Reborn

Nether

Continuing to Zion and Malika's ordeal. 

Zion hesitates but he speaks with great fear in his heart. 

"It was something that had to be done, I guess. Even you told me there was no other choice." 

Malika laughed abruptly, "AHAAHAAA and you believed me? Bulla, I am an obeah priest, of course I would tell you that. YOU wanted fortune so bad so I relayed what the spirits wanted; someone close to your heart. So you chose Gabby as a sacrifice knowing that you couldn't choose Layla. What's funny is that Layla and Gabby worked in the same hospital, so it was either or." 

Zion began to break down in tears from the remembrance of his atrocities. Flashbacks flew through his mind. How he spoiled Gabriel for years with material things, paying for her college and amenities, etc. A bright 26 year old girl with a bright future to become a midwife all washed away just for one man's greed. 

It's so sad to see women who have something going for themselves disturbed by men like Zion. She herself wasn't fond of men who lived dangerous lives like him, but even her life wasn't all that great when they met. At the age of 22, after her mother became terminally ill with cancer and her father a recent police retiree, she and her middle sister became the breadwinners of the house of 5. The younger sister, Lauren, recently graduated from high school, top honours, struggled to get a job to assist with bills. The middle sister, Kianna, who made most of the money complained the entire time. Kianna worked normal hours at a bar and averaged at least $300 in tips daily due to her looks and perverted and depressed men. She was overwhelmed by the amount of money she was making for a 19 year old. She had carts and carts of clothes and accessories filled to the brim she wanted to order. Even her closet couldn't contain the overhaul and she had to either sell them or give them away to her sisters. Lust and greed of money pervaded her heart so much that the thought of spending it to help pay bills or take care of her family created a sense of scorn. If it was her decision on whether or not to keep her mother alive, that woman would've been dead since the cancer erupted. 

The economy got gradually worse over the years. Gas prices skyrocketed, the housing market doubled and tripled, food shortages became more frequent and overall costs became more expensive. Before the collapse, $100 could have survived you for a month, now it's only for at most 2 weeks depending on what you got from the store. Gabby returned from university overseas with a bachelor's degree in hopes of finding a career at home near her family. Most of the clinics became privatized, the standards for nurses became delusional and the incursion of foreign workers progressed. Thankfully, at that time she got a job as a chemistry and physics teacher at her old high school. Working there for years made her realize that this might be where her career plans will cease at; taking care of her sick mother and helping her father pay the amenities with his pension checks. She could only save so much for medical college that seemed to become more and more distant in the future. What made it even more depressing was that her family expressed that grades will get you whatever you wanted and were the only exception. That was false. Her 4 years of university showed her that it's all about networking to get what you want. Yes grades are good but when has the last recruiter or company or business owner or wealthy person asked or even mentioned grades? It's all about  who you know exactly and your skills kept you there longer than you should.  She only had the skills but barely knew anyone. Only friend she knew back home after school went on to become a part of the military and she got shipped overseas. 

Gabby became confused over time on what she wanted her life to be for the remaining years living. After working as a teacher for 3 years, she realized she found a passion working with children from an educational aspect, however she still wanted to pursue becoming a midwife. A chance to teach the new generation of children and can change negative statistics about them drastically or become selfish and make her dreams come true. What will she choose?