Zaina ✔

CH-4 REVELATIONS

ZAINA's POV:
"Because I am a rape victim."

How is it possible?
I mean, Ram is a rape victim!

"You?"was all I could say.

"My mother was around seventeen. Soon she was going to marry but....a beast ruined her life. He rap...." he couldn't complete his sentence.
"She was in a deep trauma. Her marriage broke. Her whole life got ruined. Later she came to know, she is pregnant."

Silence filled the atmosphere. My eyes were staring at Ram and Ram was looking downwards. His eyes were red in rage.

"She committed suicide just after my birth."

My body turned as cold as ice. My eyes widened, filled with tears. My soul partly died after listening to him.

I never thought that a person like Ram, who always keeps an innocent smile over his lips, who always tries to bring happiness to others, who always reduces the pain I am carrying over my chest, is himself carrying a burden on his soul. He had no fault, he was innocent, but still he had to go through the horrible guilt. He isn't the culprit, he is himself a victim, but still he became the reason of his mother's suicide. He had to suffer for something he never committed.

I forgot to speak, to breathe, I forgot I am alive. I was only looking at the person sitting in front of me.

I always thought I have suffered the worst phase of life. But he has suffered something even worse than worst.

What should I do? Should I console him? Or should I keep quite?

I just stared at him. My eyes were saying something to him.
"Ram, I know you're broken. But I know you're strong. I can't undo your grief. But I can share a little part of it. I can try to reduce it. Just once ask."

Maybe he heard the words of my heart. He looked at me.

It seemed like his eyes were trying to convey a message. "Zaina, I need you. Please, I can't hold this burden anymore. Hold me, I am afraid I'll fall deeper into this grief."

I tried to calm myself and with a little bit courage leftover inside me, I said,

"Ram, I am with you.....forever."

His dark eyes lit up with a hope.

He was about to say something but, my phone rung in between.
I picked it, it was Naina's call.

"Hello, Naina?"

"Zaina, immediately come to the local hospital." through her voice it was clear she is tense.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I am okay, but Fatima...you just come here."

"Ok, I am coming."

The call ended.

"Ram, I have to go." with an apologetic expression.

He just nodded.

Just few seconds ago, I said I am always with him and now I am leaving him alone. But I have to go, Naina sounded really disturbed.
___________________________________

I reached the hospital. As I stepped outside the rickshaw, Naina ran into my direction.

"Zaina, come with me." She held my hand and began moving inside the hospital.

"Naina, tell me what happened?"

She stopped and turned to face me. She is hesitating. Naina is a straightforward person, hesitation isn't in her trait.

"Last night....someone tried to......." a tear escaped from her left eye.

All of a sudden I heard a loud voice.
"I KILLED HIM! I KILLED HIM! I KILLED HIM!"

It was Fatima's voice. Fatima is a our friend. She studies with us.

I followed the direction from where the noise was coming. I entered a room. Fatima was sitting on a bed. Her eyes were as red as blood. Her skin turned pale.

"Fatima!"

The Fatima I knew was full of life. She was mischievous, funny and blessed with the happiness of the whole world. But the Fatima in front my eyes is looking like a broken doll. She is hopeless, lifeless and surrounded by clouds of grimace.

I rushed to hug her. As my skin came in the contact with her, I felt like I am hugging fire itself. She was burning with fever. She again started screaming,
"I KILLED HIM! I KILLED HIM! "

I looked at Naina, who was standing near the door. What happened with Fatima? Whom has she killed? Why she killed someone?

Fatima continued to cry. And soon she slept in my arms. I carefully put her head on the pillow and covered her body with a blanket.

Naina was still standing at her place. I looked at her with a questioning look. She just nodded and gestured me to come outside.

After five minutes, both of us were sitting in the canteen of the hospital.

"Last night someone tried to rape Fatima. And in self defence Fatima accidentally killed him. She is really shaken after this accident. She is thinking of herself as a killer." told Naina.

"But the person she killed was going to rape her. She did nothing wrong. She did, what was right. It's her courage, she saved herself. Despite of suicide, like other rape victims, she bravely protected herself. It's a thing to be proud of." I protested.

"But Fatima is in trauma. However, Inspector Razia tried to make her understand that she haven't attempted any crime. Self defence isn't a crime. But nothing worked."

"Naina, I have faced this situation. When someone touches us with a wicked intention. When one wrong touch breaks our soul. When we pray to God to end our lives. In the beginning, I blamed only myself for what happened with me. Whole society blames girl for it. Nobody points out the original culprit. But after days of crying finally I understood that.....one bad touch can't impure our soul. One bad touch can't end our life.
I hope Fatima and all other girls understand it."

"Zaina, sometimes I also get scared. Sometimes presence of men makes me feel insecure. In today's time, these rapists don't even spare children. They don't even care if the girl is their sister."

Suddenly I phone rung. I picked it.
"Hello.......What?.....I am coming. "

"What happened? " asked Naina.

"Police came to home and took Aiza and Mira with them."

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☆ I wrote most of the chapter some hours before my maths exam. Because I was really nervous and writing story is the best distraction for me.

☆ This chapter is average, I know that. But I'll try to make next chapter interesting.

☆ And next chapter will be very special.

☆ And my maths test was satisfactory. I did fine.

☆ Please ignore if there is any grammatical mistake.