Struggles of My Younger Self( On Hold) #Wattys2015

Chapter 7

We sat in the room silently,making a little talk every so often.Kulthum will just talk about her family and i would listen.From what she told me she had a younger brother,an elder sister and her mother.Her father died in a car accident long time ago.She barely remembered him because she was very younger at the time.That made me thankful that atleast i remember daddy and have alot of beautiful moments to remember.After years i guess i thanked Allah for atleast i had the memories.Before that i was always complaining about how Allah took my daddy away but now i don't know what the reason was but the anger was subsiding and i was feeling a little calmer about the matter.

Kulthum was married.Even though she was my age she was married to her sister's brother-in-law.She was newly married.About three days before she got kidnapped she had her nikah book done.When she was talking about her husband and how they both love each other so much her eyes glistened with tears but she quickly blinked them away and said Alhamdulillah.I felt ashamed for kulthum lost as much as i did or more than me yet she was still thankful while i on the other hand just complained and never once thanked Allah.Looking at kulthum i silently said Alhamdulillah with alot of guilt.

The other four girls were still silent.Never once they said a single word.When kulthum went to the small washroom at the far left corner of the room i tried to talk to zukreat who was the closest to me.

"Hey",i said hesitantly.She stared at me for a while but then her eyes softened and she smiled a little.

"hi..",her little voice came out hoarse.

"I'm zahra",i said with a smile.Maybe i can get her talking.I don't know where the sudden energy came from but i was willing to get the other four girls to talk just as kulthum and myself.

She cleared her throat a little.

"I'm zukreat",she replied with a smile of her own.Just as she said that kulthum came out of the washroom.When she saw us she grinned widely.

"I see people are opening up..huh",she said playfully as she sat indian style in front of me and zukreat.

"Do you not like me zukreat.I tried so many times to talk to you but you never once replied.That is not fair",she said with mock seriousness.Zukreat and i smiled at her.

"It's not that.From the time we've been brought here you were the only one who talked and prayed and did everything to get us to talk.I always thought to reply to you but my sister and friends never once acknowledged your presence.So i just kind of followed them",zukreat said guiltily

"But today when zahra came and you guys talked.I was actually listening to you all the time and i just realized that everything you said was right and i wanted to join to.So yeah?",she said with a questioning smile.

"yeah ofcourse why not",kulthum beamed at her.After that we talked for a while.Kulthum told us how about a week ago when she was coming back from her medical college she got kidnapped and they took her to some secluded building where they kept her for a day and than brought her here.Zukreat said she,her twin nudrat and their two friends soumya and nafla were all hanging out in a mall and they didn't even realized that it was past seven in the evening when they decided to head back home.That's when they were attacked.They also were taken to an empty old house and then the next day were brought here.I told them the whole story of how i was brought here.

One thing we realized was that they kidnapped only girls and except for me it took all of them almost a whole day to get here.Which meant only one thing that the place we were in at the moment was close to the place i was in with lubaba and if i think a little hard then that place was closer to the village i went to for the campaign.

I told them about the whole plan that was forming in my mind.We had a little hope but deep down we were scared to take a step because for a fact we knew that there were too many men out there and it will be way too difficult to get out of here.