Orphaned Stars (original title Humanity)

Chapter 20

               

A week had come and gone, but nothing remotely stirred outside Obsidian Valley. Many anticipated an attack, a sneaky one at least from Vega Army, but nothing stirred.

Meanwhile in the krankenhaus, Junayd walked around for much of the day, focusing on improving his health, as he had no intention of going back out. Jodi slowly registered her mind to her new surrounding, taking much longer than Shahnaz had.

Shahnaz knelt on a strip of fabric, head covered from an old bed sheet she cut into a veil. She held her hands in supplication, her mind in a silent pray, praying to a God she hoped hadn't deserted her yet.

Finishing off her last words, she stood up and turned to see Junayd leaning by the doorframe, gazing at her. Noting a change in his stance she looked at him in a different light. He wasn't just a man who repeatedly saved her throughout the fifteen years. He was a man who looked compassionately at her.

"Are you not going to pray?"

"Pray to who? There is no Kaaba. There's nothing left of any religion."

She glanced down, then back at him. "But the Almighty is still there."

"Listen," he said, limping towards her. "I wanted to say –"

"Can it wait. Dr. Leo needs to see me."

"Actually, he can wait." A foot space between them, he tried to keep his thumping heart in check. "I was thinking about what you want to do after all of this is over." He paused. "You must have thought about the future."

She sighed, hugging her shoulders as she sat on the table. "Honestly I –I haven't thought about it." She stared at the blank wall. "I don't think there's a future for me."

"I promise that Mortan won't get you. It'll be over one day."

"This will never be over. He'll always out there hunting me down." She turned to him. "Why are you asking about what I think? I'm sure your plans are different."

"I – we can't live in fear." He straightened his stance, side smiling. "Where do you see yourself next year?"

She blinked several times. "Junayd, what's gotten into you?"

"I just want to know. Because if you haven't made any plans then I have one." He paused, standing inches away from here. "I think we should – what I mean is I think because we've gone through so much and lost so much, it just makes sense."

Shanaz pursed her lips. "What are you suggesting?"

"I think we should – get married."

Air caught in her throat she coughed, spluttering a laugh, until her she saw the dead seriousness in his dark brown eyes. "You're not joking about this, are you?"

"I thought it'll be a good idea. I know it's not the best of proposals but - "

"I – don't know what to say."

The corners of his eyes and lips turned down as he slowly backed away. "Think about it."

"Junayd," she called out, but he disappeared around the corner, leaving her standing in a predicament.

Life isn't perfect and Shahnaz had her fair share of hardships. She thought about his proposal long and hard, lying on a blanket of green in Glow Meadow. The half moon shone just as bright, but the dome fuzzed the light around. Not to hot or cold, Shahnaz tucked her hands under her head, one ankle atop another.

"What do I do?" she asked the moon. "You know what I think about marriage. Mother tried so many times with cousin and I'm glad that didn't go ahead. The explosion put an end to that. But," she sat up, "how do I deal... feel about Junayd? Gosh, he's saved me so many times I feel indebted to him." Waiting for a response, she sighed. "I don't even see a future. But he does. Does that make him more hopeful, make him a better person? And love – I don't even understand the concept of it. He sees me in that way and it never occurred to me that it could happen to someone like me." She fidgeted with her fingers. "I don't know."