Freeing or Fleeing

Chapter Eighteen - Rewarding the Patient

Chapter Eighteen 

My initial reaction was to ignore her until my mind went into overdrive; what if she does make the call? Will she get in trouble? Will I get in trouble for wasting time? What if they try to do some tests on me and I become some sort of human lab rat? Don't they end up growing extra hands and legs in random parts of their bodies? I could not live with that.

I could hear the tone of her dialling the numbers and decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

"No, wait!" I attempted to shout but my voice came out croaky from the lack of use.

"Oh, Aaliyah, did I hear something?" Khadra teased. I could almost hear the smirk in her voice. "I told ya."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Aaliyah groaned. "You're always right," she replied mockingly.

I was hit with a pang of jealously as I noticed how friendly the two had become.

"We're waiting, are you going to let us in?" Khadra questioned after a few moments of silence.

I reluctantly got off the bed, my body aching from the lack of movement. I stretched to release some of the tension in my body only for it to backfire as my arms cramped up. I massaged each arm for a few seconds in turn until the pain resided.

"Hello?"

"I'm coming," I replied after clearing my throat.

I looked around the room and suddenly became conscious of how messy it had become; Stacks and stacks of plates and cups had accumulated over the past weeks. Some of my clothes were scattered on the floor and some on the bed. My room basically had a makeover and not exactly the good kind. I thought of cleaning up the room a little before opening the door but the way I felt just made me cringe. I just couldn't be bothered.

"Sometime today would be nice," Khadra commented.

"Stop it!" Aaliyah replied.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Khadra moaned. Aaliyah must have hit her.

With a deep breath, I made my way to the door. I used the little strength I had left to move the wardrobe out of the way, replacing it with my own weight against the door.

"Before I open the door, make sure no one else comes in," I instructed.

I didn't want to see anyone but if it had to be someone at least it was them.

"Oh-kay?" Khadra replied, coming out more of a question than an answer.

"Promise me!"

"Okay, we promise."

I took another deep breath before opening the door the slightest to ensure only Khadra and Aaliyah were around. I flinched from the bright light in the corridor, blinking a few times to adjust to the lighting and when it was confirmed that it was just the two of them, I pulled it wide enough to fit them through before I shut the door again. I leaned my body against the door so that no one else could come in.

I was a little surprised to see that Aaliyah's hair was hidden under a beige, chiffon hijab. When did she start wearing that? I later found out that Khadra had gifted her a few of them. The rest of her outfit was what I was used to; another hoodie and a pair of jeans.

"My God! You really have been living in here like a pig," Khadra commented after she had switched on the bedroom light.

"Khadra! Not now!" Aaliyah whispered as she elbowed her side.

"Ouch!" She began rubbing the pained spot.

I slid down against the door and sat on the floor, my weight still against the door. Khadra finally looked at my face and gasped. She rushed towards me, sitting next to me and gave me a hug. Aaliyah joined us, sitting on my other side, albeit reluctantly. She hesitantly embraced us too. This gesture from both of them caused tears to overflow. I missed the comfort, the warmth, of another. We were like this for some time. No one spoke but they let me cry.