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• Amir •

Amir stood idly by Luna as he tried to comfort her the best he could. He knew her emotions were skyrocketing everywhere, and Sarah was distraught. 

He smiled down at the family, wishing there was something more he could do for her. It hurt him to know she was crying over something that was out of her control. He was sound asleep and woke up from a dream when his chest twisted inside his body. He could sense Luna's breakdown and know right then he needed to rush to her side.

While standing there quietly, he turned his head toward Cami as she was smiling at what looked like her parents. She had her mother's smile and her father's cheekbones. He figured Faisal must have been talking to her, because he stood nearby, grinning in his Deadpool pajamas. 

He laughed when Faisal made funny but cute faces at her. No one else in the room was paying attention to him or his cousin, so there must not be other Tethered Souls around.

Bringing his gaze back to Luna, Amir spotted Vikram looking toward him. 

Wait . . . is he . . . is he one of us? 

He gulped, realizing Vikram could see him. 

Squeezing Liberty's hand on the table, Vikram turned away and gave Sarah a small smile. Then he leaned forward to Liberty's shoulder and kissed it gently. 

Amir walked around them and brought his body down to whisper into Vikram's ear. "Men's washroom. Now."

Standing up, Vikram uttered to the group, "I'll be right back. I hope you feel better, Luna."

She nodded as her neck hung low.

As soon as both men were in the bathroom alone, Vikram strolled next to a sink and stood still with his arms crossed, with one leg over the other. "So, who might you be?"

"I'm Amir Khan from Pakistan."

"Oh. The one Liberty had mentioned earlier. Luna's new friend."

Amir chuckled and nodded slightly. He was in shock over Vikram being part of them. But why wouldn't he say anything during Memorial Day when Amir was standing around the family? If he has always been a Tethered Soul, how was it that he was just now noticing him? He'd been around Luna plenty of times.

"Are you paired for someone here, or are you like other Tethered Souls who get attached?" Vikram asked. "Don't think I didn't notice the other guy hanging around a girl out there, wearing the most God-awful pajamas ever. Hopefully, that was just him being funny."

"That's my cousin for you. He loves to be silly with other people. His name's Faisal." Amir stared at him up and down with a confused expression on his face. "But my question is, why didn't you say anything before?"

"Well, you see, I have a talent that few Tethered Souls have. I can block every single soul out of my mind until I open my ability back up." Just like Cami, Luna, and sometimes Faisal. "I take it you've been around the girls when I was around. But I couldn't see you at those times. I wasn't able to. I cloak myself."

"I was around during Memorial Day. Your veggie burgers looked tasty."

Vikram smiled. "Thanks. It took Liberty a long time to eat something I made because she always liked French food and Italian. Then she enjoyed Indian foods more often."

"That's nice. Since you are one of us, where is your paired partner from? Is it a guy, or a girl?" 

He hoped he wasn't being too forward with him, but this was alarming. And probably for Luna, if she had noticed it, too.

"His name was Javier, and he was from France."

"Was?"

Vikram looked down and tried to hold back a few tears from slipping through his eyes. Amir could tell that something happened to his partner. "He didn't know about himself when he died. I'd just learned about it myself two weeks prior before connecting with him. It happened the day after his twenty-first birthday and my twenty-eighth one. You know, Tethered Souls are paired for each other who are born on the same day, but not always the same year." 

Amir nodded, and Vikram continued.

"When I came into contact with him, he was driving on a vacant street right outside of Paris after celebrating the engagement of his sister. I appeared in the middle of the road as he was coming around a curve, and he swerved to avoid hitting me. He didn't know my soul was there, but my actual body was in Delhi. Shortly after, I reached out to his family and friends and gave my condolences. I've blamed myself for his accident ever since and still haven't recovered."

"You can't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. We have no control over when our ability will become active, or when we'll see the person we're paired for."

"I know. It haunts me, still. Is Luna one of us?" Vikram asked. 

Amir was reluctant to answer, even though the cat was out of the bag, but it still wasn't his place to say anything. However, he nodded. 

"Wow. I didn't know. No wonder everyone thinks she needs this place. She doesn't need to be in here."

"No, she doesn't. But to the staff when she speaks to Faisal or myself, they can't exactly see it's us."

"I'm guessing the other girl out there is a Tethered Soul, too?"

Amir nodded.

"Things just keep getting interesting," Vikram uttered.

"Tell me about it. Does Liberty know anything?"

Vikram shook his head. "She can't know who we are yet. But one day soon I will tell her about myself. Especially before we marry. She could have the same ability. As for Luna, she should tell her sister about their genetics. Not me."

"I see." Amir cleared his throat. "Liberty believes that Luna might be hallucinating, considering Dr. Doom in there is always classifying her to be sick."

Vikram slightly laughed and nodded. "They are just like each other. Liberty calls him Doctor Bullshit. He is creepy and strange. When Liberty mentioned to him that we wanted to admit Luna to another facility, hopefully one closer to where we live in Houston, he acted like there weren't any other options for mental health. That was odd."

"It is."

"We'll figure it out."

Amir closed his eyes and exhaled a breath, happy that no one else came into the bathroom. He and Vikram could chat for a moment without any interruptions.

"So you're from Pakistan?" Vikram asked, and Amir nodded. "I've visited Karachi, Islamabad, and Hyderabad, Sindh. Very nice people."

"Thank you. We try to be hospitable to anyone who is a traveler." Amir stepped over to the other side of him beside the sink as they connected in his bedroom. "This is my home right outside of Islamabad. One day I hope Luna and Sarah will be able to come to visit me here."

Vikram walked around and saw darkness outside the window. "I miss India, however, wherever Liberty is and feels comfortable at, that's my home."

"I'm the same way with Luna. Being paired with her was the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"I can sense the aura that surrounds you. I'm glad to know she wasn't speaking to Sam."

Amir shook his head. "No. Just me. But Chase felt like she needed to be in here. Now we're trying to come up with a plan to get her out."

"Well, I will do what I can to help. Especially after seeing the painful marks on Luna's forehead. Liberty, though, she might feel differently."

Amir's brows furrowed. "Why? Doesn't she want Luna out of here?"

"Out of this hospital, yes. But transferring her elsewhere is what she's looking to do for her sister."  

"Luna is not seeing Sam," Amir said. "She doesn't need to be in a hospital."

"I know, but Liberty figured something out about Luna's mental health. Luna doesn't even realize it."

"What?"

"Luna started seeing Sam shortly after she met Chase. She only saw him once after he died, but that was it. And when she met Chase, he used her past against her and started drugging her. It went on for several years, and those drugs caused her to have hallucinations of her late boyfriend. It all boils down to what he did, and Liberty may not be on board with Luna not living in a treatment facility."

"Liberty is mistaken."

"I know," Vikram agreed, nodding. "I'll see what I can do to help her understand that nothing is happening to her sister. None of us knew Chase did anything to Luna, and neither did she. We'd seen him give her an Advil plenty of times, but there's no telling what it was."

Amir balled his fist and was on the verge of smashing his hand into something, but he resisted. Chase had manipulated Luna and her family for years. He knew she was drugged on the way to St. Matthew's, but Chase had been drugging her long before that. 

Both guys chatted for ten minutes until a male staff member came to check on Vikram for Liberty.

Turning toward him, Vikram said, "We'll connect later and figure a way to get Luna out of here. Liberty and I did research, and this hospital is dangerous. It shouldn't even be opened based on several accounts from previous patients and staff. She's in here for a reason, and I think it has to do with Chase." 

"I agree, Vikram. It was good talking to you."

"Same here, brother."

As Amir connected back to Luna, she was sitting in Dr. Kim's office, being informed that after her family visit she won't be able to have another visit until after Sarah's birthday, which was three weeks away. 

"You can't do this to me, Dr. Kim," Luna pleaded, with pain in her eyes. "I have done what you asked. I've cooperated."

"Please calm down, Ms. Carlyle. You had a lovely visit with your family. You'll see them again once you make progress," Dr. Kim told her, leaning forward with his arms over the desk.

"I don't understand," Luna said. "I didn't sign up to be here, and now I won't be able to see my daughter for her birthday? That is messed up, Dr. Kim. You're doing this because of Chase. He's paying you to keep me away from Sarah."

Dr. Kim neither confirmed nor denied anything she'd said, and instead, he narrowed his eyes to the folder on his desk.

"See? You can't even admit it. Chase is angry that I broke it off with him, and that's why he's keeping me here. He's paying you off."

"It's not my place to say, Luna. I just think it is best if you go to your room and cool off for a while."

"I just saw his check on your desk. That's all it's about. Money."

Amir stood beside her and rubbed her shoulder, letting her know she wasn't alone. She was then escorted back into her room by a guard and immediately threw herself onto her bed. 

Looking down at Luna, she sobbed and held Amir tightly. 

"I'm sorry, but I need some time to myself," she mumbled under his arm.

"Dr. Kim is a terrible person. I don't know how he can live with himself." 

"It's Chase. He's paid him to keep me away from my daughter. I just know it."

"I'm so sorry, Moon. I'm here for you."

Amir kissed her temple and then appeared back in his room.

Walking around and pacing frantically, he juggled inside his mind what he could do. He pulled out his phone and texted Faisal to meet him sometime later in the day. 

Faisal replied he was with Cami and was informed about Luna.

Because of the pills Luna was just given, Amir laid down on his bed as the medication helped him relax. He hoped one day he wasn't using heavy machinery while she was under any sedative. That would be bad for him.

Finally drifting off into a peaceful sleep, he dreamed of a life with Luna and Sarah by his side, and where Luna was no longer in distress.

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