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~ For those of you who like to do a FTR (First Time Reading), you can do it here to keep things in order. 😀 --->

>> Not a werewolf or supernatural storyline. <<

• Amir •

Islamabad, Pakistan

There wasn't anything like seeing a dead body floating on the water. Amir sighed as he removed the Silver Angelfish from his office aquarium. He treated his pet like a child and prioritized their needs.

It was July 8th, the day after his thirty-third birthday, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. His family held a karaoke contest at Pakistani Delights, their favorite café. Even though his relatives wanted him to sing professionally, he didn't. He wanted science, not entertainment. After completing his MBBS from Rawalpindi Medical University and focusing on genetics, he worked at Islamabad's Bukhari Research Facility with supportive coworkers.

Amir was in the middle of replying to a distant relative on his phone when he heard a masculine voice down the hallway from his office, causing him to place the phone on his desk.

It must be Faisal giving a tour, he thought, hearing his cousin's incoherent sound.

As he neared a doorway, Faisal was laughing about the night before. Amir was nervous about his performance and didn't want to be known as a musician.

When he heard a woman laugh, it surprised him.

The woman said, "Your cousin sounds like a great singer."

Faisal responded, "Amir is, but no one can convince him of that. He is persistent about becoming the CEO. His ambitions are good, but his voice could make him millions."

Amir wondered who she was as she giggled again. Instead of wasting time standing around, he took a step forward and waved. A blonde woman with a lovely smile stood next to Faisal.

Faisal said, "Hey."

Amir watched the woman fidget. While standing straight, her eyes drifted along the wall paintings.

He smiled at Faisal and her. But this made his mouth open even wider.

His cousin acted like a celebrity who had just walked in.

"What, Faisal?" Amir grabbed a bottle of grape juice. "This is mine," he said, wondering why Faisal was shocked. "I brought it . . . from home. What is with you?"

The three of them looked at one other for a moment in silence.

Awkward.

Amir glanced at her before leaving. "Hello. I'm Amir Khan and Faisal's cousin. I'm the head researcher. If you need anything, my office is five doors down on the right."

"Cassandra. Or . . . um . . . Cassie. You can call me Cassie," she stuttered.

Faisal's eyes widened, bewilderment written across his high cheekbones. "Amir, you can see Cassie."

Amir raised an eyebrow. "Was I not supposed to see her?"

"Yeah. But, bro, this is huge. You're a . . . a tethered . . . you're special."

He was special? How? He was just an ordinary guy who enjoyed conducting experiments in the hopes of discovering cures for diseases. Maybe that qualified as . . . exceptional?

Did Faisal sleep last night?

He had no idea what his cousin was talking about. He'd ask Faisal about it later.

Amir brushed his black hair and strolled to his office, breathing deeply. He sat down, took out a file, and Faisal rushed in. "Dude, what is with you today?"

"You wouldn't believe me," he said.

Amir snickered. "Anything you say is debatable."

"I have to tell you something. Please, believe me. You're like me, like many people in the world," Faisal said, taking a seat on the brown leather couch.

Amir sat back and folded his arms as he stared at his cousin.

"Where would you go right now if you could go anywhere?" he asked.

Amir thought about Italy and its incredible monuments. Then there was Malaysia, a beautiful country with amazing scenery. Yet, as a scientist, he would love to visit the North Pole. He was eager to bundle up and walk in the snow.

"I know what you're doing. You can tell me, Faisal."

"Tell you what?"

Amir said, "Our family is surprising me on a holiday. I'll be shocked when I receive it."

Faisal snorted. "No, we're not."

"Mmm . . ."

Faisal rose, shaking his head. "What if I told you we are rare humans who can inexplicably connect to other souls on Earth? We can always see where the other person is without traveling there."

Amir sighed heavily as his cousin continued.

"I've visited Australia, Russia, China, Bangkok, and Great Britain. There are other places, but I must connect with those people. We can read minds, too. We're one species."

Amir laughed. He couldn't stop. Faisal's drink was spiked. He claimed to have a connection with millions of people through paranormal abilities, which was impossible. Faisal even said "species."

"That's ludicrous," Amir said, sitting up.

Faisal frowned. "You don't think that could happen?"

"No," he replied.

"Unexplainable things are possible."

"Okay. Give me an example," Amir asked.

"Yawning. Yawning baffles scientists. When we see someone yawn, we do, too," Faisal murmured while yawning and covering his mouth. "And what about dark matter? It isn't like regular matter, and none of us understands much about it."

"Thanks, Faisal. Anything else?"

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

Amir laughed. "The story you've concocted is the strangest one I've ever heard. You're unbelievable."

"You don't believe me?"

"I'm sure you've had dreams—"

"This is not a dream, Amir. We're telepathic." Faisal walked toward him and took his hand. "Stay still. We're about to visit Cassie."

"Where is she?"

This better be good. He's wasting my time with this nonsense.

"Toronto. That's in Canada."

"I know where—" Whoa. Amir then discovered both of them standing behind a construction site near a dumpster. As the sunrise peeked behind two large buildings, they looked around at a crowded street. A gray cat dashed across the road before being struck by oncoming traffic.

This discovery shocked him.

What about where we were in my office? What would we look like if someone saw us?

"Do you see where we are?" Faisal gasped, waving his arms around. "We're in your office and Canada. We transitioned to Cassie. She's nearby, but I don't know where."

Amir gaped. "What's going on?"

"That is what I've been trying to explain to you. Anyone with our abilities can go anywhere. We transition into their environment."

The two men stood beside the aquarium after the scene and returned to Amir's office.

"I don't believe this," he muttered. "We couldn't have been in Canada."

I'm losing it. This couldn't be real.

"We were," Faisal went on. "You're one of us."

"One of who?"

Faisal beamed. "A Tethered One. You are a Tethered Soul. It means to connect."

"What you spoke about and what we did wasn't real. I think someone altered my juice and your OJ."

As Amir reached for a pen on the other side of his desk, Cassie startled him, appearing before his eyes.

Was I daydreaming? Was she a magician?

He was determined to call his friend in Lahore if she wasn't a magician. Cyrus was a brilliant psychologist with a thriving company and could help him.

"Cassie is here and at home. We are Tethered Souls, a rare species that can communicate with others who have the same genetic trait," Faisal explained. "We are unknown and hidden."

Amir tsked. "Yeah, right. Why didn't I know this before?"

"Because your ability has now been awakened. You just had a birthday. Do you want to know something else?" Faisal asked, and Amir nodded. "Every soul is paired. Imagine an arranged marriage without the families."

"What do you mean when you say paired?"

Cassie waved, then disappeared.

Amir's stomach twisted.

"You will be drawn to other Tethered Souls. You'll feel like you're on fire and connected, and you'll find yourself next to your partner. It's like nothing you've ever felt."

"I don't get it."

"What don't you get, Amir?"

"The pairing. Who sets us up?" he asked.

"That part's not sorted out," Faisal replied. "I only know Tethered Souls connect soon after birth. It's like a flow of energy from one soul to the next. However, there are restrictions."

"Restrictions?"

"We're only active after we mature and have a birthday. I think you should meet him or her in five or six months."

Amir frowned. "Him? Her?"

"That's another dilemma with our genetics," Faisal said. "We can't decide when, with whom, or how we connect. We keep our partners safe and are there for them as a companion."

Was he for real?

"You mean I could be paired with another person and have no control over who I connect with?"

"No, but we can do incredible things together."

"Like being in two places at the same time?" Amir asked, and Faisal nodded. "That seems reasonable. Why does it take months for the other person to use their powers?"

Before he spoke, Faisal pinched his lips together. "As guides, we know what to do when our partners' abilities grow. One person will be able to help the other."

Amir blinked. "That simple?"

His cousin laughed. "Can be. It depends on your partner's understanding."

"Oh." Amir sat and looked at him. "What would have happened if you hadn't been here today and my abilities had activated? I'd see Tethered Souls?"

Faisal sighed. "No. Because of me, you saw Cassie. You and I come from the same family."

Amir responded, "That seems extremely convenient."

"Maybe, but now you can understand what I've been experiencing."

Faisal stepped forward after a brief silence.

Wow. This was unexpected, Amir thought.

"There's something else that happens to us that we can't explain," Faisal said.

"What does that mean?" Amir asked.

"When I said we're hidden, I meant it. No one else would see us."

Amir's brows perked. "Like an invisible man?"

"Sort of." Faisal looked around the office before walking over to the closet and opening the door. "For example, I'll walk into your closet, close the door, and then transition next to you. You can have your assistant come in here. And if she can't see me, then there you go."

Amir shook his head, tired of his cousin's idea of a joke. "Faisal, I don't know how you made me think I went to Canada or how Cassie appeared in front of me, but I'm behind on my work. I need to get back to it."

Once Faisal closed the door, Amir headed to the break room to get a strong cup of coffee.

"Hey," Faisal said to Amir from the other side.

Haven't you played enough?

Faisal peeked at Farah, a woman he admired, and hollered a compliment in her direction. She kept reading the newspaper. "Your eyes are beautiful! I could look at them all day!"

Amir grabbed Faisal's elbow. "Why are you acting like that?"

"No one on this floor is like us, Amir. They can't see me. They just see you."

"And how do you know?"

Faisal was drugged. Had to be.

"I don't sense anyone. The hallway has only two Tethered Souls. Us."

Amir laughed loudly, drawing attention. He wanted to test this theory.

"Farah?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Khan?"

"Do you know where Faisal is?" he asked, glancing at his cousin.

"Faisal rushed inside your office, sir." Farah looked up, and when her eyes fell on Amir's, he trembled. "Should I get him?"

Faisal grinned in front of Amir, nodding slowly.

"No. It's fine. I wasn't sure if he left or not," Amir responded.

"Your door hasn't opened, Mr. Khan."

Huh?

"Thank you." Amir cleared his throat and strolled back to his office, yanking his cousin out of the closet. "What's wrong with everyone?"

He straightened. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. We're part of this species with superhuman abilities."

"Does anyone else in our family experience this?" Amir urged.

Faisal shrugged. "No one said anything. I didn't know until I worked in Mumbai. Rajan explained our genetics when I found the gene in my ancestry. My former employer had a device that could detect human anomalies. He explained things since his wife was tethered."

"But couldn't you feel our family like you did in the hallway?"

He shook his head. "Not usually. Connections differ. I sometimes have the feeling that others are like us and sometimes not. It depends on how strong the Tethered Soul's ability is."

"Wow," Amir murmured. "So you're paired with Cassie from Canada?"

"Yeah. We're partners. What if your partner is a celebrity or a world leader?"

Amir gulped. "This is a lot to take in."

"I'm sure. This is just the beginning. There is so much I need to tell you."

━━━─── • ───━━━

diverselit | multicultural | interfaith | bipoc

The entire book series is being revised offline. Many parts of the updated story will be cut. These chapters will be removed and replaced with new ones without feedback or votes. My grammar, passive/active voice, and spelling will improve. The first few chapters have changed, and the main characters (love interests) are introduced in the new first chapter. A major character is in a relationship, but there is no romantic triangle. Thanks for reading these books.

Fun Fact: The degree 'MBBS' and the location 'Rawalpindi Medical University' are both real, but the other location, 'Bukhari Research Facility,' is fictional. 'Pakistani Delights' is a café owned by my Pakistani friends; it's a personal shoutout to them. Twists and conflicts were unveiled. More twists to come.