Solace

Chapter 13- Promise

Blackness surrounded me, but I hear radio frequency being adjusted in a distance. I'm floating in the blackness but someone disrupts my peace and I feel like I'm being dragged.

I open my eyes and gasp for air but my body coughs out all the sedative gas. I breathe in quickly, as my lungs feel clean again and my head starts to clear. I find myself kneeling on an abandoned road. There's a loud bang that causes my ears to ring. A man screams loudly, and then he goes silent. Startled, I look over where the scream came from. Two cars are parked in front of the truck, several man surrounding the it.

I get up and squint at the bright headlights to see what's going on. It's when the realization hit. I was being kidnapped, few moments ago. On stepping back, I collide with a wall. I look behind to find a guy who grabs me and covers my mouth with his hand. I jump and try to get away from him.

"Please be quiet, your father's here for you." My eyes widen and an unknown fear grasped my body.

"There were only 4 men involved. But they weren't sure about you, so they didn't inform Jafar." He continued.

I understood nothing.

"I'll take my hand off now, please don't scream." I nodded and his grip losened. He pulled me towards an suv with tinted windows. "Your father is waiting for you." I shivered and looked around. I had no idea who this man was and was he even telling the truth about my father. But I don't think I had any other choice. He opened the door "Sir, she's okay."

I got inside the car and someone clicked open the light.

There, my father sat on the farthest corner of the seat, looking at me. He looked years older than he actually was. His head was covered more whites than black, his eyes sad but determined.

"Are you hurt?" was all he asked, all it took for tears to slip, for a sob to escape. I wasn't crying because I was hurt. But because this was all I wanted to hear from my father who left me alone with my guilt that consumed me, and my mother, who died each day.

"Do you even care, if I am?" I knew the answer already. He blames me for everything. I took away everything he loved.

"I do care. I've cared for you every second that I was away from you. You're the only reason I'm still living."

I looked up, tears of rage filling my eye.
"YOU'RE A LIAR, I TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM YOU, DON'T YOU JUST WISH IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME INSTEAD OF AZMIR WHO DIED THAT DAY!" I shouted, but I tried to regain my composure "you left me and mom to punish me. But why mom? What did she do?"

"You did nothing my love, I don't blame you for anything. Why would I? I had to run away to keep you both safe. Safe from my world. Safe from my enemies. I blame only myself. You are my brave brave daughter. Oh, it kills me to see you like this!"

I looked at him, trying to make sense of his words. "Not a single moment passed by when I wasn't thinking of you. I lost your mother, I lost Shana, I lost Azmir. You're all I have."

My mind was blank now. I had imagined it millions of times. My father would one day come to see me. I would just tell him that he's lost his daughter too and I hate him the same way he hates me. But his words struck me. I had no words left on my tongue. I covered my face with my hands and cried.

I felt his arms around me and the next moment I found my head rested on his shoulder. He stroked my hair, "I'll never let you be alone again. I'll never let them take my daughter away. I won't let them drag you into this. I'm the one who should face the consequences!"

A knock on the window brought us back to the real world. "Sir, the work is done here. The driver will take you to the safe house."

"What is happening dad?" I asked looking at him.