Marking

The walk through Hydra's bustling nightlife neighborhood invigorated Imane and calmed Zayn. He enjoyed the laughs, whispers, and conversations from the people strolling the streets, along with the breeze which lowered in temperature by midnight. With Imane's holiday from school tomorrow and Zayn's day off from work, some time out in the city would do them good. Plus, Imane's smile had always eased any stress or uncertainty Zayn had.

Imane had stopped at an open gelato ice cream shop with a white banner to buy one vanilla ice cream scone for her brother and a strawberry one for herself. She winked at her brother when paying the cashier and pulled out a white and red bill of cash from one of the envelopes she hid in her small black purse which had a long black strap around her shoulder.

They passed an open bus stop area for travelers, which had two flower shops across the street next to a public bathroom area, with apartment buildings and houses on the other side of the ten foot concrete dividing wall. On Zayn's right, a row of small restaurants, one named California Hamburgers, the other a Japanese shop called Ramen Nunus, the third one, Taco City, and the fourth was a small convenient store which sold house supplies, snacks and medicine. During the day, Zayn would drag Imane to eat some tacos made with Mediterranean spices until she hated them.

He watched his sister eat her ice cream cone as they reached the end of the street, where cars crossed at the intersection.

Someone honked on their car horn from down the street behind Zayn. He didn't turn to see what happened and waited for the other others to cross the intersection so he and Imane could make their way to the other side safely. The honking continued as a car's exhaust echoed in the streets. Zayn glanced to his left, by the sidewalk and saw a black Panamera Porsche with tinted windows.

Zayn then jerked and reached for his left thigh realizing he didn't carry his pistol. He clicked his tongue then felt a burning sensation on his thigh, as if his skin was being marked like cattle. He reached into the left pocket of his pants and grabbed the necklace. His palm covered it and eased the pain. The chain continued to burn his palm for a few more seconds. Zayn wondered if he had a mark on his thigh, wondered if his left palm was burned forever, and at the same time nearly cursed aloud at how in the world was a necklace burning him.

Then the front passenger window rolled down as Zayn watched for any threats. He realized who it was the moment he saw her right hand on the center console, along with the emerald ring on her right hand's middle finger. Niibel, Zayn's aunt, was the sister of his father, and the only other family member he had left. Every other aunt or uncle, cousin and grandparent, had passed away.

"There's my only nephew and niece," Aunt Niibel said. She wore a dark green abaya, otherwise known as a full length robe, with white patterns stitched from the elbows down to the wrists. "I was calling you, Zayn."

The necklace stopped stinging Zayn. No lingering pain. It ceased within seconds. "I think my phone's on silent," Zayn answered. "What're you doing here, Aunt Niibel? It's late. Don't you work tomorrow?" Zayn noticed a group of guys who looked like they'd be in high school strolling across the street admiring his aunt's Porsche.

"I'm my own boss, Zayn. Get in." Aunt Niibel leaned forward with a smile and waved at Imane. "How's my beautiful niece doing? You're adorable in that black dress. Stunning."

"Hi, auntie! Thank you." Imane spinned in place under the nearby street light.

"Bravo! Hop in! I bought dinner. We can eat at your place."

"Okay!" Imane sidestepped Zayn and opened the backseat door. She slid inside and kissed her aunt on the cheek.

Zayn shut his sister's door then sat in the front passenger seat. He nodded at Aunt Niibel but kept thinking about how his mother's necklace burned him when earlier it chilled him. "Glad to see you're doing well."

"Life is unpredictable, Zayn. One day you're feeling okay and the next can sink you under water." She winked at him then checked her side mirrors before driving into the street. "That's when you've got to be able to hold your breath and survive, the same way you've survived all these years."

Aunt Niibel drove them to their apartment, in another neighborhood about fifteen minutes away called Dely Ibrahim. The brown apartment building was surrounded by other tall buildings, beside it, across the street, up the dirt hill and below. The car drove across pebbles, sticks, and plastic bottles until Aunt Niibel parked along the right side of the road, beside the curb under the starry black sky.

A group of older men smoking and chatting stood at the corner of the street behind them.

Zayn nodded at them and received smiles as he stepped outside then held his sister's hand when she jumped out of the Porsche to not scratch or dirty the door or foot step. Inside their apartment, Zayn took his black dress shoes off first, left his aunt and Imane by the entrance because it wasn't his aunt's first time visiting. He prepared three glasses of water bottles then stared at his empty refrigerator. He didn't have any money that week to buy groceries, and he hated pulling cash out of his savings for his father's surgery. He clicked his tongue then reached for the half full mango juice box. He gave the most to his aunt, then to his sister and then whatever remained for himself

"I'm glad the death anniversary went well this year. As always." His aunt grabbed her glass of juice and sipped it as she sat on the black three squared couch against the left wall. Zayn sat on the gray single seat chair to the left of the couch. The Samsung sixty inch TV sat atop a khaki four drawer entertainment stand alongside the right white wall.

"This year's weather felt different," Aunt Niibel spoke, her eyes drifting across the white-walled living room to the balcony on her left. "Still and quiet. As if we're being watched."

"Watched by who?" Imane asked.

Aunt Niibel sat her glass of juice on the wooden table. "Who knows, my dear." Her fingernails painted light brown, her emerald ring shining. "Did you receive anything this year from your late mother, Zayn?"

"What do you mean? Was I supposed to?" he answered, finding it odd she asked him that. And though he had received the real necklace owned by his mother, he questioned whether he should've told his aunt what had happened. "All I received this year was money from my father's friends."

Imane finished her mango juice then reached for the white paper bag her aunt brought. Inside, three hamburger boxes with french fries. "Thanks, Aunt Niibel." She didn't wait in opening her box and biting into her warm burger. A few fries followed suit after she grabbed a hold of them.

"I won't hold you any longer." Aunt Niibel stood. Her green robe loose and vibrant in color. "Enjoy the food. I already ate, Zayn. Here you go, Imane." She handed her a white envelope. "Take it because I know your brother will refuse it." Zayn's aunt glanced and winked at him. "Even though he accepts all that other money from people not his family."

"Thank you, Aunt Niibel." Zayn nodded. "I just don't want to feel like I'm bothering my only family. They're not the same as you."

She pointed at him with a stern finger. "Don't ever think like that again. All we have," Aunt Niibel said, "motioning her finger in a circle between herself, Zayn and Imane, "are each other. Hopefully your father's cancer surgery proceeds once he accepts it. Even with all the money I've made, if I lose my brother, I've got nothing left in this world beside you two."

Zayn kept eye contact with his aunt but always believed that he'd gladly live an isolated life if it meant gaining enough money to never worry about housing, bills and food ever again. The tradeoff seemed fine by him, but maybe that was because he had already lost almost all of his family and only had a hospitalized father and his sister left. Living with just her was doable. Zayn had told himself that each day since his father had been hospitalized because of cancer.

"Good night, Imane, Zayn. Call me when you need something. We'll be in touch soon. There's a business expo happening soon in Hydra. If you have an idea planned out, you can pitch it to some investors. I'll get your name on the list, okay?"

Zayn smiled at his aunt's willingness to help. "Thank you, Aunt Niibel. I'll keep you updated." He slid his hand into the pocket of his pants and grabbed his mother's silver necklace. It burned him again for a moment. He reminded himself not to mention the necklace to anyone. It was odd enough his aunt asked him if he received a gift. Had she been aware of the fake necklace that was part of his mother's death anniversary every year.

With that, Zayn escorted his aunt down to her car in the dead of night, waved as she drove away then stared at the darkness of the sky.