2002
Very few people in the world had a soulmate. Even fewer were blessed enough to have their soulmates' name written on their body. Even in a melting pot of a Caribbean island, there were considerably few people with soulmates.
Zemirah Atlas was lucky enough to have one.
She remembered being four, looking down at her left wrist and smiling at the odd symbols. She didn't understand the meaning of the white scribbles, nor the gravity of their presence; but it always made her happy. It wasn't until she'd begun to learn how to read that she began to worry. There was another girl in her class with a name on the back of her hand that she could read clearly.
She came home that day crying horribly because of her inability to read her soulmate's name. Nothing would console her. It wasn't until her aunt, Elise, told her about her friend Tanya. Tanya's soulmate's name was in English. And the name written on her soulmate was in Sindi, her first language. Zemirah's scribble was simply in a language she didn't know.
It was a relief to say the least.
-Scribbles-
Kaldur'ahm was a very serious child. So when he realized he could not understand the scribbles on his right wrist he went straight to the wisest person he knew.
His mother.
Sha'lain'a was a confused by the unfamiliar white symbols on her son's wrist. While she pondered the strange and foreign name, she turned to her husband. Being human, he was quite accustomed to surface languages. Perhaps the name was written one he knew.
It was.
Calvin Durham had not expected any son of his to have a soulmate, much less one who spoke English. A language they had yet to teach Kaldur. He attempted to read the name, but the handwriting was so foreign to him that it was impossible to make out.
Whoever they were was a mystery.
-Scribbles-
2006
Zemirah was not a fan of showing-off her soulmark. Hiding it was easy enough; just always wear a watch or a bracelet over it. Simple.
But for such a small island, there seemed to be an overwhelming number of names!
She was always grateful for the summer when she got a reprieve. Everyone was always too excited about day camp to blather on about soulmarks. She walked in this summer with high hopes. Only to have them immediately dashed. Any children in her group with names were examining each-others' with obvious curiosity, and anticipation. Her mother was right; most kids her age were all about soulmarks, if they had one.
She passed them all by without a second glance and moved towards the far corner. That's when someone caught her eye. A girl around her age, tan skin and coffee brown hair, was staring at her hand blankly. She looked fine, but something told Zemirah she was very, very frustrated. In spite of herself, she walked over to her and said hello. To her surprise, the girl immediately hid her hand behind her back. Zemirah was speechless. While not the exact opposite reaction; it was very far from the norm. And Zemirah had a screaming feeling she knew why.
"Can't read yours either, can you?" She asked.
The girl looked up, thoroughly stunned.
"How'd you know that? Wait—either? How? You can't understand yours too?" The girl asked.
Zemirah smiled and nodded. The girl eyed the string of symbols on Zemirah's outstretched hand and furrowed her brows.
"What language is that?" She asked.
"Don't know. Can I see yours?" Zemirah asked.
Tentatively, she held out her right palm. Zemirah stared at the string of symbols. She could make no sense of it. She looked away, cross-eyed.
"I don't know what that is, but it does kinda look like Chinese," Zemirah said.
"You think so?" the girl asked.
"I'm no professional; that's just how it looks to me,"
"What's your name?" The girl asked.
"Zemirah."
"I'm Alexis."
-Scribbles-
Kaldur would sometimes spend hours staring at the name on his wrist; either admiring it or trying to decipher it. When his father began teaching him English, he started to copy the name onto everything he could get his hands on. He compared it to the alphabet in attempts to interpret it.
So far, all he'd gotten was a Z.
-Scribbles-
2009
Zemirah sat in a corner hoping against hope that Alexis would walk through the door. She'd sorely missed the girl the year before. She'd made a friend, but she wouldn't be coming back that year due to disciplinary issues. She needed to speak to Alexis. Against all odds, her soulmate had seemingly gotten a tattoo. She spent hours staring at her arms, both awed and horrified. She spent weeks hiding them from her mother. It wasn't until she'd forgotten her jacket one day that she noted that she seemed to be the only one who could see it. Still, she hid it out of worry. Again she looked up at the door. Eventually, she turned away, giving up as the camp leader started calling on the different groups. Just before her group was called, something nagged her to turn around. She did. And there was Alexis. She looked a bit different. Her hair was longer, and her face was no longer warm.
"Alexis!" she called.
Alexis didn't respond. As a matter of fact, she didn't even look up.
"Alexis!"
Again, she didn't respond. Zemirah got up and ran over to the brunette. The other girl was confused. She stared at Zemirah like she was a lunatic.
"My name's Caroline."
-Scribbles-
Kaldur had once again lost interest in his studies and began to examine his wrist. He knew the first letter was a Z, but the last letter was confusion. Was it an H or an L?
"Kaldur'ahm!" the teacher snapped.
Kaldur immediately looked up, hiding sheepishness of being caught. He stared straight ahead to avoid the gazes of his peers. He didn't need to see the sneers. He was the only one in all of Shayeris with a soulmark. For people in Atlantis to have soulmarks was rare to the point of unusual. Just another factor of his isolation, he supposed.
It was moments like this he was extremely grateful for Tula and Garth.
-Scribbles-
2010
Zemirah idly scratched the date on her hand, her test already done. She glanced at the name on her wrist and scrawled underneath it:
Who are you, Kαλδυρ'αμ?
-Scribbles-
Kaldur had barely finished morning training when he felt something on his palm. To say he was surprised at the blue ink materializing itself was an understatement. What was even stranger was the fact that anyone he showed it to could not see it. Even when he held it out for Batman himself still hiding his soulmark with his other hand No one could see it. That's when he remembered. Garth, Poseidon bless his soul, had read all he could about soulmarks for his sake. In one of his studies he'd mentioned that in some cases, soulmates could relay messages to one another through the bond. Though what that meant, he'd had no idea.
So now, apparently, he could talk to his soulmate; without even having met them.
Taking all the courage he had, he took a pen to his right arm and began drawing.
-Scribbles-
Zemirah felt her right arm tingle and she glanced down. Right next to the tattoo was a black mark appearing. Instinctively she excused herself to the rest room and watched in further affixation as the marks expanded. When it was finished it was an odd image of a shoreline, complete with seashells and rolling waves. She was so stunned that she almost didn't notice the writing on her left palm appear.
I am he.
She stared at her arms in total shock.
-Scribbles-
2011
It had gone on like this for a year. Every morning he would draw something on his arms or even his legs if he had the time and she would ask one question.
Do you know who I am?
Do I know you?
Can you teach me this when we meet?
It was a blissful rhythm he couldn't keep today. Today, Caroline would be formally introducing the newest member of the team and he wouldn't have time to draw something nice for his soulmate until the evening.
Recognized: Pink Cougar, B-012
Recognized: Krystallo, B-013
He patiently waited as Caroline brought the girl to the team. Everyone had decided to welcome her with a small party of sorts, with a cake and a big welcome banner. As soon as she entered the room she looked absolutely stunned. Her brown eyes widened and her mouth hung open in surprise. Then she started smiling. To Kaldur, the room seemed even brighter when she did.
-Scribbles-
She would unofficially be a member of the Justice League after today. Her soulmate hadn't drawn anything today. She was little bit sad at that; they'd never failed to draw something before. She assumed they'd been a bit too busy that morning. After all, they had a life outside of her. Caroline had explained the travelling process already, but it was no less surreal. The zeta-beaming was harrying, and she needed a moment to settle herself after they landed in Mount Justice. She quickly checked to make sure her jacket and fingerless gloves were still on right and then scurried after her friend.
The sight that greeted her was flooring. Robin and several others were there to greet her with smiles, a chocolate cake, and the warmest looks she'd seen in a long time. As soon as the amazement abated some, she grinned.
"Thank you!" she all but shouted.
The tall blond boy, who she recognized as Aqualad, stepped forward.
"On behalf of all of us, I would like to welcome you to this team."
He held out his hand. She moved to take it only to freeze at what she saw. The tattoo! For the second time that day she gaped in shock.
"Is there something wrong?"
Zemirah didn't respond and instead turned around and shrugged off her jacket, uncaring of who else might see.
-Scribbles-
Kaldur stared. Those were his marks! This girl. She was his soulmate! He spun her around, holding her gently by the shoulders and attempted to speak. No words would come. Very slowly, she held up her right wrist and allowed him to see her soulmark. There could be no possible doubt. His name was written right there.
"I… I'm Zemirah…" she said.
"I am Kaldur'ahm."
"Kaldur'ahm…" she repeated.
"Zemirah…"
They only tore their eyes away from each other to watch as their soulmarks change from a pale white to a solid black on their wrists in a faint flash of gold. The collective gasps were what reminded them that they were not alone.
"Uh, what just happened?" Caroline asked.
Kaldur wrapped an arm around her waist and turned to face the rest of the team.
"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to my soulmate."