Cold Bones

ONE : Vendetta

"I have no time to hear what you prefer.21 and yet you remain so stupid! Do I have to repeat this over and over again?We don't have the liberty to walk around unguarded! Zafar and Khalid would be waiting for you at the airport to pick you up, without creating any fuss you will board the car and come home.Is that Understood?"Her father's temper evidently reverberated through the phone call and the impending confrontation with him that would occur next day, loomed like a daunting spectre deepening the fear gripping her heart.But that is not what she said,instead-

"Of course,I'll do as told." The line was severed while she gazed into the uncertain abyss of tomorrow, a knot tightening in her stomach, the fear of an unknown future casted shadows of doubt in her anxious eyes.

It was almost as though, the universe had sadistically conspired to shove her back into the very crevasse of cruelty and mayhem that she had pledged to leave behind.She found it puzzling why the father who had delightfully sent her away to impede her presence in his life was suddenly so resolute on bringing her back to Toronto.She assumed it could perhaps be that he had gotten the hint of how she for once was at peace.You could almost claim she was happy too,truly happy in a long long while.And needless to say,how could such a precious and rare phenomenon be allowed by Anwar Khan to seep into his only daughter's life?

She has intricately built a tranquil world for herself, nestling into the art, culture and heritage of the old city.She cherishes waking up to the sound of birds chirping on her window pane. With wide-eyed admiration, she soaks in the delicate hues of the rising sun.It transforms the snow into illuminating entities, while it slowly settles down on the freshly mowed ground around her dorm's drive way leaving an indelible mark of appreciation for the simple yet profound beauty of her life as the student of UOO.The gothic architecture of her university that she adores so dearly and the wholesome group of friends she has carefully embraced into her life makes the shared room of her dormitory more of a home than what the annoyingly prodigal mansion of her father would ever be.

Caught in the restrictive web of circumstance,Meerab found herself with the least choice in steering the course of her life.For someone so resilient and wayward as her it is bewildering how she could fight for anything and anyone but not herself,not infront of her baba.It was the last day in Ottawa before she would be moving back to Toronto, her father however, had shown more mercy than what she expected of him.He assured her that her education wouldn't be compromised.She was promised enrolment into the most renowned law institution of Toronto and though it is not the location that she had planned to settle in for her degree, it is better than being thrusted in between the suffocating walls of Khan Mansion with no autonomy.

Meerab is an individual of dual passion.While her mind strived to effortlessly navigate the intrinsic complexities of legal doctrines her heart yearned to immerse itself in the imaginative realms of literature. The intersection of law's logic and literature's artistry forms the cornerstone of her intellectual identity, creating a brilliant mosaic of knowledge and inspiration that catalyses her academic endeavors with a unique fervor. Hence, following the successful completion of her degree in English literature from University of Ottawa, she was about to embark on the journey of her next goal,LLB.

Relishing her last bit of solitude in the city of Ottawa, she took it upon herself to arrange a small brunch date with her closest mates.Late as usual, Ayra and Mafusa the twins were being waited for,while the rest of the clan Meerab,Saba and Farhan were already seated ritualistically on the third seat from the left aisle of their favourite "Moonrock Grill".

"Ugh I'll kill Mafu and Aaru!How are these two idiots always late?!It is Meerab's last day with us and now we'll have lesser time as a group the more they delay." Meerab's very frustrated roommate chirped in.