She thought she could relax for a few days since everything went back to normal in the Main House, yet it doesn't seem like this anymore. Sitting on her bed, Shahina reread the letter she received from a classmate. It was from her elder sister, Samreen, whom she encountered during the last sports week at the college. But when and how she managed to convince her classmate to do this favor was unfathomable to her.
It wasn't the first time, this was the third letter from Samreen. In the previous letters, she gave her phone number with the request to call her. However, Shahina didn't bother to reply to any of it nor grant her wish to talk to her. Although she wasn't able to discard her sister's letters, she didn't feel like refusing to receive them.
The horrors of Shahina's past made her forget her family. The life before she was abducted. While burying the memories of those horrible days, she perhaps subconsciously buried the memories of her family too. Therefore, when suddenly life gave her a chance to meet her family, she couldn't suppress the idea completely. Though she was extremely afraid of the inquiries they would put up before her about her past and the reason for living among the Black Eagles.
That fear of Shahina's came true today, when her sister threatened her that she would take legal measures to approach her if she didn't contact her within a week. Shahina reread the letter and leaned back. She was going home from college, and today the distance of twenty minutes felt like twenty hours to her.
What are you going to do Shahina?
She asked herself, but couldn't find any answer.
~*~
As days passed by, Shahina got more and more depressed by her sister's threat. So much so that she started to skip meals, which became obvious to everyone, furthermore, she often asked her teacher to quit the self-defense class early. Amma-bi asked her many times if anything was bothering her, but she kept everything bottled up inside her.
While everyone was wondering about the cause of Shahina's distress, Yawar cornered her as soon as he got a chance. It has been more than an hour since she entered the gym. It was her training time, but today her teacher took an urgent leave, so there was no need for her to stay there for so long. Yawar waited for her outside for a while and then burst into the gym after knocking on the door. As aspected she was frantically looking for her dupatta, and Yawar turned away until she wore it.
"You shouldn't come here." Shahina said in her usual timid tone.
"Then you should've come out when you didn't have class."
In response, Shahina didn't say anything, just silently folded the mat on which she was sitting and passed through Yawar to leave, but he quickly grabbed the door handle.
"I didn't come here to send you out. There is something I want to know."
Shahina frowned, unable to understand what he could want to know from her. However, her expression wasn't seen by Yawar as she was facing the other side.
"What is it?" She asked.
"What is the problem?"
"Ji? (Yes?)."
"I am asking about the problem you are having. Why are you depressed?" Shahina didn't answer, just stared down at the floor.
"Do you have any health issues?"
"No." She hurriedly shook her head.
" Something happened in the college?" She shook her head again.
"Did someone say something or do something to trouble you?" He inched closer to her as she struggled to find the right answer.
"If you don't want to tell anyone, I will keep it a secret. But you have to tell me, or else I won't let you go." Shahina gazed up at him and found him reading her face.
"It's not a secret. I'll tell Moosa Bhai soon."
"You can tell him whenever you want, but I want my answer now."
"It doesn't concern you."
"Still, I want to know." He leaned back against the door and folded his arms.
"We can stay here alone for hours if you are planning to stay silent, and I don't mind your company, you know." Shahina flinched at the end of the sentence and took a deep breath.
"I will be scolded."
"Then answer my question and leave."
"I cannot tell you everything."
"I am not willing to know everything, I just want to hear the cause of your depression."
"I am not depressed." She looked at him.
"You are good at deceiving yourself."
"Let me go." She tried to open the door in irritation, and obviously, it was a waste.
"Tell me, and I will open the door instantly."
"My sister threatened me that if I don't call her, she will take legal measures." And with that, tears start dripping from her eyes.
"How did she reach out to you?" Disbelief was written on Yawar's face.
"Through a student, she sent me letters."
"Letters? Since when did you receive her letters?"
"For quite a while."
"And why didn't you tell me?"
"... Why would I?" She asked, looking at him, but at her question, he just stared back into her eyes with an angry look.
"Now let me go." She pulled the door handle, and Yawar allowed it to open a bit.
"Don't stress about it, talk to her. Hear what she has to say, and if something troubles you, let me know. I will take care of it."
"I might not have answers to her questions."
"Then don't answer them. Just hung up when you couldn't handle the conversation." With that, Yawar fully opened the door for her, and she rushed out of the gym.
Yawar didn't follow her, but his words do.
Let me know, I will take care of it...
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