"Aren't you always complaining about how slow your career is proceeding? If this company succeeds, this will be an opportunity for both of us," Zane said, not hiding his desire to rope his sister into this sailing boat.
Alisha moved her head away from Zane's stare. She didn't immediately answer because she didn't know what to say. All the previous excitement dissipated now that she was involved, now that risks were involved. The soothing voice of the news anchor blurred in Alisha's mind.
"…I don't know about that."
"What are you worried about?" Zane asked. "You don't have to quit your job — at least, not until we take off. You don't have to invest any money — just your time and some connection. And if something goes wrong, I'll take all the blame. Anyway, I have a record, and you don't, so it's fine if I go back to jail."
"Why don't you think more positively?" Mama Sarfowa suggested.
"I am, but I just want her to understand the worst-case scenario."
Mama Sarforwa looked at Alisha, "Ali, you should consider it. In the world, there are few people you can truly trust, and your brother is one of them. If you don't want to take a risk on yourself, maybe take a risk on him."
"I-I'll think about it."
"That's good enough for me," Zane nodded. People cannot change overnight, and for him, Alisha's promise was progress. Without continuing this topic, Zane focused on the news. The beautiful anchor was starting to talk about the world of business and a company investing billions in another, which reminded Zane of something.
"Oh, by the way, if any of you have some savings, you might consider investing in gold," Zane suddenly said.
"Why?" Alisha asked. Even Mama Sarfowa looked at him.
"I saw online that the tower was accepting Earth's gold for their goods. I —"
"Just based on that?" Alisha frowned.
"Can you let me finish?" Zane grunted. "At first, I thought it was another lie, but after a bit of research, there is some truth to it. Based on my research, a few hours after the trainees returned, more than 7 billion dollars were invested in the gold market globally."
"You're telling the truth?" Alisha asked, but did not wait for an answer. Picking up her phone and checking. Stocks traded by Congress members and large investors are public, so Alisha soon found the information she wanted.
"You're right. So many people — including politicians — are secretly investing in gold mining companies or directly buying gold."
"These people are slow to do everything else except when it comes to making money," Mama Sarfowa complained.
"What else can you expect of a public servant in late-stage capitalism?" Zane commented.
"I have about $2000 in savings. How about you help me invest?" Mama Sarfowa stated.
"I can offer half of that," Zane added. He had spent half of the $3,000 on clothes and school supplies, leaving him with over $1,500. In the spirit of being prepared, he decided to give most of it to Ali, leaving $500 for an emergency. As for the car? Well, it was no longer an urgency or a priority. After all, Zane still needed to convince Juan and Julio that his life was taken off.
"Alright, but wait for me to investigate the best place to invest. Then, I'll call you, and we can talk about it," Alisha nodded.
No one objected to her plan. As the one with a degree in economics, she was the expert in the subject. The family of three continued their family reunion while watching television. A few minutes into the conversation, the news segment switched to the most popular topic globally: the upcoming November Presidential Election.
"I can't believe America will have its first female president right after having its first black president," Alisha commented.
"If you ask me, it should have happened long ago," Mama Sarfowa added. "For a country that prides itself on being progressive, we should have had at least 2 female presidents, if not more."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Alisha nodded. "However, now, with a woman in charge, we may finally see some changes."
"You guys are too happy too quickly."
"Don't tell me you don't think she's going to win?" Alisha asked.
"As of now, there are no signs to indicate as such."
"And who do you think will win? Donald Trump?"
"Why not?"
"Okay, now I know you just want to be a contrarian," Alisha mocked.
"I agree with Ali," Mama Sarfowa said. "Donald Trump is an ignorant fool who spouts nothing but nonsense. Not to mention, America would never elect a TV star as president."
"But he's charismatic," Zane said.
"Charisma? Are we looking at the same person?" Alisha scoffed. "Obama is charismatic, but Trump?"
"Obama's charisma originated from his ability as an orator; his speech, mannerisms, and words can easily gather a crowd. Meanwhile, Trump's comes from his Cult Leader-like personality. Have you seen his rallies or how his supporters talked about him? It's almost like they see him as a Christ-like figure."
"You're exaggerating, right?" Mama Sarfowa asked.
"Pay attention to what they do and say, and you'll see a blind worship that is quite scary," Zane squinted. "And speaking of Obama, he's also the reason Hilary may not win."
"What does he have to do with it?"
"Nothing exists in a vacuum," Zane sighed. "Why did Obama win on 08? He was the candidate of hope. He promised the nation change during a time of economic instability; he promised universal care, non-reliance on oil, strengthening the middle class, taxing the rich, police reforms, banning assault rifles, and so many more. You could argue he ran the most progressive, left-leaning campaign since Al Gore in 2000. As a result, most Democrats and centrists went to the polls to vote for him.
"Sadly, Obama capitulated to capitalism. One of the reasons so many women voted for him was that he promised to codify abortion access nationwide on his first day. However, despite having a supermajority, he went back on his promises, even directly stating it was not a priority. He created DACA to protect undocumented children, but also supported building the southern wall, and currently holds the record for the most deportations in a US presidency. And I won't mention his excessive use of drone attacks in the Middle East and Africa.
"In fact, statistically speaking, he only achieved less than 40% of the things he had promised."
"Where are you going with this?" Alisha frowned.
"My point is the majority of people who voted for Obama because they believed in his campaign are disillusioned with the Democratic Party. Even if Hilary promised the same things — which she hasn't — most people will not believe her."
"That's not enough to guarantee that Hilary will lose," Mama Sarfowa added.
"If you want more, I can give you more," Zane calmly replied. "Culturally speaking, America is not ready for a female president. You saw how they treated Obama and Michelle. When he wore that tan suit, the media crucified him. They doubted his citizenship, called the first lady a gorilla, and some people even proclaimed he was the anti-Christ, and those were just the tip of the iceberg.
"America claims to be progressive, but it's one of the most conservative and religious countries in the world. They could barely accept a black man as a president. A woman? They are not ready for that."
"I just can't imagine a world in which Donald Trump is president of the United States," Alisha shook her head. As much as she understood her brother's analysis was sound, she couldn't wrap her head around it.
"That's another issue," Zane added. "Another great contribution to Obama's success was the use of social media as a campaign tool. And now, every candidate is using it. Donald Trump is known worldwide because of the internet and social media, and most people think he's a joke. And do you know what the result of such a mindset will be?
"Countless people voted for him, thinking it was just a joke, and he won't win. Countless others who will not take this election seriously and choose not to vote because they think Hilary is guaranteed to win. I'm telling you, things are not looking as good for her as you think."
The atmosphere became heavy, so Zane didn't say another word. During this conversation, he realized he needed to prepare for a US that might be heading toward right-wing extremism. Many sociopolitical issues that have never been solved might erupt in the next presidential term, and with the existence of transcendent beings and the tower, these issues might be intensified.
"I hope I'm wrong," Zane thought.
Not long after Zane had this thought, the news anchor showed the latest polls, and to everyone's surprise, Donald Trump was doing well. The anchors joked about him, and under normal circumstances, Alisha and Mama Sarfowa would have joined in. But they couldn't after hearing Zane's analysis.
"I just thought of something," Zane said, looking at his mother. "Why hasn't anyone cursed any US president? With all the war crimes, at least one witch should be affected enough to seek revenge."
Mama Sarfowa's eyes narrowed, her upper lip curled in disdain, "They are protected by the [Beast]."
"The Beast?"
"It's an abomination of a spirit created from the greed, hatred, ignorance, and sins of this nation," Mama Sarfowa's face contorted in disgust. "In every generation, someone sells the soul to become the slave of the Beast. Their existence is to protect the president and all members of Congress from supernatural forces."
"By your reaction, I'm guessing there is some tension between normal practitioners and the government-sanctioned ones?"
Mama Sarforwa snorted coldly in response. "The relationship between human and spirit is a symbol of nature's harmony. It's a way for humans to connect with their past, with nature, and with the divine. Any spirit that requires submission of the soul is demonic, and anyone willing to hand over their souls has lost their way."
"Is that so?" Zane muttered. As observant as Zane was, he felt his mother's words contained many biases. However, he didn't know much to verify, and he didn't feel like arguing with her.
"You said the spirit was created?"
"Don't mention that. It's taboo," Mama Sarfowa snapped.
"My bad."
"I'm serious."
"I didn't say anything."
"I know how you get," Mama Sarfowa added, her voice slightly higher than before, "If you try to study this topic, you will be shunned by all the spirits on Earth."
"I never said I wanted to study it. I don't even know the first thing about spirit or magic, why would I study something taboo?" Mama Sarfowa stared at him, and Zane pretended he didn't sense her.
"You better not be lying to me."
"I'm not."
The room was quiet again until Alisha spoke.
"Did I miss something? When did you start believing?"
"After the tower appeared, how can I not?" Zane casually replied.
"That makes sense," Alisha nodded. However, she felt that something was amiss; it was as if she were missing a piece of the puzzle.
Zane spent a few more hours with his family before his alarm reminded him it was time to leave. His mother offered to drive him home, and he accepted. He wanted to drop off his food at home before heading for his haircut appointment.