The Angel And The Devil

18

As the week passed, Afni fell into a routine. In the morning she'd go to her lessons which were constantly changing and in the afternoon she would try as hard as she could to avoid everybody by retreating to the library and at night, she would go to sleep with new bruises formed on her body.

It was getting harder and harder for her, living in that prison but she consumed her thoughts with her family and friends to keep it all out.

But when Abeer finally had enough of Afni's sour mood, she confronted her one afternoon after she had come back from her lessons.

"I don't understand. What's happened to the bubbly person I once knew? Did I offend you? Is that why you're avoiding me?"

She asked and Afni could see the hurt in her eyes as clear as the day.

"I'm not avoiding you."

A lie and they both knew that.

"Okay that's enough! Tell me, what happened to you. Everyday I noticed how your eyes have gotten hollow and lost their glimmer. And don't get me started on the bruises you try so hard to cover."

She was beyond furious now and Afni's eyes widened at her words.

"How do you know that?"

Afni forced out and Abeer chuckled darkly.

"You might have managed to fool everybody but not me. I'm not stupid and I definitely am not blind. So don't even lie to me and get to talking."

She hissed, all humour gone from her voice.

It was Afni's turn to chuckle. She threw her head back and chuckled so coldly that in another world, she would have been scared of.

"It's the lessons. I bet at one point in your life you've felt like this too."

Afni tried to laugh it off and Abeer just glared at her.

"I see you don't want to share but know that this conversation has not ended. For now, I understand your need for privacy but that won't always be a constant."

And with that she ended everything.

Afni frowned and studied her face. That girl was an enigma and Afni knew she was threading on thin waters with her. She had to be more careful and that included guarding her feelings tightly.

Afni asked her to let it go and she just dismissed her with a wave of her hand and Afni knew she would never let it rest. She narrowed her eyes at Abeer and retreated to the library, her only sanctuary.

Books were becoming her only real best friends who she knew would never let her down and she didn't mind that as long as she could feel their safety at all times.

An hour later, a basket of cookies was sent to Afni by someone but the name was not disclosed. A note had been attached to it and she read it.

"Thank you for what you did for me the other day. I hope it stays our little secret and if you don't mind, I'd like for us to sit and have a discussion anytime soon. I'll send for you in a while",

She read aloud. She knew who it was from and didn't need to guess twice to know it was Afnan. She didn't particularly feel sour about meeting with him but instead, she was looking foward to it.

She knew he would take her mind off of things for a while. She was itching to unravel the mystery he was. She knew nothing about him.

She ate the cookies and read her book for a little while when a maid, maid 5 her 'name' was, asked her to follow her.

She led Afni through dwindling hallways that were leading towards the west side. She took her deeper and deeper down the halls until they reached a door.

She knocked twice and waited. The door swung open and they were met by a man who looked in his late thirties in a butler outfit.

"The miss is here."

He nodded and gestured for Afni to walk in as he stepped out of the way with a low bow. She didn't have strength in her to greet him so she just waved kindly at him.

The room opened up to a large space and she realized, that was one of the rooms she hasn't had the pleasure to explore.

It was an indoor garden with plants everywhere and a table in the middle of the room with four chairs. Two of those seats were already filled up side by side.

Abeer and her brother were seated with cups of tea in their hands and deserts all over the table.

Afni's eyes landed on the brownies and her mouth started to water at the beautiful food. A laugh brought her back to her senses and she realized she had been caught admiring it.

She walked over to them and ducked her head gracefully as she learnt to do in her lessons.

"Assalam alaykum."

She greeted and they answered back.

Afnan pointed at the seat opposite him and asked her to sit as Abeer watched her with curious eyes.

"So Abeer here was telling me the story you told her about your first meeting with my brother. I've got to say, you're the first one who stood up to him and got away with it. Even I don't get to do that and I'm his twin!"

He chuckled and a smile pulled at her lips at the memory.

Abeer poured Afni a cup of steaming hot jasmine tea and she took it with all the grace she could muster, bringing it to her lips. She took a sip and set the cup down.

"He was being such a jerk so he deserved it."

She shrugged and they exploded into fits of laughter which she couldn't help but join.

The next hour was very entertaining as she listened to the two siblings go on and on about how they used to look for his trouble as kids occasionally asking her random questions such as her favorite color or when she learnt to fight.

It was exciting. The feeling of being welcomed. She loved it and she had to admit, it got her mind off of things for a while.

The night ended with a great feeling and for the first time in days, she didn't receive a beating. It seemed he was in a bit better mood to bother with her and she was grateful for it. If only for a while.

He even offered for her to sleep on the bed which she outright rejected and ended up on the window seat, her normal sleeping place.

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Ehh.. nothing exciting but still though. I hope you enjoy! Comment and vote.