Unmarked

Part I

The sun shines right through my window and right into my eyes. I groan and sit up in my bed. My mind is trying to catch up with my surroundings, and when it does, I smile. Today is my fifteenth birthday, but more important than that, it's the day I get my tattoo. My soulmate tattoo. I know it sounds a little weird, but ever since the Charming, every fifteen year old on their birthday has found one somewhere on their body. We call them Blazes, and again, I have no idea why.

I think I heard somewhere that it was an ancient Celtic symbol, but I couldn't care less. It could be a picture of a donut and I would still love it. Your Blaze turns your favorite color and vibrates like a cell phone when you are within five feet of your soulmate. My older brother's mark turns forest green whenever he is near his fiancée, Adeline. I jump out of bed and sprint to my mirror. My Blaze isn't anywhere visible, but that's okay, most people's Blazes are out of sight anyway. I strip quickly and scan my skin for my Blaze. It's nowhere in sight and I am starting to worry. Where is it?

I put a sweatshirt on and yell for my mom. She opens the door with a bang, "Happy birthday sweetheart!"

She takes in my nervous expression and frowns, "What's wrong dear?"

"I can't find my Blaze, Mom!" I drop to the floor, trying my very best to stay calm.

"Honey, your Blaze is probably somewhere you can't see, like your back. Check again." She shuts the door and waits in the hall.

I do what she tells me, but I still can't see it. It's getting harder and harder to breath. I whisper to myself, "Don't freak out, Malone, you will find it."

I searched three more times, but my Blaze was nowhere to be seen. I called my mom into my room to have her check too. She couldn't find one either. I couldn't believe it. Ever since Dustin had brought Adeline to meet us, I couldn't wait to do the same with my "Blaze Buddy", as my brother called it.

I burst into a sob, "Mom, I am literally the only person on Earth to not get a Blaze on my fifteenth birthday!"

"Malone, let's check the date, we might be off again." When I was ten, my mother made me a special breakfast and let me skip the first half of school; only to find out we were a day ahead of my actual birthday.

"No, I know it's April seventh! I checked before I went to bed!" Ever since my tenth birthday happened, I always check my calendar and my phone to make sure it was actually my birthday. I was on the fast track to a mental breakdown before I heard my mom bring out the patented Mom Voice.

"Malone, you need to calm down and take a deep breath," she sighed shakily, "We will figure this out, but in the meantime, let's get you some breakfast and a shower."

                                                                                @#%^#%*(%#^%&#

Forty-five minutes later, I was clean and full but still Blaze-less. It was around ten o'clock in the morning; school started an hour and a half ago, but my mom didn't seem to care. She was currently on the phone with the family doctor. She was upset, and I could tell, so I didn't look up.

"When's the first appointment you have open?" She sighed loudly, "I guess that will have to do, thank you."

I looked up and she sighed again. I copied her. Sighing seemed to be our specialties. "They can't get you in until tomorrow at two." Cue sighing from both of us.

She started walking up the stairs. "I'm not going to make you go to school today. I wouldn't want to go either. Meet me in the basement in ten minutes and we'll have a Supernatural marathon."