I'd strongly recommend reading "Part 1: Discovery" of my revision before reading this chapter. The other chapter IS this one, but with less paragraphs, lines, words, and flows much better. Also, the revision has several NEW SCENES that are not in this storyline. The revised book will be what I'm focusing on for publishing.
Not this older version. Amir and Luna meet differently as well and has a whole different relationship before the major plot twists erupt. ~ Lily/OnceUponALily

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*Amir*

*July 8, 2018*

It was the day after my birthday, and I was barely keeping my eyes opened. My family hosted a huge gathering at their favorite restaurant, Pakistani Delights, and we did a karaoke contest. Each of my cousins and their friends all believe I should pursue singing, but that wasn't my ambition in life. I loved being involved with anything in the name of Science. Biology, Chemistry, Space and the Solar System, and Physical Health. I've been fascinated with it since I was three-years-old.

Now that I'm thirty-three, I know what I love doing in life. They may have wanted me to be a successful entertainer, but the world needed more researchers and medical students right now rather than entertainment. Entertainment industry wasn't what piqued my interest.

After doing my MBBS from Rawalpindi Medical University, I completed my training and started specializing in Genetics. Then I took a job at Bukhari Research Facility in Islamabad and found myself surrounded by well-supportive colleagues and staff members.

While sitting at my desk in my office, I received the fiftieth text from a distant cousin who lived several miles away wishing me a "Happy Birthday." I replied with a happy emoji, and it made him super excited to know that I acknowledged his message. In the middle of checking my Instagram and liking all the photos I was tagged under, I heard a laugh coming from the break room down the hall from me. I stood to my feet to see what was going on.

After coming a few feet away, I heard my cousin say something funny about what happened yesterday during my performance. Then I heard a second laugh, and it was from a feminine voice.

The female voice then said, "He sounds cool. I'm sure Amir is a brilliant singer."

I stopped for a second to listen in as Faisal commented back, "He is, but no one can tell him that. Amir is persistent on becoming the CEO here one day. He is determined and hardworking, but his voice could make him millions. My cousin doesn't realize that." She giggled, and that caused me to wonder who she was. Her voice didn't sound familiar to me.

Instead of standing around the corner like I had nothing else to do, I made myself known and stepped around the door to see Faisal chatting to this woman with long blonde hair and a beautiful smile across her face while facing his way. When he noticed me coming into the room, he stopped smiling and turned towards me. "Hey, cuz. What are you doing?"

The woman looked uncomfortable and shy, like she didn't know what to do. She kept her posture up-right and glanced around at the artwork pinned to the wall. I smiled back to him, and then to her. But then that caused him to open his mouth wider. His mouth was open so wide, I could count all his teeth from where I was standing. He acted like a celebrity just graced his presence.

"What?" I asked, grabbing a bottle of my grape juice. "This is mine. I brought it from home," I explained to him, still wondering what was with his astonished expression. They were both quiet for a few moments and kept staring at one another. Awkward. I looked at her, and then began walking away, but before stepping out of the room, I turned on my heel, meeting her gaze. "Hi. I didn't introduce myself. I am Amir Khan. I'm Faisal's cousin and the head researcher here. It's nice to see a new recruit in the facility. If you need anything, my office is five doors down the hall on the right. Nice to meet you-"

"Cassandra. Or... um... Cassie. My nickname is Cassie," she said, her body shaking. What was with these two?

Faisal's eyes bulged open as he had a puzzled look in his eyes. "Amir, you can see her. Really see Cassie. This can't be real."

"Can't be real?" I repeated, confused why he was acting so strange suddenly. "Are you feeling okay?"

He blinked. "Yeah, I am. But Amir, this is huge. You're a... a teth... you're special." I'm special? How? I was just an average guy, despite having a strange cousin.

I didn't know what the hell he meant. Turning from both of them, I walked back toward my office, thrusting my fingers through my hair. After setting my bottle down on my desk, Faisal dashed through my door and closed it. "What the heck, Faisal? Why are you acting strange today?"

He paused for a second and shook his head. "I don't think you'll believe me if I told you."

A small snicker came from my lips. "Anything you say is debatable."

"I know, but Amir, I have something to tell you. Please believe what I'm about to say. Okay? You're different. You're like me, like many other people in the world."

He plopped down on the couch and ushered me to sit next to him. "Let me ask you a question. If you could travel anywhere in the world, at this very moment, where would you go?"

I glanced down and laughed. I've never been asked that, and I pondered what was going on with his weird behavior. Thinking about his question, I wasn't sure. Maybe Italy and see all the sculptures I've only read about in books and had seen on television.

Or I wouldn't mind visiting Malaysia. That country has some magnificent places worth exploring. However, I truly would love to visit the North Pole. As a scientist, I think it would be soothing to wrap my body up in winter clothing and walk out into the huge snow-covered land, just breathe in the cold air. Observing the wild animals who hibernate in that region would be an honor to see. But I was still confused about why he wanted to know that information. Was he asking me this because he probably wanted to surprise me for a birthday gift?

Maybe that was it. Had to be. No other explanation.

Facing his way, I laughed and said, "Okay. Okay. I know what you're planning to do." His face fell as he scrunched his eyes together. "Come on, bro. It's okay. I know."

"You know what?" he said, bewildered that I figured it out already.

"That you and the family are planning to surprise me with a holiday. A vacation trip. You can tell me what it is. I'll be surprised when I receive it."

He tilted his head and looked away. Then he turned back to me, shaking his head. "That's not what we're doing. I don't know where you got that from, but we aren't planning anything, Amir."

"You guys aren't?"

He shook his head again, then sat up straighter. "What if I told you that we come from a long line of a rare species that can inexplicably connect to other souls on Earth? You can see wherever the other person is and never have to pay for an expensive plane ticket there. If you could see any part of the planet where would you like to go? I can tell you I've seen Australia, Moscow, Beijing, and even the United Kingdom. Many other places are available too, but I have to connect to those souls, the people who are residents there. The best part is, I don't have to fly out there. I'm able to connect to several minds and live through them in their environment."

I stood up and laughed. I couldn't contain it. He definitely had his drink spiked this morning. Was he crazy? He must be. He was talking about sharing a paranormal connection to millions of people on the planet, and that was not even possible. And to top it off, he said the word "Species."

So, he and I are from a rare 'species' that must be unknown and can communicate telepathically? This was the craziest thing I'd ever heard in my life. I turned back to him and placed my hands on my hips. "I would say that sounds crazy."

He looked at me, confused. "You don't think that's possible?"

"No. I don't."

"Some things are possible that can't be explained."

"All right. Give me an example."

"Like, yawning. Scientists aren't sure why people yawn. Humans see someone else yawn, and boom, we yawn, too," Faisal murmured covering his mouth, yawning. "What about dark matter? Huh? Dark matter isn't like regular matter, and none of us understands much about it."

"Okay. I get your point."

"Then there are cats," Faisal continued.

"What about them?" I asked, wondering what do they have to do with this discussion.

"We understand how cats purr, but we're still not sure why they do. Cats' purring mechanism is still an unsolved mystery."

"Thank you, Faisal, for your great examples. Anything else?"

"Tethered Souls," he said, grinning wildly at me.

"The story you've just concocted is the strangest one I've ever heard. You watch a lot of television, Faisal."

Faisal stared at me for a long time. I thought he was about to break down and cry like I'd insulted his intelligence. "You really don't believe me?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm sure you had dreams and stu—"

"It's not dreams. It's real. We're human anomalies. I'll show you. You'll understand then." He jumped up and held my hand. Then stepped next to me as he took a deep breath. "Stay still. We're about to visit Cassie."

"What? Where is she?"

"Toronto. That's in Canada."

"I know where —" Whoa. The next thing I saw was our bodies behind a building near a dumpster. I looked around at the crowded street as the early morning sun peeked in between a tall building. Then I glanced at a white cat running out from behind the dumpster, dashing across the street. As I peered toward the other side of the road, I stared at a restaurant with the lights on inside. The business wasn't opened yet, but Faisal smiled, wailing his arms around in awe.

What about where we are at home? What would we look like if someone saw us? I couldn't wrap my head around this.

"Do you see where we are?" he asked in a delighted tone. "Dude, we're in freaking Canada, and our bodies are still in your office. Cassie is nearby, but I don't know where."

I panicked and began to pant. "What the hell just happened?"

"That's what I was trying to explain to you, man. We can go anywhere with anyone we meet who shares the same gene. Only for people that have our specific genetic ability. That's all."

"This is crazy." I shook my head. And then we were back in my office. "I don't understand how that happened. I just know that we couldn't have been in Canada."

"But we were. And you're one of us."

"One of who?"

"The Tethered Ones. You are a tethered soul. It means to tie and link together. You are a link, Amir. That's amazing."

I barked out a laugh and laid back on the couch. Something must have happened with both of our drinks this morning. "What happened and what you just spoke about isn't real. Something like that doesn't happen, and I am sure someone did something to my juice and your OJ. This is nuts." I hopped up from my seat and sat behind my desk, realizing how far behind I was on work. I gave him an annoyed look and pointed to the door with my eyes.

But then, as I reached for my pen on the other side of my desk, Cassie startled me, appearing right before my eyes.

What the actual hell? Was I dreaming and fell asleep at my desk? How did she do that? Was she a magician?

That had to be it. If not, I will ask my assistant to look into psychologists for me. Or I could call my buddy in Lahore. Cyrus was a great psychologist and had a striving business down there. This was beyond my imagination. There had to be another explanation for this.

"Amir," Faisal murmured quietly. "Cassie is in Canada. But she is also standing right here, in front of you. If you could just open your mind up a little more, you'll see that you aren't crazy. Neither am I, and neither is Cassie. We are Tethered Ones: A rare species who can communicate to any other soul who shares our genetic marker. And we are hidden. We're unknown. I didn't believe it at first either. But it's true. It's all true."

"This is so strange." I was completely dumbfounded. How can this even be real?

"And you want to know what the best thing about us is?" he asked, smiling widely. I nodded. "We are automatically paired for one other soul. Think of it like an arranged marriage, but without the families setting it up."

Huh?

"Paired? What do you mean by paired?"
Cassie waved goodbye to him, and then to me and disappeared.

I'm losing it.

He inched closer and sat on the edge of my desk, folding his hands in his lap. "Being paired and meeting that person is like feeling this gravitational pull towards one another. You'll feel this connection and fire deep inside of you, and you'll know then you are standing near the one who will always be your partner. You'll want to protect them, care for them, chill with them, explore and do crazy stuff with them, and most importantly be yourself with them. The person you are paired for is out there and waiting. It's a beautiful feeling, unlike anything you've ever felt. This is so amazing. My cousin is like me."

"I'm confused."

"What are you confused on?"

"The pairing. Who pairs us? And how does that work?" I inquired, taken aback by all of this.

"Okay, I'll put it like this. Our species has scientists all over the world who are searching for answers like that. The only thing I can confirm is that tethered souls are paired around the time they are born. It's like an energy that flows from one soul and attaches itself to someone else. Although, there are restrictions."

"Restrictions?" I asked, still puzzled over learning about this.

"Yeah. Our species only becomes active after two things happen. One, adulthood. There have been a few cases where a sixteen or seventeen-year-old had become active at that age, and they met the person they were paired with. But that's still rare. The earliest age is after turning eighteen. Two, after a birthday. After eighteen years of age is when a Tethered Soul has reached their full potential to become advanced. In about five or six months you should meet him or her."

"Him? Her?"

"That's another disadvantage for our genetics. We do not get to choose when we connect, who we connect to, or who is paired for us. We just have to keep that person safe. We are there for them as a companion, and that's all that matters."

"Hold on," I mumbled, looking around. I jumped up from my seat and threw my arms over my chest. "You're saying that I could be paired for someone who's as young as eighteen? And I have no control over the gender of that person?"

He shook his head. "Nope. But at least we can do amazing things in our life when we connect to them."

"Like being in two places at once and travel wherever they are?" He nodded. "That doesn't sound so bad. Having someone tied to you for the rest of your life and support each other sounds nice."

"Well, there's another thing that happens that's still unexplainable."

"And what's that?" I asked him, fathomed by this discovery.

"When I said that our species is hidden, we are literally hidden. Meaning that no one else would be able to see us."

I almost started laughing while standing in front of him. This was funny. He must be playing a prank on me. "Like an invisible man?" I whispered, joking around.

"Kind of." He glanced around my office and walked toward my closet, slightly opening the door. "For example, this is what I'll do. I'll walk inside your closet, close the door, and then project myself next to you. You call your assistant in and see if she can see me. If she can't, there you go. My theory will be proven."

"Faisal, don't do that. Okay? I don't know how you got me to believe I went to Canada or have Cassie to appear in front of me, but I'm behind in my work, and I need to get back to it." Before I finished my last sentence, he already closed the door, and I stepped out of my office to head to the break room for some coffee. I needed something strong this morning.

"Hey," Faisal murmured on the other side of my ear. I guess the closet prank didn't hold up too well. He glanced at Farah, one of the ladies he always flirts with, and yelled out a compliment to her, but she kept her eyes on the paper that she was reading. When she didn't respond, he said something else. Which was stupid. "Your body is beautiful. Can I hold you later?"

I grabbed ahold of his wrist and we stopped in the middle of the hallway, so I could quiet him down. "Would you just stop already? You're just as bad as Faris. He hits on all the women in his building. Get ahold of yourself. You're an embarrassment." I rolled my eyes and stepped away.

"Amir... No one can see me. They can't hear me. I'm still in your closet. No one on this floor is like us."

"And how do you know that, Faisal?"

Staring into my eyes, he whispered, "I can't sense anyone like us. So there are only two people in this hallway who are tethered souls. That's you and me."

Annoyed once again and irritated by his idea of a joke, I laughed. I laughed hysterically, causing a few faces to turn my way. Then I decided to really put this theory to the test.

"Farah?" I said, calling her to look in my direction.

"Yes, Mr. Khan?"

"Do you know where Faisal is right now?" I asked, staring directly at him.

"Not sure, sir." She looked up at my view. My stomach began twisting, forming knots. "I don't believe he had left your office since he rushed in there a little while ago. Do you want me to go get him for you?" He moved right next to me with a huge smirk on his face, grinning like a kid in a candy store.

I cleared my throat.

"No. That's okay. I didn't know if he walked out or not."

"I haven't seen your door open since you left, sir."

"Thank you." I cleared my throat again and began making my way back to my office. Then I yanked him out of the closet, feeling enraged. "What the hell is going on with everyone?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all day. You are different and special, Amir. We are part of this race of people who can do extraordinary things. We have powers that are unimaginable."

When he said that, something crossed my mind, and I wanted to know the answers. "What about my parents? Or your parents? Our family? Does anyone else experience the same phenomenon?"

When I glanced over at Faisal, he shrugged a shoulder and shook his head. "I don't think so. No one has said anything. I only learned about it myself when I worked in Mumbai a few years ago. My old boss, Rajan, explained our genetics to me when I tested positive with having the gene in my blood. He had a device that could determine if I were part of the same genetic gene pool as others were. He also helped me understand some things. His wife is tethered."

"Wow." I was almost breathless with all this information that was thrown my way. It was a lot to handle. "So, Cassie, from Canada, is paired for you?"

"Yeah, she is. We're partners. Who knows? Your paired partner could be an actress, or an actor if it's a male, or maybe a world leader of another country. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

I plopped down on my couch and exhaled the longest breath I didn't realize I was holding. "This is so messed up."

"No buddy. This is only the beginning. There's so much I need to tell you."

For five straight hours and not getting any work done, Faisal and I sat in my office as he explained everything he could to me. I couldn't believe it at first. Even though there were several proofs hitting me all at once, this was something unbelievable. When he was finally finished detailing what will happen next and how I will feel when I meet my paired partner, he went back to the lab as I settled back in my seat. I won't know who I'm paired for, or when I will meet them, but I know that now I am eager to and explore the earth together.

They are waiting for me just as I'm waiting for them, and our connection will be unbreakable. I can't wait, and I won't deny that I'm hoping it's a pretty woman and someone who will always lift my spirits up. If it turned into something more emotional, then she and I will take the next step. But until then, I'll enjoy meeting more people that's part of our genetic ability and live life through them.