Skin Deep

1 - Little Notes

Sana sat in her classes, she saw what happened when the kids suddenly appeared with markings on their arms, legs... The teachers would either yell at them for being so young and that happening, or support them a hundred percent. She didn't like the attention on her, especially at that age. She just wanted to do well and fly under the radar. Until the first markings appeared on her arms.

Little notes popped up, notes for... She couldn't even read it with how messy it was written. It was shock the person writing it knew what it said. She shook her head, trying to focus on her work. She put on her sweater, covering her arm that way no one could ask her questions.

When she got home, she showed her mother, who reacted with a huge smile and hug.

"My little Sana is growing up! You're at the right age for that to be popping up. Which means, anything you write will show up as well." Her mother explained. Sana tilted her head looking at the messy handwriting. "I know, it's an odd thing, but its been going on for as long as time could be recorded." She shrugged.

"Do you think they'll be nice?" Sana asked while touching the now fading ink on her arm.

"I'm sure they will be. They are your soulmate after all." She shrugged while going back to cooking dinner. "Besides, you live in a time where technology is a very big thing. Why don't you write back and ask for their number?" She winked. Sana let out a gasp, shocked that her mother would bring up such a topic. "What?" She pretended to be surprised. "They probably have no idea you're getting those little messages. What does it even say?" She chuckled while grabbing her daughter's wrist.

"I have no idea." Sana frowned.

"Eggs... Celery... Green snack?" Her mother frowned.

"It's a list." Her father chuckled. "Obviously doesn't want to forget." He smirked.

"That would make sense." Sana mumbled.

Momo walked down the road carrying the items she was told to get, her sister walking ahead of her with her newfound boyfriend. She rolled her eyes, knowing it was disgusting and a sham. The whole soulmate thing was total crap and everyone was just pretending. Her soulmate hadn't even written anything on her yet, and here she was drawing all over herself seeing if they would send some kind of signal.

"Did you get the eggs?!" Her mother called out when Momo walked through the door.

"Yes!" Momo set the carton down next to her, putting the rest of the groceries in the fridge before joining her mother in cooking. "Hana is outside with her boyfriend." She informed her mother while tying the apron around her waist. She rolled up her sleeves, working with her mother to cook dinner.

"I'm so happy you always want to help." Her mother smiled.

"I always want to help Mom." Momo chuckled. "I like spending time with you." Her mother kissed the side of her head, smiling at her.

"Go wash the vegetables, then we can chop them."

"Yes ma'am." Momo smiled before grabbing the plastic bag. She placed them in the silver strainer, running the water over them before tossing them slightly. As she set the vegetables down on the rag to dry them, a little heart appeared on her wrist. "Mom..." Momo frowned while holding out her wrist.

"Don't tease me Momo. I know you draw on yourself all the time." Her mother frowned while looking at it.

"I don't do hearts! If I do they look like this!" Momo grabbed a pen from the drawer, drawing a quick heart right next to the little one that appeared. "See. Difference." Momo pointed.

"Hm." Her mother examined the drawing, as she tried to find the difference, another appeared next to Momo's heart. "Oh!" Her mother gasped.

"Mom! I have someone!" Momo gasped.

"Finally!" She chuckled. "You have to do something about that." She chuckled. Momo immediately wrote a little message on her arm, trying to be as neat as possible.

'I'm so happy you can see this now.'

Momo smiled to herself, examining her work for a few minutes before being disappointed again.

"Anything?" Her mother asked.

"No..." Momo sighed.

"Maybe she's busy helping her mother." Her mother smirked. Momo immediately stood up from the kitchen table, resuming what she had started with her mother.

"You have to write something back!" Her mother laughed. Sana had her head on the table with her right arm exposed next to her.

"You can't keep them waiting. It looks like they really tried to write neatly." Her father pointed at her arm with his chopsticks.

"But what do I say?!" Sana frowned. "What did dad say to you?!" Sana asked her mother.

"Oh. He wrote an address down and said meet me here." She shrugged.

"That worked?" Sana asked her.

"Heavens no." She laughed. "I made him work for it." She smirked.

"We didn't meet for two months." Her father grumbled.

"And now look at us." She smiled.

"Still not helping." Sana mumbled. She looked down at her half eaten plate of food, then back at her arm. "What if I just keep doodling?" Sana asked while putting her chopsticks down and picking up the pen her mother placed next to her.

"Don't tease the poor thing." She scolded. Sana rolled her eyes, drawing a little cat on her arm next to the hearts.

Momo smiled at the little cat, she touched it, wanting to feel happy. But she was curious if the person even could see her messages. She sat in her bed, pen in hand as she drew a little pig on her right arm. She smiled at herself, thinking it was adorable. After a few minutes, a little message popped up.

'Are you left-handed or right-handed?'

Momo smiled to herself, writing this time on her left arm.

'Both. :)'

It took a while before another message appeared on her left arm. She smiled at it.

'So cool! I wish I could write with both!'

Momo looked at her phone, seeing a message from one of her friends. The thought clicked into her mind, instead of writing on each other, they could be texting... But she was afraid.

'Do you want to text? I imagine this would be hard to wash off later...'

'Sure. Text me!'

Momo looked down at the number on her arm, immediately lunging for her phone and inputting the contact in her phone. She sent emojis at first, a pig one then a cat and a heart, smiling as she hit send.

"Oh wait." She mumbled to herself.

Momo: This is your soulmate by the way.