Ignoring the ready water, Nadira backed up silently to the wall and strained to hear.
Her mother made a grunt of agitation in her throat. "I give up on her, she has no interest in being a wife, and I cannot make her. Samad thinks we should just let her stay and study and take care of us when we get old."
Nadira could hear the malicious smile in her aunt's tone as she replied. "Well, then I guess it is up to Nazma to have plenty of grandkids for you. And besides, at least you will have someone you trust around you when you are older," her aunt offered.
Nadira could hear her mother's grunt of agreement and could picture the women's dissatisfied nod of agreement.
Shakily, Nadira stepped away from the wall. Everything around her became muted, and her steps felt light and unsteady as she walked over to the counter. They…they intended on…using her as some sort of nursemaid. Reaching for the water boiler's handle, Nadira looked out through the window above the sink and stared blindly at the trees swaying in the breeze—they never intended for her to be free, not once.
Pouring the water, Nadira faintly heard the deep muffled shout of her name ringing in her ears. The burning sensation of scalding water hitting her hand, tore her attention back to the forefront with a scream. Yanking back her hand from the searing pain that radiated from the top of her hand, she dropped the pot she held with her other hand. In slow horror, she watched the pot clang against the counter, spraying its searing contents towards her. All at once, her world began to rush past her, and Nadira could feel her feet leave the floor. With a breathtaking thud, she felt her back hit the wall while her head was cushioned by the unmistakable grasp of a hand cupping the back of her head.
He was here, touching and holding her in this exact moment. With one inhale she could feel the hot warmth of his bare skin pressing into her chest as he pressed her into the far wall of the kitchen, just for the briefest of seconds she could feel the skin of chest glance across her lips, taut and firm. But with the following exhale, he was gone. Opening her eyes, Nadira stood frozen to the spot as she looked around. With her left hand still up where he had held it in place against the wall and her mouth still agape in shock, her mother came through the kitchen doorway.
"What is going on in here?" she demanded, furiously looking to Nadira before settling her gaze on the counter covered in dripping hot water.
"I…I burned myself," Nadira dazedly held out her hand.
Narrowing her eyes at her hand, Chandrii cut her gaze back up to Nadira in a silent demand for answers. Looking at her own hand, Nadira was surprised to see that there were no red marks of blistered skin; there was nothing at all.
"Stop being useless! Clean this up and serve the tea," her mother snapped before stomping away.
Still not quite sure what happened, Nadira mopped up the spilled water and used the remainder left in the boiler to make the teas. Serving it to her aunt and mother, Nadira did not wait to see if her mother needed anything else, she simply didn't care.
Rushing to her room, she pressed her back against the door and closed her eyes. Just above her right eye, her head throbbed with pain. Too much had happened. In one afternoon, it felt like her whole world was turned upside down. Guilt weighed her heart from Idrak's confession while a hollow pit of worthlessness welled in her gut from her mother's words.
Sliding down the door until her legs were folded in front of her, Nadira stared ahead through her window to the waning late evening sun. "You were right, they do not care for me," she said, her tone hollow.
"Nadira…" Idrak began, but she cut him off.
Raising both fists to her ears she shook her head as she tried to work through the facts. "I can't leave. How can I, where would I go?" she could feel her breaths coming in shorter and shorter while the ache in her head began to hammer, making her squint. "If I leave now, my plans would be ruined, and they are my only real shot of getting out of here."
"Listen to me Nadira, I can help you, let me…" he sounded desperate now.
"No," she shook her head violently, not wanting to hear his tempting words and clutched the stone tighter. "I can't go, but you can."
His voice was softer now, filled with speculation. "What are you saying?"
"I like talking to you. You’re a little mean at times, yeah," she smiled sadly while pressing the stone to her heart. "But I know you aren't evil. You would not have saved me if you were, and knowing this, I know that I can't continue trying to avoid what my conscious is telling me."
"Nadira," this time, her name held no note of warning beneath it, just the rare sound of hope.
"I will miss you Idrak, I don't want to let you go, but I will." Tears fell down her face as she lifted the corded necklace from around her neck and held the stone before her. "I wish…I wish you were free."
Chapter 6
Letting out a small groan, Nadira turned deeper into the soft bedding. She was so comfortable, it felt like the bed was draining her of all her energy like a big comfy magnet. Though despite its comfort, she knew deep in the back of her mind that she needed to open her eyes. Something instinctual told her to fight off the lethargic pull beckoning her to fall back asleep and to wake up. With great effort, she cracked her eyes open. Laying on her side, she could see the window across the room; it was dark out. But that shouldn't be, she thought groggily pushing herself upright, it was still light out only a few minutes ago. Sitting up straight now, Nadira ran a hand through her long, messy black hair as her memories began to untangle and straighten in her head.
Idrak, she thought with a start.
The last thing she could remember was sitting against her door and wishing him free before the stone cracked. Looking down at her hands, she recalled the stone warming in her palm and a blinding light leaking from the jagged crack. A light so bright she had been forced to close her eyes, but then that was it, that was all she could remember. Looking around the dark room, she noticed the purple haze the room had. Focusing, she shifted towards the edge of her bed and realized it wasn't just a haze, it was mist. A mist she had seen before in her dreams.
Her pulse began to pick up as she scanned the growing mist around her bed. With each second, it grew denser until she could hardly see the furniture beyond it leaving her bed as an untouched island at its center.
Fearfully she called out. "Idrak?"
A blast of warmth behind her made her heart stop and her blood pause in her veins. It felt as if there was a raging furnace behind her all of a sudden, but she knew who it was. Sitting on one side of her bed, she could feel his hot presence standing in the open space on the other side of the bed.
"Will you not turn and face me, my darling Nadira?" the familiar voice was much deeper now as if there was an underlying growl accentuating every word.