Painting Life

S i x.

Sorry to interrupt your little reading fest but here's the thing: This wasn't supposed to be one whole chapter. This was supposed to be half of it. But I thought it was fitting to end the chapter here. 

Oh and also, Haris and Daniya will grow up to be teenagers soon enough, so don't you worry. :D 

Cheers! Rida. <3

<< And so it turned out // That her innocence was destroyed // By that mistaken shout >> 

Six | Corrupted Innocence.

D a n i y a: 

Hiding away in your own home while you poured down oceans wasn't the most pleasurable thing so late in the night. It was midnight now and I was sprawled on my bed, still crying because I had just figured out that I was completely stupid to think that these insults were nicknames. 

Why would everyone give me nicknames, anyway? I should have been smart enough to know that. Turns out I am ever stupider than the street boy, Mommy brought home. 

I shook his thoughts away. My blood burned and boiled when I thought about Haris. Who did he think he was? He was surely not part of the family...not by blood, at least. Why should Mommy bring him home and without my consent? 

Did I mean so little to her that she chose a street boy over me? Mommy was accustomed to comparing me with those neighbors who screamed loudly and laughed and were social, normal human beings. Did she grow tired of my anti-social tendencies? Did she find me so boring that she went and got another child, that was not even hers? 

Boring. Fawn had told me once when I had proudly relayed a joke that my father had told me. It was the first time that I had attempted to try and speak to the students in our school but Fawn and some other girls had put me off by telling me that I was boring. 

I thought I wasn't boring, though. But that wasn't the truth. I was naive. Who knows, maybe I still am. 

But the astounding part of my story and perhaps, the most painful one, was that no one had come to check on me and see if I was alright. Of course, I had spent my time here, hoping that they wouldn't come because I didn't want to cry in front of them and I had no idea what to say (I was too ashamed of my stupidity to tell them of my problem) but that didn't mean that I didn't want them to come. 

It was funny how my mother rushed to get a plumber when the pipes broke down and leaked but when my eyes dripped, there was no attention, no mother and no plumber to fix it. 

I rolled over in my bed, closing my swollen eyes. I didn't go up to check how swollen they were in the mirror because I was afraid that they would look too terrible. 

Terrible. Remy had said once. 

"Terrible?" I had asked, frowning. "What's terrible?" 

"You." He deadpanned and I looked up at him to see if he were serious. He did look completely composed, his eyes devoid of any mischief. But I knew I wasn't terrible. At least I had thought I wasn't terrible. Maybe I was. 

"Me?" My naivety had made an entrance then, as clear as ever.

Remy had shaken his head, looking mockingly surprised and said. "No, your jokes. Tell them less often okay?" And then he had given me a polite smile and walked away, muttering something to himself. 

Why did everyone think I was so bad? What had I done? 

I tried to think of all the mistakes I had made. I had once broken Mommy's favourite vase but Mommy hadn't been really upset. I had refused to do Jason's homework for him because I was getting nothing in return. It was the right thing to do, wasn't it? Was the student body taking revenge from me because I hadn't been nice and done his homework?

But then, why did Mommy get tired of me too? What had I ever done to her (except broke her favourite vase, but she wasn't angry)? 

I couldn't fathom why --

My thoughts were interrupted sharply by the opening of the door. Heart beating fast, I looked up and was relieved to see that the head peeking in my room was only Daddy's. Some part of me was dancing in the meadow hills because Daddy had come to check on me. 

"Daniya?" He asked. "You awake?" 

"If I hadn't been, your voice would have woken me up." I replied sassily and Daddy just smile, flickering on the lights. I sat up as he grabbed a nearby chair and made himself comfy on it. 

"Are you okay, baby girl?" His voice was concerned and gentle.

He was always there for me, I realized. That's why I liked him best. He didn't leave me to hang on the cliff all myself like my mother. 

"I think so. Why did Mommy bring Haris here, Dad? Did she get tired of me?" I asked him innocently. 

He grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We would never get tired of you, sweetheart. You are our baby girl." 

"But then why bring Haris?" I pressed.

"Your mother took pity on him, baby girl. He was lying alone on the grass. He had no guardian and no one to feed him. I wager he stole food from people because he didn't have the money. Did you see how small he is?"

"She won't love him more than me? And you won't, either?" I demanded. 

"Never." He said firmly. "And do you promise to try to befriend him and make him belong? Envy is never a good thing, baby girl." 

I didn't promise and we fell silent. I could see my Dad's gaze at me as the wheels in my mind whirled and I tried to process everything they were saying. 

"Daddy?" I asked suddenly. 

"Yes, honey?" 

"If I told you I loathed Haris and didn't want him in our house ever, would you leave him?" I asked. 

He nodded without hesitation. "Of course." 

There was silence once again; a comfortable one where the two of us enjoyed each other's company. I tilted my head slightly, the way he did, when he wanted to break some news to us or tell us something something important. 

"But, I won't, you know?" My words cut through the silence. 

He smiled and ruffled my head. "I am so proud of you, baby girl."