The sight before him was like a celestial meal set upon a silver platter. Her shiny dark tresses cascaded around her in a disarray. Her petite figure was garbed in a long loose sleeved white nightgown. Her doe eyes shone brightly with unshed tears, and oh how he longed to taste them as he had days ago in the corridor.He had tasted the years of heartache in her tears.perhaps we have something in common, we're both broken individuals.He shook his head at such thoughts, warning thoughts of unease. Telling him to stop what he was doing.No! I'll have what I want, I always do and always will."W-What are y-you doing here?" Her soft voice lets out in quiet shock.He enjoys that dulcet melody of her feminine voice, as he closed the door behind him, bolting it without looking away from her. Fearfully, her gaze trails behind him at the door before connecting with his again.She grows rapidly angered. "Get out of my room! How dare you?! Get out!!"He suppresses the urge to chuckle at what h
Hazel -You're much more enduring than this Hazel!Don't allow despair to chew you up, swallow you in and spit you out as misery. Prevent repeating such a vicious cycle all over again.Just another week and you'll make it out of here, away from that psycho.Yet my reflection in the mirror remains cloaked by tragedy. I wondered if anyone else saw the debris of shame and guilt cemented all over my countenance. I pondered if it was only the mirror reflection bearing such abject secrets. An immense part of me was concerned over the revelation of my shameless behavior three days ago. I viewed myself as a complete tragedy for the past three days."Are you ready yet?" Katie's voice emanates through the closed bathroom door, obstructing me from my vague scrutiny."Just a sec!" I call out, as I finish pinning the rest of my hijab. I cast my eyes down at the basin while tucking in the last pin, so I wouldn't get carried away by my guilty reflection again.After three days spent self-mourning, I
What the heck are these people doing here?I peer over the chair and see them headed toward Freddie Cortes's Muslimah apparel line. I briefly wondered how they managed to afford tickets to such an expensive fashion event. They must have driven baba nuts over it.The unknown woman begins to discuss with mister Cortes and I overhear some o f it."young lady, Najma Kashani has won a trip here from her school as a 3rd runner up of their beauty pageant."To my horror, an employee is gesturing towards the area where I hid, for Nimra to take a seat. Dreading my revelation, I hastily crawl behind the snack trolley and then manage to clamber behind one of the tables stands holding folded hoodies. I resume peering over at them while the long tablecloth hid me from their view."Pssst! who are you hiding from?" Asks a low female voice right next to me. "You'll get that dress dirty like this!"Completely startled I come face to face with Rachael, crouching low next to me. Except she's missing her
Hazel's Pov "I'm only going through with this soirée so Vladimir doesn't suspect a thing and then I plan on running away temporarily with Tommy," Katie reveals to me as we are both preparing in her room to head downstairs for her courting banquet and ball."What?" Confounded, I can only but gape at her. "Temporarily running away?""Yeah, it would, unfortunately, be temporary since Vladimir would find me easily." She rolls her eyes in apparent vexation of him. "So what's the point of running away if it's temporary?" I query while adjusting my peach-pink-colored hijab in the vanity mirror.She completes applying the last coats of lipgloss and then answers. "So that Tommy and I could get married quick and then Vladimir can't kill him for touching me because I may end up getting pregnant. So obviously my brother won't want me to raise a child without a father present."Instead of meeting her gaze in the mirror, I speechlessly look directly into her eyes with raised brows. She pouts in d
Hazel -The morning of my birthday, I didn't expect to wake up to a room filled with teddy bears in varying shapes and shades. Initially, a warm smile stretches on my face as I think of how endearing Rachael is for setting up this early morning birthday surprise.I leap out of bed and rush downstairs for a quick thank you before I could return to shower and pray. Once I arrive at the kitchen, I'm welcomed by the dulcet aromas of baked pastries."Good morning birthday girl!" Mrs. Agnelli greets candidly as she inserts into the oven, a tray of Red Velvet Nutella Stuffed Cookies. "Look at the early morning delight for your birthday.""Good morning Mrs. Agnelli!" I survey the kitchen islands in amazement and recognize a few of the dessert dishes set on them.There is Caramel Banana Cream Tiramisu, Funfetti Cake, Creamy Eggnog Bars, and Chocolate Éclair Squares."You didn't have to go through all of this trouble for me!" I marvel as I embrace her in a quick tight hug."You didn't have to g
"I can't believe we got out of security so easily !" I marvel as we clamber into a taxi."Told you they wouldn't recognize us!" Bev reminds, a satisfactory smile on her heavily make-up-caked face. "I didn't attend cinematic Makeup school for nothing!""She's a refined cosmetologist alright!" Katie agrees.The three of us were caked in specialized theatre makeup, I was the one with the lightest makeup actually. Both Bev and Katie wore black-haired wigs while I wore a blonde one over my hijab.Our clothes were entirely different from the ones we had entered the building with, albeit mine was still covering all necessary parts of my body.All three of us wore black shades over our eyes. I found it odd that no security guards displayed the slightest a mount of suspicion. Bev, a month earlier had rigged and sabotaged the security cameras on her apartments floor.She had managed to befriend some security personnel, and they had shown her around the surveillance camera room, after which she'
HAZEL -I awoke startled by a banging noise of some sort. My vision is blurry as I spot some figure slowly approaching me. Gradually my vision begins to clear and I stare in horror at the figure before me."Rise and shine bįtch," Ilona greets with evil merriment.I try sitting up, but realize my hands and legs are bound by duct tape and rope. Even my mouth is sealed by the tape. My eyes frantically flit about in search of Bev and Katie. Where were they?I find myself sitting on a bed in an empty room with the exception of Ilona. Sunlight pours in harshly from one of the ceiling-to-floor windows while the rest are concealed by drapes."You thought you'd get away with ruining everything I had with Vladimir?" Ilona questions in an eerie disquietude.I merely blink up at her in a mixture of confusion and fear. She begins to inch closer and I try shifting away."Three years I spent trying to make him love me back and it nearly happened until your filthy Muslim áss interfered!" She shouts
Vladimir's POV in third person"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" A man howls in terrified agony. Sounds of bones splintering, ricochet throughout the walls of a drab room. "Please!!"Like a demon of perdition, looms over him a raven black-robed figure. His face was obscured by a silver mask, with the exception of analytical blue eyes assessing his prey below.The wounded man shrieks as another one of his fingers are fractured by the brutal force of black-gloved hands. "Please!!!!"Gradually the hooded-robed figure straightens and glides to a far corner. His victim wails over the lurid sight and sensation of his broken hands. Apprehensive seconds later, the robed figure returns to his prey. Under the flickering lights, a gleam of silver flashes in a black-gloved hand.His victim's eyes widen in horror when he notices the butcher's knife. Body rendered immobilized by ropes, the wounded man's attempts to scoot away on the putrid floor fail. "No! Please don't!! Please!"Seeps from under the
Six Years LaterHazel POV:In a vast Santorini sky, the sun's rays beam down upon a joyful occasion. The balmy breeze was laden with the scent of wildflowers. A gentle melody of an orchestra intermingles with sophisticated murmurs of the stylishly garbed guests, seated at tables adorned by sumptuous feasts.It is the wedding day of Serge and Katie.On a raised platform, the well-dressed groom eagerly awaits his bride to walk down the aisle. Next to him stood Bilal and the ever-reserved appearing Grigori and Huxley.As bridesmaids, Rachael, Rebecca, Bev, Arielle, and I, stood on the right of the altar's platform. The five of us, assembled in similarly lavish magenta-hued bridesmaid gowns. Except for the hijab on my head."I had always thought Aunt Katie and uncle Serge would make a great couple." Arielle's remark's fond to the rest of us. "Finally today they are getting married!""It took them long enough!" Bev snorts next to me, shaking her head. "Katie really shįt tested Serge every s
Sheer dread grips my heart in a strangling hold. Gradually, I raise my head from Vladimir's chest. His garments were soaked with my tears.My eyes meet with none other than Ivan Molotov's.He merely emits a sinister cackle, halting his applause. Eyes full of undiluted malice, regard me from across the room.In his gloved hands, he holds a closed syringe. Ever so slowly, he approaches ne arer. From his other hand, he drops a pile of slashed cords that were attached to Vladimir's body. My eyes trace them back toward the hospital machinery, now nonfunctional."Wh-What are you doing?!" Immediately, I vault from my seat. I nearly stumble, my footsteps retreating backward. My voice lets out in fearful disbelief. "Wh-What do you mean?"He sighs, shaking his head in seemingly mock guilt. "I'm afraid I have no choice but to also end you along Vladimir.""What?!" My eyes widen in terror as I look from his face to the syringe gripped in his palm. "Why?! What are you talking about?!""Shhh." He
My heartbeat thundered within my ears while my eyes brimmed with scathing moisture. The air around me continuously grew thin as my lungs burned with each breath I took. My legs refused to falter, I ran through the winding corridors of the hospital along with Rachael and Katie. The hijab on my head nearly slipped off. Yet my mind was only preoccupied with him."Doctor!!!" Rachael cries out as she grabs ahold of a man in a lab coat, strolling out of the Intensive Care Unit. "Please! We can't wait anymore, we demand to see Vladimir!!""Ma'am, neither you nor your sister's blood test is a correct match for your brother. We can not allow you to see him as of yet." The doctor's expression embittered as he shuffles through the papers on his clipboard. "We've discovered he's a rare blood type.""He's lost a great amount of blood!" One other doctor rushes out in front of us. "Whoever else is related to him, must get tested for the transfusion! RHnull type blood is rare and we don't have it in
After such a forbidden deed, would events always unravel in contrition like this? Can guilt be any more bitter than before? Will I ever learn from past mistakes?No, since when did you develop into such a weak mess?My head had been bowed under the clouds of shame drifting around the atmosphere of the jeep ride back. Five minutes had passed since Dimitri Molotov's intrusive phone call, disrupting the forbidden tryst I was involved with Vladimir in the back seat.Awkwardness never felt so constricting before to me as it did now. Yet Vladimir appears unaffected by it as if there is nothing awkward in regard to the physical exchange between us.Instead, his visage indicates a serenity that I don't remember witnessing ever before. As if he's repleted of a satisfied contentment that he lacked previously. It was increasingly evident, that he is very pleased with no regrets.His eyes had intensely remained locked on my face while he helped me get dressed in the back seat. Suffusing my blush
His brows crease in apparent concern as they caught the glimmer of tears swimming within my stare. I wasn't resilient enough to suppress the heartache of the past seven days. It took over me tenfold in his presence.He inches forward. "Hazel, wh-"Suddenly all of the lights switch on, impeding him mid-sentence. The entirety of the kitchen and connected lounge is illuminated."What's going on here?" I recognize none other than Rachael's miffed voice.She stands in her sleeping robes on the stairwell of the kitchen lounge. Confounded, her eyes flit between Vladimir and me.But she's not the only other presence besides the two of us here. My alarmed eyes catch sight of Katie and Bev. The lights had exposed them hiding behind one of the couches in the lounge. Guilt-ridden, they were smiling sheepishly at me.Within those awkward seconds, it dawns on me that this setup was construed by the two of them. With Rachael and I being unaware, they knew all along when Vladimir would be returning h
Dear Hazel Asalaam Alaikum, I hope you are safe and well. I'm writing to inform you that I'm admitted to a private cancer treatment hospital. I've discovered from one of my lawyers, that the wealth I've allocated to you has still not been touched. I had expected you'd find it beneficial once you had turned 19, but you haven't utilized any amount of it. Please no need to remain humble regarding the sustenance that Allah has rendered halal for you.The doctors say I've got an additional month left to live. I find it amusing, that these doctors can utter such words with firm conviction. After all, life and death are in Allah's hands.However, my condition is deteriorating. I'd like to see you and Rachael before I depart this world.Enclosed within this envelope are details and directions to the hospital center. I'm expecting you both soon, and if you choose not to visit me then it's alright, I would understand.Once I've completed reading, my eyes lock with Rachaels. Hers are just as gl
"What is it?!" I shriek in repleted panic. Besides me, Bilal is just as frightened. The overpowering stench of smoke engulfs us quickly as the helicopter malfunctions."There is good news and bad news," Vladimir responds jaw clenched in apparent ire. He pours all of his strength and effort into veering the helicopter off-course away from the villa. "Which do you want to hear first?""This isn't time for such games!" I shriek again as the helicopter continues impairing."Are we crashing?!" Bilal questions with eyes wide as saucers."Not we. The helicopter will crash, that's the bad news. We've been targeted by an enemy RPG." Vladimir replies eyes narrowed in focus as he ascends the helicopter to higher heights. "It seems someone within our circles has tipped the enemy off in regard to our whereabouts.""RPG?!" Bilal gapes horrified. "Enemy?!""What the hell is RPG?!" I snap in ensuing terror."Military weapon!" Bilal promptly answers before desperately asking Vladimir. "What's the good
I awake from a slight jostling, it's dark and I hear the soft continuous humming of some sort of engine. Then I instantly remember that I was on a plane.I groggily shift my body but freeze when I realize someone else lay beside me. The weight of their arm is firmly yet gently draped over my waist and I feel their minty breath shallowly caressing my neck. It seemed like they were asleep.I turn my face in their direction and lift my hand to touch their face in the dark. My fingers splay over chiseled angular features, and my heart hammers in recognition.But before I can shove at him, he murmurs in his sleep. "Hazel... hmm...so pure..."My eyes widen in alarm and I attempt to lift his heavy arm away from my waist, yet this proves as a failure. He draws me closer to his hard chest while murmuring again in his sleep."Hazel... I need you..."My face flushes with heat as my mind processes his sleep talk. I wondered what kind of dream he had about me.I try pulling away from him, yet tha
As soon as the vehicle approaches Bilal's private boarding school, my eyes distend in alarm. "You-How did you know?! Only Rachael knew about Bilal's school!""Don't worry about details, princess. Wait here, remember I've locked the doors and windows, so stay put." He provides lightly and exits the jeep without further word.The vehicle was parked a few blocks away from the school, in a vacant lot. No one would be able to catch a glimpse of me reclining in it since the windows were tainted dark from the exterior. I wait with my hands fiddling the hem of my sleeves as I continue glancing around nervously.Several minutes later, I spot the demon approaching along with my little brother, who is happily licking an ice cream cone. In one hand he's dragging along a small suitcase. My heart swells with so much emotion as I eagerly await Bilal's arrival.As soon as the demon tugs open my door, I fling my arms around Bilal, crushing his boyish frame against me. "Billy!! Oh my God!""Hazel!" Bil