Aether

Chapter Four

"Then what is that on your lower back?" I try and lean my head back to see, but I can't find the spot she's looking at. Finally, I look at it in the mirror and gasp.

"What the fuck!" I scream. There are two small marks at the small of my back, positioned vertically so that the first - a small black flame within a circle - is close to my tailbone, and the second - a black water droplet the exact same size in an identical circle - is directly above.

"This has to be a prank," I tell myself and my mother. "There's no way they're real."

She frowns at me, as if unsure whether or not to believe me.

"Mum, I swear I didn't go and get tattoos," I promise. "Now, what were you going to say?" I throw my t-shirt on to break her out of her hard stare, and it works.

"I was wondering if you want to come to dinner with your aunt and I. She's leaving tomorrow morning - early - and I thought we could go out somewhere nice."

"Sure, where were we going to go?" I ask so that I can dress appropriately.

"I thought we could go to the Harbourside Restaurant in Brooksdale," she suggests.

"Okay, I'll dress nice."

She leaves me to get ready, and I sigh before changing again, this time into a designer Gucci dress and Louis Vuitton shoes, picking out a Chanel handbag and putting my phone and wallet inside. I curl my hair nicely, away from my face, and put on mascara and lipstick, but no foundation because my skin is currently behaving itself and keeping the pimples away.

Mum drives us to the restaurant, and we bypass the line out the front and enter right away, heading straight for the manager at the front of the place.

"Ah, Chloe, Angel," he says, kissing my mother on the cheek. He looks at my aunt and grins. "I don't think we've met, but you look familiar," he tells her.

My father was good friends with the manager before he left Hayfield, supposedly.

"This is Derek's sister Ariella," my mum introduces to him.

"Ah, you have the same air about you," he tells Ariella, kissing her hand. "You both possess unspoken authority. Is it just you three tonight?" He turns back to Mum with his question.

"Yes, just us."

"Follow me."

We follow him out to a little-known VIP area out the back, and he seats us at a table.

"I'll send a waiter in just a moment to take your drinks order," he says with a small bow, and then leaves the table.

There is a white tablecloth over the round table, and there are white napkins folded into the shape of cranes on each of our place settings.

"Is this real silver?" Ariella asks, poking the silverware.

"Yes," my mother giggles. "Stop it, Ella, you're making people stare."

Ariella stops examining her fork just as a young waiter reaches our table. He greets us and rattles off specials as he folds our napkins over our laps. When he reaches me - I'm last - he stutters a little and his hands shake just a bit. His cheeks turn pink as he tries his best not to check me out but does anyway.

"I'm sorry, but you are so beautiful," he compliments me with an uncertain smile.

He's super cute, with dimples and freckles and red hair, but he's definitely not my type.

"Thanks," I reply anyway.

"I study photography at uni," he tells me as Mum and Ariella discuss what drinks they want. "You would make for the perfect photo."