by Onaiza Khan
Daniel just shooed him away. “Go scare someone else, boy.”
I must say it was kind of cute and then I called out to Christian. “Christian, being the daughter of Yousuf, I fire you.”
“I’ll send you the bill Ma’am,” he said half jogging outside.
Chapter 16
I woke up dull and tired even after the extra-long hours of sleep. I languidly sat up in bed. Alba was back, and the whole routine of breakfast, lunch, and dinner started again. It was weird to be in that same room and in that same situation. When Alba entered with a tray of food something inside of me thought that all this was better a week ago. The plain lifeless cycle. Food, sleep, pain and anger.
But now seeing what I had seen, knowing what I had known; life was a bitch to me. The reality of being free was setting upon me slowly, but having my will, the power to make my decisions wasn’t very appealing. Because those decisions involved the life and death of people, not any people, me and my husband.
Looking at Alba, I tried to figure out the mystery behind her silence. It came quickly to me that she’s dumb but understands English, French and two other languages. My power of finding out things was getting bigger which explains how I’ve been so quick in seeking answers. It is like an Instant Messenger/IM with God. I ask a question, and he pings back immediately with an accurate reply.
I smiled a little at my accomplishment. I wanted to say something to Alba, talk to her. All these months, I talked and tried to make conversation without knowing if it reached her, without getting any reaction. But when I knew she understood, I just couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Where’s Daniel?” I asked still gauging her mind and trying to anticipate her reaction.
She glanced at me perplexed and guilty. I felt bad for her. She had nothing to be sorry for. She was compelled to do her job the way she did. Literally COMPELLED. Pointing a finger downstairs she turned away. Which meant he was home. I had always envisioned that Daniel went to work every morning, though I hadn’t known for sure. And it came to me. In the form of a vision. He works in a factory as a floor supervisor. He’s over-qualified for the job but still does it sincerely. He manages his people very well, never mind his quiet and calm nature.
I shot up from the bed and went to the washroom. I wanted to spend hours in the shower talking to myself, crying a little too. But I didn’t waste any time, I showered as quickly as possible and went to the closet. Picking out a dress seemed to be a huge chore considering my new position. Situation. Or whatever.
I’m not a captive anymore even though the servants will always look at me like that. Unless of course, I can compel them with the help of the necklace to forget it. I put on a classy yet plain white gown which also complemented my tall and lean figure.
The girl looking back at me from the mirror was something much more than I was. She wasn’t an agitated and crushed version of me. She was the real me. Confident, passionate and ready to take on any challenge, even if there was pain hidden behind her hard features. I looked at the jewelry drawer but didn’t open it. Maybe it wasn’t time yet for all that crap. And even if it was, it didn’t feel right. With another quick look at myself, I went out.
I wanted to wear Daniel’s necklace, it was the only jewelry that mattered but considering a man lived in it all the time, I settled for wearing it only when required.
Alba was gone, and the breakfast was sitting on the table. But I didn’t sit there; I went straight down to see Daniel. I was secretly hoping that he would be gone, his presence would make me nervous.
Stepping out of the room was the least natural thing that had happened to me in the past few days. I could step out; I could walk around wherever I wanted to. It made me so nervy like I was in someone else’s house. I had also put on high heels which tick-tocked on the marble floor.
In all these months, I had forgotten the design of the house; I didn’t know where to turn and where to go. The house was a little maze for me, but thanks to the spirit power, I could make my way to the dining room where Daniel was quietly sipping his coffee with a newspaper in hand. He had an immense love for paper. He hated reading on phones and iPads. A bit traditional.
In that tiny moment, I could picture him sitting on the porch of a beautiful house in a valley somewhere in France. I’d get him coffee and he’d smile his wondrously romantic smile kissing the top of my head. I’d snatch the paper and snuggle in his lap and have a laugh about something. But he’d only shake his head and smile at me amazed, “Noor, you’re impossible.”
“Good morning,” he said desolately standing up from his chair as I dragged myself back to reality. “Morning,” I murmured and ushered myself to the nearest chair. He sat down too, beckoning Alba to get breakfast for me.
We had our breakfast quietly, sitting as far from each other as we could. I nibbled on my toast while staring at the wall, and finally after breakfast he spoke.
“I’ve got a phone for you,” he slid a phone on the table towards me. I picked it up, and he resumed, “if you need anything, books, CDs, personal items, you can order it on Amazon,” this time sliding a credit card. “There’s some cash in the bedside drawer, let me know if you need anything else.”
I nodded in approval though I wasn’t exactly ebullient at the bounties he was hurling at me. A credit card and phone were the least of my worries.
He was looking at me gingerly as though telepathically calling out to me, “You’re beautiful Noor, so beautiful.”
I could hardly contain myself around him. One of my crucial worries was what will happen to us after all this. If I get through this, will we be together? That wasn’t the worst part, though. The worst part was I didn’t even want to know; I didn’t want to find out because any negative answer would freak me out insanely and I’ll lose control over myself.
It was like dying to know what fabric feels like and even though it is laying in front of you, you don’t touch it, instead just wait for it to touch you. Stupid! Right?
This time I didn’t see Christian coming, as I was spellbound in the web of my deformed love story. Daniel also jolted seeing him as he welcomed himself into the dining room.
“Hey guys,” he bellowed, and I forced myself up immediately, trying to prevent any tension building up between them. But soon I realized there’s nothing I could do and Christian already swept me into a huge bear hug.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I whispered losing my voice at once.
“I need to talk to you. Umm…Alone,” he said steering me outside. I could sense Daniel’s temper blazing entwined with his insecurities over me. But he didn’t move.
“What is it, Christian? What do you want to talk about?” I asked with soaring urgency.
“Oh nothing much, I just thought we could go hang out together somewhere. What do you say? Huh?”
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was making his move. You know, making romantic advances, but there wasn’t the tiniest speck of romance in his intentions which is why I couldn’t say no. I had no excuse for wanting to avoid him. A part of me was actually glad to get out of this gloomy life for a while. Christian would mock, annoy, irritate and bother me to all heights but I would definitely forget all the so-called tragedies strangling me right now. I deserved a break.
Even if I had to risk my relationship with Daniel for that.
Chapter 17
We had a blast together. Watched a movie, ate like freaking giants, hung out and laughed like hell. I didn’t feel at ease at first, but Christian told me ‘how important these days are.’ Daniel was preparing for us to go to India and it was taking a little time for him to get a visa. These days Christian said I could either spend time sulking or be happy for a while.
After all, who knows, I might even perish after meeting my father. We all knew for sure that it was a possibility. Though Christian couldn’t help me in any way, because I asked him not to, he at least wanted to make my life easier for the next few weeks. I had no idea what I wa
nted. It seemed easier to let others make my decisions.
“I’m going home in a couple of days,” he mumbled throwing his shoulders back lazily. We were sitting on the pavement outside a mall. Nothing felt weird with Christian. I didn't worry about my expensive clothes getting muddy. It all felt so natural.
“Newfoundland?” I asked looking at him.
“Hmm. You should come with me you know. It’s a beautiful place.” He continued to take me by surprise.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stumbled on my words.
“Just for a couple of days, I mean, for a picnic. Grandma will love you. I’d like you to meet her.”
“Okay, well… I’ll let you know, but I can’t promise that I’ll come.”
“It’s okay. No pressure,” and then he went on chattering about his homeland.
While cautiously looming over Christian’s proposition, suddenly my whole body shook. Neither of cold nor fears. It was the phone. It vibrated, and I saw Daniel’s name flashing on the screen. He had already saved his number in the phone, and when I thought about it, I realized he had saved a lot of other emergency numbers too.
I hushed Christian’s rambling and picked it up, “Hello,” I said in a crystal-clear voice. “Hello, I just wanted to know if you’re alright,” the voice came back from his side. His voice on the phone was so different, he sounded so old and mature. I remembered when I used to talk to him on the phone in New York. I used to mock his voice and tease him, calling him a fifty-year-old.
“I’m fine; I’ll be home in a while,” which wasn’t exactly true as I was a long way from home.
“Do you want me to pick you up from somewhere?”
“Sure, Sure.” An old habit of not being able to say no to him leaped up. It wasn’t just the necklace or Rhon I could never say no to. Daniel had a mysterious power, a hold on me, he always had. I could never say no to him. I decided we’ll meet halfway to the house to save time. Half of the way I chatted with Christian about a girl he had met last year. He said there wasn’t a girl in this world like her. Anna was her name. Poor guy was pretty awed. But he lost her. Lost her as in, doesn’t know where she is. Classic Christian.
Daniel was early and was leaning against his car in the dark. It was one of those moments when you want to run into your guy’s arms and pull him into a long passionate kiss. Yeah, so it was that moment, but I wasn’t allowed to do anything like that. Allowed by whom? I don’t know. Don’t even ask.
Christian hugged me again and with a quick kiss on my forehead let me go. I settled down in Daniel’s car quietly, and we started.
I knew my father was trying to kill me in search of my power, a power I didn’t have. I knew my life was on the line, and so was my family’s. I knew my father was a monster and soon he would be unstoppable. I knew that in a matter of weeks I'd be standing face to face with him. But at this moment I had only one pressing issue.
I told myself that if I can’t ask myself about my future with Daniel, I can at least take a sneak peek into his mind right now. What’s he thinking in this moment? This moment where I’m ready to forget about the whole world and be his.
I opened myself up and was then able to feel what he was feeling.
I know he’s not a bad guy; probably he’s better than me. He can take care of Noor. He makes her happy. She’s never been so happy with me. I was wrong. I was wrong when I thought that if someone else would’ve been in my place, he would’ve actually hurt Noor. But no, a guy like Christian wouldn’t have done that. He would’ve fought for her. I’m a selfish coward; that’s all. I don’t deserve her. If only once, I could hold her and look into her eyes and tell her how much I love her.
And then it stopped. He was eyeing me suspiciously now. “Are you alright? You look troubled,” I had barged into his mind without his permission. And his thoughts had made me want to reach out to him somehow, so I unknowingly had clutched at his arm.
When I registered what had happened, I straightened myself and shook my head. “Nothing, I’m fine.”
This was the first time I had jumped into someone’s mind, probably second. I didn’t have a definition for my encounter with Rhon. So if my power was finding out things, I could literally find out anything that I truly wanted to. I can talk to objects; see the future, even the past, read minds or anything actually. This was a very versatile and strong power I told myself. But still. I couldn’t grasp the reality and significance of it all.
Chapter 18
The thought of being so powerful was making me uneasy and nauseous. I didn’t even recognize myself when I looked into the mirror. All this power, all this strength, where did it come from. And why? Wish I could be the ‘simple human being,’ I’ve always been. I hated the power and the way it was overtaking me.
Every minute I was thinking about something. Every minute I was finding something out. Every person I saw today, this moment sitting in my bed, I took a tour of their lives. The guy at the coffee machine who smiled at me. The actors in the movie. The old man with whom Christian had an argument with in the mall. The loud and pretentious couple in the restaurant. I’d found out everything there was to know about them.
That couple, they weren’t a happy couple. That girl was married to someone else and was cheating on her husband with this guy. The guy at the coffee machine has an appointment with a doctor tomorrow morning. His mother has cancer. The old man’s wife died last month, and he is trying to cope with her death. Trying very hard not to kill himself.
All those things were grating at my fragile heart, and I could feel all the pain of all those people at once stabbing me. That was too much to take and when I swept a sad gaze around the room. I realized how alone I was. All alone in this whole world.
The loneliness was now the biggest threat. I wanted to talk to someone. I wanted to be comforted. I wanted to sob. If I didn’t, I would explode. And then I realized I’m not all alone in this, room. I ran to the closet where I had kept the necklace and jumped into it. Figuratively jumped into it I mean.
This time I was in a palace hugely decorated and glittering. There were so many people running here and there with flower baskets and other stuff. Some people were hanging lanterns, some were decorating the walls with flower strings, some were laying down velvet mats on the floor. Of course, no one could see me.
“Noor,” I heard Rhon’s voice and everything was gone. The palace was stripped of all the people and the decoration and the lights. It stood naked now. Cold and dark. And there were only two people standing in there. Me in my blue shirt and white pajama and Rhon in his full silver armor and sword.
“Rhon,” I murmured relieved to see him. “It’s her wedding?”
“Yeah, it was. She was so beautiful that day. Sometimes I try to relive it. Although it wasn’t exactly my favorite day,” he said dreamily looking out of one of the huge windows. I placed myself carefully on the floor and crossed my legs. The weight of the pain of those strangers was making me dizzy, but I found a tiny bit of comfort watching Rhon.
“What was your favorite day then?” I whispered, and he turned at me warily.
“It was the day I saved her from drowning. She had a passion for boating and sailing. One day while she was boating the weather went really bad, and her boat capsized. I swam to her and saved her.”
“That’s it? That’s how you explain your favorite day? Can’t you show it to me?”
“No, it’s personal. And I’d like to keep it that way,” he said standing and walking around the place.
“You have witnessed all my personal moments,” I remarked trying to convince him to share his.
“Not by choice,” he returned. He was hard to break.
“What if I barge in some time and find out, you know what I mean?”
“Well, I leave that to your conscience,” he was nervous now. He knew that I could find out anything I wanted within a matter of seconds. And I knew it was wrong. But could I stop myself from doing it? It turns out I wasn
’t strong enough to control it.
And it started coming to me slowly. I saw her sailing in the sea wearing a blue-green gown. Very simple and yet fascinating. She was beautiful and strong. So tall and pearl-skinned. Her hair was floating in the breeze bothering her a little by hugging her face. She would tuck at it irritably and yell something. The voice wasn’t clear; the rain had started, and she seemed to be getting farther and farther. Or maybe it was me who was getting farther because in a minute she was gone. There was only the sea. I snapped and was back at the palace. Rhon was gone too. I snapped again and was suddenly in my room. Alone.
I tried to go back. I tried to see what happened but nothing materialized. There was no button that I usually pushed to get on the INVINCIBLE GOOGLE mode. It just happened automatically when I wanted to find something out. But this time I was consciously trying and trying but got nothing.
The electricity was gone I realized. The room grew bitingly cold, and I realized that just like the electricity my power was gone too.
Chapter 19
All that power I sensed surging inside my body, floating in my blood was gone. The kind of helplessness and frustration I felt was so elusive, I wouldn’t bother to explain. I got up frantically and started walking back and forth, back and forth inside my room. My face was covered in tears, but I wasn’t crying. I was suffocating and getting prickly. I decided to get out of that room to breathe better. I veered myself outside and went down the stairs. The house was so dark and cold that I found it worse than the basement.
Without the power, I kept telling myself I had no chance to fight my father. I was going to die now undoubtedly. I wished I could spare Daniel from my family drama. I wanted to go alone and get it over and done with. I didn’t want him to get hurt. I loved him so much. How could I let him die for me? But I knew he wouldn’t let me go alone, so I’d have to plan something to keep him away. And I squalled bumping into someone who soon materialized to be Daniel.