The Imperials

Trepidation

Musa POV:

My arms and leg were shaking, I was worried. As minutes ticked away, my anxiety was growing grain by grain. 

Sitting in front of my aunt's well-known university, I waited for her to burst out of the double doors and greet me with a warm smile and a joke as a side-dish, and jump in the seat next to me unraveling the events that had occurred to her during her hectic day. But, she didn't come out. 

It was almost two hours, I was sitting here, she still hadn't shown any sign. Harun's message forced me to drown with trepidation. She hadn't shown up last night, and none of us noticed. 

What kind of nephew was I?

I was shaking with fear and anxiety. Umme Qulsum could not go missing as well, I'll never forgive myself for that. Umme Qulsum was more than just an aunt, she was a friend. She cared about all of us. She was a special spark in the house, a leaping joy that brightened everything like a sun. She always supported me in everything I said, my stupid dreams, my ambitions, even when I broke dad's window, she didn't care. She just supported me even if it meant for her to join in on my yearly grounding rituals. 

Without realizing it, tears were dripping down my eyes. My heart felt empty and I was sobbing in the cramped space of my car with my head supported on my steering wheel. Maybe Harun could keep his cool, but I couldn't. I was different and crazy just as dad said.

Someone kidnapped her, I was sure of that. I mean where else would she go without telling us beforehand for almost 24 hours. 

I found myself driving insanely through the kingdom to places I and Umme Qulsum have been together, the gas station, the mall, the arcade, maybe that was about it. I roamed around those places-- in my car and even inside the building just to spot a glimpse of her figure, but who was I kidding, she wouldn't even be permitted to enter without an ID and a male relative by her side. 

As the sun set along the horizon, the light slowly faded away merging along with the growing darkness in the sky. A panic dawned upon my stomach. I sat back down in my car lifelessly ignoring all the calls from mom, dad, and Harun. Why would they be caring about me when Umme Quslum was out there somewhere being tortured?

As the sky grew darker and darker, seagulls flew north announcing their nightly retirement, blue clouds hovered above concealing the vast sky. Everything seemed so normal, except for me. I wasn't.  

Maghrib Adhan blared from the nearest mosque, and I drove there to join the prayer and give my submission to Allah. Throughout generations, submitting to Allah before anything was always the motto of our family. Allah knew where the hidden was, Allah was all-hearing and all-knowing.

After prayer, I don't know how long I sat there submerged in my thoughts, I simply felt idle and frozen. I didn't realize people brushing past me to head back to their lives, someone even stopped to shake me and ask if I was okay, and I simply nodded. What else could I say?

"Musa?" A familiar voice called, waking me up from my deep trance. 

I glanced up, my eyes connecting with Prince Daniels. I knitted my brows with confusion trying to connect the reasoning to why he was here in this mosque instead of the one near his palace. My brain felt like a jumbled mess, I was a jumbled mess. 

"Musa, you alright?" Daniel worriedly pressed his hand on my shoulder, glancing at me with concern. "You're supposed to make a joke first?"

"Yeah..." I croaked, my voice trailing off as I glanced back at the green mosque carpet. If I spoke more, I fear I'd burst into tears and drown the whole mosque.