Kidnapped: Welcome 'home'

Chapter 8: Workout

Stevenson led me to a bedroom which was to be my room for the next God-knows-how-long. When he opened the door, Pierre stood up straight from fixing the pillows and smiled at me before leaving the room.

I stepped in and looked around. There was a queen sized bed against the far wall that was laden with fluffy blankets and pillows. To its right was a wall made entirely of glazing showing the balcony on its other side that looked over the cityscape. Opposite the bed were two matte doors painted white: one led to a large walk-in wardrobe and the other to a shining marble bathroom. In between the two doors was a 40 inch TV screen with a fake fireplace beneath it that looked very realistic. The last remaining wall contained the door that we entered the room from in one corner and a wonderful desk that looked perfect for the most productive of work.

"This will be your bedroom, Miss" said Stevenson, "If there is anything you need, let me know"

"Thank you." I replied, "and - uh, Stevenson?" I asked before he closed the door as he left.

"Yes?" he asked, popping his head round the door.

"Does this place have a gym?" I was not planning on abandoning my daily workouts that I have been maintaining for years just yet. If I couldn't get out easily, at least I could workout and continue preparing myself for that moment.

"Yes, it does. It is in the basement." he replied and then added, before he left, "You can call me Steve by the way."

"Ok... Steve, thank you." I said dismissing him.

I walked into the walk-in wardrobe to see if there was anything in there. Surprisingly, there were some pieces of clothing... all of which were my size! (That's creepy.) I went and locked the bedroom door before returning to the wardrobe to get changed. Most of the clothing items weren't modest so I spent some time trying to create a modest outfit. Afterwards, I threw on a comfortable tracksuit set. I found a couple of coloured scarves that I was grateful for, and quickly wrapped a scarf around my head before throwing on some trainers and heading to the basement.

There was only a single door that led to the basement, the same one that I had walked through earlier with Steve. Out of habit, I rushed down the stairs and opened the double doors at the end of the staircase with more force than intended. The room was dark and I couldn't see anything. I placed my hand on the walls and searched for the light switches, praying under my breath that a Jinn or something would grab me from the darkness. Finally, I found some switches. Not knowing if they were the light switch, fire alarm, or something else entirely, I flicked them on then and watched all the fluorescent lights come to life, one by one, revealing the most amazing gym I have ever seen.

I was serious about my fitness and upon seeing this, I couldn't help but light up. Along the walls were all sorts of different machines you'd find at a gym - all glistening and waiting to be used. In one corner was boxing equipment and in front of them all was a beautiful boxing ring. I must say, I was into boxing and it's been a while since I had wanted to begin training. It took a difficult while for me to quit staring wide-eyed at the equipment and to start warming up for my workout routine.

The entire time, it was incredibly quiet and it scared me. In order to calm my nerves down, I focused on my breathing, trying hard not to be too alert or feel extremely paranoid. I was doing well until I got dizzy on the treadmill - as usual; I decided to stop using it and run around the property at the end of the workout instead of running on a treadmill that got me nowhere - literally.

Since it wasn't a public gym, it also meant that I had all the machines to myself and didn't have to wait for anyone, nor did I have to feel awkward or uncomfortable doing certain stretches and exercises such as squats and push ups.

Is it right to use this gym? Doesn't using this gym mean that you accepted them kidnapping you and the reason as to why they've done it? You're giving in...

NO.

I'm not giving in to them. I'm doing just fine so far. I'm focusing on myself and someday it will pay off. I am in a completely different country, without my passport or money. I will get through this. I will get home. Maybe not now, but I will figure something out.

It felt good to workout properly, pushing myself to the limits until I may feel some pain in my muscles after several minutes of intense exercise. After all: no pain, no gain. After an hour and a bit of working out, I left the basement and headed for the kitchen, where I bumped into Steve.

"Hey Asmaa! How's it going?" said Steve cheerfully.

"Hey Steve." I mumbled, getting a water bottle out of the fridge and checking the cap to make sure that it was tightly sealed and unopened.

"This is King." he announced as I slid onto a stool to drink as taught in the Sunnah.

"Nice to meet you." said King, holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you too." I replied, opening the bottle and placing my hand on my chest as I nodded a little, smiling a tight lipped smile, indicating that I wouldn't shake his hand. He got the cue then awkwardly removed his hand and I drank half the bottle at once.

"Were you at the gym?" asked Steve.

I nodded, getting up and putting the bottle back in the fridge. "I'm going for a run around the premises, no one's to touch my bottle."

"Ok," he replied as I made my way out, "Asmaa, can I ask you a question?" he asked awkwardly as if the question he asked was making him uncomfortable.

"Go on..." I said, turning round.

"Why didn't you shake King's hand?" he asked, looking as though he feared what may come.

I turned to King who looked just like Steve, finally paying attention to him. He had lighter skin with short, cropped hair. I smiled a little. "Apologies. It's not you, King, I'm Muslim and Muslims don't tend to mix with the opposite gender because Islam doesn't permit free-mixing."

"I understand," King nodded and I turned, heading straight for the garden without another interaction.

I jogged straight out of the front door until I reached a fence and followed it, slowly picking up speed until I reached a sprint. Then, I began slowing down to a jog again. I wanted to cover the full perimeter so I had to make sure that I didn't lose so much energy quickly.

An hour must have passed once I completed my run. I didn't want to destroy the rhythm of movement I was so peacefully enjoying so I jogged into the mansion and gradually slowed down until I reached the kitchen. Grabbing the water bottle I drank from earlier, I examined it to make sure that there wasn't a single change. The water level was the same and it was placed the same way I left it earlier. I took a sip and made my way to what is supposedly my bedroom.

During the entire workout, I thought of nothing and no one but myself. It may sound selfish, but thinking of anything at that very moment was going to make things even more difficult. First and foremost, I had to make up for the prayers I missed out on so I took a quick shower and did my wudu ... and somehow worked out the qibla. I needed to return to Allah.

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Another update! I'll be honest, I myself wasn't too happy with this chapter, but it had to be up 🤷‍♀️. I'll make it up to you by posting the next chapter straight after.

Hope you still enjoyed it though. Please, vote, comment and share... I appreciate it 💕