*Present*
"Two cups of Americano. Coming right up." Lily mutters carefully as she walks to the kitchen to get the order.
"God, today's been hectic." Her friend as well as co-worker, Lana, let out a tired sigh.
"When is it not?" Lily smiles, as she starts making the order.
"Nothing can ever faze you anyway. My bones hurt." Lana grumbles, recieving a laugh from Lily.
"And today you are extra cheery because you are finally turning twenty one. Even the customers can feel the happiness radiating off you just by a glance." She teases.
Lily feels her heart race. And the thought runs through her mind. I am finally turning twenty one.
She had been waiting for this day since she knew what soulmate meant. Since the day she knew that one day she will have a piece of her soulmate once she turns twenty one.
Soulmates...
Isn't it so beautiful that our of 8 billion people in this world, there is one person who is destined to be with you?.
There is one person written by the fate for you...only you.
The other half who completes you. The missing puzzle piece to your heart.
Nothing could make her disheartened today. She waited for this day for too long.
"Soulmates aren't shit anyway. Mine doesn't even do her clothes." Lana rolls her eyes but Lily knows she had done it fondly. Lana has a girlfriend, her soulmate whom she had met just a year ago. A bright chrysanthemum flower decorates her arm, the flower that represents her soulmate in the closest way possible.
Lily stares at her own arms. They'll have her soulmates flower tonight. She could hardly wait.
The bell hanging in the doorway chimes and another customer enters inside. The man takes seat near the window. Lily goes to take the order.
"Welcome to beans n coffee sir. What would you like to have?"
"Espresso" the man mutters.
Lily nods and gets back to the kitchen. She hands the order to Lana and takes previous order. When she gets back to the man's order, she finds Lana ready with her order but a frown on her face.
Lily finds the earlier man smoking. Even though the "no smoking" sign stands right beside the man's table.
"Seriously, can people stop acting like they are blind? Smoking in public area...the audacity!"
"I'll go and ask him to put it out." Lily takes the order and goes to the man.
She places the order in front of the man and begins politely,"Sir, sorry to disturb you but smoking is prohibited here."
The man looks at her from head to toe making her feel uncomfortable. He keeps on smoking and blows a cloud of smoke on lily's face."So?"
"So please put it out." She again tries politely despite her patience running thin.
"Listen girl, I am already in a shit mood. Don't piss me off more." The man rolls his eyes.
"If you still insist on smoking,then, please leave and smoke somewhere else, Sir. Your shit mood doesn't account for you shit behavior." Lily replies.
The man suddenly stands up from his seat and snarls. "What did you say?"
"Sir, I am requesting you-" the man suddenly grabs her wrist. His hold bruising and tight.
Her heart sinks.
No.
Not the wrist.
Not the wrist.
She finds herself unable to breathe.
Breathe Lily. Breathe. Her mind chants.
"You asshole, get your hands off her!" Lily hears Lana's voice and the hold on her wrist loosens.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
Someone pulls her.
"Hey, Lily, breathe it's okay, it's alright." Lana murmurs.
She tries to nod.
It's okay, I'm okay, I'm alright.
Lily stares at the old scar on her wrist. Her chest again tightens.
The thing about scars is that, though they heal but they keep reminding you of the pain, of the past. The pain lessens indeed but it's never gone.
Her shift ends after two more hours. On her way home she passes by a familiar florist shop. Her legs drag inside.
The old lady behind the counter, Mrs Gray, smiles brightly as she sees her. "Lily!"
"Mrs Gray!" Lily hugs her, returning the smile. Mrs Gray is the owner of the flower shop and Lily is very close to the woman. She helps out the old lady with her work in the flower shop.
"Mrs Gray, can I help you with flowers today?" She requests. Lily has always liked being close to flowers. They make her feel calm and her inside turmoil mind desperately needs it.
"Ofcourse, dear."
Lily helps out the woman for another good hour. Lily asks as she waters the white lilies,"Mrs. Gray, what do you think my soulmate's flower would be? Daffodils, tulips, carnations?"
"I couldn't possibly know, dear. And whatever flowers it may be, I know that your soulmate would shower you with pure love and devotion because that's what you deserve."
"What if my..." she wets her lips. "What if my soulmate doesn't like me when we finally meet?"
Lily has always been fearful of that possiblity. There are times when she heard that the soulmates not being contented with one another, which naturally causes a lot of pain for both of them. Going against fate's wish, afterall, have consequences.
"How could they not like you dear? You are everything that a man desires."
Her soulmate won't have to worry about Lily not liking them because Lily has been in love with her soulmate ever since she knew what soulmates were. Whoever they are. They are the only family she'll have.
And maybe is clearly a stupidity to feel this way for a stranger and regard them with so much importance. But for Lily her soulmate has been her only anchor and hope through harsh times.
Her soulmate..Her only person..Her only family.
After helping out Mrs. Gray. Lily walks back to her apartment with lightness in her steps. It's a tiny little thing. But in the crowded, expensive city, it was the best she could afford.
She eats some quick cup noodles and cleaned dishes. The exhaustion of the whole day soon creeps up on her. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted into sleep.
Red.
Everywhere is red.
Lily gasps for air but all she could feel was scorching heat around her.
Someone pulls her outside.
Lily sees the silhouette of her mother, looking tired, so so so tired. The side of her head is bleeding. She limps on her leg, dragging Lily along the ground with difficulty.
Something sharp is piercing Lily's wrist painfully.
"M-Mama...My-My hand-" Lily tries to speak through pain. The sharp thing penetrates even deeper into her hand as her mother keeps on dragging Lily's body.
"S-Stay here Lily....I'll go get your father." Her mother leaves her far from the burning car.
"I-I'm scared."
"I'll return with your father, al-alright?"
Her mother again limps back to the burning car.
It hurts. Her hand hurts badly,
And there is so much blood around her.
So much blood.
A loud explosion was heard after few minutes.
Her Mama doesn't return with her papa.
Lily wakes up gasping for air. She finds her cheeks wet with tears, she brings her hand to wipe her tears but stops midway when her eyes land on the scar on her wrist.
She feels a sharp tug of pain.
It's fine.
That's what everyone says.
But was it really fine?
Even after 11 years the pain never left her. It's always like this...nightmares following her every night and sabotaging her sleep...They disappear for some days and the return again. She still flinches when someone or something touches her wrist.
Even if the hold is loose on the wrist, it doesn't make it any better... it reminds her of her mother pulling her hand...the glass shards digging in her wrist painfully.
She again brings her hand closer to wipe the tears but this time noticed something black on her arm.
Her heart stopped.
My soulmates's flowers....
The realization dawns her. With trembling hands, she pulls up the sleeve of her sweater and finds her arms decorated with swirling patterns in black ink.
Black Roses....
Black as the darkest night....
She stares at the black roses decorated on her right arm in an awe.
She has never seen something so majestic in her entire life. The roses are simply breathtaking. Truthfully, it was never the flowers. She had never really cared about what kind of flowers would appear on her arms. She had just wanted something related to her soulmate. Her other half.
And even if the flower would have been a simple black dot, she would have still adored it the same way. It was her soulmate's flowers afterall. And nothing was more special to her than it.
You exist. She feels her eyes burn. She had someone in this world. Someone who was hers. Someone who could be her family. That thought itself made her want to burst in tears of happiness.
Everything suddenly doesn't feel too lonely.
****
Dominic was in hell.
The demons in the western region had been creating troubles again. Bunch of useless punks.
And then, Xavier again got into trouble with another heavenly deity. He again accidentally destroyed the roof of a deity's when he was playing around. The angels suspect that Xavier always does it intentionally but the man is just extremely clumsy for hell's sake.
Dominic had to pacify the matters again. Last time it had been quite easy to solve the problem but this time, it wasn't. Since the temple was of some important deity and he was too proud.
And then there was the problem with himself too. He had been feeling on edge for a couple of days. He had never felt like this...feeling so out of his own skin.
Dominic is exhausted and just want to go and flee somewhere no one can find him.
He would have done that if it weren't for Ronan Lancaster, his damn right hand who wouldn't stop bursting him with questions and messages if he didn't find him in 5m radius of hell.
Dominic grumbles as he gets up from his bed, ready for a new day. He had a pile of documents to go through and also a meeting with his officials. Being The King of Hell should guarantee a relaxed life but no, he was stuck with paper work that never ends and making sure no wrecked soul escapes the underworld.
Dominic slowly takes of the outer silk robe that he had worn while sleeping. He stares at the mirror and finds hid hair in an utter mess. Ronan will be barging into his chamber any minute now with his attendants. Dominic just wants to sleep but alas, he wasn't born with such luxury.
The first think he notice was something white.
Dominic blinks his eyes. What in the hounds of hell is that???
He stares at it carefully.
His heart sinks inside his chest.
He runs his eyes again. Maybe he is still dreaming?
A tattoo of white lily has sprouted on his left arm out of nowhere.
Dominic pinches himself. Hell, this is real. Bloody real.
Dominic is apparently not hallucinating.
What a pity. If he had been hallucinating, perhaps, he could have convinced everyone that he had gone mad and wouldn't have to deal with all those paper works.
Dominic lets out a sigh. Now, he just has to know the name of this motherfucker who decided to prank the king of hell. What a stupid prank, seriously, he wonders if its Alexander, The other prince of hell who enjoy pulling his leg. Oh, Dominic will hang his head.
Dominic Summons his powers and tries to make the flowers disappear.
But to his utter surprise, he failed.
It doesn't go away.
What in the hell is happening!?
Seriously, what kind of magic did Alexander do?
He glares some more.
Nothing happens. Nothing.
"Hells, help me , how lazy can he be? He always needs me to wake him up." Ronan shouts. The man is followed by a line of Dominic attandants.
"Dominic, where the hell are you!? The meeting is in 30 minutes." He barges inside the chamber only to find it in an utter mess.
There are papers, flower vases, cushions, pillows and hell knows what all over the floor. And in the middle of chaos there is Dominic Blackthorne, aggressively using his powers.
He sends a ball of fire which nearly was about to hit Ronan, "What the fuck!? You woke up and chose violence today?"
Dominic chose not to answer and sent another ball of fire making a hide dent on the wall.
"Fuck! Dominic! Stop it! What the hell happened here?"
Ronan looks behind him. No sight of servants. Must have ran away.
Only then Ronan noticed the flowers on Dominic's arm. He let out a loud shriek.
Dominic stares at him unimpressed.
Dominic is in hell...