The Girl in The Green Scarf

E l e v e n

CHAPTER ELEVEN
HAMSA

"Come on we got to get back before someone notices we're gone." Yasmeen urges as I lock the bulkhead door behind me.

"Everybody is asleep." I assure her, but the worry written over her face doesn't go away. I can't say I blame her, I've seen what Talal does to anyone who breaks the tiniest rule around here. And frankly visiting the prisoner and  bringing him food is breaking too many rules.

"How is he?" She asks as she slings her arm around mine.

"I didn't ask." I say casually.

"And you made us go through all that trouble for?" She asks raising her eyebrows.

"Not to chat with him of course." I say too sternly.

"Okay, okay sorry for asking." She says with a snort.

She is right, I did go through a lot of trouble, hiding  some food from last night's dinner, asking Yasmeen to sneak out a shirt off the laundry line and get to the cell unnoticed. To be honest I don't know why I did all that but I tell myself it's my 'too emotional' side in the working.

We walk back to our tent, being careful not to make too much noise. In the past few days I've come to see that the afternoon nap is one of the few sacred rituals in this camp. Talal and his men are far more intolerable if they don't get their sleep.

Inside the tent it's warmer; I take off my scarf and sling it over a chair in the corner. The weather is getting chillier everyday as summer ends and fall crawls in. Fall in the factories province is nothing but the change in the temperature since there are not much trees around to shed their leaves, but here there are trees everywhere you look. Soon they'll turn the color of the sunset and then fall covering the ground with a blanket of gold and browns.

As for the winter in Aurora, it is the hardest. There isn't enough electricity or timber to keep the heat up inside houses and the homeless find it more taxing to get a shelter. I doubt that will be the case here, since it's obvious they don't have any trouble with electricity or gas.

A long time ago winter was my favorite season. I used to enjoy the snow on our porch, how everything was covered in a blanket of white; the purity and cleanness enchanted me. Yahiya and I always had competitions on who would make the better snowman. We would split into teams; mom and dad took turns with us. And then later we would go inside our cozy home and mom would make us hot cocoa with cinnamon.

Now it's only a reminder of what Yahiya and I lost. Nothing is the same anymore; even the snow is darker because of the ashes from the factories.

I don't want to think about how hard this winter will be on Yahiya with me gone too. Or on me, without him and the rest of my family.

I know I can't lose the hope of getting out of this place, but if I was going to escape, I should have already done it by now, it has been almost a week. But for such an isolated place the security is very tight, even with the electrified fence, there are always guards roaming with their weapons. And something tells me it's not to keep people out but to keep us in.

But even if it costs me my life I have to get out of here, I can't let go like all the girls have.

"Whoa, what's wrong Hamsa?" Yasmeen asks holding my shoulders. I didn't realize how hard I was shaking or how blurry my vision has gotten.

"It's nothing."

"This is not 'nothing'." She say and leads me to the made-sofa that I use for sleeping "Sit."

I do as she says, and plop on the cushions.

"Now tell me what's up?"

I contemplate telling her that I want to escape and go back home. But dismiss the idea immediately; Yasmeen has been so kind to me for the past few days, and I can even say we are growing to be friends, but I'm not the type of person to pour their heart out to others. Plus I don't know where her loyalties lie yet. She could very well tell Talal about plans and I'll have to kiss my freedom goodbye.