BETRAYAL.
Aliyah hangs up the phone and wipes up her tears.
*Wait up! Hua lin! I will get you!*.
She grabs a jacket and rushes out of the room toward her parents.
"Mom, Dad?."
Her parents sat facing each other in their room.
They get startled, "Ah, aliyah, my child! What is it?".her mom smiles at her.
She hurries to their side," Mom, Dad we need to go out!".
"Why? What's the matter child!". Her mom asks concerned.
" Mom! Hua Lin's dad is back and she is with him!.".she tells them in tears.
Her parents look at each other.
"What about it then?", Her father looks at her.
Aliyah looks at her parents shocked," What about it? You know how her father is right! She is stuck there, we need to go and bring her to us!".
"We are not going!".Her mom's face darkens.
Aliyah's eyes get bigger," Mom! What do you mean we aren't going?".
"She means we won't go to that house and bring that girl". Her father says in a stern voice.
" But mom!!! Dad!!! What's wrong with you! Hua lin is my best friend, the only friend I have till now, and now when she needs me! You are telling me not to go!".She cries.
"I said we are not going means no!".Her mom says firmly.
She wipes her tears," Okay then I am going by myself!".
She turns to leave when her mom grabs her hand and slashes her!! slaps on her face.
She widens her eyes, "Mom?".Her parents were never this hesitant when it came to lin but right now she couldn't believe her eyes.
" I said no,! Aliyah don't you understand."Her mom rages.
"But why Mom?".she wails.
" You know how lunatic that guy is!! He is a psychopath who almost killed his daughter!".
"You want me to send you to a liars den!! which mom does that?..."
Her mom wells up in tears.
"But..." Aliyah's words get cut.
"Also, Mei lin isn't there! How do you expect to go there when only he is there!".
Aliyah gets stunned," How did you know her mom wasn't there?".
Her parents look at each other.
"Mom! Dad!". She whines.
Her dad stands up," We got a call from her this morning!".
"What? Hua lins mom called you".
She says in disbelief.
" Yes! She said she was going out of the country for a while and to take hua lin with us until she comes back!".
Aliyah's tears flow down continuously.
"She called you yet! Yet! You are sitting here ideal, Doing nothing?".
Her parents sigh," What do you expect us to do aliyah!".
"Go and get her!".she cries.
*she must be waiting".
"What do you expect us to say about their family problems? we are just outsiders!"
Her mom says.
"But...we can't leave her there!".
Her dad comes closer to her," Aliyah, my child, I know you are desperate to bring her but you always come first for us child. Her father is a lunatic. and as an outsider, if we go to take his daughter with us. Do you think he will happily leave us? No! He will not leave us! And your future will be at stake! So daughters don't be resistant!".
She backs off, "No! We must complain to the police then! We will be able to right?".
Her mom twitches her eyebrows," Don't go too far aliyah! Go back to your room!".
**
Meanwhile, Hua lin holds the phone to herself and awaits the call.
Time passes by but she does not receive any calls or messages.
She gets impatient and dials her friend's number.
It rings but no one receives it.
As time passes she gets anxious.
*
Aliyah cries and pleads many times but her parents remain diligent until her phone starts ringing. She gets the phone.
*it is Hua, She must be waiting!*.
Her hands tremble to receive it when her parents snatch her phone.
"Mom!". She shouts in anger.
" What?".
The phone keeps ringing.
Her parents get frustrated, "Why does this girl keep on calling!."
Aliyah's mom cuts the phone and switches it off.
**
THE NUMBER YOU HAVE DIALED IS CURRENTLY SWITCHED OFF.
Hua Lin's hands tremble.
*No! This can't be! Aliyah said she would come! She must be on her way!!*.
She reassures herself.
one hour...two hours...three hours...the clock ticks away and the night soon arrives.
Hua Lin grips her phone tightly enough to leave a mark on it on her hands.
She takes a deep breath and keeps assuring herself.
*She must come to get me and it must be today or else my dad said he would take me to the Yang family! I don't want to go!!*.
She awaits the call, her phone blinking with its last battery cell.
She holds her phone up, "No! No...please don't die...no...!".
She holds it till the last cell dies and the phone switches up.
BANG! BANG!!
She jumps off the bed and stays there upright.
The Knocking stops and she slowly gets off the bed and nears the door.
*Should I open it? No! He won't leave me this time. But he won't let me off even if I don't open!*.
She takes a deep sigh and opens the clutch.
She takes a peek at the half-open door to only find a package lying on the floor.
She looks down the dark stairs and hurriedly picks up the package and closes the door.
*What is it*.
Amidst the havoc, she had completely neglected her hunger, with neither a slice of food nor a gulp of water down her throat.
Within the last two days, she had grown paler than she was, her body lean and marked with bruises. The bruise on her hands had gone black with time, and the blood stain from a wound caused due to the glass pieces had dried, her eyes red and swollen.
The smell of fresh food fills her nose from within the package, she hurriedly opens the package and eats the hamburgers with ease.
*Ah... it's tasty!!*.
She gulps down a couple of sips almost emptying the bottle of water.
She releases a sigh and throws the package into the dustbin.
She jumps on the bed and stares at the empty ceiling.
*Aaliyah isn't coming! Is she on the way? What if she never comes?*.
She tosses to the side and buries her face on the bed.
*She is the only one I can trust now. She must be coming.No!! She is on her way!!*.
Unknowingly she drifts to sleep.