“I’ll give Professor Jobe an excuse for your absence,” Hemlock stated. “Take a seat.”
Charlie dragged a chair next to me and sat in it, because you didn’t tell Hemlock no. She tapped the chalkboard with her pointer. “Calm down, everyone. I know it’s Halloween and you’re all very excited, but do your best to pay attention. We’re covering new material today.”
“Don’t we do that every day?” Ghost complained. Someone tossed a paper ball, and it smacked him on the back of the head.
“Charming, Mister Walker, but that is the point ofschool.” Hemlock scowled. “However, I think this lesson will be useful to some of you more than others, as we’re studying twin flames.”
Charlie stirred beside me, and my interest perked up. A lesson about people who shared a soul? That was literally our situation.
“Twin flames are the separate halves of one soul living in two different people,” Hemlock began. “Twin flames are actually more common in the supernatural world than we realize. In fact, the Institute has its own twin flames in the case of Mister and Mrs. Wahkin.”
I frowned. I didn’t like how Hemlock was using us as her examples. I could feel everyone’s eyes on Charlie and me as Hemlock continued her lecture. “Each supernatural culture has their own legends surrounding twin flames. In Miriamic lore, natural-born twins are considered to share a soul. In some cultures, twin flames are seen to be the sign of ultimate friendship between two platonic beings. Other races, such as the angels, don’t believe in twin flames at all. In Hawkei society, it’s usually thought to be a romantic connection. The Elementai believe that the person who is born first has their soul fractured at birth. The other half separates to go to someone else. The two halves are eventually united later within one Familiar, once both of the individuals come of age.”
My Aunt Imogen had said something similar when Charlie and I had met, but before the idea could be confirmed, Hemlock went on. “However, this might not be the case. From what supernatural research has deduced, twin flames were split at the very beginning of creation, and are reunited during their mortal lives to complete some sort of divine mission. It is the objective of the twin flames to discover what their divine mission is, and work together to fulfill it on this earth.”
“Does that mean everyone has a twin soul?” Opal asked, raising her hand.
“No. Not everyone’s soul is split,” Hemlock said. “In fact, twin flames are particularly rare in fae culture, where we are destined to have soulmates. Uniting two souls through a magical bond is a very different connection than the one that exists between the halves of a singular soul, which is meant to be brought together and reunited at some point. There is a contract that is signed between these two different halves before birth to work together during their lives on earth. Therefore, the bond that exists between these types of individuals is magnetic. It can’t be denied once prompted.”
“We sign contracts before birth?” Ghost questioned.
“Yes. In fact, it is believed that souls plan out their life paths and make agreements with other souls on the journey they want to take before they incarnate on the mortal plane,” Hemlock said.
“So why isn’t it happily-ever-after right away when twin flames meet?” Naya asked. I’d forgotten she was in this class, as she hardly ever paid attention or spoke up. Her biting comment had clearly been directed toward me, because she smirked as she said the words.
She was trying to be a bitch— everyone knew Charlie and I had problems in our past. I bet a lot of people thought our marriage wouldn’t work out, including her. Screw them.
“The twin flame connection isveryintense. It is one of the most powerful bonds the supernatural world has,” Hemlock replied. “It’s a balancing act of two different individuals. It’s similar to looking in a mirror. A twin flame will challenge you, reveal all your flaws and push you to become the best version of yourself. It’s not unusual for twin flames to be opposite in every way, and that kind of dynamic can be very difficult to manage.”
Psh. She had that right. Charlie challenged me in all sorts of ways. No wonder we hadn’t gotten along when we’d first met.
Oberi was unnaturally silent during the lecture. His ears remained perked, and he lay stiffly at our feet as Hemlock went on.
“Most people can’t stand to be in that kind of energy at all times. A twin flame will provoke you to heal your deepest wounds and face your greatest fears. It’s not unusual for twin flames to take separate paths after struggling to make their connection work,” Hemlock said.
Charlie cringed, and I felt my stomach twist into knots. Did that mean we really were doomed?
“Ultimately, though, the twin flames who can endure the heat, so to speak, and remain committed to each other have very fulfilling and rewarding relationships,” Hemlock stated.
I shot my hand into the air. “So do twin flames sign contracts with just each other, or can that be done between any number of souls?”
“This goes a bit more into theory than it does actual supernatural science,” Hemlock said warily. “But, since you asked the question, we might as well discuss it. It is believed, among some academic circles, that before we are born, all of us make choices as to what we wish to experience in order to help our soul grow, and we sign spiritual contracts with other souls in order to fulfill our purpose and better the world. This goes beyond the concept of twin flames— the theory is we sign spiritual contracts with everyone in our lives, so that as we live on earth, we can become a better society through the experiences of the collective soul population in the spiritual realm, even as we suffer through things such as pain or war.”
I couldn’t help but think of Kallie and Marcus. Did the four of us sign a spiritual contract before our birth that we’d all work to save the world together?
I had a brief thought about Monica. Had she agreed to die young? Had I agreed towatchher go through that, so I could grow and learn from the experience?
I wasn’t so sure about that, and I didn’t know how to feel about it. This stuff was way too complicated. But thinking about how I could’ve chosen my own path, instead of being a victim to suffer through whatever destiny decided, was somewhat comforting.
“Sounds like you’d be locked into a relationship for life without having any kind of control,” Ghost said, and several people mumbled in agreement.
“Everyone is always their own person, Mister Walker, even twin flames,” Hemlock said. “Contracts that are made in the spiritual realm before birth can be broken between all parties, just like contracts in the mortal world. Like most things in life, the twin flame connection is not determined by fate or destiny, but by our choices.”
Hemlock put her pointer down. “I’m giving you the rest of the class period to work on your essays that are due next week, seeing as howsome of youfailed to turn in a first draft— or any sort of paper at all. Keep in mind that crayon drawings are not an acceptable substitute.”
“I worked hard on that,” I heard Jeffrey Johnson grumble behind us.
As people took out notebooks and pencils, I got up from my seat and took Charlie’s hand. We strode up to the front of the classroom. I stood in front of Hemlock’s desk as I asked, “Professor Hemlock, what you said about twin flames—”
