"Take that off too" she ordered. And instantly, I took it off too. For a moment, I felt very free. The scarf was so itchy, and the veil didn't help either. Khadija smiled, and stood up from her ivory chair. I noticed her long flowing white dress was quite transparent, revealing her slender hourglass shape and her well-rounded bosoms. She walked slowly towards me, until she was just a thumb apart from where I stood. Her eyes searched me dangerously, while my heart pounded loudly in my chest. "I like you, and I'll choose you as my maid once this week is over and your training is complete" she muttered, her minty breath making it's way into my most. Then, she walked over to my right ear, and placed her lips close to it, her scent of sunflower musk filling my nostrils as she moved. "If you stick with me, I'll make sure you do not lack anything" she whispered. The hairs at the back of my neck rose, but I was still able to turn swiftly and let out a smile.
Chapter 1 A whole new world
I sat by the edge of the pool, my feet immersed in the light
blue water. I splattered and splashed as my feet moved back and forth in the
water. I swayed my head from side to side temporarily before lifting the bottle
of Southern Comfort which I had in my left hand, and placed it onto my lips. I
kept gulping and gulping till I felt it was enough before I let it go. I shut
my eyes and made a funny face as the liquor gave a tingling sensation down my
throat. I turned to my side, noticing matchstick-like figures moving leisurely
under the bright round ball of light in the sky. I giggled to myself and turned
the other way, noticing the round disco lights movie in disorganized patterns,
this too was very funny to me. Just as I enjoyed the swell time alone, I
suddenly remembered, this could be the last time, the last night I might ever
taste freedom in my life. The scary part? For a crime I never committed. Tears
began rolling down from my eyes down to my plump cheeks, I placed the bottle on
my lips again and began gulping down the liquor as fast and as much as I could.
I continued to let my feet play in the water, and in no time, every pain and
hurt turned to profound joy. Suddenly, the DJ began to spin, and the first song
began to play. I couldn't resist the
melody, it took control and there was no way I was going to sit back and just
listen. I took both feet out, and after much effort, I was able to stand. With
my bottle in my palm, I raised my hands in the air and began to sway them, my
hips swaying rhythmically as well. The matchstick-like figures still moved, only
that this time, they moved faster and in funnier ways. I laughed at the sight, the
beautiful lights made them more likeable. But just as I brought down my hands,
and tried to sip from my bottle, I heard a scream.
"Hey! Don't!" Were the exact words I heard. I tried to turn,
to know who was shouting and why. Immediately, it was as though I lost control
over my limbs, my foot slipped and before I
could even understand what was happening to me, I heard a heavy thud. I felt
a sharp pain at the back of my head, and in an instant, I found myself in the
water. My eyes seemed to open by now, but it was too late. I noticed that dark
substances were beginning to spread inside the water, clouding it, while the
people at the surface ran in disorganized patterns.
"Someone call 911!" was the last thing I managed to hear
from anyone at the surface. Just as my body drifted deeper into the pool, I saw
something swim towards me. At first I thought it some fish, but as it drew
nearer, I realized it was a young lady. I couldn't make out what she looked like, but I knew she
wore a white sari. She swam quite fast, and when she got to me, she took my
hand.
"Come sister, let me help you". Her words echoed in the
water, and after that, I didn't remember any other thing.
My eyes slowly began to give way, letting some bright light
slip in. Thought my eyelids felt heavy, I knew I was awake, and alive. Slowly I
tried to open my eyes fully, and the scenery I took in was weird and confusing.
It wasn't as white as a hospital room, and it didn't seem to be like anyone's
house I've been to. I tried to sit up, but my body felt a bit heavy at first,
but on a second try, I was able to sit up. I remembered that I had hurt my
head, but I didn't feel a single pain. At this point, I slowly began to take a
look around, and immediately, I was shaken up to the core. I noticed I was laid
on a floor, with some sort of blanket laid underneath, the room was small and partially
empty, but something about the room seemed different, it didn't look like any
modern buildings I had seen. In my deep state of confusion, an old wooden door flung
open. A middle aged woman ran in immediately she laid her eyes on me. I could
tell she was excited, her Aladdin-styled trouser bouncing as she ran towards
me. I just sat there, confused about what all these meant.
"Oh Alhamdlilah. You are finally awake!" she screamed as she
pulled me into her embrace. I could feel her big boobs cushioned on my face as
her big plump arms wrapped me round my neck. Immediately I pushed her off me,
as I moved backwards.
"What the hell is going on here? How did I get here?" I
asked, still trying to maintain my distance. "And who are you?" I asked again.
At this moment, a man walked in. Although weirdly dressed like she was, he wore
a short monkey jacket on his shirt and a small red heart on his head.
"She's finally
awake?" he asked, as he scratched his mustache.
"Yes my lord. But she seems not remember anything" the woman
answered, I noticed she bowed her head deeply while responding. The man seemed restless,
he clenched his fist and cursed in a language I had never heard before. With a
piercing gaze, he looked at the woman, pointing at her with his lanky finger.
"I do not care about what you do or how you do it Yasmin,
but I want this girl ready by sundown!"
"Yes my lord, it's
quite doable" the woman agreed. The man walked out of the room
immediately, and once again, I was left with this strange woman. The woman
turned swiftly to me, rubbing her palms as she went down on both knees.
"Fatiha, please I beg of you. Don't do anything silly this
time, or my head will go in for it" she pleaded.
"Uhmmm sorry ma'am, my name is not Fatiha. I don't know who
Fatiha is or where she is. I'm Jade, Miss Jade Shelton, and I would love to
make a phone call immediately" I stated as nicely as I could. But she just
stared blankly at me, like I was some nut job.
"I'm quite sure you might not remember your experience after
trying end your life, but you must accept your fate now. And you won't put me
in trouble again, never" the woman threatened this time. I looked at her for a
bit and scoffed.
"Ma'am, I'm
respectfully telling you off right now. If you don't let me out of here
right now, I'll make you pay for it!" I yelled, trying to be stern about my
statement. The woman laughed at me, the laughing was so loud and terrible.
"Fatiha, you ungrateful child. You forget too soon. You have
forgotten how the master picked you up after the siege of Sicily when you were
just a toddler. Now, he asks that you repay him and you decide jump off the
balcony, putting my neck at risk?" she lamented. I could tell she spoke from a
place of pain, but I was still confused about what was going on. Before I could
say another word, she cut me shut.
"You are going to the harem tonight and that's final!" she
stated, and immediately stood up to take her leave. Immediately I heard the
word "harem", I immediately stood up and grabbed the woman by her wrist.
"Excuse me ma'am, did you just say harem?".