An Echoing Race.

Chapter Thirty Two.

#Chapter Thirty Two#

I turned up the volume on my phone and adjusted my earphones so that they were sitting in my ears properly. With one last swig of water and a stretch of my legs, I was off.

As I pushed my legs to run faster, I felt the three guards behind me pick up speed too. The weather was scorching hot today, but since I had chosen to come to the beach for my workout, there was a nice cool breeze drifting towards me from the ocean. It was a Monday morning which meant there weren't many people out and about, however, I smiled at the few people that happened to pass me by.

As I ran, I breathed in the refreshingly salty air and glanced at the water that seemed to crystallise with the shining rays from the sun. The yellow sand contrasted with the sharp blue of the water and every now and again, an orange light would glitter from the shore as a crab came out to play.

Looking forward again, I smiled at the palm trees that formed a canopy over my head, shielding me from the blistering heat. And with nothing but the best of the best playing in my ears - the Qur'an of course - I felt so at peace with myself, at least, more than I have been in the last month. My discovery about Isaac had left me feeling extremely uneasy and worried and with Salem gone not to return for another week and a half, I really didn't know who to confide in.

I didn't know what to do.

I was lost.

These were the feelings that had been looming over my head for the past week since I discovered the bug in baba's office. If I told baba he would dismiss me with the wave of a hand and mention how ridiculous I was being. Ziad was too busy with his work and family and Samir was on holiday, so burdening the both of them with this piece of information felt silly. Salem was the only person I felt confident in telling, but then again, he had been a day away from his wedding when I found it and it also felt wrong to stress him out before his big day.

And now I'd have to wait for him and Mira to return. Until then, I'd have to just take my own precautions. I didn't remove the bug because I wanted it to be there as proof when I explained everything to Salem but secondly, if I did move it then Isaac would know someone was on his tail.

It was just absolute agony watching him walk around our house, acting like best buddies with baba when in reality, he was stabbing him in the back for reasons I didn't know just yet.

When I had woken up this morning, I decided a change of scenery was exactly what I needed and within an hour, found myself here.

Nature could really work wonders on the human mind and body.

I ran for a full fifteen minutes without pause. It was only when something caught my attention from my peripheral vision did I skid to a halt and retrace my steps. The guards all stopped too and followed me to the little opening between a bush of trees. Despite their harsh breathing, I knew they were excited to do something with a little more physical appeal today.

I gasped once I shuffled my way into the bushes, meeting with a most unexpected sight. Thinking back, I realised I had been running mostly uphill, so know, I found myself on a sort of hill above the amazing view of our beach and city merging together in the horizon. It seemed that this was a lookout once upon a time but its platform was obstructed from view by the growing bush.

"This is stunning," Ahmad breathed, his eyes roaming across the expanse of land.

I nodded my head in agreement. "I think I've found my new favourite place."

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone about it," Omar joked and we all laughed.

"You guys know me too well," I said with a small smile.