Euphoria | Naseem Shah.

56 | Dis-ease.

My fingers curved around the ball, as i bounced it onto my table as it bounced back up again, with me gripping it just so i could repeat the process, until someone disrupted me.

"Come in." i simply said.

The door opened, revealing my brother standing there with an uncomfortable look, i got confused on his uncomfortabe expression until my eyes turned to the side.

"Someone's here to meet you." he said, as she entered and he closed the door behind her, i fixed my posture on my chair, she just looked down at her shoes.

"I know you or your family wouldn't prefer having me over— but i wanted to check up on you." she continued, i hummed with a nod, "You can sit on the bed, i don't mind." i replied.

She walked over and sat down quietly on my bed, something in her silence didn't feel right, normally there would be a little hollering and laughter here and there, but this time she was rather silent.

I walked over and took a seat beside her, "Are you alright? you're pretty quiet." i said, her head jumped up and she shook her head with a comforting smile, "I'm okay." she said.

However i didn't take any word she said.

"You're not okay, i know you Kiran." i crossed my arms, she rolled her eyes playfully, continuing with a smack on my knee, "It was awkward getting here, i'm quiet because of it." she shrugged, i nodded.

"So it's your first time here, take a look aroun—"

"Do you see people in your dreams?" she questions out of the blue, the air started flowing slower and slower as i had nothing to say, it was almost as she had choked me, the suffocation was real and i felt it within her question.

I fumbled, "What do you mean?"

She exhaled, "Just a question, if you're willing to answer?" she said, i just stared at her, Kiran just got up and looked around my room, as my mind was running around with thoughts.

I chuckled underneath my breath, she turned around, staring at me with a confused look, "What's so funny?" she asked, crossing her arms, i pushed back my hair.

"I tend to talk in my sleep, if you've seen me doing that yesterday when i was asleep, i'm sorry i might've petrified you." i laughed, she bit her lip and walked up to me.

"Do you see specific people in your dreams?"

My laughter stopped, i gazed at her with confusion spread on my face as she kept attacking me with questions, questions so strange i would question what she knew.

"I do, i see the people i desire in my dreams."

Her face morphed, until i broke into fits of laughter once again, she scowled at me and punched my arm slightly, "Stop fooling me." she said, i cupped her cheeks.

"Stop getting fooled." i said.

~

"They've been out together last weekend, they were at rosémary cafè, and this tuesday i had accidentally bumped into Naseem and he asked me about Kiran, seems she had disappeared for a while, but she returned tomorrow." Haider stated.

I pursed my lips, "Why would she skip two days of school? something must've happened?"

Shadab sighed, "Maybe we're over-analyzing this one? who knows she might've been sick or you know the other womanly stuff?" he said.

Haider scrunched up his nose, "Ok feminist."

Shadab threw a dirty look at him, "I've heard Kiran's parents don't get along that well, there's tons of rumors about her family, it's confusing but i can only think of how many secrets that family has buried in." I said.

They all agreed, "But i think we should create a pile of evidence that can't be taken down, we need to start with every small detail, and piece the puzzle together." Haider joined in.

"Where'd you learn such fancy words from dork?" Shadab snapped, Haider gritted his teeth, "Shut up before i knock your lights out Shadab Kabab." he replied.

I shut the two up, "Haider you've got to be more careful, who knows this school is keeping an eye on us? plus you almost got caught."

"Alright, i've got to go home i might even drop by the hospital to check up on Kainaat, it's been real heavy ever since she's not here with us." Haider said, swinging his bag on his shoulder.

"I don't even know when time passes by, it's been so long since she left." I sighed.

~

"Leave me alone, i want to be with her." she exclaimed, holding onto her daughter's cold hand, with her back facing her husband as she refused to look at him.

"Let's go home—" he said.

She pushed his hand back as he sighed, "Simran stop being a child." he said, she rolled her eyes mentally, "I said i don't want to leave." she snapped back.

"We can all go back home as a family." he replied, trying to persuade her, she scoffed, "When?" she said, he huffed down on the couch, "When she's awake but for now let's go home, you never leave her side and sleep on this couch everyday? just take some rest Simran." he explained.

"I would stay here caring for her even when she's unconscious but would not go back with you until she's awake." she said.

After a while of silence, she heard the sound of the door opening and closing with a loud noise, she didn't care, the only thing she did care about was her daughter.

Simran looked at her phone, she wondered where Roha was as she hadn't called for some days, she was worried something might've happened.

Softly, she rubbed Kainaat's hands, until her sleeve rolled up a bit, at first she never noticed or looked at her arm, until her eye caught her skin, "What is this..?" she muttered.

Slowly she rolled up the sleeves, as her heart pounded against her chest, as she hoped not to see what she was thinking about, but she got a glimpse of it.

Simran whimpered, her breath getting stuck in her throat as she saw the maroon bruises on Kainaat, they looked as if they had been for a while, eyes brimming with tears.

Her hands shaking, she face-palmed herself, seeing the stuff on her body which she dreaded to see, she stroked the bruises as she wondered what Kainaat must've gone through while she was alive, and how she didn't tell anyone.

She placed her hand on them, "I'm sorry Kainaat i couldn't protect you." she whispered, the sight of it shaking her to the core, as she thought of how worse of a mother she was to Kainaat.

"How blind was i?" she cried, softly crying to not make much noise, even the doctors told her that Kainaat could hear them but couldn't move, she just couldn't keep it in.

The urge of revenge took over her every time she was reminded of her daughter's sufferings, she vowed to take down everyone for what they had done to Kainaat.

Thank you to everyone for completing 400 reads on my first chapter "Haze." i thank you all.

Also the people who vote on every chapter of mine are highly appreciated and loved, thank you all! 🫧

-Sam. 🍄