Duplus (Ongoing editing)

Chapter 19:

Amaani's POV:

The creaky floor made a noise as I stepped inside. I could almost smell the dust in the air. Sufiyaan followed behind, his heavy footsteps filling the silence. It had only been a day since Lx16 ran away. We were sent home by Broad shoulders the very next day.

Judging by the mess in the house, I was sure Sufiyaan didn't clean up during the time we were separated. I took off my hijab and hung it at the hook behind the door; the one I had slammed in for my convenience. It was very useful for getting someone at the door or just throwing out some trash.

"Sorry, the house is such a mess. I didn't know where to start cleaning." Sufiyaan said sheepishly. I smiled at him assuringly. "Eh, I expected it," I told him, laughing a little.

We settled down by getting our shoes off. I took off my cloak and hung it. I glanced towards the broken clock on the wall. "It's already 6:30 pm," I said to no one in particular. Sufiyaan nodded. "Time's running fast today."

"Anyway, you didn't tell me," he started, helping me pick up the fallen clothes on the floor. "How did she escape the cell? The way Saira describe the prison, it didn't look like anyone could get out. She must be an expert." he handed a sock to me. I tossed it into the laundry basket a few meters away.

"None of us have a clue. We searched the whole place but there was nothing. I don't know whether she is an expert or not, but she's sneaky." I replied. Sufiyaan nodded slowly, his mouth forming an 'o'. Then a sly grin spread on my face.

"You've been getting extra cozy with Saira, I've noticed." I teased, elbowing him. As soon as he heard me, I saw him perk up. I tried to look him in the eye but he deliberately avoided me. He hid his face behind a shoe he was placing on the rack. "What are you talking about?" He sounded confident but I knew him too well.

He was good at hiding his expressions but what I said was too much for him to take. He couldn't convince me.

"I'm talking about how you like to talk to Saira so much. Saira this-Saira that. She was our main topic the whole ride." By now it was obvious I was just trying to make him nervous. He shook his head immediately. "You were the one who started the topic! I just went along. Besides, half of the ride I was sleeping." he quickly defended himself.

I laughed. "But it looked like you enjoyed talking about her," I said. He glared at me. "That's not true. I don't know how you came to that conclusion." he stopped helping me out and walked to the kitchen. I chuckled to myself.

There was something there for sure.

"By the way, Amaani," Sufiyaan called out from the kitchen. "On our way, I noticed a lot of people going to Mr. Ibrahim's house. I think we should go and check up on them. You know how they've always been so nice to us." his head popped out from the kitchen door. Hearing Mr. Ibrahim's name got me feeling sweaty.

I gulped.

Suddenly, I started to pray that Mr. Ibrahim was alright and that the other guy that Lx16 killed was just an impostor. Keeping such a big thing from Sufiyaan was risky and I was thinking twice about letting everything out to him. I couldn't keep hiding for long.

"Yeah, sure!" I shouted back. Sufiyaan walked out with a glass of water in his hand. "Why don't we go now? If we delay it then we might be too late," he suggested. I nodded slowly with hesitation. Trying to avoid the topic, I started cleaning again. "Give me ten minutes to clear this up," I told him. He nodded and came closer. "I'll help you out."

We worked in silence but I could notice that Sufiyaan could sense my worry. He kept his eyes on me; something he would do when he knew that I was hiding from him. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize that the bracelet peeked out from under my sleeve while I moved in a rush. It caught Sufiyaan's attention and he pointed towards it.

"Where did you get that from? I haven't seen it before," he questioned. In a panic, I quickly tucked it back inside and waved my hand a little, standing upright. "O-oh it's nothing." I smiled sheepishly. My nervousness made him more suspicious and he raised an eyebrow at me. "I see it on your wrist, Amaani. Now you'll cover it up by saying it doesn't exist and that I'm seeing things." He tried to look at it by leaning closer.

I let out a sigh of defeat. "I found it in the desert," I confessed. He urged me to continue with the look in his eyes. "I put it on because I was curious. It's just a silly bracelet." I said. He took my wrist and pulled out the bracelet from under my sleeve. He examined it carefully and then shook his head when he was done studying it.

"It's not just a silly bracelet. And I know you took it because it's special. Otherwise, you wouldn't hide it like that." he said. For a moment, I didn't reply. But then I quickly changed the topic. "We need to visit Mr. Ibrahim, remember? You don't want to be late, do you?" I rushed away into the room, catching him off guard. I didn't give him a chance to object and closed the door shut behind me.

He wasn't going to leave the topic but I tried my best to escape his interrogation for the time being. I got ready fast and lead Sufiyaan out of the house. He kept looking at me suspiciously but didn't say anything which I was thankful for. We walked the few blocks to Mr. Ibrahim's house and I silently prayed that he was alright.

When we stopped at the front door, I could hear chatter from inside. The house was fully lit up and it was obvious that a lot of people had come to visit. Sufiyaan casually knocked on the door while I stood in my place with all sorts of worst-case scenarios running in my mind.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't hear the door open. "Salam u Alaikum, Mrs. Anila." Sufiyaan's voice made me look up. I saw Mrs. Anila, a sweet woman in her early forties with chocolate brown eyes that shone when she looked at us, standing in the hallway. She forced out a weak smile and returned the greeting.

"Waalaykum Salaam. I'm glad you could visit. Come on in." She stepped aside to let us through. Sufiyaan and I exchanged confused looks before accepting the invite and entering the house. "I was expecting you at the funeral but it's okay. You managed to come now so it's enough," she said as she escorted us to a room.

The word 'funeral' made me choke on my saliva and I could see that Sufiyaan had an almost identically horrified look on his face as me. Unsure whether it would be appropriate to ask her whose funeral it was, we stayed quiet and went with the flow. Sufiyaan was sent to another room while I was taken to the females' side.

When I walked in, I could see all the women of our neighborhood sitting there, praying and making Dua. "I'll be back, honey. Just sit here and make yourself at home." she shot me a smile which clearly looked forced. I returned a smile but, inside I was filled with guilt.

The first chance I got to talk to someone, I asked who passed away. Nawal, a 16-year-old was just sitting a few meters away from me. She was busy with the arrangements. I took her by the arm and pulled her aside. "I was away for a week so I didn't hear the news. Who passed away?" I asked.

"You didn't hear? It was all over the news. Mr. Ibrahim passed away yesterday. Mrs. Anila and the rest of the family is in deep trauma at the moment. I feel so bad for them." she then muttered a small prayer for Mr. Ibrahim.

For a second, I was in a state of utter shock. So much so that I couldn't process Nawal's words. Her words repeated in my mind but they didn't make sense.

"Honestly, it was a big surprise." Her voice shook me out of my thoughts. "You remember how he was the most lively man in the neighborhood, don't you? I just talked to him a day ago and he was in perfect shape. He wasn't even that old." she said, sadly.

"How did he die?" I quickly asked. She looked at me for a second and then leaned in closer as if telling me a secret. "He just fell and died. There was no reason for his death. Doctor Hameed said that there was nothing wrong with him. His heart stopped and he passed away on the spot." she explained, trying her best to speak in a low voice.

I took deep breaths to calm my nerves, my hands curled into a fist. I was so confused that I couldn't even voice out my questions. I smiled at Nawal.

"Jazakillah Khair for your time, Nawal. You should help Mrs. Anila out. I'll find my way around here."

She smiled in response and skipped away, leaving me with my questions and confusion. I sat back down on the white sheet spread out on the floor and started praying for Mr. Ibrahim.

This had gone way too far. I needed to tell Sufiyaan about the attack.