Star Crossed

Tale of two cities

"Whatever happens, don't come out from here. Promise me."

"Annem.."

"Promise me Hilal. I need your promise."

"I promise," Hilal said with a broken voice.

Then watched in horror as her mother faded into nothingness in front of her.

"Anne, No. Anne don't go."

Hilal woke up with a gasp from her nightmare. It was the same nightmare that had been haunting her for 2 years now. Since that fateful day. Hilal can still remember vividly what happened.

The war was ongoing but the small village they lived in was still untouched. Then came that day when the Ocren armies invaded their village. It was a massacre. The army killed as many as they can and took all the food supplies from their village and before they left they burned down the whole village.

She remembered her father rushed back home and talked urgently to her mom. Then the next thing Hilal knew was her mom hiding her and Mehmet at a secret hiding place behind their fireplace. Mehmet was only 5 months old back then.

"Hilal, don't come out of here and make sure Mehmet doesn't wake up or cry."

"Annem you come and hide with us too," Hilal said to her mother with a shaking voice. She was very afraid.

"I can't my darling. Annem has to stay with Baba to protect you. Okay."

Hilal's mother kissed her forehead gently.

"Whatever happens promise me you won't come out of here."

Hilal refused to promise that at first, crying and shaking her head continuously.

"Hilal listen to me. You have to promise. You are the only one that can protect your brother now. So promise me," Hila's mother said in a hard tone.

Then at last Hilal nodded her head and uttered brokenly,

"I promise Annem."

"Good girl. Remember I will always love you my darling."

The things that happened after that was kind of blurred in Hilal's memory. She remembered the voices of the Ocren soldiers and her mother's crying and her father's tortured scream. Then there was the sound of gunshots and then absolute silence.

Hilal was scared to come out for a long time even after when the soldiers left. But when Mehmet woke up and began to cry she came out of the hidden place. By then she knew that both her parents were dead but still she was not prepared to see their lifeless bodies lying in their living room, blood everywhere around them. Her heart died right there in that room and all that remained was anger. She calmed her brother down and made up her mind to make them pay for what they did to her family.

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After the incidence of last night, Hilal felt restless all night long. She doesn't know why but shooting that young officer bothered her a lot. There was no other way, Hilal. Otherwise, you would've gotten caught. She tried to console herself in vain.

She arrived at the hospital for her morning duty. Fortunately, it was a busy morning at the hospital and Hilal engaged her restless mind with work.

"Nurse Hilal, Doctor Suat is asking for you," another nurse informed Hilal when she was finishing up her usual work. Doctor Suat is the head doctor in this hospital so this means there is something important going on if he was looking for her. Hilal went to his room without further ado.