The Broken Tale

A Way

                  The rest of the day passed by in a completely ungraspable blur. Layla spent the whole day in bed with her face buried in Brian's arms.
                  She cried until she could no more.
                  Her tears flowed down until they had ran dry.
                 Talya tried to speak to her throughout the day. She came in the room many times and tried to comfort her, give her some food or just hold her hand but Layla never gave anything more than a few glances. Brian sat in bed with her all day, holding her in his arms in the same silence. He never complained that his feet had fallen asleep, never moved a muscle except his fingers that slowly stroked her hair. He was probably hurting as well, Layla could not imagine what must have been going through his head and he did not show it either.
                That night, Layla had not moved an inch from Brian's arms for more than twelve hours. Her face was buried in his arms and her back was turned to the door but she could still hear light footsteps enter the room. She could see Talya walk around the bed and sit by her side on the bed.
                She stared down at Layla for a moment, her eyes twinkled with remorse and pity. She let out a deep sigh and turned her attention to Brian.
"Supper's ready downstairs, Brian." She said softly, "Go eat something, I'll stay with Layla."
"No, I'm-"
"Alex wants to talk to you anyway." She interrupted in annoyance, "He says it's important."
She seemed like she was in no mood to argue with anyone over anything. And Brian was too tired to anyway. He slowly laid Layla down on the pillows and got to his feet.
          He left the room silently, leaving Layla alone with Talya in the room.
          "You should eat something too, Laili." Talya said.
"Why? I'll die or rot in prison anyway so what's the point?" Layla asked rhetorically.
"Don't say that."
"Don't say this, don't say that. That's all I ever hear, Talya, and honestly it's getting really old."
"Is giving up even an option at this point, Laili?"
"It doesn't really matter. We'll end up in the same place whichever we choose."
"Will you?"
"Pretty much. Whether we choose to go on with the plan, we'll get caught and arrested and if we don't, the FBI will arrest us here. Except it'll be more dignified and less hectic."
"Dignified?" Talya spat, "Are you sure about that?"
Layla didn't reply.
"Is bowing your head down to Ali yet again dignified to you, Layla?" Talya asked, "It's more dignified to fight him even if it's the last thing you do."
Layla just shrugged her shoulders.
"It's over." She said idly, "Get over it."
"La-"
"Enough, Talya, enough."
Layla sat up in bed for the first time in hours.
          Her back achedand her arms were sore from the lack of movement but she did not care.
         "We tried. You told us to try, we tried everything, you told us to give, we gave it everything, you asked us to take risks and we risked everything yet here we are. It all failed and lead back to the same place except worse. There's nothing else we can do."
Talya pursed her lips.
"There has to be something." She insisted.
"No, there isn't. Don't you get it, Talya? I'm tired, Talya, I'm tired. I've been fighting for all these years with nothing more than more bruises. The only times I felt like there was a glimmer of hope, they were always crushed. If I'm going to die in misery anyway then I might as well stop forcing myself to prolong the agony."
"You think prison will be better? Do you think you'll be happier there?"
"I won't have to deal with this shit anymore at least."
"Yeah but you'll be stuck between four walls forever, you'll never wake up in Brian's arms. Your baby will be born in a grey place surrounded by criminals on every side and you'll lose her. She or he will never see her mother and for what? For something you didn't do? Is it fair that the lives of your child, Brian's, ours and your own should be ruined just because of what other people did to you?"
Layla paused for a moment.
"Life's not fair." She answered a moment later.
"I never said life was fair, Layla, I know life ain't fair." Talya replied, "When was life fair to me, Layla? Right from birth, it never was but look at me now. I found someone who loves me, I can go back to college soon and I actually have hope for what's to come."
      She reached over and took Layla's hands in hers. Her hands felt so warm around Layla's frozen palms. It was a little soothing.
"Just because life's not fair doesn't mean you should just give in." She continued with an encouraging smile, "Do you want to give Ali what he wants again? Aren't you sick of that?"
Layla narrowed her lips.
        Talya's words moved her a little, breaking down the hysteria she had been dwelling in for hours now. She realized for one moment, Talya really was right. Talya could see her slowly getting more and more convinced on her face and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Answer me." She demanded, "Do you want to give Ali what he wants?"
Layla slowly shook her head. Talya grinned brightly.
"I know you're stronger than that, Layla. And I know you can make it through." She beamed.
Talya stood up and slowly pulled Layla to her feet as well.
"Let's downstairs and get you a little something to eat. Your little one needs food."
          The mansion was no longer silent as it had been all day. Layla could hear Alexander and Brian's voices engaged in conversation all the way down the corridor. But as they got closer to the kitchen, she could make out what they were saying.
"So? What do you say?" She heard Alexander asking.
Brian let out a sigh.
"I'm not sure, Alex. It's a huge risk."
"What other choice do we have at this point?"
"We can't do this one, Alex, this isn't a risk, this is suicide."
"Don't say that, Brian, I think it can work."
"I don't know..."
"We can't go ahead with our orignal plan, Brian. Chances are that you'll be both apprehended at the airport and that'll only make everything else harder for you both."
"Layla would never do it."
"We have to talk her into it, Brian, this our best and probably only shot."
"Alex-"
"We don't have much time." Alexander cut in, "How long do you think it'll take before the FBI are knocking on our door?"
There was pause for a few moments.
"Talking Layla into it will be a handful." Brian finally said.
"I know but we'll have to hurry. We have less than another day before she leaves and once she's out of the country, we won't have another chance until it's too late."
"Convince me into what?" Layla asked.
       Both men turned their heads, rather startled but also seemingly relieved that she had walked up on the conversation itself rather than them having to start it all over again with her. Talya sat next to Alexander and inspected them suspiciously.
       Neither one of them seemed to have been courageous enough to answer. But from what she had heard of their conversation, Layla assumed it was not going to be something she would like.
"Answer me." She repeated, "Convince me into what?"