Beneath: The Begotten

A model is all she dream to be, maybe because she was almost sixteen years old, but a loud voice deep inside was telling her “you are not just a teen dreamer”. That voice was pushing her beyond her limits, to make her dream comes true. she was fortunate to be tall enough for a model.

She always thought about her steps in her destiny, but she'd never thought about how her destiny will embrace her. That's what made her give everything to be there. Careless about where her destiny will lead her.

She jumped off the bus with my floral bag, the one she used to have since she was in first year of her middle school. The Train whooshing on the railroad was loud enough to give her a peaceful walk on 86th street. It was the only time where she can’t hear an inapprehensible conversation, or others shouting. She was excited to get home, because it was the first time she felt like she might have a good news for her mum. She didn’t care if it was a green or a red light, every time she cross the street until the 78th one. The Jewish high-school was her last corner.

She pushed the door and she almost forget the steps to their apartment in the second floor. Her feet stomped the wooden steps. Now, she couldn’t hold it more, she unleashed her voice calling..

"Mum.. Mum.."

As expected, her mother Suzanne was at the kitchen squeezing the dish soap and swirling it around with a sponge, the food was still on stove. Noor always wonder what dishes her mother was cleaning?!

"I have to pay the rent by the end of the week.."

Noor asked for a haircut last night, that’s why Suzanne didn’t have to pay her any attention. Her mum always had that serious face, especially, with her blond ethnicity. they had same features, same hair, except Noor’s was longer to the middle of her back, and her eyes, they were her dad's. The one she barely remember.

The mother never treated her daughter as a grown up girl. they didn’t have as many secrets as her friends with their mothers. Maybe because she still didn’t have her first menstrual cycle! Even the gynecologist Dr. Marie told her this could happen as long as she was keeping her hormones balanced, however, Suzanne was still always thoughtful about this story.

Noor put her floral bag on the floor and went straight to the refrigerator for a snack before dinnertime. In a quick skim, there were nothing to be eaten but a bread and cream-cheese. She put that on table and went to pick the knife from the dish rack next to her mum..

"I was accepted anyways.." Noor said to her mother without giving a chance of an eye contact.

Now she had to look at her daughter -as she was not expecting it- her hands where still on sink "you said it is tomorrow." she sounded surprised.

"It was today.." the girl was busy with cream-cheese top box to dwell on it, trying to keep a high self-esteem. Usually, it is how she got her mother’s attention, and flicker her curiosity.

“What happen with your haircut. I talked to Nancy earlier, you are suppose to go to her tomorrow.”

She didn’t know her mum was that much concerned, pop-eyed. Suzanne’s hair was slightly covering her forehead, where the sweat swallowed its golden bright color. Even if the exhaust had appeared on her paled skin, the sharpen look of her eyes overflowed all of it, determent, unstoppable. No one needed circumstances to respect her, and her struggles. The house kitchen was small, you barely can stand there after a grocery shopping, however, the mother was organized enough to make it wide for a thanksgiving dinner. The cupboard was always well managed. Finally, she left the corner of the sink, trying to reach bounty napkin on the dressed table.

The cream-cheese was still not well shaped on the cold bread, it is how Noor loved to see her work done, perfectly done, not even crumbs on dish.

“It was today, and I did well without a haircut.” I paused seconds before I finished “It has to come from your spirit, it’s what you taught me, mum.. Remember?”

She stood rigid as she grabbed the napkin, clamping her lips, staring at my eyes, pride maybe, neither of them knew what there was to say. Suzanne didn’t have to express her feelings, because her daughter knows her facial expression when she remembers her dad Bob, the one they don’t know wither he is resting in peace, or still struggling with his New Port cigarettes, somewhere on planet.

Noor put her snack on dish, gingerly, attended to go upstairs. At least she had some space to tangle with her thoughts in peace. She doesn’t usually take dinner, even if she was still not a model but she was always acting like one of them. unnecessary torment can be noticed from the graceful body shape of her thirty nine years old mother.

She almost forgot the papers in my floral bag, she unzipped it and put the papers on table “ These papers are for you to sign.”

“I need to check over them and make sure everything is fine.” she replied with maternal tone. She continued while she was drying dishes “so the interview was fine.”

“fine?!” Noor was questioning, “it was amazing! Oh mum if you could see the world, the people, the photographer, the agent..” The excitement made her forgot her words, she couldn’t even remember what she’d mentioned “did I mention the people?”

Suzanne wanted to dig more about it “so tell me, what did they say?”

“well there was a lot of girls there, and I was scarred of course. So many girls were prettier than me, but they asked me to be one of the models for the magazine.” It was A long chitchat for her to fill her stomach with bread and cream-cheese instead of flying butterflies.

“I’m upstairs.” She continued pointing her fingers to where she was heading.

The stairs to her room were narrowed, carpeted, each step was high enough to drag you all the way down if you miss one in rush. A framed picture of her parents hugging each other in their twenties was hanged on the left side of the wall, across, on the right side was her picture with Matt her older brother was puffing on his seventh birthday cake, while she was only three. Up front, it was a cactus flowers vase placed on tiny marbled table. On right side of it was lucky Matt’s room door, on left was hers.

As she was dumping the stairs “I hope you will be enjoying the dinner with us tonight.” her mum willingly said.

“Not yet, what’s coming next is more important.” she replied in tiredness.

As she slammed the door, the brown curtains around the window swirled. She didn’t have a nice view to enjoy, except for high-school classes that blocked the sun rays from penetrating. The surface was too small to be named a bedroom -having an L shape- There was no space to get a chair for her desk, so she used her single bed to sit on for my homework, the one was overtaking the west corner, blocking the attic small exit. At the other corner where she had the closet, a full size mirror reflected the picture of Eric on her petite desk. His hansom fifteen years old face made her glance to the clock on the wall, it must be late to call where he lives now. They didn’t talk to each other since his family moved to Europe. It’s been three years already, and she was still counting days for his return, patiently. Since she was a child, he was the only person she can blindly trust. Eric was her childhood shield she used for defense.

She kicked off her shoes before she hit the bed, get dressed in her light laser yellow sleeping gown. She lay down on her bed. She felt the ridge of braid once the back of her skull reached the mattress. She ripped out her ponytail’s hair tie, combing through the plait with her fingers. Her eyes tighten slowly before they get entirely closed. Even though the light was intruded, her numbed limbs were weak, making her float on isthmus of her dreams.

The room was incredibly vast, literally a dream, perfectly designed, a nineteenth century wooden painted walls. A line of niches with luxury pieces of art, a faint spot light on each. Above Noor’s head was an immense silver chandelier glittering from circumventing crystals, reflecting the light bulbs into sharpened spectral colors. It was partially gleaming the huge dome that embraced the magnificent suite.

She wasn’t by herself though, people around her were very well dressed. Men in suits and ties, wealthy faces, none of them looked familiar to her, not even were her category to recognize any, they were all aristocrats. From the ladies dresses, hairs and jewelries it could hinted, it was a main event. Noor felt her dress tighter than usual on her breast, uncovering her shoulders and long to touch the floor. She looked to her arms and she got dazzled by soft gloves wrapping her hands to her elbows, the light laser yellow color turned into a bombed snow white dress. As she took her first step, she felt how high the shoes heels were. Fortunately, she was able to control her first step from stumble. The first (high heel sound) grabbed people’s attentions, they gawked at her after she tried to walk. Noor was timid and embarrassed by the daze in their eyes. She blankly walked between the scattered crowed.

Noor stepped the the reflection zone of a full length mirror settled on the left wall. As she glanced to her shoulder, Noor gawked to what she saw. A shining bride in a white dress, like she was seeing herself on cover of fashion magazine. A bustle dress to her waist, studded by flickering pearls. The rest of the dress up to her chest was perfectly sewed for her. On her naked sternum was a twenty four carat diamond on white gold necklace, matching a pending earrings and the crown in front of her bride hairstyle, curled on top of the head and designed with small clips, fitting her round face. Noor never saw herself as beautiful as in the reflection of this magical mirror. A soft shiver made her reached her thin neck by her soft hand, it was the left one. A goosebumps spread over her body once she noticed a shining diamond on her ring finger.

Before she even could process the combination of those facts, a hand looped around her waist intimately, tightly. The magical mirror had more surprises to reveal. He was inhumanely handsome, his pale skin was perfectly illustrating his black features, dark eyes, deep black silky hair, chiseled face, light five o’clock shadow beard. A black slim fit tuxedo with two buttons and narrowed label. White shirt with black bow tie was excellently covering his lean muscles. He was little taller than Noor, even with her high heels. It was him, her prince charming, her savior, her Eric. However he was no longer the little boy of the picture she was still keeping on her desk. Now, he became grown man with strong character, the man she used to imagine in her childhood.

Noor turned disoriented to him in a shock, more in yearning “Eric!” she muttered with unexpected surge of joy.

She found him close enough to be breathing his exhaled air. Unusual feeling infiltrated, the hand around her waist wasn’t safe, nor warm. Underneath his perfect face, with malicious smile, his eyes was ogling her lips and neck, full of odd lust.

His perfect lips moved talking in confidence “I will be better than him” he paused before he continued “I promise” his breathing was on the hollow under her ear.

Noor couldn’t understand his words, but could understand his attentions from the vicious look of his eyes, something in his eyeballs were different. It was impossible for her to move away. She was aware that nothing of this is real, especially Eric, her childhood shield.

She tried to diverge the situation and ignored it “It’s just a dream” she murmured to herself.

“And I’ll make your dreams come true.” He quickly answered with a grin across his face.

It was jazz music playing before it became a classic soft song made specifically for couples to dance on.

His hard hand swiftly moved from her waist reaching out for her right hand, clenched her paw. All eyes were pointed to the couple, smiling, pleasant and more flattered faces. He moved first between the crowd pulling her to the wide opened door, snobbish and overrate self-confidence. Noor couldn’t take the lead to come to standstill, she was being herded out of the hall. She stared at their clasped hands and a matching ring to hers was around his finger. It gave a clear intuition of the situation, and here, she was griped in sudden agony of despair.

Noor found herself in a huge most elegant master bedroom, the decor almost medieval, a similar atmosphere as the hall, candles burst into flame around the room. She was standing at the edge of a king size bed, lost in confusion, staring in blank. She was still in that glamorous white dress thinking of what happened to her dream of being a model, and more importantly, what happened to Eric.

He came out of the bathroom, walking without a blazer, unbuttoned sleeves and collar, the bow tie was looped around the back of his neck. He walked to a small liquor table, a two red wine bottles next to few glasses were on top. He removed the cork top and gently poured in the glass win stem and foot. He was quiet, yet more excited. He took a sip and put the glass back on table, thinking of how to start a conversation.

He headed toward Noor with a pleasant smile, opened arms “Ah, your beauty as always, and forever more takes my breath away.”

The poor girl was still struggling with his words, trying to absorb them, but there was no way for them to break through the established set of her mind. She was paranoid and furious at the same time, she tried to swallow but the pride of the confronting man incapacitated her.

Her jaw started to wiggle and so her voice with crystal teared eyes, stuttered tone “Who are you? What is this place?” then she muttered to herself “Wake up!”

Her voice was loud to make him hear what she said. He stood couple inches in front of her. He moved his face forward, scented her odor with closed eyes, passion. She was stand frozen, rigid except for her wiggling jaw. He straightened back and look her right in the eye.

“wake up from what? This is our day, the day the One has promised would come. He brought you to me. This is our time, our place, this is all what we wished for?” with a crooked smile on his handsome face, he said.

The One!.. The day!.. We!.. All these words threw Noor in shallow. She growled in fear and anger“Who.. What are you?” after she remembered he couldn’t be Eric.

He was ogling her perfect body, more in control of his lust. He bit his lips, drooling. Trying to find a way to get Noor in same boat of his desires. He brushed the edge of her jaw with his finger before he placed his hand on her arm softly, still looking at her eyes.

“I’m your husband dear, this is our night. The night the One had promised.” with a attractive voice he explained.

The flat of the other hand reached her arm slowly, both hands moving in harmony. He came closer, and closer until no space left between him and Noor, she had no options to close her eyes in fear, steady, a drop of tear weaved on her cheek through her long eyelash, feeling his body on hers. He was careless of her emotions or reaction.

“Relax dear, it will be all right.” he whispered in her ear, grabbing her, pulling her even closer. She reopened her eyes to find the most beautiful dark eyes looking at her, irresistible with pale skin, chiseled nose and sculpted black eyebrows. Their eyes locked, hers full of fear, his ablaze with victory.

He squeezed his strong fingers on her tender arms, grabbed her firmly. He yanked her, her resistance was weaker than his expectations. They spun on his right. Noor became lighter than a feather when he pushed her to land on bed. She felt dizzy, the world turned upside down, unclear vision. A world beneath the other one, the candles flame narrowed in haze, the elegant room turned to be dark, she was unconscious, dwindling unawareness.

Everything in Noor’s sensation came to a dead quietness, nothing can be seen, nothing can be heard but Eric’s replicant deep exhale from a far distance. A sensual feeling flowed through her veins, an adrenaline rush raised pulses of her heart. She tried to scream but she couldn’t, even if she could, who is going to rescue her?! She had the feeling to run but her body was so tapped in state of hebetude.

-------------------------------------

“No!” Now she burst screaming, wrenching upright out of her single bed.

It was a dream, a hundred percent a nothing but a dream, the worse nightmare Noor wish to see. She straightened on her bed in shock, still with fast pulses, dry throat and a very deep breath. The vision was unclear, a dim street light was penetrating through the window. she waited for the blood to relocate and flow back to normal. Suzanne darted through the door in rush, turned on the light, from her crinkled, you can tell she was sleeping. The palm of her hand was placed on the wall, the other was still on the knob.

“What happened?!” Suzanne asked in a motherly concerned tone.

Noor realized she was very loud, loud enough to cross the walls and wake her mother up. She was still dizzy and woozy, with swirled and plait hair, sweated forehead, hand on throat and straight spine. She snapped a look at the digital clock on the desk, the digits on red laser was telling it is two forty five AM.

“Nothing mum, it was a nightmare.” she said (makhnou9a) and then she sight.

The mother squinted her eyes to see her daughter, focusing “what’s that on your gown?”

“What?” Noor looked down to her lap analyzing.

Both of them kept frozen, locked at a red stain spreading on her dress midsection, blood color. Suzanne tried to break the panic and get back in control. She took a step toward her daughter and stopped, she was clearly jumbled up. She swirled her hair behind her ear, pushed her lips together in confusion. Noor was still sitting still looking at the blood on her lap.

“Ok.. Ah maybe we didn’t talk much about this.. But.. Ok..” Suzanne spun around, trying to find a solution before she continued “Now don’t panic. You’ve had your first menstrual cycle.. Ok.” She tried to sound brave “Let’s keep it together, everything will be fine.”

She patted her forehead, squinting her eyes trying to focus, then she ran out for necessary tools. Before reaching the door, she turned back to Noor disorientated.

“It’s ok, I’ll be right back. Just wait..”

Quickly she went down. Noor was behind frozen in panic, deaf ears, she couldn’t even hear Suzanne words, and if she did, she couldn’t understand any. Her hand was still stuck on her throat, wide open eyes fixed on the blood growing wider and wider. It wasn’t stopping, feeling it running down her legs. A heavy stupor was dizzying her mind. Her skin turned to pale. She started to shake and even more sweats running down her face. Her scream was loud and broken.

“Mom... Mother... It’s not stopping... Hurry... Mom!” wiggled voice.

Suzanne raced through the door with towels in hand and maxi-pads in the other hand. She was mumbling the list she had been waiting for. Suzanne treatment was different to her daughter this time, more carrying, more concerned. The girl didn’t move a bit, she was still rigid and lost in mass of confusion.

Reaching Noor, she quickly knelt down, pulled up the stained grown by red splashes, trying to make it easy to her daughter. She put the maxi-pads a side and started cleaning the dripped blood, she needed a second towel because the first one wasn’t enough to clean her thighs.

“Ok... Ok. Calm down” Suzanne looked at her daughter’s pale face. “We talked about this many times, we can handle this. Try to relax.” with unsure words she tried to take control.

The towel was firmly fixed on her crotch. However, the bleeding was still coming through, it was too much blood than just a menstrual cycle. Something was wrong there and it was alerting Suzanne frightens. Noor was still staring in blank, unaware of what was happening to her, neither what her mother was even doing.

“I’m not sure if there is a problem.” waned confidence covered Suzanne’s voice. Thoughts started racing her head, the situation was becoming serious and the towels were not helping. “Ah... something is not right here... Stay calm, but we’re going to the hosp...”

“It was him who did this to me.” Noor interrupted her mother muttering to herself. “Eric!” she continued with sharp voice.

“What?!” Suzanne frowned in confusion, she wasn’t right if she heard it right.

Her eyes were about to bug out of their sockets. “Eric” again she said. “Yes its him” keeping a low edgy accent.

Noor words and mind state were like an ocean wave crushing Suzanne deep in despair. Her tender palm hand reached Noor’s forehead swiftly, It was sweating and frozen. The mother patted her daughter shoulder, concerned. She left the bloody towel in between her thighs and helped her to lay down. She dragged the pillow from the edge of bed to under her head, partially covered her with a quilt and still, giving her a caring pats.

The popped eyes slowly narrowed and a blurry vision veiled the ceiling of her room. The pats of Suzanne echoed in blackness along with Noor pulses, all away in gloomy darkness.

Beams of light tickled Noor eyelashes. They were strong enough to bring her back to consciousness. She fought the heavy drowse with several blinks until her pupil absorbed the unusual sunlight. Finally, she was sent back to life. The light reflected an uncommon view and the bed under her left was more comfortable, white colored. The light was coming through a balcony glass door. A flopping body clanked the silence from behind. Noor rewound the latest dream by the swish, there was a spot in her mind of this room, and so was the body laying in her back. It was him, Eric’s replicant or whatever he called himself. She dragged the blanket placidly, biting the lower lip and crinkling her eyes. She sat straight on the edge of the king size bed and carefully placed her toes on the laminate floor and paused to peek over her left shoulder. It was him deeply sleeping by her side. The white bed sheet, pillow and pale skin were perfectly reversing his shiny handsome face. She leaned on both knuckles and stood up, carefully, she lifted the right heel very slow to move forward.

“Good morning darling.” with a clear throat he said.

Noor flinched from the acidity of his voice. She became rigid on her feet before she sighed in despair. She wrapped her arms around her body, feeling anxiously a silky short bride nightie that she was dressing.

“You just made my morning darling.” softly he claimed.

Noor closed her eyes, winging somewhere to meet Eric in her pulses before he get lost in the darkness of this dream. He was there tickling her emotions. Her mind drew the lovely picture of her charming prince with his irresistible grin across his beautiful face.

“I’m here to protect you.” the tremor of his breath blew on the hollow under her ear, tuning. She shivered as his cold fingers sneaked slowly on her bare arm up to her shoulder.

She opened her eyes again to find him standing right behind, with hand placed on her shoulder and his exhale blowing on her neck, slobbering. Her heart thudded and stuttered. Again, she found herself forced to wrap the hard shell around her emotions. He was looking at her hesitated, like a man who might hesitate before kissed a woman, see how he would be received today. Unfortunately, like last time, she had no reception for his drooling lust.

“Who are you? Please.” she groaned with a wiggled tone and mute face.

“I’m Ramool and I’m here to protect you.” he said muttering.

She moved one step forward protecting herself from him. Only Eric can be allowed to be that close to her, not even his replicant was able to be there. His hand fell down and his head remained dangled.

“To protect you from who granted you to me ,the ONE.” he looked more serious. He squinted with sharp eyes and stuttered “The ONE is my father, and my mission is to finish you as soon as possible. It is the first time ever someone disobey him because I couldn’t kill you or even hurt you. You gave me...” he paused a second and fought his words before he continued “You gave me life.” he confessed with weakened eyes.

Ramool words drifted Noor to the unknown. She tried to fight his extemporized libeller statement by turning around to face him for the first time, and kept the space in between. She dropped her hands down and rolled distal phalanx of index on the top of her thumb nervously.

“What are you talking about?” skeptically she asked in confusion, fighting the tears of her pain. Her eyebrows lifted and her forehead creased “I don’t know your father” she hissed with a dripped throat.

“You don’t have to know him or know about his orders, you just have to love me and I will protect you.” he enunciated slowly, staring attentively at her sorrowful face. Her blue eyes were stuffed with crystal tears and her chin was wiggling.

“I want home.” she begged despondent. He sighed and shook his head with pursed lips at the pity of it. The silence dragged on before he swept her hair back behind her shoulder, her reaction to him was an unsouled body.

A soft knock on the door broke the pause. Ramool squeezed his thumb and index tightly against his eyes and cleared his throat “Yes Kelly!” he said masterful and loud.

The door lock twisted slowly. A five tree feet thin cute girl swayed in with fluid steps. She looked no more than twenty years old, bronze curly hair over her shoulders, a beautiful elfin face with wide open brown eyes pointed to the floor. She was wearing oddly a plain house maid cloths covered by a white prone. The dress was an inch under her knees. She was locking her hands at her lap in respect.

“Breakfast is ready sir.” she said in vincible accent.

He looked from the corner of his eyes to the door side. The sweet voice of Ramool turned to a rude patronizing “Don’t forget, Noor and I will be having brunch on the terrace.”

Kelly walked out in silent steps, shutting the door behind. Ramool stood still, until he heard the click of the door locked, his eyes shifted their focus to Noor again. She was confused about this man, an ambivalent feeling toward him. On one hand he was “Eric” the man she can’t imagine her life without him, on the other hand his a malicious behavior with a wicked attitude were exiling her away too far from her imagination, trembling the axis of her world. A quietness spread over again. She was hopelessly staring at him and he was lustfully waiting for her reaction. He drove his hand to her face and he had to fight the magnitude of his fingertip brushing along her cheekbone.

“Breakfast is ready., let’s go.” pointing with his thumb to the door. Noor couldn’t find a chance to express herself or to give a reaction. She was like a driftwood swung by his attitude.

The room was ultra-modern and king’s castle look. A paradigm shift of appearance and era. Long glass table with gold and crystal setting the four corners. Three red chairs with gold frame on each side. Nothing but shiny silver utensils were lined along on table. Noor was sitting on the the facing side of the terrace door and Ramool was across her. Kelly stood a step back from Noor after she filled her glass with smooth orange juice, her hands were manacled behind her back.

“Darling, you have been giving a gift, well many gifts.” he chuckled and his forehead creased before he continued pointing to with knife to his chest. “Me for one. But the ONE has chosen you for me and all that you wish can be yours.””Kelly, serve the lady of the house.” Ramool said orderly.

“Right away sir.” Her eyes were fixed on floor and small curtsy, she pushed the serving table to Noor. Light smoke was swirling from a top of an uncovered meat and egg plate with two slices of well toasted bread. Fresh fruits surround the warmed entrees.

Noor stared slowly to the elegant wheeled cart, the maid Kelly and the shifted a gazes to Ramool amazed by the elegant morning breakfast and still fighting the figure of Eric in malicious character. She finally find her voice, stifled “Who are you?” she sighed in agony and continued “What am I doing in this place?”

Noor’s gloomy behavior seemed to start bothering him, he kept his expression firmly under control by squeezing his fingers, wondering how many times he got to repeat himself “I’m Ramool your husband, don’t you remember last night? It was...” he stared at the ceiling drawing a picture in him mind “It was beyond magical, I can tell you I was very pleased.” he said as he looked back to her “Except for the ONE, Kelly her napkin.” he continued with a juster to the maid.

Kelly quickly snapped, opened a silk napkin from the serving table. She moved toward Noor and while she was placing it on her lap, the lady of the house grabbed it and threw it next to the plate. The fork fell on the floor causing a sudden clanking noise. It was for Kelly to bend her back and knees to reach it.

“Sorry!” Kelly murmured apologizing.

“Ramool or whatever you name is I can assure you we’re not married, That I’m not married and you are not Eric, Because Eric would never condone this type of behavior in himself. I don’t even know where this place is.” Noor kept her vision on Ramool without fear of meeting excessively interested pair of eyes. She spent a huge courage to face someone like him with these words. She felt the heavy throb of her pulse. Even herself, couldn’t believe she just burst loudly on his face.

Kelly responded in wild gasp, raising her eyebrows in disbelieve, blushed in embarrassment. She swift her limped hand from her lap to behind her back. Shrugged, she attentively raise her eyes from under her lashes to spot her master’s unknown reaction. He stared aside blankly before he squinted his eyes and pushed his lips in line hardly together. His serious look with dark eyes made Noor shiver.

He dropped the knife and the fork off his hands, he chugged the remains of his juice frowned and sighed roughly, then he covered his mouth with his hand and coughed clearing his throat. A quick pat on his perfect lips with his napkin before Ramool stood on his feet causing the chair to drag back.

“Come with me to the terrace it’s a beautiful sprint morning.” his lips were slightly moving, pointing his thumb behind his shoulder“The ONE said you might be confused, and so you are.” He chocked back the anger that threatened to explode.

Kelly was waiting for him to turn to the terrace door in fear to step forward quickly. She leaned aside nearly touching Noor’s ear, keeping her hands locked behind.

“What you are doing is wrong. Please my lady take his orders, please.” She pleaded whispering before she straightened back to her formal standing position. Ramool Stood and turned his head aside, his chin touched his shoulder giving the maid a flickered eyes.

The light broke inside the room adding more brightness, it was when Ramool swayed the door open and walked out in relief. Kelly words were echoing in Noor’s ear, yet she was still trying to give it a sense, especially the word “ORDER”. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. A beat of silence remained before she looked at Kelly disoriented.

“What orders?” Noor asked eagerly.

Kelly remained silent, afraid to talk. Her eyes were fixed to the terrace where her master was standing for some nice sprint fresh air. Noor had to turn her spine to face Kelly in proper way.

“Tell me what orders?” Noor had to repeat herself to get a beam from this repeated nightmare.

Kelly was still standing like a mummy in coffin. It wasn’t easy for her to talk without a permission. Her eyes slightly averted to Noor, paranoid, hesitated wither she sidetrack again and talk or not and keep Noor in abyss.

Loudly “I’m not..” Noor sighed in regret, shaking her head as she halted herself from being a person she is not. She changed her accent politely “Shall I say I’m giving you an order?”

Kelly was being tortured inside, a deep breath filled her lungs and lifted her chest. She looked back at the terrace and talked to Noor without giving an eye contact.

“You can’t.” she hissed sheepishly “You don’t want to see the real him.” Kelly quickly unraveled another of the unknown.

“Who is he?” Noor asked this question one more time and she was ready to ask it a thousand time, because what mattered her more was “Eric”, the love of her life “Who is his father?” she continued asking.

Kelly flinched and stood with legs braced, she tried to swallow but the terror incapacitated her, the world was dropping off from under her feet, heat flooding her face all the way to her hairline. Ramool walked in with steady steps and looked at Noor who had to straighten back on her chair empty handed.

His face crinkled in wicked smile “So don’t you want to join your husband?” he beckoned with strong arms to Noor.

She didn’t take much time to think about her words. For the first time, she talked to him with all her attentions “I feel so confused, it’s as if I remember things and then they are gone. I... don’t remember who I am.” Noor tried to go with flow instead of swimming against it. “Yes some fresh air would be nice.” She gently continued with a soft smile on her beautiful face.

Those words were more than enough to melt Ramool egos and awoke his unlimited desires. His perfect white teeth showed from underneath his lips. Noor stood up and Kelly was there to help her, she unfolded her arms and dragged the chair back giving her lady a space to move.

“That’s it my love, just few more steps and this world will be ours to share. The ONE has given us a great gift, and the great gift you carry.”

Noor walked steady to him, heavy steps toward the terrace trying to get her feet out of the mud by opening a gate of a new world to discover, a world that was beneath her dream. Maybe it was Kelly’s who made her be aware of the responsibility of whatever she did in this mansion, ad maybe she was taking a path of a new destiny.

A sudden air swished from the terrace door joggled Ramool’s collar, blew Noor’s hair and giggle Kelly’s tan skin. Ramool stood rigid on his legs, his facial expression changed from lusty to abrupt shock. It was a radical transformation on his features that Noor didn’t have a chance to see, even Eric faded away. His eyebrows knit together, his dark attractive eyes lit with awareness and his jaw clenched furiously. He shook his head in disappointment. His whole body was positioned to strike after he stiffened hi knees.

“ I knew it.” he muttered to himself with an acid voice.

Kelly covered her opened mouth with palm of her hand, frightened. “No way!” She said wiggling. The blood drained from her face. She didn’t move a fraction of an inch

Everything started to run faster than the usual, it was just when she attended to acclimate with the nightmare, facts took another way to turn all over her. This was when Ramool dashed around the table, raged, a surge of seriousness clouding his inhumanly attractive face. His left arms created inescapable snare and plucked Noor from her waist like if she was a straw doll. Noor staggered as he gripped her, she entrenched her thin fingers on his iron forearm trying desperately to free herself, with squinted face and twitching lips she abruptly repelled her body against his rocky muscles.

“Let go me!” Noor screaming was saturated with hatred.

“I don’t have enough time for this.” he replied angrily from a clenched teeth.

Ramool’s tight grip on Noor’s guts weakened her and jumbled blood in her veins. She gradually felt herself woozy, a hollow sound covered deafen her ears and a foggy vision blinded her eyes.

A elongated thunder glared from distance, followed by a unclear authoritative voice “It’s over Ramool, they are here already.” A blurry shadow appeared from the terrace like a ghost. It wasn’t clear for Noor to see who was it, but she was able to notice his giant body.

Ramool’s clenched arm was squeezing Noor to death. Her screams fainted to moans, dropping her to a dwindling consciousness. Her eyes slowly tightened and her eyelids narrowed into a thin slit before she was totally sent to darkness.

Chapter 2

From a dead silence, Noor ears were grumbled by piercing wail of an ambulance growing up in distance. Her body was vibrating on gurney, heavy sobs were coming from the wrapping oxygen mask. Red and blue blur lights were glaringly flashing as she hardly struggled to open her eyes, they were too heavy and her lids too achy to be widen, though. Profound pulses were echoing inside her rib cage before she’d been sent back to darkness.

At the emergency hall, a long medical green curtain was separating a line of stretchers, individually. In one of the cells, Noor was lied, pierced by a needle on her left forearm attached by a tube, slinking the blood slowly into her faint body. Her skin was white like sheet, somber circles were sucking the brightness from under her eyes, partially she was getting back to consciousness. She was still woozy from losing so much blood.

Suzanne wasn’t next to her, but she was somewhere in hospital concerned about what was happening to her only daughter. She was tapping her foot anxiously, laying the palm of her hand on her knee, squeezing the thumb and the pinkie. The sleepless night swallowed her face and trembled her thoughts. She was sitting on chair, unsteady, staring meaningfully to Dr. Marie across her. She was in her middle thirties, beautiful without pretense. The square glasses she was wearing were showing a clear vision on her dark brown eyes, black hair was loosely grabbed on low ponytail. Dr. Marie elbows were fixed on desk and her chin leaned on a fist, a blue pen was swinging between the fingers of the other hand. She was also staring at chart, but her mind was was drifted in a million questions.

“Doctor we’ve been here for an hour, and you’ve really told me anything.” Suzanne impatiently said gently before she continued “I brought her here because her bleeding seemed...” She pursed her lips and shrugged in doubt “Well extreme for a first period.”

The pen in her hand came to still, Dr. Marie pushed her glasses over the bridge of her nose and squinted her face, still thinking about what was in front of her on wooden desk. She carefully lifted her eyes and roughly sighed, cooling her confusion.

“Do you think this is all about her periods? Your daughter was brutally raped. That’s why the bleeding was so extensive. I had to stitch her up and sedate her.”

The silence scattered all over the room to fill each corner, protracted moment. Dr. Marie’s words hit Suzanne like thunder. A low throb she hadn’t felt ever pulsed it way beneath her skin and tingled along her spine, skeptical about what she just heard. It was easy to distinguish the blushed cheeks on her blonde skin. The silence lengthened and her features were still immobile.

“What?!... I mean what did you just said?” Suzanne asked in low pitch. She itched her eyebrow in stress unable to give a facial expression.

“I know it is contradicting what you told me, but a police report is inevitable in this case.” Dr. Marie passively continued, nodding softly and pursing her lips in pity.

“I don’t have another story to tell. There is noway she could be...” Suzanne voice was stiffed, she was hardly fighting her tears. “...Raped.”

“ Try to remember.” Dr. Marie insistingly asked.

Suzanne eyes expression was purely honest, enough for a million word to be told. Quickly, the tip of her fingers swiped a maternal dropped tear. She looked at the doctor with a gripped face in sadness, waiting instead of defending. Dr. Marie reached a piece of paper and wrote a phone number with the blue pen in her hand, still far with her thoughts, trying to solve it the way she knows. She took off her glasses and pressed her fingers against her dark eyes, squinting. She stared back to the paper, hesitated about the situation. She took a deep breath before she pushed the paper slowly toward Suzanne.

“Ok.” answering herself “If anything wrong happened to your daughter, you call this number.” Dr. Marie informed with a carrying voice.

Suzanne tucked the paper in her purse, not sure of how to react “Is that it?”

“Yes.” Dr. Marie briefly replied.

“And the police?”

“I will handle it, you just have to watch over your daughter.” she comforted the mother, her voice had seal of promise in it.

Even if it was entirely still a mess in her mind and a storm of thoughts was raving her reasoning, Suzanne was able to read the sincerity of the doctor through her slight hypnotizing smile. The mother stood gently without any comment and padded to the door, drowning in the unknown. Leaving Dr. Marie on her chair twisting the edge of the chart, reluctant, measuring what she was seeing and what she’d been told. The palm of her hand covered the chart, thoughtful. As her fingers gathered, the chart shrank in her fist and end up in the paper bin next to the desk leg.

----------------

She was laying on the stretcher, Noor was struggling to reach the full state of consciousness. Both of her throat and mouth were bitter, thirstily dry. A coagulated itchy jolt incapacitated her from swallowing. Her thighs and biceps were all burning with sores. She was feeling the glucose solution pumped inside her veins, feeding her body back to life.

In the dead muteness, it was only “It’s over Ramool” echoing repeatedly in Noor’s hearing. The voice was strong, very manly, loud enough to give an order and quiet enough to be respected, pronounced in enunciated letters.

A mass of energy rumbled each and every cell of Noor’s body, flipping her back to an entire awareness. Her eyes suddenly popped open, her hand examined her damp forehead, it was cold with a strong headache pulsing. She took a moment to realize she was at the emergency of Brooklyn Medical Center. She stared down at her body and everything looks normal. The silence around her was deadly abnormal, except for alternative beeping of some medical machines. The IV was pulling her hand, pierced by a needle. She couldn’t pinpoint any target from the green cracked curtain. The confusion dragged her to rip the tube off, she winced in pain, she pull both feet and place them swiftly on the floor. And there she had enough strength to stand unsteady, she leaned on the armrest of the stretcher to keep her balance. A surge of curiosity pushed her to remove the curtain and sneak out around the vast hall, it was all empty and a chubby nurse who had her head swinging from tiredness was sitting on chair behind the counter.

Noor hesitated about to take a step out, she was analyzing every corner of the hall, and then the sharp impossible to ignore voice was back to her, this time it wasn’t saying “it’s over Ramool.” This time the same exact voice was calling her name, amused. A shiver ran up from toe to the crown of her head, it made her squeeze her fingers on the curtain in stress. The calls were coming from the side of the elevator door.

“Come here and don’t be afraid.” the voice echoed this time

Her heart lurched frantically this time, an irresistible hypnotizing force glided her bare feet toward the elevator. Noor strode across the counter paying no attention to the nurse with her chin slouching on her décolletage, faintly snoring.

Automatically, the elevator gate swooshed open before she could reached it, keeping the same pace, she strode in carelessly. Noor was looking at the reflection of herself on the mirror without noticing that the door rolled back to be closed firmly. The booth smoothly moved and dinged three times to the three underground floors. She was pointing her eyes straight to the eyes of her reflection, unable to move her lips, however, able to speak underneath her muteness.

“Where are you taking me?” she questioned.

“To the paradise.” For the first time the sweet voice spoke to her instead of echoing, then he chuckled right after.

As the elevator came to still, the door opened again at the lowest floor of the medical center. Noor walked out like if she was drafted by a harness of the leading voice. The hair of her arms was standing up from the cold breeze of the thrumming air conditioner. She walked steady to the only door in front of her and dashed into a colder room, dimmer in frightening way, she wrapped her arms around her chest, slightly shaking.

It was an aluminum stretcher in the middle of the room shining in a circle of a spot light, a long of it side was a cart with two shelves, on top one was several tools usually used for autopsy by the coroner. The facing wall was filled by square doors. This place was nothing alike, but a morgue. The poor girl was standing rigid, wearing a patient gown staring in blank, completely irresponsible of this uncomprehending state of mind.

“Few more steps and you are in paradise.” the voice glared in confidence.

Noor lingered absentmindedly, hesitated, before she took unconscious step on the frozen floor, she released her arms and her shoulders dropped down, her face lost all expressions.

“I’m here behind you now.” the unseen talker hissed after a vicious laugh.

Noor trunk turned disoriented to the door of the morgue. The voice came from the other corner saying same words with same tone, orienting her to another side in a fast move hoping to reach the shadow of this sarcastic man. Every time she tried to catch the calls, they sprawled in everywhere but the angle of her sight. Suddenly she was being herded by a twinge of despair to stop from turning, however, the amused chuckles were still blaring and the world around her initiated spinning instead, the whole morgue was being drifted on wave of trembled ocean.

Noor stumbled, her hand tried to catch anything to lean on, but anything was nothing. It was all happening in a fraction of a second, and for her, she was able to process every bit of it, she was even able to notice the lurch of her heart. It was when her body slipped aside, her head swiveled and she knew she was falling when the ceiling was slopped evenly with the speed of her uncontrolled collapse. On the half way down to the floor her vision was amazingly twisted, like isthmus segregating the morgue from the green nature. It was like a world unveiled from underneath the real world, even the unclear sounds and the blurry silence has been shifted in parallel. She was carried smoothly to the ground instead of falling abruptly on the stoned floor.

CHAPTER 3

Before Noor’s head met the dewy ground, feet of a man in tuxedo appeared in front of her vision, then a nice leather pointed shoes were standing inches away from her face once her body fell in different place than the Medical Center. The sound was clear now, she could hear the goldfinch singing, making a great natural orchestra along with smooth rustles of dry leaves pleading for life on boundless labyrinth of huge trees. The wind rattled and swayed those trees.

Noor’s heart thud erratically when a forearm in black blazer and a white shirt with a diamond button stretched down gently to her, offering help. The open hand was waiting there for hers to join it, Noor took a protracted moment before she placed her hand on the palm of the other one. Pressed by the thumb, Noor instantly was on her feet, bristled from the twist she just lived.

She skimmed around to find herself in middle of vast garden arched by chain of giant trees, with thick trunks rooted firmly on ground, pending branches from top of each. Ignoring the hand that helped her to stand, Noor spun around herself and a big mansion built in the most two amazing floors she’d ever seen was the closure of the circle. The terrace of that house was wide enough to be a tennis field, sheltered by a sculpted arcs, elevated by two long marble stairs. She was too enclosed by the new place she found herself in. She raised her head up to see the dark blue sky dwindling into twilight in the far horizon. The freshness of the chilly air blew from the dense interlocked branches was confusing Noor to distinguish whither it was a dawn or a dusk. But the mass of energy that was pumped in her entire body, making all the lassitude and ache fade away, made her perceive, it was a new day to start. The new place totally engrossed her.

At the pillar of a terrace arch was standing a girl in red maid uniform. Noor had to squint her eyes and stare for seconds before she recognized her in distance.

“Kelly” Noor called in disbelief.

She now realized she was back to the nightmare. Just like this place, her mind went around in circle and there was no way to escape.

“It’s good that you already started acclimating.” the profound quiet voice she used to hear broke her reveries.

A curl of nausea was in the pit of her stomach as she heard the voice again. It was still the calm hypnotizing tone, sending a shiver that made the hair of her body stand. She turned around, finally to see the person behind this magical voice.

Even though the man was there, Noor wasn’t fortunate enough to see him. What she saw was only his back after he initiated walking ahead to the giant trees, leaving her rigid, trying to gather her thoughts. He was nothing alike but Ramool, except for his short hair and the way he was walking. His steps were heavy and steady, like a model in slow pace. His head was pointed to one direction, indicating the confidence instead of the arrogance.

“Ramool.” uncontrollably she called.

“He won’t bother, no more!” the man answered, amused.

“Who are you then?” In random, Noor sent her next question and no answer had been heard.

She tried to follow him with quick steps before she had to slow them to keep up with pace. Before catching him, She looked over herself, and the patient gown magically turned to be a beautiful light blue dress. She brushed off the leaves and chunks of dirt from the side she fell on. She was so stiffened to see his mysterious face.

She sighed before she asked again the same question “Who are you?”

Now walking in parallel, she looked at him. He was a handsome man in late of his twenties. Just like Ramool, tough, a pale skin carrying a dark features. His face was reflecting the explicit respect that his voice revealed every time she heard him. A slight vertical crease between his eyebrows was a plus to his forehead perfection.

“Who I am doesn’t matter.” he answered with his eyes still in their sight.

“What is your name?” the next question came out her mouth.

“You can call me Al-Captain.” he didn’t seemed to be bother after answering her question with an empty face.

His expressionless response flickered Noor’s anxiety. Swirling her index around her thumb, she was trying as hard as possible to keep her expression firmly under control after he revealed a new chapter of the unknown. Their feet were homogeneously moving. Noor rough sigh released a surge of despair, it was still too gloomy for her to understand.

“For how long I have to endure this dream?” She said despairingly mumbling to herself.

The man calling himself Al-captain chuckled softly. His forehead creased in confusion, he interlocked his hand behind his back, true ramrod.

“Do you think this is a dream?” he said before he turned his head, giving her the first eye contact. It was a sharp look delivered from the roundish almond shape of his eyes. Something there, deep inside his eyeball was a resembling of Ramool. Despite his replication to Eric, Noor was capable to distinguish the dissimilarity. She had to chock a heap of grief from the observation.

“what is it then?” she asked in confusion.

“It depends.” He shortly Gave his answer.

“On what?” it seemed her eager questions wont stop until she get a full elucidation.

“On how you reify it.” with crooked smile, he said.

The mystery was still clouding every position in Noor’s mind. It was even getting worse by asking more question. A short moment of silence interrupted by the goldfinch symphony.

“Your imagination and what you considered as a dream. You have multiple methods to reincarnate it.” He extended his hand and touched the temple of her forehead with his index finger. “starting from here and how you process the ore that you already have, you need to reconsider it.”

This was too much for a girl like Noor to understand. His words were like a riddle bewildering her little mind. It was all expressed when she narrowed her eyes skeptically.

“What am I suppose to do?” she pleaded for more light.

“Obey ORDERS the way they come to you.” he said considering every term with his miraculous voice.

“I’m sorry, I... What orders are you talking about?” she hesitatingly talked to him, cutting off words.

He processed her facial expression for a brief moment seeing the innocence of her begging eyes.

“ The One’s” He clarified before he continued “Your dinner must be ready.” he said pointing his thumb to the terrace.

Noor tried to say more, ask more and know more, but the dread that filled her was stronger than her boldness and eagerness. That similarity of Ramool this man had, built an encompassing wall between her and this unavoidable nightmare. The twilight was still there in the horizon, still didn’t change, still confusing her.

“Dinner?” she asked “It’s dawn.” she suggested

Al-Captain managed a smile across his cheeks delivering a self-confidence blended with petite pride.

“I already told you, it is about how you reify it. Spread your imagination.” he concluded his cryptic statement ignoring whither she understood or not.

He started walking again in the opposite way of the house. Noor followed him with her eyes, meaningfully staring at him, her mind rebelling against her as she tried to put his fruitless words together. All what she plucked from this conversation was that he implied what she was suspicious about before.

She strode to the interior of the house trudging along the muddy world she was contending hardy inside of it. All she’d known were the ONE and ORDERS, they became the axis of this planet. The modeling and the fashion waned gradually to the nonexistence. Maybe it was time for her to fathom that the world and the future were not the course she wanted to pursue, maybe she wasn’t strong enough to swim against this flow, maybe it was just dream and the next morning by the dawn it will be all over and her life will go on to the objective she was aiming. As she looked straight up, a blew of wind ruffled her blonde hair and she shrugged from the chill through her neck, swirling her thoughts. On the terrace from between the green, gold and brown leaves, she spotted Kelly, the maid that doesn’t fatten nor releasing from hunger standing compelled, waiting for any order to come from all sides. But in this world, even Kelly had her own specifications and unique character, she was so acclimated with this world and executing her work perfectly.

At the fancy dinner room, where the ceiling was as high as the far sky, the chandelier glittering like the stars of a moonless night and the spot light bolted along the table, decorated nearly like the twelve apostles dinner, candles lightening circles on walls. Kelly was hidden in the dark red dress next to Noor’s chair, and Noor herself was drifted out away of this mind-boggling mansion.

“Kelly.” Just when she sat, Noor called, firmly controlling her true feelings.

The maid padded swiftly to the table, like she’d been dragged by a remote control, her hand folded behind her back. Noor was squeezing her temple with both hands.

“Yes my lady, how I can serve you?”

Noor sighs in despair, releasing one hand and mentioned it to Kelly, stopping her. Hardly, halting herself from depression.

“Call me Noor, please.” She mumbled.

“Ok Noor, how I can serve you?” Kelly was doing an excellence job in executing orders.

“Stop treating me this way, this is my first and my last order.” she said releasing an agony of frustration.

From the reaction of her face, it was certain Kelly never heard someone talking to her this way. Her eyes widen in confusion and her lips were shaking in fear. Suspicious about what she just heard.

“Hummm.” She struggled to find her voice “But my... I mean Noor, what you just said is unacceptable.” she said with wiggled voice.

“Is it unacceptable to be yourself?” Noor asked in confusion, saturated with anguish.

Kelly was reluctant to say more, impeded by this order. Noor turned to her and their eyes locked, a lump of emotions collided cleaving the hidden pain in both hearts. They both were honest, broken. A long processed moment of silence set up in the dinner room.

“What do you want to know?” Kelly said frightened.

“Before everything, I want to know what time is it?” Noor breathed a sigh of relief. “I want to know everything about this aeonian dream.” she insisted in pleading tone.

Both hands were released now, one on table and the other one leaned on back of the chair, facing the only hope that exist. the rhythm of her heart was thrumming in very precise pitches. Kelly was finally abide by Noor’s request, she cleared her throat softly and swallow the fear of her life. She looked different somehow, less frightened and less bewildered. For the first time she decided to untangle herself.

“Time doesn’t really matter here. Before I say anything, you have to know that missing one order could cost you your life.” She said meaningfully. “You might find what I will tell you insignificant, but what I will say is all that I know. What is going on here has something to do with you and your husband Ramool.”

“He is not my husband.” Noor interrupted Kelly with locked eyebrows, refusing the whole idea of being married with Ramool.

Kelly was still composed and afraid, her eyes slunk to the door.

“I told you I will tell you what I know, up to my knowledge he is your husband and this is your house.” her voice was quiet and barely audible as she continued “Last time you left Al-Captain himself brought his men to get Ramool back to the palace of the ONE, this was unusual. Ramool must disobeyed an order and he got to deal with the consequences of his insubordination.”

“What happened to his men?” Noor asked curiously, enthusiastically listening to what Kelly was telling her.

“They all escorted Ramool back. It was only Al-Captain who didn’t leave.” Kelly explained risking her life.

“Why they took him back? Why they didn’t just kill him.” Noor wondered in wish.

Kelly sarcastically chuckled from what she heard.

“Excuse me did you just said kill him? I don’t think you want to know about the man. Ramool grew up to be a sophisticated killing machine. He actually don’t directly kill his enemies, he tortures them to death, like if it is an art. And he couldn’t kill those men because he already infringed an order, which made the ONE take it in consideration.”

Kelly’s description of the contrary face of Ramool intimidated Noor. Her eyes swerved aside, her body went rigid, dazzled from what she just heard. This dream was always revealing unknowns, deviating her from where ever she wanted to exit.

“This is injustices.”She brokenly protested before she looked back to Kelly, giving her permission to carry on.

“I know how it feels.” Kelly sympathized “If there is any way out of this, I’m sure Al-Captain is the key. He is not nobody in the palace, he is the only person Ramool showed respect to.” she said for suggestion.

Even though Kelly didn’t give a clear answers that can light a certain way, things were more serious for Noor than she thought they would be. It might be the time where she needed to be more open, more comprehensive.

“How long was this?” Noor was still asking.

Kelly sighed smoothly “I already told you, time doesn’t matter here.” repeating herself. “It could be a day just like it could be a week or a month to you.” Kelly explained more -like if the time wasn’t a big deal- and still didn’t move an inch from where she was, only her eyeballs diverted to the extreme corner of her eyes, again to the door carefully.

Noor stared at Kelly for a moment, she wasn’t wondering about this world now as much as she was wondering about its people. Everyone had his own character, different, but yet related by an unseen specification, like peas in single pad.

“What are you?” Noor asked considerably, pleading for an answer, but the answer was an intense eye contact. Afraid to tell, Kelly’s mouth was slightly open with her lips wiggling and her teeth gleaming from underneath.

“If justice have been done, I wouldn’t been here either.” Kelly said with faint voice, still scared to say any about this part.

“Who are you?” Noor tried again the same question in different form, her tone was clear to be a profound secret of every word she would hear.

“She is nothing but A maid.” An unforeseen voice burst.

It was the magical hypnotizing voice startling from the door side, but this time was more cruel, blamable, he wouldn’t condone this type of behavior. It was who called himself Al-Captain standing there, in different suit, less formal than the previous, untied shirt with slim black pant. However, he was still attractive with his hands tucked inside his pockets. He can only be described as a model shooting for a magazine, staring at them with sharp eyes.

Kelly flinched, the blood in her body stopped pumping. She became while like a sheet from his voice, her energy was all drained out. She went kerflooey, and then heat flooded her face all the way up to her hairline.

“A maid in this house rattling secrets without permission or order. The issue here is that she knows very well the consequences of her unacceptable behavior, because certainly she’d been here long enough to learn the system.” He swallowed and sent another sharp look to Kelly, ignoring Noor.

“She is nothing other than that. She barely can remember whatever she was before.” He paused for a moment before he continued “Right?”

His words were scourging Kelly from everywhere, she was by then standing straight like she had to, as a maid. She quickly resembled her expression and nodded, hardly fighting her tears.

“Yes sir!” she said with broken voice.

“If you have any regard for your own life_ Be gone!” he rudely ordered her, gashing her moribund emotions.

Noor couldn’t gulp the baleful words this man used to underestimate the handicapped maid. Her brows puckered, irritated, and her heart lurched roughly. She tried to defend Kelly but her voice was lost somewhere between anger and disappointment.

Kelly slithered soundless out of the dinning room, just like the order was dictating. She vanished in the air.

“It was my order to her.” Noor stammered in protest.

Al-Captain ambled toward the table, meeting Noor uncomfortable flaring gazes. He didn’t seemed to be bothered.

“You can’t give what you don’t have.” He paused giving space for Noor to process it “You can’t give an order if you don’t accept to take it. You are who you are in this world.”

He looked her in the eye.

“Especially in this world, where orders keep everything in order.” He emphasized.

Noor started to learn that taking her patience is the only way to survive in what they described as a world. Even if she wasn’t that excited about it, she tried to appear positive, struggling between who she was and who they wanted her to be like. This man who didn’t look as arrogant as the first one -who claimed to be her husband- were less to be endured, despite how he just acted with the defenseless Kelly.

“Ok, sorry.” Noor tried to fake an apology.

“You don’t have to be fake.” The man said with relaxed voice.

“Then what is your name?” Noor ask this question one more time.

“Do I have to repeat myself over and over?”

“What is your name?” Noor insisted.

“I told you. You can call me Al-Captain.” He defined himself again with same relaxed voice.

“You don’t have to be fake either.” She frowned in wonder.

Al-Captain smiled, impressed by the cleverness of Noor

“I’m not being fake. It is how you need to know me and how others like you here are suppose to call me.” he said.

“I don’t think I need to know you.” She stammered and paused “Being called Al-Captain doesn’t make you a captain.” she said, her voice trailed off “and by the way, others who? Are you talking about those you treat like you just treated Kelly, the maid of this house, the one you just humiliated by describing her as a nothing. underestimating others doesn’t make you greater than them, though. In fact, it diminishes you to the point where nobody can stand you.”

“As a matter of fact, they have to. It is an obligation not a preference.”

“Yes, they have to.” She flashed him with furious honest eyes “They have to step on you as soon as they will find the weak chink in your armor.”

“They can’t, they don’t dare.” he said defending his position, nodding in disagreement.

Noor smiled in ignorance. She puked her lips, causing creases on her chin, her eyebrows raised.

“It’s about how you reify it.” She said back.

“Not in this world.” his reply was curt.

“What world are you talking about? This is nothing but a dream.” Noor protested denying his claim. “once I wake up, it will be all over.”

“You will be over.”She said as she shot him with painful but brave look, confidence came from nowhere to face him.

“The ONE won’t.” he said, proving his loyalty.

“His son disobeyed his Order!” Noor protested.

“And he will pay for his unforgivable mistake.” his voice was stern.

“Maybe it’s for you, not for him. No one is able to hurt his own son.”

“You don’t know the ONE.” Al-Captain crooked a smile of confidence.

“I don’t wanna know him either. The wall will fall brick by brick and after you it will be his turn.” Noor carelessly said with consistency.

Everything Noor said had made a clear sense. Her words were courageous than her usual shyness. Beyond her intimidation and above her fears, she was capable to unleash her unyielding faith, swerving the standing man’s mind into another side, from disparagement to scrutinizing her with slightly goggled eyes.

She stood without a nibble. She walked to the door leaving Al-Captain behind staring up front.

“Wait!” He asked with calm voice.

They were at the same line, in opposite direction when she paused and put her hand on the back of the chair next to Al-Captain. She was just trying to improvise an existence for herself in this world.

“Make me.” she hissed like viper, filled with hatred.

She hurled him with an unusual eyes, then she turned her head sharply away from him and continued to the door, striding in steady steps. It was obvious that Al-Captain had never been treated this way. His eyes bulged even more, he swiped the palm of his hand over his jaw in disbelief. Away too far with his thoughts, something was really catching his attention, drifting him away, bigger than his little conversation with this girl named Noor.

“Wait!” He insisted one more time.

She continued walking in determination of not listening to him, stubborn. His amused face vanished abruptly behind his WONDERS. His muscles locked him in one place.

“come back Noor.” She grabbed the whisper as she ambled across the hall, relentlessly, she eluded the mesmerizing call.

She ran quickly through the possibilities in her head, and there was a new option she’d never had every time the voice came, _keep walking Noor_.

He wasn’t able to stop her, or distract her, even his magical whispers were useless this time. She was capable to dodge them when they sneaked flaring to her ears. Without closing the door of the dinning room behind, she kept her path to the master bedroom.

She was blankly staring at her face through the mirror of the white dresser. Unable to think right. She was sitting straight with her shoulders slumped from her behavior with that man. She wouldn’t condone that type of treatment in herself, ever.

Noor flinch on her seat as she heard a couple of taps on the wooden door and before speaking up the door swayed open.

Through the mirror, she was surprised to see Al-Captain standing at her door. From the look of his smile, his conceit had been lessened. His head slightly bowed before he glanced at her, unsure of what he would say or tell as an excuse. His hand was still around the door lock, not sure if he would let go of it. He tried to clear his throat by a soft cough, and also swept his embarrassment.

“Can I?” he finally found his voice, but less word to be said.

“It doesn’t matter, you are already in.” she said wrapping herself in the achy shell of the unwanted person she had to be for her protection.

He twisted his hand to the interior side of the door and push it to be closed. An awkward stillness thundered, Al-captain was more stressed, fighting his words. Words that was raving on tip of his tongue, pleading to be released.

He moved his lips voiceless, struggling,

“Jack.” he finally said “Is my name” he said with a sigh of relief.

“I don’t need to know” she reproached him with sting of pain in her voice.

The voiceless reaction he’d received made him uncontrollably growl at her with blazed eyes, crashing the anger in between his clenched fist. Her simplicity underneath her deadpan blonde face subsided whatever was bubbling in his blood. This girl in front of him flared an indescribable feeling toward her _it was something other may call compassion_

“I’m sorry.” he stammered repentantly

“It doesn’t make any difference.” she gripped her grief tightly.

“It already made a difference.” He said with profound tone.

Noor inhaled a deep breath to dwindle the floating tears, but her voice was desolated enough to unmask the pain.

“Yes_ maybe for you, not for me.” She said with broken heart.

He was still and silent like a snowy morning. He pressed his lips into a fine line and nodded in regret, answering what he was telling himself, followed by a long exhale.

He walked toward her, slowly, pulling his feet against both gravity and haughtiness. The second was more intense for him to keep the balance of his knees. His shoes clapping rhythm was heavily approaching too.

He stood next to her right side, outside the sight of her mirror reflection, but he slightly appeared in radius of her eyes range.

“You are going to have to trust me on this one.” he said equivocally.

He leaned his hand and open the top drawer of the dresser, tuck it in and brought out a sharp medium silver scissor. He stretched the other hand to Noor.

“Give me your hand.” he gently asked.

She wouldn’t trust anyone in this dream, especially this man and the one who claimed to be her husband. From the corner of her eyes, she was staring at the palm of his hand. Then, she turned her head to his side and spoke to his eyes silently. They were clear and earnest, but still, always carrying something special crashing the train of her thoughts.

Unlike the common sense, her subconscious was vehemently asking her to give him her hand and trust him this time. Her soft hand flinched in her lap and then slowly she pulled it away to the unknown _no hesitation_

She might be reckless now, her consciousness was dictating. But running your mind in logic sometimes is fruitless, her subconsciousness instinctively was improvising. At the end of it, it was just a dream, though, the part where we do what we want, whether reckless or sane.

Both palms were placed on each other, his hand was warm enough to comfort her. He didn’t squeeze it, though. Attentively, he flipped their locked hands upside down and the veins of her wrist were bared and clear. For her knowledge, his attentions were still mystical.

Al-Captain lifted the scissor and placed the edgy point carefully on her skin. As he pierced it, Noor cringed and closed her eyes tightly in anguish.

“Don’t worry.” He said consoling.

She opened her eyes and be dazzled by a gash of an inch across her wrist. A drop of blood on the point of the scissor. Nothing hurt, not ever itchy, like if that part of her was professionally numbed for a surgery.

Al-Captain took a makeup remover cotton pad and press it against the wound to halt the spreading a line of blood.

“What was that?” Noor frowned as she asked seeking clarification.

“To make the difference for you.” He explain wish a slight smile on his eyes. “It doesn’t hurt” he continued.

As he removed the pad, the fresh cut became a scar of an old wound after the fibrous connective tissue had been rapidly developed. Even the blood on the cotton was dimmer and drier than to be from a recent gash.

“Wow, how did you do that?” Noor innocently asked, amazed.

Noor’s reaction made him chuckle spontaneously, he was trying to sound more friendly to her, and he was, indeed.

“By spreading my imagination, and convert it into a reality.” he said with amused tone. “To this reality, Just as much as I can.” he continued.

“Superstition?” She asked and still staring at the scar.

“Huumm... Not really.” He denied in progress. “Superstition is to believe something without knowing it to be true. What I am telling you about here, makes you SUPERHUMAN.”

The word -superhuman- was the first time she heard since she get in this house. And this young man in front of her was really being unlike the usual -the usual of this world- He was more open ad more carrying.

Noor was holding her wrist and looking considerably at him.

“We all can be superhuman in our dreams, can’t we?” She dodged.

“Well this is different. Your dreams, your imagination, your mind, your subconsciousness, all of these are tightly connected by a very precised relations to bring you all the way here. And you still can’t be a superhuman like in your random dreams. You can be just a part of this world, a temporary visitor.” He explained to her.

“Where this world is located?” She tried to know after she found a miraculous explication and clearance was looming somewhere in her mind.

Al-Captain’s face was comfort, he smiled to the curiosity of Noor and the lined around his eyes made him look more amused.

“Same where yours is located. Your dreams are underneath your reality, your imagination is below what you see, your mind is behind your actions, your subconsciousness in under your consciousness and this world is BENEATH your world.”

Things started taking a shape in her mind, or her mind was getting shaped on this world. But still, it was complicated to be fathomed as it was. His words were more like life vest rescuing her from drowning. Especially after the wave of serenity that filled the air from the tangibility of the what she was living. Her breathing was even and her shoulders were back to straight.

“And now how I...”

Al-Captain interrupted her by his hand, stopping her from talking. His amused face disappeared behind an abrupt seriousness, almost the one she met in the dinning room. Even his friendly eyes were closed, squeezed, concentrating in their own darkness. An unseeable membrane was foiling his ears, listening to an eloquent words. Slight creases were shaking on his forehead. His head reluctantly went back and forth twice. He was calm yet nervous. His lips were somehow unstable, moving without being opened.

His hand was still motioned to Noor, numbing her from doing anything. He nodded in agreement before he inhaled a huge mass of air, filling all parts of his lungs, impulsing them brutally on his rib cage. Right after, his eyes popped open breaking back from paroxysm.

His hand was released and his features quivered before he looked back to Noor. He was struggling to get his friendly, sympathized character back. He managed a pleasant smile to bring the cozy atmosphere back to the room.

Before the silence dragged on, Al-Captain pierced it by his voice.

“I have to meet the ONE in the palace immediately.” It was impossible to hide his serious tone. “Can I use the door of your balcony?” He gently asked.

Before she gave an answer, he was already dashing toward the door.

“Wait! Captain.” Noor pleaded as she twisted on her chair to the other side, trying to keep him on her sight.

“Call me Jack.” He said with a crooked smile on his hansom face.

“Ok Jack, but wait.” She was still concerned.

“I will be back, don’t worry.” He said with an eased voice.

His hand was already switching the knob and the glass door cracked open. The chilly wind ruffled the curtain and Al-Captain got tangled in between the blinds out the master room, noiselessly.

The door swayed gently closed, bringing back the ghastly quietness.

In matter of seconds, the pace was quicker than she was to keep up with, Noor was completely running out of her thoughts. She stood swiftly tramping to the the balcony, in hope to seize him from leaving. It was unacceptable for her mind to be left alone in this blurry situation. The thirst of knowledge was cleaving her heart and Al-Captain was ready to water the field of her needs.

Her fingers reached the door lock. She waited, hesitated, she had to follow him, she had to do something about it. Otherwise, she will be drained to the darkness of her nightmare.

“TAB TAB” a thick knock on the master room wooden door.

Noor erratically flinched, her hand reached her chest dampening her thrashed heart, and her knees slackened costing her almost a fall. She gulped the panic back to her stomach.

“Yes!” She stammered in dismay, expecting Kelly to come for a any trivial service.

“I’m back.” A different voice than Kellys’ blared, a masculine one, powerful and confident as always. On top of it, he was very well amused.

A low throb tingled along her spine, stole her attentions and curiosity. Before solving the balcony door’s mystery, another came from the other side of the room. Noor turned promptly to see who was it there.

“You just left from here.” She said pointing her finger to the balcony, after being shocked by Al-Captain in different tuxedo, blue color and dark blue shirt with open collar.

“And I’m back.” He quickly answered.

“But how...” Her mind spoke as she was processing it.

“We didn’t have chance to talk about time yet. I know I have to explain it to you too, but not now because I have someone waiting for you in the guest room.” He said with little more excitement in his voice.

“Who is it?” Noor said rising one eyebrow.

“Come with me to know.” He beckoned with his head as he spoke.

Noor didn’t take time to think as she was suppose to. She folded her hands around her chest and glided after Al-Captain to the guest room. She was trusting him little more than she had to, maybe, or he was the only dim light she was taking a steps after his trail. The habitual terror was no longer petrifying in her body.

On the hallway none had tried to start a word, both of Noor and Al-Captain were walking in disturbing silence. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear to get a wider sight radius, and then her hand was back on her ribs. Al-Captain eyes sneaked to the corner for a glance, evading a straight contact.

“I don’t know why I’m doing this.” She said as they approached the guest room.

“Doing what?” He asked without an eye contact.

She looked at him from under her eyelashes _giving him an ‘are you serious?’ look_

“Coming with you.” She explained briefly.

“Because it wasn’t an order, though.” He fought a wicked smile.

Noor turned to see his facial expression, her eyes narrowed from the answer. It was little late to add something more on the conversation, they were already there at the entrance. Al-Captain stopped first and held the door open to Noor and pointed with his hand inside.

“Ladies first.” He said in a very attractive way with his exceptional voice.

Noor went inside as requested, however, Al-Captain treatment to her didn’t scratch her solid suspicion about what could be lurking behind every second of the whole play. Her heart beating was strong enough to be felt on her gathered forearm. But instead of the presumed pressure, a surge of relief spread all over her body from top to bottom.

She looked around to find a man who must be one or two years to finish his first decade of the second half of century if she had to judge by the age lines he had. Few gray hairs were spaces on his bald head that was tucked between his shoulders, making his neck unseen. He was stocky. Round glasses were set above the bridge of his nose, covering his eyes, yet, that sharp secret others -in this mansion- have was also hidden underneath the gray-green color of his eyes.

“Noor, this is Dr. Josef.” Jack’s voice broke through.

“Nice to meet you.” Noor nodded in agreement. Doctor was the right word to fit the description of this man.

She finally untangled her hands and set them free.

“pleasure to meet you too Noor.” Dr. Josef smiled back to her. His voice was of a deep tone, sedative of all kinds of pain. It could be portrayed only as a therapy.

Al-Captain was the first walking around to the luxury couch of brown leather. He stood in the middle large one and beckoned with his arms on both sides, asking them to join.

“Have a seat.” He said.

He wasn’t as rude as he was first time he met Noor. However, his behavior was still having a patronizing attitude, like if it was a sequence in his DNA. He wouldn’t bother to say “please” or “if you don’t mind”, he was giving orders with manners. Now, Noor realized that what happened in her room was sort of an exception that she won’t never across again.

Noor and Dr. Josef sat facing each other, a black marble table was set in the middle.

“Dr. Josef is the best known doctor of our kind. That’s why The ONE always rely on him in such sensitive cases. He has a very unique abilities when it comes to medicine.” Al-Captain introduced the doctor to her.

Noor wasn’t sure why the doctor was there looking at her to the point of embarrassment. The blood pumped and blushed her cheeks and she fought to find her lost words.

“I’m not sick.” Noor said as an obvious fact.

“He will make sure you won’t be.” Al-Captain said to sooth the atmosphere. “prevention is better than cure, remember.” he continued with creased forehead trying to be nonchalant.

Noor looked at him with suspicious eyes, in hope to understand the mystery behind the metaphor, but all eyes were the same and all trails came to a dead-end. She was running around the boarders they were allowing her to run in, and no more.

Meanwhile, Dr. Josef looks were scrutinizing Noor, it wasn’t a superficial eyeing, every part of him was concentrating. His eyes boggled gradually, scanning meaningfully. His focus wasn’t pointed to an exact sight, he was observing her inch by inch.

Al-Captain shifted from Noor to Dr. Josef ignoring the unusual behavior of the doctor.

“So, what are we suppose to do now?” He asked.

“I think I should go to my room.” Noor interrupted in protest

She leaned on the armrests to stand up. Nothing was there to stop her determination. She continued stomping out, leaving Al-Captain confused of her sudden reaction. It was an unexpected backlash that irreparable, his mouth was somehow hanged open before he snorted.

“Noor.” He called with irritation.

It was ineffective attempt, she was keeping the same pace to the door. The doctor was still staring vacuously like a tombstone. Apparently, he wasn’t connected with Noor, his mind was swerved beyond what was seen, something immense. Something oozed the blood out from under his skin. His ashen face was glittering with cold sweat. He was perspiring slightly above his upper lip

Al-Captain was agitated by Noor’s unanticipated comportment and tenacity. He was pressed his fingers against his eyes waiting for the vexation to subside.

“There is no need.” Dr. Josef broke in low voice full of dejection.

His downbeat tone caught Al-Captain’s attention, he abruptly turn his face to him, astonished, maybe more, stunned. He didn’t say a word. He was eager to continue listening to the doctor who took a profound sigh before he continued.

“The girl is beyond The ONE expectations.” Dr. Josef said and his face held an expression of exhaust and surprise.

The shock flitted across Al-Captain face before he pulled his expression together again.

“You mean she is...” He suggested in slow words.

“Exactly.” Dr. Josef interrupted, unequivocal. “I assuredly think nobody could tell him. If someone dare, there will be two choices no third, the teller will either lose his tongue or will lose his life, and The ONE is not as merciful as god to preserve somebody’s life, so there will be only one option.” he continued carefully.

“It is a direct order. Your option now is to finish your job and deal with consequences whatever they are.”

The silence took a place for a moment when Dr. Josef stared blankly at the palm of his open hand. His lips puckered and his head moved in disappointment. Al-Captain eyes roamed over the doctor bemused face.

“Among this all, I still have a little appreciation to my life.” Dr. Josef desperately said.

“I won’t allow that.” Al-Captain curtly confirmed.

“I don’t think so.” He kept the same tone.

“Are you testing me.” Al-Captain felt sort of accusation.

“Not before you know her.” Dr. Josef was sending a coded message. “It’s time for me to go.”

He waited for Al-Captain to stand up before moving out. His shoulders were slumped, the situation became the bane of his existence.

“I will go with you.” Al-Captain said gravely.

Dr. Josef looked at him, abstained.

“There is no need. The ONE will know about it sooner rather than later.” he said as he stride to the door.

The doctors trudged, one foot in front of the other. He paused for a second but it felt like a very long time. He peeked back over his shoulder at Al-Captain.

“You don’t know nothing, that’s how you will survive.” He said advising.

The dazzle was clear on Al-Captain’s facial expression. His eyebrows were locked and his jaw was clenched tight. He was standing there, listening to the doctor, listening to this new reality that started gnawing on his nerves. Those words run through his head soundlessly effecting it stability.

The doctor was gone and the horrifying silence settled down. Al-Captain was lost in an earnest stupor. He closed his eyes for an unexisting peace, and a blurry sound echoed in his ears. The sound was the voice of Noor coming from the subconsciousness of his mind. “You will be over... After you it will be his turn.” his voice blended with hers “Wait..” He heard her saying “Make me.” Those voices were coming from distance and the clear one was “You will be over.” this precised sentence was running through the darkness of his mind, tonelessly, like he was reading it rather than hearing it.

He was swinging on a bridge of his existence. He was wondering about what changed after meeting this girl? this weak girl, weaker than anyone in this world. He didn’t think that such concrete words would counteract his reality, his life.

Noor break into the room without warning. The contrition was observed from the way she was walking. She felt wrong after what she did moments ago. She was dressing for bed, her hair was released under her shoulders and her skin was lighter than ever.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She kind of complained.

Al-Captain was still shutting his eyes, leaning back of his head on the couch, resting his arms on cushion, drowning in endless thoughts, concrete words would counteract his reality, his life. His mute response emphasized Noor anticipations. The guilt tinged all over herself. She wasn’t the one who condone this.

“I’m sorry Jack.” she fought her words.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her from the corner of them, abstracted.

“I know I shouldn’t leave.” She admitted sheepishly.

She waited for him to talk something but the silence overtook the place. His mind was churning and Noor was watching him diligently.

Nothing had been uttered.

“The doctor’s gaze was weird to the point where he pushed me to quit the room until he was gone. His eyes were bewitchingly scanning me. I felt hypnotized by him being around.” She clarified. “I’m sorry, it was really out of my control.” She added.

Al-Captain eyes were absentmindedly immovable. Seriousness was shriveling his expression. It was written all over his face that he was inches away from insanity.

Noor grasped that he might need to be left alone, but she lingered for a moment in hope of hearing his magical voice. His unreactive commentary was thrusting her to stand grudgingly to straightness.

“There is something I have to tell you and you have to keep it a secret.” He finally found his voice, hissing with usual profound tone.

She squinted her eyes and her eyebrows knitted in bemusement. Noor hanged there for a moment eager to know what he was going to say.

Al-Captain uncontrollably winced before he filled his lungs with huge mass of air to be able to unleash what he was battling inside since earlier.

“Noor..” He said unwillingly “Umm..” He retrieved and swallowed to continue “You are PREGNANT.” Al-Captain delivered thunderously. “You’re pregnant from Ramool.” He emphasized.

Pregnant?! This was the last think Noor was expecting to hear in both worlds. She gave a smothered chuckle. She instantly covered her mouth with her hand and stared at Jack in disbelief. Her face was smiling in sock.

Al-Captain remained serious, he was keeping his expression firmly under control. On the other hand, a stain of relief was beaming his exceptional eyes, like if he just put the weight of the world off his shoulders.

Noor get dropped down from a cliff by his unwanted reaction, her moister eyes were jumbled by distrust and sadness. Her smiled faded behind her frowned forehead, pleading. Her hand fell involuntarily to uncover her dragged mouth, and then her body lost control, her knees were weakly keeping her stability, they slightly bent before a brusque collapse like broken branch, no, maybe more, like a light feather!