"You guys are finally back," Alisha said, glancing at them from the couch. "I've been here for hours."
"Why are you complaining? We're the ones busy and running around all morning," Zane said.
"Had you waited for me, I could have accompanied you."
Zane ignored her, heading straight for the kitchen to get some juice. However, as he passed her, he caught a whiff of an odor and stopped. Gazing at Alisha, he frowned.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"Why do you smell like cigarettes? Have you been smoking?"
"Huh, oh, it's from secondhand smoke."
"You're lying. The smell is coming from your breath. Although you used a banana gum to hide it, I can still smell it."
"What are you? A dog?"
"Don't change the subject," Zane said. "Why are you smoking? You know these things are bad for you."
"You're the last person who should be preaching to me about smoking."
"Ever since the announcement, I have made a full commitment to quitting. It's been two weeks, and I haven't had a single smoke since then," Zane said. Well, he wasn't completely lying. Ever since he received his first title, his body has lost the urge or desire to smoke.
"Ali, did something happen?" Mama Sarfowa asked. Alisha was silent. She could ignore or lie to Zane, but she couldn't do the same to her mother.
"Sarah and I have been fighting a lot lately," Alisha sighed. "She's stressing me out, and I started to smoke to lift the edge."
Zane and Mama glanced at each other; their eyes sparkled with excitement. The day had finally come. None of them ever felt that Sarah was a good match for Alisha. Whether it was the large age gap or the difference in their financial situations, all signs point to an unbalanced power dynamic in the relationship. However, Sarah was the first true adult relationship Alisha had. Out of fear that their rejection might slowly alienate Alisha from the family, they kept their thought to themselves, ensuring she had all the support and love she needed.
"How about I cook today's meal?" Zane suggested.
"Alright." Mama Sarfowa sat next to Alisha while Zane went into the kitchen. For this meal, he was prepared to go all out. First, he made the banku, a dough made from fermented cassava; it has a sour taste but goes well with any stew. And since there was banku, there must be okro to go with it. Zane and Mama Sarfowa preferred the authentic style of okra stew, so he used lamb, mackerel, crab halves, and hard-shelled shrimps in his recipe.
The process was long and required a lot of work, but Zane did not mind. Once he entered a focus state, his mind could do anything. Not to mention, he was enjoying the process because he discovered his noise could be applied to cooking. In the spirit of experimentation and because most of the food was going home with him, Zane chose to go all out. He followed the first two dishes with a large pot of jollof rice, steamed fish for his mother, and a small chicken for Alisha. The entire process took hours, but he was more than satisfied with the result.
"Hmm? Is it me, or did your cooking improve again?" Alisha asked after taking the first bite. The smell alone was appetizing, but the taste allowed her tongue to experience the wonder of spices. After his release, the family realized Zane had become a master chef. But now, the food seemed even better than before.
"She's right. Everything seemed perfectly seasoned," Mama Sarfowa nodded.
Zane tasted it, and the food was indeed divine. He was both surprised and not surprised by the outcome. While he was cooking, he started experimenting with using his sense of smell to aid his cooking. For example, when the spices were mixed with the right ratio, they had their own unique smell. When something was boiled or cooked to the perfect temperature, it also had a special smell. Relying on his nose, he created today's masterpiece.
"It's still not good enough," Zane said.
"Overachiever," Alisha rolled his eyes.
Zane ignored her as he was telling the truth. Today was the first time he had tried using his elevated sense of smell to cook. If he has more time to experiment and create the recipe, his cooking would reach an even higher level. However, given how little time he has, this will be the best he can do for a while.
The family had a fulfilling meal, and since Zane cooked, according to the rules, Alisha was in charge of the cleanup. Their mother offered to help — which made Zane jealous since she didn't offer to help him cook — but Alisha rejected. Zane secretly nodded, thinking this heartless sister of his was still sensible.
"Is she alright?" Zane — who was watching TV while sitting in the left couch chair — asked in a hushed tone.
"That woman is becoming bolder," Mama Sarfowa said with gritted teeth.
"Is she trying to isolate Alisha?"
"It appears so."
Zane frowned, "We can't leave her alone in this period, but I will be starting class at the tower. I might be out of touch for a long period."
"In that case, I'll do my best to stay in New York this month," Mama Sarfowa said. As a seasoned traveling nurse, she still has some power. So, after a few maneuvers, she may be assigned to a hospital in the state for the month.
"Try to get her to stay overnight with you at least once a week," Zane suggested. "Pretend you're sick if you have to."
"Why do you have such wicked thoughts?"
"I'm just trying everything possible so that we don't lose Ali."
"She's stronger than you give her credit for," Mama Sarfowa said.
Zane shrugged; that was debatable. His sister had many qualities, but when it comes to her personal life, she was a mess — at least, Zane thought so.
"Do you know who called a few days ago?"
"Who?" Zane asked.
"Michaela."
"Aunt Rykov?"
"Yes," Mama Sarfowa nodded.
"How is she?"
"Not good. She has already started to lose a lot of weight."
Zane was silent, "Can you do something? Or is that against the rules as well?"
"She's too far gone in her diagnosis. The chances of success are too low even with magic," Mama Sarfowa shook her head. "Magic cannot solve every problem."
"I know that. I just wanted to try."
"Right now, all we can do is show support to her and Myk."
Zane nodded before continuing to watch television. However, his mind was not in it for a while. Half an hour later, Alisha returned from the kitchen and sat on the couch next to her mother. "Oh, I just remembered. Your business license is almost ready. What name do you want to use?"
"Kwame Dynamic," Zane answered without hesitation.
"Huh? That was quick," Alisha commented. "But, what happened to Skylar Industry?"
"You read my diary?" Zane stared at her.
"It was right there. Do you think I wouldn't look at it?" Alisha sneered. Before his release, she was the one who had to help their mother move her things into the storage unit.
"I've always known you were my lifelong enemy," Zane scoffed.
"Seriously, though, I'm curious why you changed the name."
"No reason. I just like the name."
"I understand using your middle name, but what's with the dynamic part?" Alisha continued. "Wait, I remember in college, Cindy was obsessed with that show called Fringe. Wasn't there a company called Dynamic something?"
"Was there?"
Alisha glanced at him before using her phone to check. "Yes, it was called Massive Dynamic."
"Is that so? It must be quite a coincidence."
"You used to call that show pseudo-science trash. Who knew you loved it so much?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zane calmly stated, refusing to admit his wrong.
Alisha chuckled, "You used to love science fiction shows. Well, until you became an asshole in high school and suddenly, they were stupid people and losers."
"Watch your words!" Mama Sarfowa warned.
"Sorry, but it's true."
Zane ignored her. He can't argue with the truth; he was an asshole.
"What company?" Mama Sarfowa asked.
Alisha glanced at Zane, and as a sibling, he understood; it was the look that said to put on our game face and lie to our mother as if our lives depended on it. In high school, they shared that look too often.
"I need to clean some money, and Alisha is helping me."
Alisha's mouth was open wide. When did his brother become so honest? Is this something you could just reveal out loud? For a moment, she thought something had gone wrong with the world.
"Is that so? Well, be careful," Mama Sarfowa nodded, thinking it had something to do with the tower.
Alisha looked at her mother, her face screaming: Are you my caring, overprotective mother or not?
"Don't give me that look. Do you think I didn't know about your little signals, the lies, and all the shenanigans you guys were up to in high school? I just pretended I didn't know because one of you would chicken out and act responsibly."
Back then, Alisha's biological mother had kicked her out of the house because of her sexuality, and Zane was dealing with the divorce and beginning his asshole phase. Knowing these two needed an outlet to relax, Mama Sarfowa gave them some freedom. As a powerful witch, even if her divine essence is sealed most of the time, she's still extremely perceptive. So, how could the two children pull the wool over her eyes?
"You were indeed a stickler for the rules."
"We don't know who she's talking about," Zane protested.
"It was you," Mama Sarfowa said.
"I know she's your favorite."
"I love you all equally."
"Tell me that a few hundred times and maybe I'll believe you."
"Back on the topic," Alisha said, ignoring his false sulking. "The more I think about it, the more I feel you starting your company isn't a bad idea."
"How so?"
"You have developed your own software applications, right?"
"I've developed plenty of them."
"How are they compared with others in the market?"
"Most of the ones I developed in prison are outdated or useless. However, the ones I created in the past year can compete and even outclass the best the world has to offer."
Alisha ignored the bragging part of that statement. Knowing her brother, there's a 50% chance he's telling the truth and another 50% chance he's exaggerating. Regardless, all she cared about was that he had developed his own applications.
"That's it. While our business will be fake, the software and codes you created are real. We can use this opportunity to advertise them, and if we meet the right client, we could sell either our services or the software for millions."
Zane immediately understood her plan: use this fake website to advertise himself and manufacture false clients, experiences, and even prestige. Then, after someone sees the website, they can hire him, and he can use his real skills.
"You're right, but you're skipping the key component: meeting the right person."
"That's why I said it's a good idea. The key to meeting the right client is reputation, which you don't have. However, we can build a false reputation through this online business. We create a website that makes it seem as if you've worked for countless companies. It's the perfect marketing strategy."
Zane sat up straight, "I'm confident in my work, but this might involve thousands, if not millions of dollars. These companies will check references."
"Don't you speak Chinese?" Alisha continued. "We'll tell them our business is primarily overseas. We'll get a Chinese Phone Number, and when they call, you answer and talk to them."
Zane squinted, "This may work."
"I'm telling you, this is an opportunity," Alisha said with shining eyes. "Some of the clients I worked with are from the tech industry. If the opportunity arises, I can also recommend your services."
"Don't do anything to endanger your job," Mama Sarfowa warned.
"She's right," Zane nodded.
"I won't," Alisha nodded. "But my point still stands: this may be an opportunity for you."
"No — for us."