These people would become Holders. But when she tried to give each of these people their special gift or ability, she found that the power of their soul was too great, and there was no room for the extra magic. The goddess had to remove a piece of each Holder’s soul to make room for their gift. Then she took the removed bit of soul and made it into a new regular human, so that none of her magic would be wasted. And so there would always be one special person out there for each Holder – someone who is the missing part of their soul – and when they find each other,” she sighed, laying her hands over her heart, “it’s like magic. All it takes is a single touch for your soul to recognize its missing bit. They say the connection hits you like lightning, and you’re never the same again.”
“Oh. I’ve heard of stuff like that. You know, Plato thought that at one time humans had four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. He said that Zeus was threatened by their power, and split them all in two, condemning them to wander the earth looking for their other half.”
“Oh,” she said, flipping her hand dismissively, “that’s just silly. I’m not just spinning tales, this is real. Min has known many Holders it’s happened to. She can even tell if a Holder has found his or her Anam without even asking. The change in the Holder after coming into contact with their Anam is so profound, that it’s actually apparent in their saol. She says she can see it plain as day. Though sadly, she hasn’t been lucky enough to find her own.”
“You mean there is no guarantee that you will find this person?”
“No, in fact these days most Holders never meet their Anam and spend their lives alone. It’s a bit of a curse really. The only person a Holder can ever be truly happy with is their Anam.”
“So you’re saying that most Holders are destined to be miserable? Oh, yeah, sounds great.”
“No, no, not miserable. That’s the good part I guess; you don’t fully know what you are missing until it happens, and then once it’s happened, you don’t have to worry about it.”
“And it’s always a Holder and a regular person?”
“Always.”
“What about the regular person that the Holder is bonded to? Do they get any say in all this?”
“They don’t have to return affection or interest, but they almost always do.”
“OK,” I said, trying to wrap my mind around this. “So, a Holder meets this one special person, and then bam, they just fall instantly in love? Seriously?”
“Oh, but it’s so much more than that!” She leaned forward, placing her hands on my knee. “It’s having someone who understands you, and is there for you no matter what. They say it’s like finding something you lost that you can’t live without, but didn’t know that you lost until you find it. It’s said to be the most completely fulfilling, all-encompassing, incredible love imaginable, and heaven and hell as my witness, one day it will be mine! I know my Anam is out there somewhere,” she said, a faraway look in her eyes. “And if I have to meet every single man on earth, I am going to find him! I don’t care how long – what?” she asked when she saw my lips pressed together in an attempt not to laugh. “I’m serious!” she whined with a grin, swatting my leg.
“Oh, no, I can see that,” I laughed. “It’s just that I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this movie before,” I teased. “Now, either the boat’s going to sink and he’ll die, or you’ll eat some fruit, pass out, and he’ll have to come and kiss you to wake you up.”
She crossed her arms and glared at me as I giggled, though as offended as she was pretending to be, she wasn’t quite able to hide her smile. “You laugh if you will, but it’s true.”
“You are really excited about all this, aren’t you?” I sighed, sobering.
“You have no idea,” she sighed, tipping her head to the side and closing her eyes.
It was easy to see why Alex had called her an expert. Hopeless romantic might have been a better description.
“Wait,” I said, suddenly remembering. “Alex had said that Jocelyn had been married to his Anam?” Chloe nodded, sobering slightly. “So… my mom is supposed to be Jocelyn’s Anam?”