Dedicated to SchrijverSil for helping me with my storyline and motivating me throughout the whole writing process.
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Her eyes, a sparkling grey, seemed to be able to look right into his soul. 

The way to the castle of Sensus was long. It was longer than I'd thought it would be, actually. I had expected it to take three, maybe four hours by car, but boy was I wrong. The road was sandy, bumpy and we progressed very slow. We were driving for over five hours now, and according to mom we weren't even close to the castle yet.

"How long do we have to stay in the car?" I whined. "I don't want any longer." 

"I suspect around three hours until we are in the castle, dear," my dad answered seriously, his eyes never leaving the road in front of him, while he softly petted my mother's hand lovingly with his own. 

Next to me, also in the back of the car, my brother looked out of the window, seemingly content with watching the trees rush by. 

"Wouldn't it have been a thousand times faster if we'd just ran to the castle for this stupid ceremony?" His voice sounded as if he was bored out of his mind. Seems like I was wrong about him. Oh well, I had never been the best judge of character, according to mom. I always saw the best in everyone, I was too optimistic for my own sake sometimes. But to me, that didn't matter. I loved being me. 

That thought was enough to keep me busy for a while, I just stared outside, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. I dreamed of my soulmate, what he would look like, what his hobbies would be, what kind of person he would be. Or maybe if it was a she? That would be fine as well, I would love her just the same, I think. But what if it wasn't the other way around? My eyes nearly started watering as soon as I thought of the possibility that had never crossed my mind before. What if my soulmate didn't like me? That was the most important thing right? I didn't have to like them at first, because knowing me, I would start loving them after an hour or two anyway, as I loved everything and everyone after a while. The most important thing was that my soulmate liked me. He or she had to. I forced myself to put the right thought into my head. The bond between us would make us like each other. Mom and dad were opposites as first as well, but the bond worked for them. No matter what, it would work for me, and my soulmate and I would end up as a lovely couple, I was sure of it. 

Just thinking of my soulmate and the ceremony was enough to pass the time. Before I even knew it, we were in an endless line of cars waiting to pass through the gates of the castle. 

The ceremony was held inside the castle, but it was not where we were taken after we entered the gates. They led us towards a small village within the walls, where all parents or other family members would live during the ceremony. For my parents, it would be an amazing time. They would get to see their parents again, their childhood friends. There would be parties, activities and barbecues to celebrate their get together. 

A large man with blonde hair led my mom, dad, James and me towards a small apartment in a big flat. He dangled the keys before my moms eyes, which I could see, annoyed her to no end. "You have five minutes to say goodbye. If you end up in the same pack quarter, you can see each other after the ceremony. If you end up in another pack quarter, you will see each other in three years, at the next ceremony. When you are done, meet me downstairs, I'll be waiting for you there, to take you to the castle. You don't have to take anything, and you can freshen up there before the ceremony. Is everything clear?" The man said it with a loud voice, as if he had to tell everyone in the whole building the same thing at once. I just nodded, and turned towards my parents after he had gone down the stairs back to the car park. 

"I guess that this is it, then?" I said softly. My mom smiled at me sweetly, while my dad hugged James, whispering something in his ear so quietly even I with my advanced hearing, couldn't hear it. 

"You'll be fine, darling. You only have to remember one thing: We will love you, no matter what pack quarter you belong in." 

"What will the ceremony be like?" I asked her, but as always, she gave an awfully evading answer. "It will be opening a new world for you, just as it was for me, don't worry." 

"But I'll come back to you right after the ceremony right, mom? I'm an Amor right? So I get to see you right after the ceremony, because that is what he said, right, mom-" She shushed me with a finger on my lips to stop my rambling. 

"You'll see me after the ceremony. Maybe it is in three years, maybe it is in a few hours. It doesn't matter sweetheart, because your dad and I will love you anyway. If you belong in the Amor quarters, that is fine. If you belong in any other quarter, you'll find your happiness there, don't worry," my mom whispered it softly while she hugged me tightly. I let her, and just enjoy her warmth and her smell, after which I hugged my dad just as tight as my mom. 

"Don't ever forget, we love you two so, so much, no matter what happens, okay? If you need us, we will always be there," my dad spoke with a slight tremble in his voice when he said that, but James and I surely understood every word. 

"We love you too," I said. "See you in a few hours!" 

Then I felt my brothers hand wrap around mine. "Let's go, otherwise we'll be late," he said, looking straight into my eyes. I nodded slowly. 

"Yhea," I mumbled. "Let's go." 

We walked down the stairs, step by step, our hands still intertwined. I wouldl see my parents in a few hours, I was sure of it. I'd go through the ceremony, find out I indeed was an Amor, and after that I could go back to my parents. The only one who I would probably have to miss, is James. But him I would see after the ceremony, at the party in the castle. Mom, dad and I wouldn't go back to the Amor quarters with him, but that's okay. He didn't belong there. 

I did. I was an Amor.