Unveil The Veil

Chapter 15: Aleena

Aleena's Point of View:

"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."

- Mahatma Gandhi
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Still thinking about what Nimra had told us, I pondered over the hold she must have had over James. He must have loved her a lot. Being infatuated with someone different was his moment of weakness, and I'm sure that's why Nimra said he wanted to find her.

She was his greatest weakness. I grabbed the washcloth off the cold, worn out wooden counter and began to make some soup. All they had left in the strange of food they had given us were a few vegetables and water. The soup wouldn't taste good, but no one here is complaining. I began cutting and noticed as all the girls around me watched, gloomy eyed and tired. I watched as the knife cut through the onion and wiped at my eyes when tears began to form. My eyes burned with hot tears, and grabbed the pieces I had cut and put it into the bowl.

After several minutes, I started handing out the plates to the girls and watched as they ate it up. There see no spoons or forks like I had imagined, so everyone drank it down and placed their plates on the floor around them. I sat in the corner watching. I wondered how long these girls have been here. Nimra was here long before me, and I only assumed the other girls were the same as well. Their sad, gloomy faces gave away the suppressed feelings of anger and sadness they withdrew from the outside world. Playing with the edges of my jacket, I dazed off in thought when I felt a hand gently grasp my shoulder.

"Aleena, why aren't you eating?" I shrugged as Safa frowned and sat besides me. I couldn't tell her the truth. With the heavy patches of dust on the walls and burnt smell fumigating around me, the deathly look on everyone's eyes, the deep engraved fragrance of blood floating around my nose, and the compressed air all around us; I couldn't find it in me to eat.

"I'm not hungry Safa." She gave me a calculated look before sighing and remaining quiet. I looked around the room sadly and watched everyone crouch in their chairs and blankets in the dark waiting for something to happen. Everyone sat alert and cautious of their surroundings.

An elderly woman sat in the back, with a little girl cradled in her arms sleeping. The women raised her hands and silently made prayer as tears flowed down her cheeks, creating lines across her face. A girl next to her rubbed her hands to give warmth to them while nodding her head as if reassuring herself it was going to be okay. Several other girls put their head down to rest, while a majority looked about ready to give up everything.

I looked around the dented floors, and cobwebbed ceilings and finally along the ragged blankets used as carpets around the room and noticed something. A few of the younger girls all sat upright staring at one another as if knowing a secret I had yet to acknowledge. I turned to Safa and tilted my head, silently asking what was going on. She looked around and pointed to the digital time watch about the door and whispered, "They are going to come and get someone soon."

I looked at the time watch and noticed there was an two hours left as the clock started to count down its minutes. I turned to the Safa and then the clock and finally at the lost hope evident in everyone's eyes. They were completely terrified. I turned back to Safa with anger and shook my head. "It's nearly midnight Safa, have they been doing this forever?"

She solemnly nodded her head and closed her eyes a second before opening them once again. "There is nothing we could do about it. They barge in, take someone and bring them back in a few hours later completely unconscious or mentally not there. I've never been taken, but some girls here have been out there nearly every night."