Ecstasy

Chapter 12

Javeria and Rabia could hardly sleep that night: they were gripped by

fear. What if she did not return? The question loomed like a menace.

They could see their careers smashed and they knew what the reaction

of their families would be-they would be maligned and criticized for

colluding with Imama, for not telling her father the truth about her and

for hiding the facts from the warden.

They had not figured what the reaction of Hashim Mubeen and his

family would be when they were faced with the truth-how would they

judge the role of these two friends. The other girls in the hostel would

talk about them and if this became a police case, they would be accused

of conspiring in the crime. When they thought of these repercussions,

their hair stood on end.

Once more the question arose: where on earth was Imama? Where had

she gone and why? They were trying to analyze her past behavior. She

had undergone such a change in the last one year: she'd stopped going

out with them and used to be worried and irritable; she'd lost her

enthusiasm for studies and had become withdrawn.

‗Remember when she refused to go shopping with us and then took off

somewhere else? She's gone to the same place, I'm sure-and like fools,

we believed whatever she said,' recalled Rabia.

‗But Imama was not like this-I've known her since childhood. She was

never like this.' Javeria still did not suspect her.

‗It doesn't take long to change-a person just needs to have a weak

character.' Rabia's suspicions were getting the better of her.

‗Rabia, she got engaged of her own choice-she and Asjad are very fond
of each other-so why would she do such a thing.' Javeria tried to

defend her friend.

‗Then you tell me where she is? I've not turned her into a fly and stuck

her on a wall. Her father comes here to meet her and he has come from

his home, so obviously she's not there-and she told us she's going

home.' There was helplessness in Rabia's voice.

‗It could be that she met with an accident...that she did not get home...'

‗Whenever she goes home, she always calls up to tell them that her

brother should pick her up from the bus stop. Had she called up this

time too, they would not be sitting complacently if she hadn't reached

home-they would have called the hostel. From her father's attitude, it

seemed that she had no plans for going home this weekend.' Rabia

stopped Javeria in her musings.

‗Yes, she never goes home twice in a month, but this time she decided