Alnihayya

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T h i r t y  F o u r
This one is for fragmentsofmirages
:)

"She believed in me when people rejected me."

-The Prophet ﷺ speaking about his wife Khadeeja-

☆

Mashal

There was no use calling back on that number. It was restricted and had no caller ID.

My usual 'Mashal' intellect wanted me to be happy and start thinking that it was Zeyara who called me because it was Siri's voice who had answered me previously as well when I was at Ibrahim's house and tried calling Zeyara.

On the other hand, my smart self, being the daughter of Naeem Ansar and the wife of Zeyara, told me to stay prepared for an unexpected situation.

I was even debating whether I should go or not. It might turn up to be one of dad's enemies or terrorists trying to kidnap me for some reason.

Staring at the boring brown door for the past twenty minutes, I was thinking of all this.
The nurse had taken Minahil in the room to take her blood for some tests.

I heaved an aggravated sigh and screwed my eye lids close.

'Do it!' Shafin's scream hollored in my mind.
I was back at the same place, the same valley in Syria. All those people who are dead were still alive in front of me. The ones who were the witness to my wedding and the ones who weren't.

My eyes shot open and my breathing hitched in fright. These flashbacks were the death of me. I pulled my left sleeve up to reveal my bare skin. The needle mark was still there.
I remember it had taken me less than half a minute to take out that blood.

Whereas Minahil had been gone for twenty minutes and still not returned. I was getting impatient waiting for her to return. All I wanted was to go home and investigate.
To figure out who called me and whether I should go or not.

Thankfully the door opened and out she stepped with the same gloom on her face that she had been carrying since I first saw her in the street.

I instinctively stood up when I saw her. "How did it go?"

"She asked me if it was a police case." Minahil replied dully before wiping a tear off with her sleeve. "I had to convince her that it wasn't."

"Minahil" I walked over to her and placed my hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "I really think you should let them know. Otherwise he can do this to other girls as well."

"No! Mashal you have to promise you won't tell anyone."

"I won't."

"Promise me!" She pleaded.

Even though I hated to do that but just for her I nodded, "Promise."

"So....are you or are you not?" I asked as we walked out of the clinic to the bus stop.

Minahil swung her head over to face me and I immediately regretted asking that question. She looked depressed and devoid of hope. "They'll post the reports home."

"Okay." I mumbled. "It will be alright in sha Allah."

It was kind of a relief for me to know that they had not given the result yet. I can be at peace...at least in this regard.

Minahil didn't even whisper the whole time, my brain on the other hand, didn't stop screaming.

If all my crazy, jumbled, explosive thoughts had been audible to people, they would've either killed themselves or me.
The fact that people can't hear our thoughts is a blessing in itself.