Take off your Hijab (Rewriting)

Spending Time with Family.✅

"...And Maybe for Zach, tonight, staying would be enough; enough to feel the warmth of their love, enough to find the strength to keep on going. Even in the depths of his struggles, a flicker of hope waited to be ignited."

Third persons POV.

"Zachary, another package is here for you again!" Camila yells, her voice slicing through the house like a siren call.

"Coming!" Zach shouts back, racing down the stairs. His grandma watches him with narrowed eyes, suspicion etched on her face, as if she's trying to solve a mystery.

"Sign here and here," the mailman says, thrusting a clipboard at Zach. He quickly scrawls his name, eager to be on his way.

"Thank you!" he chirps, a little too brightly, and then dashes into the kitchen, grabbing a knife.

"Zach, where are you going with that knife?" his grandma finally asks, her tone tinged with worry.

"My room! Don't worry, I'm not suicidal I PROMISE!" he calls back, a nervous laugh escaping him as He rushes into his room, he slams his door shut, with his heart pounding with a mix of excitement, he opens up the package which contained yet again another book, adding one more to his now growing book collection.

And Two days later...

Another package arrives...

"Zachary! Another package of yours has arrived!" Camila yells again, her voice echoing through the house, a blend of curiosity and mock annoyance.

"ill be right there!" Zach calls out, sliding down the banister with a flourish, earning him another skeptical look from his grandma. He brushes it off, signing for the package before attempting to whisk it away upstairs once again.

"SOOO Do you need a knife this time?" Camila asks, an eyebrow raised as she stares at the suspicious package in her brother's hands nosily.

"No, thank you. I'm good!" he says, clutching the package like a secret treasure as he retreats to the privacy of his room once again.

Weeks roll by, and each day brings in more deliveries. With every new package that arrives, his family grows even more suspicious and concerned, especially His Grandma. who's convinced Zach is hiding or planning something sinister inside his dark room. Camila wants to tell their  Grandma to not panic and to just trust the boy she raised, but Camila herself feels a little burdened about her own little brother, especially after seeing him receive those packages from Syria and other strange locations. however unlike Camila, grandma decided to finally speak up about her worries later on, that  evening.

"So, how was school today?" Grandma asks one evening, her voice a soft lull against the backdrop of their bustling household.

"Stressful, but thank goodness we're writing finals now, and soon! I'll be done with school stress as a whole!" Zach says happily, trying to keep the mood light. His family nods, listening, but with a hint of doubt lingering in the air.

"But then again, there's going to be college...." Camila chimes in, her tone playfully ominous.

"Ah yes, thank you for ruining my temporary moment of happiness!" Zach retorts, rolling his eyes.

"OH, you're the most welcome" she replies, her expression triumphantly teasing.

"So, is everything okay with you, Zachary? Like, your life? Do you have any burdens?" Grandma asks, her voice dropping to a more serious note, piercing through the lighthearted banter.