Unveil The Veil

Chapter 1 - Aleena

Aleena's Point of View:

"I believe it's a woman's right to decide what she wants to wear and if a woman can go to the beach and wear nothing, then why can't she also wear everything?"

-Malala Yousafzai
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It was dark.

The sky was clouded with a blanket of darkness as I walked to the window and peered outside. The seasons were slowly beginning to change and it was getting closer to spring. Everything looked different in the winter. The trees were masked with ice and the floor was clothed with a dark and heavy blanket of snow. I blinked and watched it all slowly melt as the sun rose in the sky. I missed the days when it had been hot. The spring flowers, the summer nights and even the leaves in fall. I missed it all. It had been nearly two years since I'd been outside. I missed the beautiful days we used to run at the park. I missed the days when mom would take us out to get ice cream and stop by the store to buy us anything we wanted. I missed the days when we were free.

I gently placed my palm on the cold icy window and closed my eyes. My breath feathered the window and created a foggy glare. I watched as the breeze tore blindly at the naked trees. The sunlight slowly brushed the snow on the ground with a warm hand and I watched it melt slowly. The yearning to freely walk outside burned like a fire inside me. All I wanted was for them to leave me alone, was it too much to ask?

I slowly let my hand fall back to my side as I fixed my jacket and closed the blinds. The thin two-story walls kept out the howling cold but not the all-night grumbling of the diesel engines on the interstate or the frantic shouts from the neighbors all around. A hot shower would have helped warm my fingers and toes. It was just that the room, with soiled carpets, sagging drapes, burned out lamp bulbs, and worn bedspreads, made me feel too vulnerable to take off my clothes. I turned and walked to the kitchen and continued making breakfast. Maysa loved scrambled eggs in the morning because it was what mom used to make us everyday before school.

The memories of my mother were fresh in my mind. She'd been arrested nearly 6 months ago now. I remembered the power in her voice as she'd screamed for us to hide and run. She was ripped from our hearts like a page in a tattered up book. The officers had arrested her for simply wearing the hijab. Since the year 2110, Muslims weren't allowed to wear the hijab. Officers were instructed to stop every woman wearing it and to ask them to take it off. If you refused you were arrested and taken into the fort. The fort was the place where nearly half the population of Muslim women were held. It was a huge, isolated building in the capital of the city. People used to hear stories of places like this long ago where Muslims were kept. I personally thought this place was worst of them all. For months we'd seen little girls, mothers, daughters, and the elderly woman being captured by these monstrous officials. They beat, humiliated, tortured and kept hundreds of women captive for wearing the hijab. Anger and helplessness pumped through my veins as I tried to think of all the horrors mom must be going through. I suddenly felt liquid oozing down my fingers and realized I had cracked the egg in my hand.

I slowly released it and started the oven as Maysa walked down the stairs. Her eyes sparkled as she bounced over to me happily. Even though she was small, her presence always filled my heart with joy. May was seven and the only sibling I had. A smile made its way to my face and I wiped my hands down on my skirt. May came and wrapped her warm arms around my neck while laughing. I peered into her brown eyes, chuckling lightly. "May, how are you?"

"I'm hungry Aleena. What's for breakfast?"

"Scrambled eggs. Your favorite." Her face fell slightly and I frowned.

"I thought you liked eggs May?"

"We had eggs for a week already Lena."

I dropped my eyes and looked away. I couldn't bear looking at her face. The only reason we had eggs for breakfast was because it was all I could buy without getting caught for wearing the hijab. It was frightening going into town because wherever you turned, someone could report you and you'd be gone. Forever.