Alnihayya

||P u n i s h m e n t||

"Ughh! I was just starting to get happier that maybe I could find somewhere to get my nails done outside but now the mosque is going with us." Minahil rolled her eyes and frowned. "He is going to give me an extra long fatwa on how having long nails is haram."

"You still have time to decide against that impulsive marriage idea." I shrugged.
I really wanted Minahil to think about it and not end up ruining her and Ibrahim's life.

"No I guess I can handle it." She smirked.

Humna was done announcing the names and Miz'an had started speaking again. "So as always, you twenty four people are going to be in groups of four. Preferably groups of the same gender unless you are mahrams. All eight groups will be spread out and not concentrated at one area. You leave after juma'h and return at maghrib time. Asr will be prayed with the civilians. Do your best. BarakAllahu feekum."

"Can't Zeyara go as well?" I complained. "It would be so much more fun with him."

Minahil burst out laughing at my words. "Fun as in you would pretend he is a ghost and scare the children?"

"Minahil there's this hadith." I sighed, "Speak a good word or REMAIN SILENT!"

"Okay okay chill. Don't scream."

I had not replied to her yet when we heard someone fake coughing to get our attention. We both turned simultaneously to look at Saddia standing near our table.

"Assalam o alaikum." She greeted us, wearing her usual attire of confidence.

"Walaikum Salam." We replied together.

"There isn't much communication allowed here with families but everyone gets turns. It comes after months but fortunately, according to the surname alphabetic order, it's your turn Minahil. So would you like to call your family?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

It took a minute for that to sink in and once Minahil understood it, her smile grew. "Yes! Finally. My patents would be worried sick. I want to call them."

"Okay, please follow me then. You might not be able to talk to them today but we can try."

Minahil nodded and glanced at me, smiling before she walked off behind Saddia. Both of them with their heels ticking on the rocky floor, leaving me alone.

Soon the crowd started dispersing, everyone had finished their breakfast and now they were moving over to their respective sectors. The fighters going to halba for training, the technicians and weapon designers to their floor, the pilots and drivers to the airport, the ones who did the cooking and all sort of cleaning to theirs. Basically everyone had something or the other to do. Even Minahil had to do something so she was learning to be a fighter pilot.

Then there was me.

I forced myself to finish the food on my plate to not let it go waste. By the time I was done there weren't many people left. Only the cleaners with their special cleaner robots, metallic silver and red discs which looked a lot like frisbees. They hovered in mid air, flying over from one table to the other. Their bottom opened like a sliding door and mechanical hands sweeped away the dirty plates and trays. I watched in fascination as they cleaned the plates with a jet of water and hydraulic pressure, leaving them shiny white.