Chapter One

We've been on the road for a few weeks, following the direction the compass is pointing. I don't know how I know, but somehow I just know that we're getting close.

"You look like you're gonna be sick," Harbor murmurs, squeezing my shoulder. "Take a deep breath, Casper."

Bently looks over at us from over his shoulder before turning back to the road. "It's starting to get dark. Do you wanna find somewhere to stop for the night?"

My hand clenches around the compass, my stomach going wild with butterflies. I swallow thickly and shake my head. "Can we keep going for a bit longer? Just another hour."

"It's happening, isn't it?" Harbor asks, smiling from ear to ear. "The compass senses your spark, doesn't it? Oh, I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet your spark! I bet they're going to be just as funny as you! You're gonna mesh instantly, I can just feel it!"

Harbor is so excited that it's hard to stay nervous. His attitude is infectious and I find myself mirroring his grin.

"We can keep driving all night," Bently says from behind the steering wheel. "I've got at least a few more hours in me before I'll need a break. This is your moment, Casper."

"Thanks," I say, running my fingers through my shaggy dark hair, tucking it behind my ears and out of my face. "I'm so nervous. Holy shit. That poor bastard has no idea what they're getting in for."

Harbor smacks my arm. "Shut it, Casper. You're amazing and they're gonna adore you. Don't be so hard on yourself like that."

"Fine," I say with a huff. "It's going to be great and not at all cringeworthy."

"That's the spirit," Bently deadpans.

"I hope you find your mate right away too. That would be extra exciting," Harbor says, bouncing in his seat. He looks out the window, like maybe he'll see my true mate out there waiting for me.

"Take this exit," I murmur, my stomach flipping over itself as the compass moves ever so slightly. "This direction."

Bently takes the exit, pulling off the highway towards a little town. My heart skips a beat as we continue driving. Despite the night still being fairly early, it seems this little town is already mostly sleeping. We pass only a few cars as we go.

Despite being drawn in a certain direction, Bently pulls the RV through the drive-thru of a fast food joint. When I give him a look he shrugs. "What? If we're on the hunt then we need fuel to keep us going!"

I groan but order a cheeseburger and large fries despite the nerves in my stomach. Maybe the food will help calm me down a bit. We get our food and quickly get back onto the main drag of this little town, following it through. This town is basically a straight line for a main street, this main road having most of the businesses scattered on either side of it while smaller roads curve off in either direction where people's homes seem to be.

"Keep following this road," I say, watching as the small town fades away. I shove my cheeseburger into my mouth, scarfing it down quickly so I don't miss anything. We follow the road until we see less and less buildings. The road turns from pavement to dirt. There are signs pointing in the direction of the main highway but we ignore that, following this road, following the compass.

Harbor eats his fries like he's eating popcorn and watching the most intense movie of his life. "We're so close," he says, shoving another one into his mouth. "I can tell."

Swallowing thickly, I can't help but agree. The longing in my chest feels all consuming, like if I don't find my spark soon, it'll completely consume me. My eyes continue to dart between the compass and the road ahead of us. We pass a crossroad and I nearly jump out of my seat. "Wait! We passed them! Turn around."

Bently carefully pulls a Y turn in order to turn the RV around, going back to the T and taking a left. There's a rundown house in the distance. Even from here I can see that the house is barely holding on. The roof is caving in, some of the walls have holes in them and a lot of the windows are broken.

The house is very clearly abandoned and condemned. So what the hell is my spark doing here? Are they homeless and squatting here? Are they leaving graffiti? Are they a troublemaker?

Fuck, I can't wait to finally find out.

There's a car parked outside. I can feel it in the pit of my gut. The car holds my spark. I can sense them. Can they sense me too?

"Holy guacamole," I breathe out, my eyes widening the closer we get to the car parked on the side of the road. "Oh my gods. That's them. My spark is in that car. I think I'm gonna piss myself."

"Please don't," Harbor says, wrinkling his nose. "That would make a terrible first impression."

"Okay, okay. I'll hold it. It's fine. Everything is totally and completely fine."

"Deep breath," Bently tells me as he turns off the headlights and pulls the RV right behind the car. I might actually throw up that burger I just scarfed down, but again, that would be a shit first impression. I gotta keep it together. I gotta calm down.

My hands are shaking as I hold up the compass, letting my cousins see the same thing that I do; my spark is straight ahead. Sure, it could be a coincidence and they're actually miles down this road, but I know in the pit of my very soul the truth. They're right in front of me in that car.

"Willow and Jude should have warned me it would feel like this," I whisper under my breath, trying my best to keep myself from leaping out of the RV. I can be composed. I can!

"They tried to explain it but I think it's something you have to experience to really comprehend," Harbor says with a shrug. He puts his hands on my shoulders. "Are you ready?"

"I have no fucking idea," I tell him seriously. "Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. Oh my gods."

The three of us climb out of the RV. I move to the left, watching as the arrow on the compass moves, keeping itself pointed at the little blue car in front of us. Even if I didn't trust the feelings welling up inside my gut, the compass doesn't lie.

Harbor walks around the RV so he can get to the car from the passenger side while Bently and I stay by the driver's side. The window is open but the person inside is so engrossed on their phone that they haven't even noticed us yet. From here I can tell they have a buzz cut and a variety of piercings lining their left ear and wearing a denim coat covered in random patches.

They're so fucking cool.

I can't stop smiling. My smile is so wide it's starting to make my cheeks ache. This is it. This is the moment I've been looking forward to since I was a little boy. All of the lead up and chase has led me here, to this very person. My soul aches, reaching out for the person in front of me, longing for the spark that'll use us, embrace us, and complete us.

Just as I'm about to clear my throat and announce my presence, Harbor opens up the passenger door and slides inside the car. My spark flings her phone down, screaming at a pitch I didn't even think was possible. My head is buzzing from how loud and high pitched the noise is.

"Hey, chill!" Harbor says, shoving a few fries into my spark's open mouth.

My spark turns away from Harbor, spitting the fries through the open window to her left which just so happens to be where I'm leaning down. She spits them right into my face, her eyes widening when she sees Bently and I.

She screams again.

"What the fuck? Jesus Christ! Get the fuck out of my car! Who just gets into a stranger's car like this?"

"Just calm down," I say after spitting the fries out of my mouth that she just spit at me. I hold up my hands, showing that I mean her no harm. "This is all a really weird misunderstanding, I promise."

"Like fuck am I going to take your word for it! Random ass dudes creeping around my car spells future trauma. No fucking thank you!"

My spark picks up her phone, calling someone. Doesn't she feel the same connection I'm feeling? Doesn't she know that I'm not just some weirdo who's trying to creep on her?

I take a step away from her car. Okay, from any other point of view, this doesn't look good. We really are just some guys who're in the middle of nowhere bothering someone we don't know.

"You need to get your asses out here right now. I don't care how close you are to doing your dumbass ghost bullshit. There's some weirdos out here bothering me and I need some back up. Now."

Harbor is staring at my spark in confusion. "We're not weirdos? Don't you feel that we're connected? Well, not you and me. You and him?"

"They're saying weird shit, Zeke. Get out here. Now."

Bently pulls me back, leaning down so he can yell at Harbor. "Get out of her car, Harbor. You're not helping things!" Then he turns to look at my spark. "I'm really sorry about the confusion. We thought you were someone we already knew."

"Right. Uh huh. Likely story, big guy."

"I think if we all just settle down and take a step back, we're gonna look back at this someday and laugh."

How the fuck have things gone so wrong? I was so happy to meet my spark but all I've done is convince her I'm some sort of asshole. Why doesn't she feel the longing that I'm feeling? Why doesn't she want me? Was the compass wrong?

Before I can properly freak out and have a full blown breakdown, there's a noise behind me. I turn around as I hear a few people coming out of the rundown house across the street. A woman and a man come running out towards us, looking ready to raise hell.

Fuck. Could tonight get any worse?