1st April 3:46PM - Back Garden

Dear Diary

Nope that's too weird. I guess I don't really know how to start this. My cousin Lana gave me this diary for my birthday last month and I am only getting around to writing in it now… I should probably start by introducing myself right?

My name is Violet White and I was born into a cursed family. I'm not just being dramatic. Okay some of them prefer to call it unlucky but I think it's a curse. One of our ancestors probably pissed off some God or something.

Women in my family haven't been shown their soul mates for generations; they had to find other men to father their children. It was only a couple of months into my mother's pregnancy when my father had his vision of his soul mate. Soon after he was happily married, now he has a daughter a year younger than me and a seven year old son. I don't see them often.

I desperately want some of my father's good luck. I have been dreaming about my soul mate for as long as I can remember. Everyone wants to find their soul mate and live happily ever after right?

Well no, not everyone. There are some people, a minority – it's usually not ever spoken about – who have banded together and formed a sort of cult. They have weird meetings and make pacts promising they will reject their soul mate if they have the vision. I suppose they have their reasons. They all change their minds when they have their visions. They fall in love and leave the cult behind them.

Anyway that's depressing for the first page of my diary. Ugh I'm not good at this. I believe a change of subject is in order. Starting now.

I am currently out in the garden playing fetch with my dog Jinx. She's a golden retriever. She arrived at our gate in a cardboard box when she was a puppy. After some nagging mom let me keep her. That must have been about three years ago. I picked up a stick and threw it down the garden. It flew through the air spinning with a whooshing noise. Jinx was bounding after it tail wagging. She jumped into the air and caught the stick like a pro. She trotted back proudly. I patted her silky fur.

Eww she just slobbered on this diary. Gross. I pulled the stick out of her mouth and threw it further away this time.

Today is April fool's day and I haven't been tricked once. Okay I'll be honest Lana got me once earlier but I was half awake so I don't think it really counts. She came running into my room and told me that my crush Aaron was downstairs at the door asking for me. I launched myself out of the bed and then I realised what day it was. She also started laughing hysterically which also led me to believe she was lying. I crawled back into bed after shoving her out the door.

When I went to make my morning coffee someone had switched the salt and sugar. Luckily I checked first, they did the same prank last year. I'm not sure if that was my mom or my aunt. I'll have to ask them later at dinner.

Oh I'll have to check the salt and pepper shakers too…

2: Chapter 2

1st April 4:04pm – Walking out to garden

Just checked. Someone switched them so I switched them back. Whoever switched them in the first place will get a nasty shock at dinner… Muhahha

I am starting to like this Diary thing, maybe I'll keep it up? I can keep track of all my misdemeanours.

I just got a text from Jaiden, he said him and Luke broke up. Come on, It's after four I'm pretty sure everyone has realised it is April fool's day by now. I wrote back "Yea and I had a vision of my soul mate."

Jaiden and Luke are my best friends. They were already going out when they had their visions about each other. The three of us are inseparable. I don't know what I would do without them. Oh my phone buzzed!

He said "Damn, Lana get you already?" I replied that she did but just barely.

I don't think I got enough sleep last night, I'm feeling a bit lightheaded. I nearly walked into a lamp. Although, that may be because I was writing and walking at the same time. Not something I would recommend it. Or maybe that tuna I ate at lunch was gone off. Don't canned foods last ages though?

1st April 4:57pm - Bedroom

Okay I am really not well. I just collapsed on the lawn. No one noticed. Figures. Except Jinx, she's the only faithful one. She almost had a fit. I woke up covered in slobber with a frantic Jinx looming over me barking so loud she could have deafened the neighbours.

Lana heard her and decided to check it out. I mustn't have been out long as she was only making her way out onto the porch. She saw me on the ground and rushed over all big sisterly and fussed over me for over half an hour.

I have never fainted before. It really feels like your knees turn to jelly. I got really hot really fast. The yellow daffodils and the trees down the garden began swaying before they blurred and everything went dark. I thought I saw someone for the briefest second. I think it was a guy, wearing red. I didn't know you could dream when you faint.

I am sitting in my room on the bed in case it happens again. It's too warm in here I think I'll go down to the garden for a few minutes to cool down.

3: Chapter 3

1st April 5:34pm – Hiding in the bushes

Okay something really weird just happened. Maybe I'm dreaming. I should pinch myself. Ouch. Bad idea. Oh God. I think I just… no I didn't, that is just ridiculous. I saw… Ugh forget it. You know what I'll write it down anyway.

I had just walked out to the porch and was sitting on the small wooden swing by the pretty purple flowers. The flowers are irrelevant. So I'm sitting down swinging lightly and my vision goes again but not all…dark. It sort of changed, if that makes sense.

I wasn't seeing the green garden with the box hedging down the side. The old moss covered grey patchy stones that make up the wall down the end. The big old oak tree surrounded by the apple trees. My golden lab gnawing on a pig's ear I threw her before I sat down. Or the white daisy's that were beginning to take over the grass.

It all sort of faded away and was replaced by a small country road. It was a dark grey with lighter stones scattered all over it. It was uneven and cracked with potholes. The sky was blue with white wispy clouds. It was so peaceful but the road wasn't empty.

A man not much older than me was running along the road towards me. He wore black shorts and a red T- shirt. His muscles rippled under the t-shirt. A white wire led up across his chest from his pocket, it split and continued on to both ears. The wire bounced lightly off his shirt as he ran. He slowed, then stopped and put a large hand to his forehead up under his thick black hair. He had high cheekbones with a smooth jawline. He looked up and our eyes seemed to meet. His electric green eyes were looking at me with shock accompanied by a glint of fear. He had these long dark eyelashes that were so perfectly curved they would make any girl jealous.

When our eyes met I felt all weird in my chest. My stomach got tingly and my palms got all sweaty. He dropped his hands to his sides and his mouth opened slightly as if he was about to say something. Then it was all gone and I was looking at my own garden again.

I nearly fell off the swing when Lana called me for dinner. I managed to shout "Be there in a minute" then ran into the bushes because I was a little freaked and didn't want to see anyone. What just happened?

What if I was drugged? Oh my God! Who would do that? I know it is April's fool's day and all but that's going too far.

And that guy… wow. I don't think I have seen anyone as good looking in my whole life. Not even that hot guy who was mowing the lawn in that coke advert on TV. This dude was hotter! Even hotter than Aaron and Aaron is the hottest guy in school.

Lana is calling me again. Ugh I should probably go.

1st April 6:0pm – kitchen

Lana is pleased to see me using the Diary she got me. I'm sitting at the dinner table with my Mom, Lana and Aunt Mel. I don't really feel hungry so I'm picking at my food pretending I'm eating. Where is Jinx when I need her? She'd eat it for me.

My mom keeps glancing at my plate to make sure I'm eating it. She raised her brown perfectly shaped eyebrows and nodded towards my plate. Her brown eyebrows match her short brown hair. She looks incredibly like my Aunt. They could be twins. Aunt Mel is a couple of years older. I shoved a forkful of dinner into my mouth to please her.

I looked over to Lana and tried to find some similarities between her and her mom. I guess their noses are quite similar and her eyes but she gets her dark brown hair from her dad. We both seem to have gotten our hair colours from our dads. It's strange how that works. My hair is golden blond and a little wavy, just like my dad's.

Aunt Mel is reaching for the pepper shaker. She tipped it over her chips and the cap fell off. All the black and brown pepper fell out onto her chips.

I think I forgot to mention I didn't put the cap back on properly.

"Ugh! Damn. Who switched them back?" She asked. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. She shook her head at me and began to try clean up the mess. Lana reached over for a high-five. I slapped her palm. My mom just smirked, not saying anything.

I can't stop thinking about that guy. In my head it's all mysterious dark haired hottie. I wonder have I seen him before maybe walking down the street and that's why I dreamt about him. You'd think I would remember a guy who looked like that though…?

There was a bang on the door. Not like a knock, just one big bang. Everyone jumped. We all looked at each other. No one wanted to get up. After a few tense seconds my mom got up. She put her napkin down on the table and left the room.

Screaming. My mom is screaming.

4: Chapter 4

1st April 7pm - Bedroom

Oh my God. I suppose I should pick up where I left off shouldn't I? My hands are shaking. My writing is probably illegible.

We all ran into the hall, my Mom was standing there with a slip of gold paper in her hands. The paper was shiny and reflected bits of light that were dancing on the cream walls. She couldn't stop staring at it. Her eyes were wide and he mouth was hanging open unattractively. Then there were more screams. This time it was coming from behind me; from Lana and Aunt Mel.

Aunt Mel pushed past me to look at the paper properly. Then I realised what it was. A proclamation.

I had seen so many of them I don't know why I didn't realise what it was. I guess I just never thought I would ever see one in this house. I had examined Jaiden and Luke's many times in envy. It was just a thin sheet of golden paper with their names written on it.

A soul mate proclamation.

Someone in this house found their soul mate. Lana pushed past me to look at the paper. I couldn't move. I wanted to move forward and look for myself but my feet were glued to the ground. I immediately thought of Lana, she wanted a soul mate as much as the next
girl, if not more.

As soon as Lana read the names she ran over to me. She was beaming but there was disappointment in her eyes. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to my Mom and Aunt. She grabbed the paper and waved it in front of my face. I took it from her hands to hold it steady. Written on the paper in an elegant print in black ink was:

'Violet White & Kevin Owen'

My mouth fell open and the paper slipped from my fingers. Lana snatched it up from the ground and started jumping around.

"The curse is lifted!" She shouted. "You are so lucky!"

My mother was speechless. Aunt Mel was so shocked she forgot to scold Lana for calling it a curse again. She pulled herself together first and led us all back into the dining room. She was calm and collected, a if she hadn't been screaming with excitement beforehand. I don't think I had ever seen her so excited.

She sat us all down, her hand lingered on my shoulder for a moment before she took her seat. Everyone was quiet; Lana was the first to speak. "Why didn't you tell us about the Vision?!"

I took a minute to find my voice I couldn't take my eyes off the proclamation in her hands. Aunt Mel saw where my gaze was and took the paper from her daughter, handing it to me.

The paper was smooth and unblemished, despite having been passed from hand to hand, dropped and swung about in the air just minutes before.

Me: 'I thought I was hallucinating.'

Lana laughed.

Lana: 'What is he like?'

Me: 'I don't know…I haven't met him.'

Lana: 'I meant looks you dope.'

I tore my gaze from the proclamation and looked up. Everyone was looking at me; eagerly waiting for an answer. The memory of him – Kevin – was clear in my mind. I felt my face heat up.

Lana: 'He must be hot you're blushing!'

Aunt Mel: 'Lana let her speak.'

Me: 'He has black hair and green eyes.'

Lana: 'Ooh is he tall?'

Me: 'I think so.'

Lana: 'What was he doing? Oh what were you doing? You weren't on the toilet were you because that would be awkward! You know he was seeing you too then right?'

Aunt Mel & Mom: 'Lana!'

Me: 'I was sitting on the swing, he was running. I'm not feeling so good I'm going to go up to my room for a while.'

I got up and left without another word. I took the golden paper with me.

I'm hiding out in my bedroom right now. I'm really overwhelmed. Who finds their soul mate on April Fool's day? I should call Jaiden and Luke, they'll understand.

Jaiden: 'Hello?'

Me: 'Hey… is Luke there too?'

Luke: 'Hey, yes I am.'

Me: 'I need to tell you something…'

Jaiden: 'Go on'

Me: 'Eh… I received a proclamation…'

Jaiden: 'Good one.'

Luke: 'What are you doing tomorrow? Want to go get smoothies?'

Me: 'Guys… I'm serious.'

Jaiden: 'Babe, we know what day it is. You can't fool us.'

Damn. How can I convince them? Ugh I really need to talk to them about this.

Luke: 'So smoothies?'

Me: 'I am not lying. I'm kind of freaking out over here guys, I could do with the
support. I wasn't feeling well all day and then I had this vision of this guy running and I thought I had been drugged or something and was hallucinating but then I received a proclamation in the middle of dinner.'

There was silence. They didn't know whether to believe me or not.

Luke: 'Are you sure?'

Me: 'Yes, maybe…I don't know. All I know is I am looking down at a gold piece of paper with my name on it and a guy's called Kevin Owen."

There is silence.

Luke: 'Oh god…'

Me: 'Yea'

Jaiden: 'Do you want us to come over?'

Luke: 'I could bring chocolate.'

Me: 'No it's okay, it's late and I'm tired. I'll meet you for smoothies tomorrow okay? We'll talk then.'

Jaiden: 'Babe, Don't worry about it. This is a good thing. Really good. He's probably tearing the phone book apart looking for your number. You're so beautiful. I bet he can't get you out of his head. I'm so happy for you. No one deserves it more.'

I got a little teary eyed I'll admit. Jaiden was so sweet; he always knew the right thing to say. Luke was so lucky to have someone like him. I hope Kevin is sweet.

Me: 'Thanks Jay'

Jaiden: 'Oh don't get all sappy on me now.'

Luke: 'Now go get some sleep. Goodnight.'

Me: 'Goodnight'

I hung up. I guess I should get some sleep.

5: Chapter 5

2nd April 4:08PM – Cool grass in park

Jaiden and Luke really calmed me down. I took out the proclamation and showed them. Luke screamed and Jaiden laughed at him. They told me he was probably thinking the exact same thing and was freaking out too.

The way they look at each other is so heart-warming. Jaiden's eyes light up and you can tell he is looking deep into Luke's soul. He gets this subtle smile on his face when he thinks no one is looking at him watching Luke. You can tell he would do anything for him.

Luke looks at Jaiden a little differently but just as lovingly. When he looks at him he can't hide his smile. He just beams. His eyes are just as bright. He can't contain himself; he will suddenly get up and run over to hug him.

When they both had their visions they were ecstatic. They were already going out but they were still terrified. Most people go out with each other to amuse themselves before their soul mate comes along. They both thought that was what the other was doing and weren't sure how the other would react to it being more than a fling.

Luke called me first thing. He was crying. He said he just had his vision and it was Jaiden. He was worried that Jaiden hadn't wanted that from the start. I calmed him down as best I could before hanging up. I got a call from Jaiden saying pretty much the exact same thing. I told him to meet me at the swings in the park. I sent Luke a text telling him to meet me there too.

I didn't show up.

I never really did find out what happened next. The next day when I called over to
Luke's (I'm more likely to get gossip off him) Jaiden was there too… he came out of the bathroom in a towel. Jaiden told me "It's not what it looks like. We stayed up all night talking." And then Luke said "If that's what you want to call it". Jaiden tried to convince me otherwise but I'm not sure who to believe.

We're currently in the park. The sun is shining but the grass is nice and cool. Jaiden and Luke gave me some time to write. They think this diary thing is great. They're playing football with some of the locals guys. I am eating a bagel I bought at the local shop. It has tikka chicken and melted cheese. It's so good.

I have like ten messages on my phone from Lana. I'm kind of scared to go home. I get that she is excited for me and all. I don't know if I can face them yet. Maybe I'll crash at Luke's or Jaiden's tonight. Oh no I've school tomorrow that won't work. Damn.

I'm finished my food. I'm going to go join in and play some football.

3rd April 1;12PM – Empty classroom

I'm currently avoiding the mass amounts of people congratulating me. Okay well maybe not mass amounts but lots of people keep coming up to me and congratulating me. It's not like I achieved anything I was just given a proclamation. It's really strange so I'm hiding out in one of the empty classrooms eating my lunch (Chicken in pasta) alone.

I totally get it now! I used to be one of those people telling whoever got their proclamation 'congratulations' but they didn't really do anything right?

I was pretty tired yesterday and when I got home mom told me she found a few Kevin Owens in the phone book and would be ringing them today. I'm really nervous. If she doesn't find him there she'll just contact the 'Soul Mate Finder'. SMF for short. They'll find him fast… for a price.

My Dad called last night. He's really excited for me. He said he would love to meet Kevin when everything is settled down. I think he made me more nervous. I don't want my Dad to be thinking of meeting Kevin yet. That's so awkward. I haven't even met him yet.

He gave me the usual update. His wife's pregnancy is going well. She's as big as a house, apparently. My half-siblings, Holly and James are both doing well. General chit-chat really.

We get along really well but we would rather save the good chat for when we spend the weekend together. When I was little we used to rent a hotel room for a weekend; watch tons of DVD's and order room service. If there was a fun fair on or a waterpark nearby he'd take me to that too. He really spoils me when we get together. I suppose he's trying to make up for not being there for me all the time.

Then he started taking me on his business trips and I got to spend the day by the pool tanning in the sun or shopping and then go for fancy meals with his business associates and their sometimes very attractive sons in the evening. They'd joke that we could be soul mates and we'd laugh awkwardly but end up making out in the hallway later on. Then the next day I'd leave and I wouldn't have to deal with anything else.

I may know how to get a guy to kiss me but I don't know how to date. I'm not a slut… although I think it is sounding like that. There were only a few really. Maybe four? There is one that I've met more than once. He's gorgeous. Tall, Blond, blue eyes the whole package. I had my first kiss with him and quite a few after that. My dad does a lot of business with his father.

I don't know why I'm explaining myself… it's not like anyone is going to read this. Maybe I'll read it in a few years. Hey future self… you weren't really a slut!

Oh Jaiden and Luke have found me. I better go.

4th April 5:31PM – Sitting room

We found him. I think I may start hyperventilating. I had to sit down so I'm in the sitting room with Lana. She has been given strict instructions to stop questioning me.

My mom was talking to his mom and they arranged for us to all meet for dinner on Saturday the 8th. He's from Pinehaven which is about three hours from here. It's actually pretty close to my dad's place. The village of Pinehaven is about fifteen minutes away.

Jinx just padded into the room. She jumped up beside me and tried to slobber on this diary again. I pulled it away just in time but a big slobbery blob landed on the couch. Aunt Mel is going to flip.

I got so much homework tonight I better go finish it up.