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even have
any clothes or a toothbrush.”
    “I have a few extra toothbrushes in the
bathroom,” Lina said. “Sophia, would you mind getting her one?”
With a quick nod, Sophia left the room. “Sophia can take you by
your house tomorrow so you can get whatever you need.”
    “Thank you,” I said again.
    Sophia was back quickly, a brand new
toothbrush in her hand. “Now both of you had better get to bed,”
Sophia said.
    Hugging both women appreciatively, I walked
slowly back to Uriah’s bedroom. Getting some of my questions
answered had proven an effective distraction, but that reprieve
couldn’t last forever. Finally left alone with my unbearable
thoughts and feelings, I hesitated. Ever since Daniel had been
ushered away, I had been fighting the strange compulsion to run
after him. Intent on finding answers, the feelings had been pushed
to the back of my mind, a dull throbbing.
    Standing in the hallway with no other
distractions, the pull of the bond came rushing back full force.
The shock nearly forced me to my knees. Gripping the door frame, I
closed my eyes, taking deep steadying breaths. For a few seconds
that seemed to help, but out of the darkness came Daniel’s
familiar, smiling face.
    His expression watched me, smiling with such
pure devotion. But it can’t possibly be real, I thought to myself.
There was no reason behind our love. Even though I had dreamed
about him for years, not knowing who he was, they were only dreams.
They weren’t real. “I can’t fall in love with a dream,” I said
defiantly. The darkness, of course, had no reply. A sob broke out
of me and I fell against the doorframe for support. I tried to
force Daniel away, to bring Uriah to me instead, but I just
couldn’t seem to push him out of my mind.
    Snapping my eyes open, desperate to get rid
of his image, I was finally free of Daniel’s face, but the desire
to flee Uriah’s quiet home threatened to break me. Gritting my
teeth so hard my jaw began to ache, I forced myself to release the
doorframe. Taking a single step forward, I felt my resolve
strengthen, even if only by the smallest degree.
    It was only a few more steps to reach Uriah’s
room, but the struggle to get there was exhausting. Every second, I
was forced to battle feelings for Daniel and my desire to reach the
shelter of Uriah’s bed. Sweat beaded on my forehead and tears ran
down my cheeks. When I finally stepped into the room, I felt like I
had truly triumphed over the Twin Soul bond.
    Surrounded by Uriah’s belongings, I felt
Daniel slip away enough to allow me to think clearly again. With as
much time as Uriah and I had spent together, I had actually spent
very little time in his bedroom. While his parents loved me, they
were strict about us staying in the common areas of the house.
Standing among Uriah’s favorite books and possessions made me feel
closer to him.
    Sitting at his desk, I drank in the details
of the room, even the scents and sounds that surrounded me. My
brother’s room was never anything short of a disaster area, but
while Uriah’s was not exactly spotless, it was neat and ordered.
CD’s were arranged on a shelf above his desk, ranging from his most
to least favorite. Five of the first eight cases held albums I had
given him over the past year and a half.
    I smiled thinking of my own CD collection. My
top favorites were gifts from Uriah as well. I considered slipping
his Coldplay CD into the stereo, but my chest tightened at the
thought. The music I truly wanted to hear was not on any CD, but in
Uriah’s voice. The simple song was a lullaby he sang to me when
life seemed too overwhelming for me to face. He didn’t actually
write the lullaby, but it seemed to capture his love for me as if
it had come straight from his heart.
    Once I had asked him what the name of the
lullaby was, but he didn’t know. It was a song his maternal
grandmother had sung to him as a child. The lyrics spoke of love
and devotion so pure and right that they always