Chapter Text
How someone meets their soulmate is when they meet for the first time a red string can begin to form. Wrapping around each of their left ring fingers, connecting the two’s hearts.Alberto’s father once told him about soulmates. He told the little boy that one day if he was lucky that he’d meet someone that he could live his life with.
He also told him that it was all a lie. Soulmates weren’t real and neither was love. It was a stronger message in Alberto’s heart after his father left and never came back. Alberto got the message that no one loved him, that he would never find someone who would want to stay with him forever.
That is until one day when Alberto was picking up some discarded human things when he met a boy. The boy was a shepherd and Alberto was absolutely not ready for what he’d bring into his life.
Alberto opened up their relationship by scaring him and later pulling him to the surface. This guy’s hilarious, was Alberto’s first impression of him. Quickly Alberto started to spend a lot of time with this new kid.
Luca was his name and Alberto was not ready for how Luca would make him feel.
Alberto got to know Luca, on the first day both boys expressed their love of Vespas and began to craft one together. At first it was just Alberto would ride down the hill of the island, with Luca holding up a ramp. Eventually Alberto convinced Luca to ride on it with him, to help hold it together, Alberto wasn’t ready for when Luca would wrap his arms around the taller boy. Having the older boy hold onto him for dear life sent a warm fuzzy feeling in this chest.
That night, after Luca went home, Alberto lay awake, watching the stars. Thinking about how much fun he had with his new friend. His heart fluttered as he thought of Luca and he smiled to himself. Quickly shaking it off though, he didn’t wasn’t to start feeling weird about his new friend, they were both boys after all.
The two young sea monsters would go to spend almost every day of the next few weeks together. They did everything they could imagine on that island. They crafted instruments to play music, danced to the tune of that magic singing box, drew pictures of their dream Vespa on the wall, and at night they’d gaze at the stars together.
One night, Alberto remembered when he looked at his hand he saw something unexpected. It looked like a little red something had gotten stuck to his finger. Upon closer inspection, it looked kinda like a string was wrapped around it. Alberto decided not to pay it much, instead going to sleep and only waking up to hear Luca coming up the tower.
Today Luca looked upset, said something about his parents wanting to send him away. Alberto hated that idea. He didn't want to imagine his world with Luca in it. Instead he proposed the idea that they leave and go to that human town. There they could find a Vespa and go anywhere they wanted in the world.
The town was full of so many humans. Big, small, smooth, wrinkly, and they came in different colors too, just like sea monsters. One human they met had red hair and wore stripes. Her name was Gullieta and she would be another person that Alberto would come to grow close to. Though she didn't give him the same feelings Luca did, he wouldn’t hesitate to call her a new friend too. Plus, her dad was awesome.