Confronting Shadows

ammar

"What?" he gasps getting up. He walks up to the sofa and pulls her up. Isra pushed him away and made distance between them.

"Whose son?" he asks, looking at her.

Isra glared at him but refused to answer. She knew he would never believe it, nobody ever did, but she knew. she wrapped her arms around her stomach. She could still feel the soldiers stomp on her body.

"Is it that Mohammed's?" he questions.

Isra remained silent.

"Oh right, you're so depraved you've slept with half the men that crossed your path. You don't even know whose sin you're calling son to do you?" He taunts her with his words.

Isra look up at him, there was the grandeur of a king reflected on his face. yet poison laced words seething out of his mouth.

She moved closer to him and was watching him, but before he could move Isra punched his nose knocking him off his feet. He falls on his knees and hands. Her movements were faster than his. She turned him on his back with her feet and pressed her foot against his neck.

isra's sudden actions scare him and he opens his mouth to call security.

"My son was your little brother. Your father is his father too. I know this because I spent an year only with him before going to that mission where I lost him." Isra screamed pressing on his throat.

He begins to turn red and beads of sweat sprout out on his face.

" I've never lied to your father; I loved him more than anything in this world. I dedicated my whole life to being by his side, to serve him faithfully. I fought wars, killed, and destroyed, all in his name. You and your family had time with him, but I got th few minutes between 300 meetings fit in to 3 hours. He was my devotion, Aryan; but as it turned out he wasn't even worth my first glance. " Isra yelled, putting more pressure on his throat.

In her head it wasn't Aryan, she was hurting, it was sayf and Isra wanted to vent out all her anger on him.

He began to turn purple and grabbed at her legs, struggling to breathe. As he struggled, he reached up to isra with his left hand and she saw his palm.

Isra begin to see Aryan instead of king sayf and got off his neck.

He begins sucking in as much air as possible and coughing at the same time. Isra took the glass of water and offered it to him, but he refused to take it. she went down on her knees and held it to his lips; he held the glass gulping it down. Isra watched as his skin regained its fair complexion and his breathing become normal.

Once the glass was empty, Isra kept it on the table and patted his back till he calmed down.

"If you hate my father, then why are you caring for me?" he stammers.

"Because your mother was kind to me." she answered, getting up.

" If this is over, I would like to go to visit king Shaheer and figure things out." Isra asked.

"We'll never be over, but there are many more important things needed to be done. You can go." he says wiping the sweat and tears off his face.

she looked at him sitting on his knees one more time before heading to the door.

"Where's prince Aryan? " Rasheed asked as she opened the door.

Prince Aryan followed her out soon. isra gave him space to walk away, then closed the door and went to the open balcony.

It was almost 9 p.m. she could see men closing shops and making way home. The women were walking home with their children after running the last errands of the day. It was every day for them, this was what everyone considered normal. This was what Isra wanted, a normal life with nothing out of place.

A life where she didn't have to visit people that were hungry for her body. where she didn't have to double check every door to see if it was locked. Where she didn't sleep with a gun under her pillow and the swords on the wall would be for decoration. No matter how much isra prayed for a normal life it seems to escape her. She was just days away from all she wanted and now she was getting ready to go back to war. some people have tragedy seared destiny with violence blended into their blood.

Isra looked at her watch, it was 8:00. She put on her jacket and hijab before opening the door to walk towards the king's office.

" What happened in the room?" Rasheed asked startling her.

"Were you here waiting to scare me?" isra asked.

"What did you do to prince Aryan? he asked again.

"Nothing big." Isra replied.

"You're avoiding my eyes, obviously something happened. " He says but she didn't react.

He held her arms and turned her towards him.

"Tell me." he insisted.

"I've to tell you something. " Isra said as tears begin to brim her eyes.

"What?" he shuddered making his eyes big.

He closed the door behind him.

The words got caught like a lump in isra's throat, refusing to come out. she was angry but somehow the sadness of hearing what prince Aryan had said seem to outweigh it.

"mom, mom, open the door." a voice came from outside with loud knocking.

isra sighed and wiped her tears, but before she could move Rasheed held her hand.

"tell me." he said.

"join me for dinner tonight with Ammar." isra said moving towards the door.

she opened the door and ammar ran into the room.

"what's going on? what happened?" isra asked knowing that Ammar did something stupid.

"what makes you think I did something?" he asked offended.

isra folded her arms across her chest and stared.

"alright fine, I may have, may, have thrown someone in the pool and they're out for my blood." he explained.

isra stared at him knowing that wasn't it.