Scarred

Chapter 23

"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." 

-Sirius Black

The waves crashed with their knees as they hugged each other for the support, their feet being hidden by the granular sand and the coolness radiated from it seeping into their skin. Shrieks and laughter erupted from their lips as they got prepared for another wave to hit them. The wind was blowing their hair sometimes away from their face, sometimes covering it as they inhaled the salty aroma of the ocean. Their eyes were sparkling with the mirth of ending yet another year at school as they felt another wave crashing with their legs and soaking the trouser of their uniform.

"Oh God! Janaan, thank you for bringing me here!" Daniyah giggled as she took her chocolaty brown hair which was looking darker due to the setting sun and tied them up again in a ponytail.

"It's so beautiful here, isn't it?" Janaan's smile widened as she looked ahead at the never ending horizon, the setting sun, the dark orange shade spread across the sky. It was definitely beautiful and serene.

"I am going to miss you," Daniyah whispered again after a few minutes of silence, her voice dropped an octave.

"We both will be back before we know it!" Janaan chuckled softly and hugged her friend, both the girls were leaving Pakistan with their families for the vacations.

"Keep messaging me!" Daniyah whispered as her eyes noticed another wave forming and coming for them, she knew it would be hard to stand past it, so instead of telling Janaan to step back, she held on to the girl as her life depended on her and closed her eyes.

She waited for it to come as she felt Janaan tightening her hold as well, they both were ready not to fall apart, and it came with all the mighty force of nature and pushed them away, but as they both touched the ground they laughed along with it, they didn't let each other go as the giggle erupted from their lips.

"Daniyah baji..."

Her eyes jolted open as she felt someone roughly shaking her arms and from the shore of the City of Light, she came back on the seat of the plane, taking a deep breath she turned to looked at Emaad who was unlocking his seatbelt, in the duration of less than two hours she still managed to get some sleep. Loosening her seatbelt she craned her neck to look outside the small window, among the widespread darkness only the distant light of the airport was visible. Sighing softly she stood up alongside other passenger and followed them out. The last time she was in this place was when she unknowingly stepped towards the path which had brought her to her knees, but she was thankful that Karachi was always her home, in this same city she has seen all the bright days of her life and a part of her knew that a bright future was also settled right here, in some corner of the city where she was born and raised in.

They both passed through the tunnel to the luggage area in complete silence, Emaad's official assistance met them as soon as they got off the plane and after getting their bags both of them were escorted to his car by high alert security. Daniyah spotted few people with cameras snapping their pictures but she quickly diverted her gaze to the floor while swiftly following Emaad. In a few second they were seated in the Jeep sent by Faisal Kirmani, both the occupants were at the farthest corners, one was tapping and scrolling furiously through his phone while other was leaning against the tinted window with closed eyes. Emaad would occasionally ask questions to the guard and driver sitting in front, another car with a pair of driver and guard with their suitcases was trailing behind.