I swore I never step foot into again. But I had no choice because this was a much better option than going through my collection of books at home.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I walked into the gigantic library. It was abnormally huge for a high school library. It had two floors with a high ceiling and extremely long aisles of bookshelves on each floor. There was a spiral staircase in the middle and the front desk was right in front of it, facing the entrance. The library had a color combination of dark brown and light brown with a tinge of cream making the whole place look majestic and sophisticated. It was once my favorite part of the school. Emphasis on the 'once'.

"Oh my God, look who finally decided to show up!" said the librarian from the front desk.

I smiled. "Hey, Emily."

"Where have you been, young lady? Do you know how much I had to endure these past few months? Teenage hormones are getting out of hand these days." She shuddered.

I chuckled. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad."

"Okay, maybe I am exaggerating. But that's me telling you that I miss you. You used to come here at least twice a week. It's like you forgot about me." She pouted.

"I've been busy, I'm sorry, Emily." I lied.

It's just easier to lie than tell the truth. Because if I talked about it, I'll just go through it all over again in my head and I don't think I can take that.

"No, don't apologize. It's fine. I'm just being overly dramatic. So, what brings you here?"

"I have to find a book for my English assignment. My scholarship kind of depends on it."

"Oh, do you need any recommendations?"

"No, It's okay. I think I'm just going to find it the traditional way" I said with a smile.

"I love that. Hope you find the right one." She winked.

"Thanks. See you later, Emily." I said and walked away from the front desk.

I didn't have a specific genre in mind for this assignment because I didn't know what I wanted to read. So, the best place to start looking at is the Young Adult section. I walked up the spiral staircase and got to the first aisle of that section.

Looking at the Young Adult section, I hated how the memories came rushing to the front of my mind. The memories I tried to bury at the back of my head. Needing to forget, I took out my AirPods and plugged in. Then, I took out my phone, played my playlist, and started my book search.

After a whole thirty minutes of looking at book covers and reading synopses, I finally picked a book. The brief summary of 'Cupid's Match' was really intriguing and it definitely piqued my interest. Fictional Greek mythology with a strong female lead? Count me in. I sat down in between the aisles and against the wall where I got into a comfortable position. With the music still playing to my ears, I opened the book and started my reading journey.

All of a sudden, everything around me darkened. I moved my gaze away from the book and looked around in confusion. After removing my AirPods and placing them back in the case, I stood up and walked out of the aisle. I took a look downstairs so I could figure out why the lights went out. But all I saw was an empty library. Why would the library be empty?

Frowning, I quickly made my way down to the entrance. There must be a plausible reason as to why Emily isn't here or why the lights went out or why there is absolutely no one around. I could feel my heart rate picking up its pace as I came to stand in front of the closed door. Why would the front door of an open library be closed?

Swallowing my saliva, I placed my hand on the door handle. Taking a deep breath, I prayed and hoped that it wasn't what I thought it was. I pushed down the door handle slowly and pulled it.

No! This can't be happening. The door is freaking locked. I tried to pull it open again, but it wouldn't budge. Using all my strength, I gave it a forceful pull. But nothing changed.

"I tried that already."

Every inch of my body stilled as the sudden sound in the extremely quiet library entered and echoed in my ears. No way. No flipping way. It can't be. Even if the voice that just spoke was eerily and unbelievably familiar, it just can't be. I refuse to believe that.

But I knew I had to see for myself. What other choice do I have? I could feel my palms sweating and shaking in anxiety. Clenching my fist, I turned around—slowly—towards the direction where the voice spoke from.

My breath hitched as my eyes widened at the person standing in front of me.

It is him.