Abu Monday's Destiny

2

It had been four weeks since the family had been living in Gaza. Ahmed had reunited with old friends and family that managed to survive the occupation. He was was always on the lookout for Saleh hoping that his son would get in contact so they could bring him back home. Meanwhile selçan and Layla were beginning to grow accustomed to their new lives in Gaza.

"Come on Layla. Aisha is waiting for us outside." Selçan called out to her. "I'm right here Anne." Layla said as she entered the living room eating an apple. "Come on. You promised you'd come shopping with us today." Selçan told her matter of factly. "What? No I don't remember that." Layla said innocently. "Don't lie. I was there. Just come on." Selçan said factually. Layla groaned. "Do I have to? I just wanna stay home today." Layla told her mother.

"That's all you've been doing since we got here! You promised to come shopping with us now go get your jacket and let's go Aisha's waiting in the car." Selçan scolded. Layla huffed before going to get her jacket. Purposely going slowly. "Such a child." Selçan muttered.

"Ooh look at the green on this one it's so vibrant!" Aisha said holding up the piece of fabric and showing her mum. "Oh it is and it's silk fabric too." Selçan agreed. Layla stood behind her mother and sister uninterested as she looked around at the view instead. Aisha and Selçan had a lot of things in common. They had the same interests and hobbies. And they even looked similar. Aisha carried her mother's green eyes and face shape whereas Layla was a mixture of her father and mother. Brown eyes and dark brown hair and she carried her mothers face shape too. Their brother Saleh looked exactly like his father.

Layla folded her arms and sighed deeply before looking around at her surroundings. She could see and hear the children laughing and playing with one another making her smile as she continued looking around again and spotting an old man who was making sweet treats for the children.

Her gaze then landed onto the beach and smile widened. "I'm going to the beach." She announced to her mother and sister. "No. Layla." Selçan said sternly. "Oh come on mum. It's right there! Like five minutes away." Layla said pointing to the beach ahead of them. "Let her go mum it's fine. Go ahead we'll come join you in a couple minutes." Aisha said urging her sister to go. Layla nodded and smiled as she skipped towards the beach her silk red skirt and long dark hair flowing with the wind.

As she got closer the ocean smell became stronger and stung her nose. When her feet touched the sand she she removed her shoes and socks before playing with the sand beneath her feet. She giggled as the sand came between her toes. She took out her phone and began taking pictures of the ocean and her footprints in the sand.

Ten minutes later her mother and sister joined her. Selçan watched in content as her daughters laughed whilst they tried to make a sand castle. But had slightly frowned when she remembered that Saleh was still missing. She had gotten distracted from her own thoughts when the girls suggested they should get some ice cream. After getting ice cream Aisha and Selcan showed Layla what they had bought from the shops.

Soon the sun had began to set so the three had set off home. "Come to ours please? Just for a little while?" Layla asked Aisha hopefully. "Sorry honey, but I have to go home the kids will need me and I need to make dinner too. Maybe next time." Aisha explained to her younger sister.

Reluctantly Layla agreed and they had parted ways. Selçan besides her younger daughter. Just as they had reached home the Adhaan had started being read out. Şelcan and Layla went to do wudhu and Ahmed set off to the masjid.
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The sound of shooting made her jump. She had just finished the Maghrib prayer when the sounds of screaming and shooting from outside made her flinch. Immediately jumping up to reach her mother to protect her. "Stay in one room. I'll go see where baba is." Layla said desperately hoping her father was safe.

She took her mother to one room. "Stay." Layla commanded as she ran out of the room and closed the door behind her. "No layla!" Her mother called out, but Layla ignored her mother as she walked to the front door in a hurry.

but just as she was about to open the door her father had opened it and fell through. "Baba?" Layla said in worry. "La..lay..la. Yo..ur mum. Keep... her... safe." Her father said with difficulty as he clutched his chest. "Baba what happened? What's going on?" Layla said in a panic. Her father couldn't reply but he removed his hand and she saw the blood cover his shirt.

He then began coughing up blood. Immediately Layla sat down beside him and she tried to help him sit up.
"Oh my god! We need an ambulance." Layla yelled out to her mother desperately. Just then her mother ran out of the room in a panic and cried out as she noticed her husband bleeding on the floor. Too weak to stand Selçan fell to her knees and crawled to her husband unable to say anything.

Layla quickly stood up and grabbed her phone but just as she was about to dial two soldiers had forcefully entered their home. Their guns pointed at her and her parents. Layla stood still as she looked at the soldiers.

"No." Ahmed said weakly. "Shut up." One of the soldiers said as he placed his foot on Ahmed's stomach. Ahmed groaned in pain. "No leave him!" Selçan said trying to move the soldier shoe off of her husband's stomach, but the soldier just laughed at her. "Please, please just leave my parents alone." Layla said calmly. But the soldiers just mocked her.

"We have reason to believe that the men in this family are a part of Khamas. We have to take you all down for questioning." The soldier said pointing his gun at Layla. He looked her up and down perversely. This made Selçan frown as she stood up regaining some strength. She stood in front of her daughter in a protective stance.

"No. Leave my daughter. Please." Selçan said calmly. "Shut up you old bitch. Grab her." The soldier told the other one. The soldier then quickly walked to Layla. But Selçan tried to block his way. The soldier just huffed angrily before pushing her out of the way as he grabbed laylas wrist and began dragging her with him.

"Get off of me!" Layla yelled as she resisted and tried to claw his hand off her wrist. The soldier getting irritated by her turned around and hit her head with his gun. "Bitch." He spat at her. But all layla could hear was the screams of her mother and her dad groaning in pain. Her vision had slowly began to go blurry as she tried look for her mother, but the solider continued to drag her away.

"Stop. Leave me alone. Please." Layla said weakly as blood trickled down her forehead. But her plea fell on vicious and deaf ears. "We're gonna have fun with this one." The soldier commented and the two began laughing. Hope had seemed to be lost until someone else had entered their home.

His face covered in a black mask only his eyes were revealed, but he too wore army clothes and held a gun. Without fear and hesitation he shot the soldiers who fell to the ground. He then looked back outside. " We need an ambulance over here!" He yelled out to someone else. He then looked back at the family. Selçan desperately cried out. "Help us please." She begged.

"Don't worry. The doctors will help you now." The man said his voice a little muffled because of the mask.

A doctor then ran inside towards Layla and helped her walk to the van. Helping her up as another doctor helped her father. Immediately the ambulances took them to the nearest hospital. But Layla couldn't force her eyes open as they closed. She just hoped it wouldn't be for the last time.