"Luke! Wake up! You're going to be late to school,” a woman yells.

I open my eyes begrudgingly. For some reason, I woke up in a bad mood. She interrupted my dream. In my dream, there was something I wanted to grasp. Someone. Who?

She notices my anger, and slaps me on the forehead.

“Don't give me an attitude. Hurry up and get dressed for school. You’re a teenager and you still need me to wake you up. Do these three alarms not wake you up? I can hear them all the way from downstairs,” my mother points to the clocks on my bedside table.

What can I say? I'm a heavy sleeper.

“Sorry, mom,” I said with a raspy voice. As she leaves my room, I get out of bed reluctantly.

I take a quick shower, and put on my white shirt, blue pants, and blue blazer with the words FATE embedded in the top left corner.
FATE, Film Academy To Entertainment, is the top school for students who want a career in the entertainment industry. Acting, singing, dancing, modeling, and even social media. The top celebrities come from this academy, one of them being my own mother. The one and only Stella Campbell. The only celebrity who has held the title of Film Empress for 20 years. Film Empress is a worldwide title given each decade for the best actress globally. How old is my mother, you ask? 38. That’s right, she was 18 when she earned the title. Before that she held the title of Little Princess. A title only the best child star from ages 12-17 could have. If there was an award from toddler to eleven, she'd have that too.

Regardless, FATE has made reputable celebrities outside my mother, like my father, William Sullivan. A top singer, known for his angelic voice, cold appearance, but contrasting cute personality. A global sensation, once-in-a-lifetime music genius. A happy family of three.

But without warning, at the age of 27, he passed away from an undiagnosed tumor. After news of his death was released to the public, fans cried for days. Yet, I never saw my mom cry. Not once.

At first, I thought she was stoic, showing no remorse.

I was angry.

Did she not love Dad? Why is she not sad?

One day, I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. As I walked past my mother's room, I heard her crying. It was then I knew she was keeping it all together. Making herself look strong by keeping everything bottled in.

As a widowed mom, she played both roles, mom and dad. Making sure I had everything. Or rather, making me earn them. You want a game console? Go get a job. Dog walking, lawn mowing, pet sitter. Check. You want a phone? Go do a summer internship. Interned at a small acting agency. Check. You want a car? Go bring me the title of Little Treasure. No check.

Now, you might ask. But Luke, can’t you earn it with your mothers' connections? No. No, I can't. The public knows Stella has a son, but they don't know who. My identity is a tight-held secret: no pictures, no name, no records. Also, I look like neither of my parents. Mom says I look just like Dad when he was a teen chasing after her.

Brr.Brr.Brr.

I look at my phone.

7:05am. Tardy alarm.

I’m late.

I quickly run downstairs.

“Are you not eating breakfast?” my mother asks loudly from the dining room.

“I don’t have time, I’m running late. Bye, Mom, love you,” I said as the door closes behind me.

I get on my bike and ride as fast as I can.

As I turn around the corner and onto the main street, I see a boy around my age a bit too close to the curb. Dangerously, close. Suddenly, a car recklessly drives past the traffic light.

Leaping off my bike, I grab the guy by his arm and pull him towards me. The car merely clears from the curb by a few centimeters, and drives away perfectly as if nothing happened. If I was a few seconds late, he would have sustained injuries.

I look down at the boy I rescued.

“Are you insane? What were you doing standing so close to-”

The boy raises his head. His heterochromia eyes, one blue and the other green, meeting mine. With soft-looking features, and sharp eyes, he had a one-of-a-kind appearance. Not knowing when a thin red string floated around us.

Ah, did I forget to mention?

Everybody in this world, around the age of 16, has a red string connected to their soulmate.

A string only they can see.

Disclaimer -

This is a work in progress. The story has yet to take a full form. Once I'm satisfied with the amount and quality of my chapters, I will make sure to post consistently.