Void - Finding Islam (EDITING)

Chapter One

"Sometimes when the sadness and grief grow too much inside us, it takes away our ability to be happy again. In fact, it takes away our ability to feel anything again. But even though, I refuse to lose hope. I refuse to think that the darkness is eternal and the sun will never shine. How long would it take? That I don't know."

Chapter One

"You're too stupid for Medicine"

That was the first thing my Dad said when I told him I wanted to study Medicine. Not that I couldn't possibly have enough time, considering I have a part-time job and a little brother to take care of ; or that we might not have enough money for college. No. Just a blatant, down-right 'you're too stupid'.

I steal a glance at him. He's sitting across the table from me, reading the newspaper, his plate untouched. He didn't lift his eyes off the paper in his hands for once as I spoke, but he was listening. I look back down at my plate. It is half-empty. But all of my sudden, my appetite's gone. Just like that. I was eating greedily a while ago. Now, I'm just not hungry anymore.

Dropping my spoon, I clasp my hands in my lap and resume staring determindely at the plate infront of me for a bit too long.

"Jen?" My mom finally spoke.

And that was it.

Pushing back my chair, I stood up and trotted out of the kitchen. The chair fell back and I made my way to my room, making sure to slam the door behind me as hard as I could.

A while later, the door opened and my little brother stepped in. I watched him as he made his way to the bed beside the chair I was sitting on and lay there on his back, staring at the ceiling. When he didn't say anything for almost a minute, I spoke up.

"What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Keeping you company."

I propped my chin on my fist and raised an eyebrow. "What if I want some privacy for myself?"

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you alone." He said simply.

Swinging his legs to the side of the bed, he sat up and stared at me.

I smiled a little. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do."

I arranged my face into a serious expression and sat beside him. "No, I mean it."

He smirked. "Okay." He says. "Now come on, we have school to go to."

And with that, he stood up, picked up his backpack from beside the door and made his way out of my room and down the stairs.

I stood up and followed him.

***

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

"This is ridiculous!" Tasneem exclaimed.

I chuckled. "It's pretty simple if you get the idea." I say. "Here, I'll make it even simpler for you,"

I drop the pen on the desk and lay back in my seat. Holding up Tasneem's hands, I fold them into fists only with the forefingers sticking out and fix them in a position so that they're vertically parallel to each other. I stick out my own forefinger in between.

"This is the cathode ray-" I waggle my own finger a little. "-These two are the Y-plates-" I point to her fingers. "-Now, charging the upper plate positive-" I point at the forefinger of her left hand that is on top. "-We know the cathode is charged negative. So, according to the law that states that 'opposite charges attract', the beam will be attracted to the upper plate."