Taboo Descendants: The Unlikely Heroes (Book I)

Chapter VIII: My First Misconception

If anyone would have looked up 'fool' in the dictionary right then, they would have seen a picture of me standing in the parking garage of Jackson Memorial Hospital, staring at Rahim and his gorgeous brunette companion, wearing a look of complete devastation.

I glanced out towards the night sky, fighting back a flood of tears that threatened to break the levees of my control. I felt more embarrassed than anything. I longed for darkness to engulf me and protect me from the humiliation as it had protected me from the shock of T-Rick's death.

I waited, but no such help arrived. Completely conscious, I simply kept my eyes to the sky.

"Kaya, are you alright?" asked Rahim. His once sweet voice rang bittersweet in my ears.

I did not answer him, but continued to stare at the nearly starless sky. Washed out by the bright lights of the Miami metropolitan area, the sky here did not appear luminous as it did in more rural areas. The same sky, stunning to some, appeared vast and empty to others.

I wished to escape to my mother's quiet hometown where I would hear nothing but leaves waltzing in the wind to an orchestra of frogs and crickets. No sirens, no horns, no bittersweet voices.

"Kaya, if you have fallen ill, I can take you inside to be evaluated."

"The only place I want to go is home." I said, attempting not to sound dejected.

"Are you sure you want to go out tonight? We can reschedule if you are not feeling up to par."

How can he talk like that in front of her as if she's not here?

I chanced a glance at her face. She watched me with increased interest and amusement. I felt my eyes narrow and my eyebrows lower as I gave her an incredulous look. I would not be anyone's source of entertainment.

In response, she smiled even harder. I became angry. I could not understand how she found any of this humorous.

"You have exceptionally strong emotions, considering..." she spoke in an amazed tone, her voice trailing off into a whisper as is she had said too much.

"Considering what exactly? What are you trying to insinuate?" My voice was level, but my tone could have cut sheet metal.

"What my sister is trying to say is..." Rahim began nervously.

"Your sister!" I gasped, shocked, not allowing him to finish his sentence.

"Yes, Iris is my other half," he spoke as if this explained everything. "My twin," he added.

Whether due to hysteria, the abrupt collapse of my nerves, or a combination of both, I broke out in fits of laughter. Not a giggle given politely to a boss' bad joke or even a genuine laugh experienced after hearing a good comic act, but a spasm of frenzied and uncontrollable laughter resulting in tears, a loss of breath and in this case, a large helping of embarrassment.

Oddly enough and to my relief, I was not the only one laughing. I looked over and saw Iris fully enjoying the moment.

She stopped laughing long enough to say, "It was nice meeting you, Doctor Jerito."

"Please, call me Kaya," I responded embarrassed but cheerful. "It's nice to meet you, too, Iris."

How was I supposed to know they were siblings? They looked nothing alike. Rahim looked more Middle Eastern and Iris more Mediterranean. The only thing they had in common was their unusual surname and their blue eyes. His baby blue eyes appeared lighter than her deep blue ones.

Sibling looking unrelated in the physical sense occurred fairly often in a global city like Miami. Looks deceived often there. Someone could look Lithuanian and be Chilean or look Nigerian and be Cuban. Assumptions based on appearance could not be trusted.