Why, We Fall (Book One)

11: Encounter With A Devil

"Ah! There you guys are! we were getting worried about you when you didn't show up at the office to report, " said a very concerned looking Christina.

"Yeah! this one was dying from worry." The head nurse Mrs. Thompson said with a bored face. "Even when I told her they would be here... cleaning up... like I instructed them to..." Stopping after every sentence like she was teaching a kid ABCD, the head nurse added while looking at Christina. 

Aleya understood the nurse's pain. After all, she spent the whole day trying to do the same. Teaching kids ABCD that is.
But it wasn't only ABCD she was trying to teach them, it was also 'why you shouldn't eat your own booger... or someone else's for that matter' along with other things.

But then why is she feeling like this one with Christina would be the hardest one yet!
Mrs. Thompson clearly didn't like to get dragged all the way here to check up on two adults who were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
The expression on her face conveyed her annoyance very distinctly in that matter.

"I was just worried thinking you guys got lost when you didn't show up on time. " Christina strategically scooted closer to the professor. Fully determined on showing how worried she had been for them or rather him as it didn't seem like she was even aware of Aleya's presence in the room.

"But there's still at least 15 minutes left till our shift is over," said Aleya, confusingly looking up at the clock.

Christina finally noticed Aleya was here too but she didn't seem much pleased with that revelation. 

"That's what I said when she and Loverboy showed up 30 minutes before the shifts were over. " Mrs Thompson remarked, her face was devoid of any emotion. 

"But Peter and I were already done with the rounds & the sick people looked perfectly healthy to me. So I figured, why waste time when I could come to the professor and ask for advice on the course." She smiled up at him coyly. It didn't have the effect she was going for. "And also who are you partnering up with next week? I just wanted to say me and Peter aren't that good of a match as I thought we would be. I could surely use your help professor," she ended the sentence with strategical batting of her eyelashes. It didn't have the desired effect either.

She looked at Professor Nadir in hopes of him wanting to save a damsel in distress.
But Alas! Professor Hasan Nadir wasn't interested in the part of playing Prince Charming.

"Actually, I won't be here next week. I have to go check up on the other groups." Hasan replied. An entire day of taking care of 20 kids didn't seem to make him tired but five minutes with Christina 'what's her last name' & he already looked exhausted. 

"But that's not fair! Aleya got to spend time with you and I won't..." She stopped mid sentence. The professor raised one of his brow and Christina quickly tried to remedy herself, "I mean, the rest of us won't get the chance to work with you. We could learn a lot from you like Aleya did today. "

Aleya could feel Christina's disdain at her for spending time with the professor hitting her right on the face. She might have spent the whole day with toddlers but this one for sure takes the candle.

"Oh! don't worry about that Miss...?"

"Asher!" Miss Christina Asher screamed and Mrs Thompson's stoic face cringed. 

"Right. I'll have you know I learnt much more from Miss Noor than she learnt from me. And as I can see you clearly have an eagerness for learning, why don't Mrs Thompson assign you two together next week? So you can have the opportunity to learn valuable things from her like I did today. " Hasan gave a small smile at Aleya's direction, which made her blush.

But that did it for Miss Asher. She was out the door at double the speed she barged in while yelling,"Oh! that's fine Mrs Thompson. I wouldn't want to leave Peter alone, that boy can't even function properly without me. "

"He seems to function fine in the field. " Aleya said at the retreating figure of Christina with a shrug.

"In the classes too. He is a grade A student. " Hasan added.

"Oh, wow. Good for him. " Aleya nodded her head. So did the professor, Mrs Thompson joined them.

Too bad Christina was already out of the hospital wing to hear that conversation.

Remembering the incident and Christina's face when she realised she would be paired with Aleya instead of Hasan, Aleya couldn't help but laugh loudly walking on the empty pavement & her laugh resonated throughout the whole area.

"Yeah, yeah. I become real happy when I'm on crack too. " A gruff voice came from the corner of the ally Aleya was passing by, "too bad I need to buy that shit with real money that I don't have." The voice added.

The silhouette of a man showed up from the shadow where the street lights didn't reach. Before Aleya could comprehend anything that's happening, the owner of that gruff voice emerged into the light right in front of her startling body.

The man was 5 ft 8", which is not that tall for an American but he seemed to tower over Aleyas 5 ft 2" frame just fine.
If that wasn't a disadvantage, the man also had a knife, discreet in size but not in sharpness. Aleya could tell by it's edges glinting under the street light.

Oddly enough, in that life threatening situation the only thing Aleya could think about was Amjed's super annoying face hanging over the head of the mugger, frowning disapprovingly.

"You're wallet honey, " said the thirty something mugger with a bald head,
"and you're phone & anything of value while you're at it. If you want to resume your journey laughing as you were and not with a knife sticking out of your gut." He added.

The guy was already high. From marijuana. At least that's what the stench of smoke coming out of his mouth told her. Along with who knows what other drugs. But that didn't stop the words he was uttering sound like coming out of the mouth of the devil himself. It's a miracle she didn't already throw up her dinner that Amjed's mother so lovingly stuffed her with right on the face of the devil.

On second thought, it wouldn't be so bad if she did throw up right about now. Maybe that would disgust the man enough to leave her alone.

Suddenly, a car screeched & halted just at the side of the road they were standing on. And out of it came a raging Professor.
He was fuming, but also looked a bit scared.
Scared for who? Aleya?