STUCK IN TIME

(i)Book 1: Chapter 1 - My Unusual Friends

'2015'

AYANA'S POV

"Get up Ayana! Get ready. We are getting late." Isra repeats whilst applying makeup. I look at her sleepily and then again close my eyes. Isra sighs, "Okay then, let's wake you up the other way!" She moves to the sound system with a mischievous grin plastered on her face and plays music in full volume.

"What the hell Isra! I am never calling you again for a sleepover. Just SHUT THAT THING! I NEED TO SLEEP!" I shout as I try to cover my ears with pillows but it doesn't help. I finally get up but only to throw pillows at Isra.

"Okay okay I am turning it off." Isra squeals as she dodges one pillow and the other hits her belly.

"Better." I murmur as I push the covers and get out of bed, still yawning.

"I am leaving early. See you at school. I have to meet someone." Isra winks and drawls the word 'someone' making me both smile and roll my eyes at her. "Okay. See you there."

Isra is my cousin. She is a year elder than me and is a total party girl. I am sure she will be meeting a new guy today. She broke up with the previous one just a week ago.

I lazily get out of bed, take a bath and open the cabinet to look for my body lotion but before I could take it I notice that all the things are set aside making it look almost as if someone had been trying to create enough space for a person to hide in. I had opened this cabinet last evening, no one came here after that, no servant either.

I step back as horror surges within me. But I manage to calm myself down by assuming that I am over thinking. Yes it must be Isra looking for something and must have messed up the cupboard.

I have been having this feeling since a very long time that someone stalks me, like after I sleep someone comes to my room. This happens once in two months but leaves me confused for few days. I had told about this to mom but she responded by saying I need to see a psychiatrist. I told it to my elder brother Emir and he thankfully took it serious but found nothing. I shrug away the thought and start getting ready for school.

Nina, my maid (more like my stylist set by my mother) gives a wavy touch to my straight long hair. I wasn't much choosy about clothing nor I liked getting so dressed up just for going to school but mom was. I had no dress of my choice in my wardrobe. That's the thing mom cared about more than anything; my dressing and manners. So I simply wear whatever Nina brought, slip my wrist watch in my hand. Giving a final perfume touch and wearing blue contact lenses, I grab my hand bag and get in my car. I have learned to drive just few weeks ago and although dad never allows me to go anywhere unattended I have protested too much and finally got permission to drive to school on my own.

I have an elder brother, Emir and a younger sister about six years old, Afifa. My two cousins Isra and Zayn along with Isra's best friend Hana and Zayn's best friend Asher are the the entire total of the people I socialize with. Zayn is my age fellow and we are best friends since childhood. Isra is another best friend but being one year elder, and having different classes few mutual friends, we spend less time together.

The only thing that bothers me is my mother's less attention. All she has ever done for me is help me learn how to play piano and how to dress up like a princess. But I love her anyway and I know she loves me too, she is my mother after all. The other thing that bothers me is Asher. Oh well lets just not talk about that idiot for a while, I am in a good mood and his thoughts can completely spoil a happy mood.

So well moving back to me I am an unusual seventeen year old girl, unusual in many ways. First of all I have an unusual eye trait and to not get too much attention I always have to wear lenses. As in I am personally the type of girl who would practice karate while my age fellows would go out for a movie. I would go horse riding while others would go out partying. If not for my mother I wouldn't even know how to walk like girls. So I am grateful to her in this regard. And the martial arts part was the courtesy of Emir. He sees dad's business abroad now but being the only person interested in such stuff is terribly missed by me. Emir cared for me so much and out of concern he made me perfect at my self defense. He thinks I am to be taken extra care for as rich families tend to have a lot of enemies and those enemies usually target the teenage daughters. So well that's all explanation I have for this insecure feeling and his being over protective. He moved to New York few years back to handle business there and left Zayn to be my body guard in his absence.