Over and Over

Ionic

KANO,
NIGERIA.

LAYLA'S POV

The family members were having breakfast in the morning. Rayhana and Saleem were both not at home today; it was only i, Ammi, and Hibban.

We sat in silence, the quiet spirit broken only by the sound of the door opening. "Sabah al-khair, Ammi," said Hakeem as he entered.

Ammi nodded and he took a seat beside her. "How was your night?" she asked, placing her hand on his.

Hakeem gave me a death stare before replying. "Why did you send her?" he demanded.

Ammi withdrew her hand and replied, "What happened, Van?"—using the nickname she had for him.

"I don't want to see her again," he said with a throaty voice. I felt a hard knot tighten in my heart, but I showed no change in my expression.

Hakeem said nothing more and left the breakfast area without eating a single bite. "Don't feel bad, Layla," Ammi said, rubbing my shoulder.

After breakfast, i got ready and left with Hibban.

We were heading to Hibban's school for a funfair. At the fair, Hibban made me chase after him, leaving me exhausted.

Eventually, Hibban wanted to visit the VR room.

I sat by the entrance, busy on my phone. Suddenly, the sound of sirens filled the air, and fanfare followed as luxurious cars arrived.

I remained seated, uninterested in the commotion that drew everyone else away.

A few minutes later, a young man approached and asked if he could sit next to me. Seeing that he was calm, I agreed.

"Are you alone?" he asked. I nodded, not in the mood for conversation. Despite my silence, he kept talking and making jokes.

As he chatted, i noticed his repeated attempts to grab my hand, which I resisted.

This continued until I had enough of his insolence. I got up to leave, but he didn't want to let me go.

The man harassed me, using his strength to pin me down.

I struggled desperately but to no avail. Just then, James, a security guard from the palace, walked by.

Myself, still struggling, called out to him loudly.

James heard me and rushed over. Before the man knew it, James had caught him and given him a proper beating before taking him away.

Shaking from the incident, I sat down to calm myself before fetching Hibban.

I felt unsafe and uneasy, just wanting to go home.

Once i had composed myself, I headed to the VR room to get Hibban.

When i arrived, I was denied access.

Their reason: the Prince was inside.

"My brother is in there!" I shouted.

The man who had denied entry to everyone, including myself, approached and asked for the name of the person I was there to pick up.

"Hibban Muhammad El-Baaz," i said, fidgeting with my handbag.

NARRATOR'S POV

The man scrutinized her from head to toe without her noticing. "So, you mean to say that you're related to the Prince?" he said sarcastically.

"Yes," she replied confidently. He hissed and turned away.

Just as he was about to leave, Layla saw Hakeem emerging from the building.