chapter sixty

Khair's POV

I rubbed my sweaty palms together and a feeling of uneasiness surged through me.

My eyes was focused on the floor the whole time. I refused to look up until I saw the man standing up and my eyes followed his movement.

"I will go in and tell them to bring you refreshments." He smiled and left before I could protest.

Two minutes later, he came back and stand in front of me.

Uhhh...

"Ummul Khair!" He called and I looked up to him. It felt so weird looking at him while stands and I sit so I got up and maintained a safe distance from him.

"I'm aware of what my daughter did to you and I want you to drop the case of finding her." He stated folding his arms on his chest

"I'm not the one that opened the case so I'm not in the position to drop it." I answered.

"OK then. Forgive her." He ordered.

What the?

"Excuse me?"

"I said you are to forgive her cos no matter what,they won't find her. She's in this house with me and...." I didn't let him continue when I panicked.

"Maya's in this house?! I need to go please." I hurriedly clutched to my bag and walked towards the door in strides.

I twisted the door handle but it won't open. I started dragging it but still.

Maya's dad laugh was what made me turned back.

"You think you can escape? After I told you about Maya's whereabout you want to go out and tell your uncle and that your stupid boyfriend?" He laughed.

"That's definitely not going to happen. You aren't leaving this house alive." He added and I panicked more.

This was exactly what I was scared for.

"I won't tell anyone anything. I'm just going to go home and keep quiet I swear." I said already sweating.

He laughed again and called a name. A girl came inside with a tray and a white piece of cloth covering it.

"Drop it on the table." He ordered and the did as he said.

He rounded the table three times then placed his hands on the piece of white cloth. He retracted his hands and rubbed it on his forehead. He repeated this three times also.

Okay. Its obvious what this means. He's gonna use me for ritual!

I tried to open the door again but it won't open.

"Ummul Khair. I'm going to do what every father needs to do to protect their daughter. After what am going to do now,you will know that you're nothing but a mini fowl." He laughed.

He's going to turn me into a fowl! That's the famous animal all ritualist turns innocent beings into.

He removed the cloth from the tray and picked up a....a cane!

A typical Nigerian pankere cane.

What the darts?!

He came closed to me with the cane, raised his hand up and whip landed on my shoulder.

I shouted and stood up frightened. I looked at Maya's dad who looked panicked and stressed.

Darn! That was just an imagination.

I have the craziest thoughts ever!

......

Maya's dad POV

Khair was lost in thoughts and she wasn't even blinking. I allowed her to take her time to finish thinking but when I saw her shivering in fear,I became worried and decided to tap her.

As I tapped her shoulder,she shouted and stood up frightened.

"Khair what happen?" I asked and she shook her head negatively.

Seeing the way she was acting around me made me felt more guilty as I thought about that day, the day I found out everything about Maya.

That day.....

I stood up to go to my room right after my client left when I heard the doorbell rang.

I decided to open the door myself. If its not someone I know,the securities wouldn't have opened the gate.

To my surprise, i met a familiar face that I haven't seen in years.

"Sagir!" I called his name in surprise.

"Pls come in." I opened the door further and he entered. I was about to close the door when another figure wanted to enter inside.

"He's with me." Sagir said and I allowed the white guy dressed in suit in.

Sagir is a good friend of mine ever since I could remember. He is a sailor in US and he's the one that helped getting Maya's car shipped to San Fransisco. He's also their guardian over there.

"You didn't even notify me that you're on your way. I would've make them prepare a feast for you. Anyway,its never too late to do that since you aren't leaving now." I said and dialled a number on my phone.

"We have a visitor. Prepare a very good meal for them. Ask anyone to bring refreshments over now." I said to the chief maid and hung up.

"We didn't even exchange pleasantries." I said and we greeted each other. I greeted the white man he came with too.

"Sagir,I don't understand. This one that you look gloomy." I said what I noticed with him.

"Hope all is well." I added.

"Yes. All is well but..." He started but kept quiet because of the maid that walked in with tray of refreshments.

"Let me excuse the both of you." I said and stood up.

"No pls sit. We have important matter to discuss. Beside, we have to go back to US today." Sagir announced.

"Go back to US today? You haven't even rest from this long flight."

"An important matter came up that's why we are here. And beside,you're coming with us." Sagir said and I looked at him confused.

"What happen or rather, what is happening?"

"I am not in the position to say anything to you. This person close to me will." Sagir said and grab a bottle of water.

"Sir can you pls explain to me what's going on?" I said to the white man who doesn't look anything above forty years of age.

"Everything will be explained to you when we get back to SF." The man said.

"Tell me the main reason why I am going there. At least,I should know what to expect."

"Its about your daughters. That's the highest I can say." The man said.

My daughters, Maya and Khair? What happened to them? Is one of them extremely sick or are they getting expelled? Or something positive is about to happen and they need the biological parent to be there. What if is not that? Did they get into accident?

Different thoughts were rushing in my mind.

"Just get your ticket and visa ready. We will leave in an hour." The white man added and I nodded.

I walked to my room,called my assistant and told him to make all the necessary arrangements for me.

The food was ready before an hour. I forced sagir to eat but me myself couldn't take anything.

"I am bringing another person with me." I told the white man.

"Who's that and why?" He questioned.

"A female relative cos I don't know what I will encounter there. You people aren't telling me anything."

"OK. Sure." He shrugged.

I called my immediate younger sister already and told her everything. She took permission from her husband even tho he wasn't in town and he allowed her to come with me so I bought her plane ticket too.

Her son drove her to my house just when we were about to drive to the airport.

She got in the car with us and the driver drove us to the airport.

"Do you have idea what is happening?" She questioned me when we were on the plane.

"I have no idea. But I'm not having a good feeling about this."

"Me too. I don't know but my mind isn't at ease. But whatever it is,May it not be something we can't handle." She prayed and I said a quiet 'ameen'

Nothing was said again until we landed at San Fransisco the next day.

We spent two hours at Sagir's house before he announced that we are going to the police station.

Upon reaching there, everything was explained to us.

To say I was shocked was an understatement.

Sumayya kidnapping Khair, then escaping to Las Vegas, making a young boy to exchange her train ticket, it didn't even stop from there,she stole something from her landlady then sailed to a place we don't know of!

Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun!

"Now,we have no clue of where she is that's why we called you,her father here to tell us if you know her whereabouts." The inspector concluded but I couldn't say a thing.

The next I knew is that collapsed on the floor and I was rushed to the hospital.

I woke up the next day still in total shock. My younger sister couldn't stop crying. If I had a chance, I would've cried too to get rid of the heaviness on my mind.

The cops came and asked me to sign some paperwork. I don't know what I contained but I just signed all where they asked me to sign.

I was asked to write a statement too, a sincere one. Anything i write could be used against me in the court if Maya was found.

From that day,I wasn't okay again. Physically and mentally. I kept thinking about Khair and Maya. Why in the world will Maya do that? Unless she's possessed by a strong force and Khair, I kept praying she was okay cos I kept dialing her number but it wasn't going though. 

The doctors told me to stop over thinking because it was bad for my health but what can I do? I couldn't help it. I think each passing minute and hospital has been my second home.

My younger sister was the one checking up on me every time. I couldn't tell other family members. She would scold me as if she was older than me but all her scolding and advice fall on deaf ears.

I didn't know the situation that both girls were in. I don't know of their whereabouts until when I learnt from sagir that Khair was on her way back to Nigeria and that's when I got a relief. At least I know of Khair's but Maya, maybe she's dead who knows? I pray she's not because I got plans for that girl. The day she will be found,she will know that Allah is one.

After I was discharged from the hospital that day as usual,I decided to call Khair's dad to tell her to come over.

I don't know how she will take that but anyhow she takes it,I completely understand. She won't trust anything and anyone related to Maya again and I don't blame her.

Now that she was here, I don't know where I will start from. The scared look on her face wasn't make anything better.

.....

Khair's POV

"Uh..good evening... Oh sorry good day Sir." I greeted in a confused manner.

"My dear how are you?"

I kept quiet.

"I shouldn't even ask you that. I know you aren't fine at all. Physically and emotionally." He stated the obvious and I looked at him wondering how he knew.

He sighed and said "Ummul Khair I'm just going to get straight to the point."

"I just came to know of what my daughter,Sumayya has being doing lately. You remember I entrusted you two to my close friend in San Fransisco." And from there, he started telling me everything.

"My friend sagir was taken to the station for investigation since he wsd the one who helped her with the shipping thing. They found out that the ship was used for carrying goods only but he still allowed Maya in. He explained that he is her uncle and she begged him to allow her to travel by ship for experience. Apparently, the ship was to stop at hhdbnjj(close to SA Google am) and they checked there and no traces of Maya."

"She got many charges on her head. Like Maya was involved in kidnapping, shooting someone, where did she even had the gun? She was even involved in theft. She was involved in all things unholy." He said in a whisper as he tried holding back his tears.

"At a point, I thought those people might just be conspiring against her cos,I know Maya can never do all that mentioned until they showed me a video footage of Maya jumping the fence of a house to escape and other footages and recordings too. I couldn't explain the state I was in after seeing those evidences."

"What can I do except to sob painfully?. The cops did their investigation, asked me a lot of questions and found out that I knew nothing of Maya's crime and I left San Fransisco. I spent five days in the hospital because of tension and heart attack. I came back from the hospital this morning and I called your dad to bring you here because I needed to apologize on her behalf. I know apology won't do anything but Khair...."

"When i tell you about all the positive things you've impacted on my daughter's life,some might even sound like a lie. Ummul Khair, you changed Maya's life. Living without a mother can be life threatening and lack of morals which was exactly Maya's trait before you came into the picture and changed her for good. Maya that hardly greets me,Maya that spend too lavishly on unnecessary things, Maya that hardly focus on her studies,Maya that lacked basic morals just slowly changed as she met you. I've always prayed 24/7 for the betterment of that girl."

"I don't know the magic you used,the prayer you performed or what you did but I think you're the God sent Angel I always prayed for to fix my daughter's wayward life and you did. Maya greets me with utmost respect, do some mini house chores which is something I never imagined in my life,she focused on her studies,applied for admission abroad to read medicine and she got it, which is still something I never imagined to. There are so many things Maya was not doing until she met you. Every time she says or want to do good thing, she must mention your name. 'Khair said its good to visit relatives.' 'I will start cleaning my room by myself. That's what Khair always do.' 'My closet needs more hijab. I want my closet to be full with hijabs like Khair's own.' 'Let me serve you breakfast' 'let's perform ablution together and pray for mum. Khair always advice me to do that.' Khair that,Khair this. That was Maya's daily talk. Because of these things, I highly respect and appreciate you Khair. Only God will you reward you for what you did Khair."

Wow!

"I don't know what sort of bad friends Maya associates herself with but it crumbled all you impacted on her. She stabbed you from behind,something I know you never thought will happen. She was under the influence of someone,that, I know for sure. Cos if not for that, how can she do what she did?"

He sighed and continue "Khair I know it will be very hard but find it in your heart to forgive her. If you don't, she will live with the bad behavior forever. I beg your pardon,I'm not asking you to drop the search case or something. In fact,if I see Maya myself now,I'm taking her to jail myself so that she can learn her lesson the hard way. But now that she escaped and nowhere to be found yet,I'm very sure that one day,just one day,life will teach her a valuable lesson and she will know that karma is real. I know she will crawl back to me when life is dealing with her and I can't just ignore her. She's my daughter. I will be devastated seeing her suffer even tho she deserves it but just forgive her,that will lessen her burden. Khair please." He pleaded.

"I know I sound selfish but if you don't forgive Maya, then guilt will kill me cos I'm Maya's dad and Maya caused so much pain to you which looked like my fault indirectly too. Assuming I don't have Maya as a child,then none of this would have happened but now that I do....I have to seek for forgiveness so that even tho Maya have died,it should reduce her punishment in the grave."

"I..I.." I stuttered.

I listened to every words of this man and I tried to register all of it. I knew this man was telling the truth. He was even crying without realizing it.

Maya was a thief? What the fish?

What did she lack? What will she ask from her father and she won't get?

God! What type of demon possessed that girl? Cos if not demon, then it will be shaytan himself that possessed her.

Now her father is begging for forgiveness on her behalf.

"Do you have idea what Maya did to me?" I said in a normal tone.

"I do." He admitted.

Good. Assuming he said he had no idea what Maya did to me,I would have listed it for him that instant.

"No you don't." I sighed and still decided to tell him some of the things she did anyway.

"I don't know what I ever did to that girl that she started targeting me since when I can't remember. She conspired with a girl in our school to spy on my every move. She got a perfect chance and held me captive. Then my uncle came to my rescue but unfortunately, we couldn't escape but we kept hiding. The say she found us,I asked why she did this to me and she gave the most foolish senseless reply ever. She blabbered that I stole her boyfriend. Does that warrant her to do that to me? I wanted to escape with my uncle and she pulled the trigger. The bullet was meant for me but my uncle saved me from it." Then I chuckled "Sir you don't have idea what your daughter did to me."

"I have to go to hospital and get surgery done in my eyes cos of her. My uncle suffered on hospital bed and I suffered the most. Physically,emotionally and psychologically. Do you know that she might still be hunting me around?"

Maya's dad kept quiet.

I let out a heavy breath and decided to say what was on my mind.

"After saying what in about to say now,you might decide not to pay my school fees and all again and to be honest,I do care but in this situation, it's kind of like I don't care." I started.

"I can't forgive Maya. I just can't. She made me go through a lot of things. You are just seeing me fit and healthy but deep down, I'm nothing close to okay. I can't even have my own privacy cos I hallucinate too much. I'm sorry but i can't." I finally said.

If he see that he can't continue paying my educational fee,then fine. I will just transfer myself back to Nigeria and my parent will take over. It won't be a problem since they haven't even pay anything in my education.

"Khair why will you say that! I can never disagree to pay your fees as long as you want to continue your education. I will keep doing everything I'm doing for you not because of Maya but because of Allah. This thing happening won't make me turn my back on you. Just forgive Maya." Maya's dad said and I stood on my ground of not forgiving her.

"No I can't. I have to be going now." I said and turned away.

"Khair pls." The man whispered.

"I said...." I started but stopped as I turned to see Maya's dad on his knees.

"What are you doing?" I whispered and rushed to him.

"Pls forgive Maya so that I can have rest of mind that the person she wronged the most have forgive her." Maya's dad kept begging me.

"I know you're kindhearted so pls find it in your heart to forgive her." The man kept pleading.

"You know forgiveness can't be forced right?" I said and he sighed.

"You're right. I can't force you to forgive her but still think about it. I'm very sorry for the pressure." He said and wiped his tears.

"I have to be going." I announced and walked out.

My purse!

I remembered and walked back in to get it. I stopped by the door when I heard a sob coming from inside.

"Ya Allah pls guide Sumayya to the right path and if she's already dead,forgive her sins and put light in the heart of Khair to forgive Sumayya." I faintly heard Maya's dad prayed.

God! I couldn't stand hearing that anymore.

I wiped my own face and walked inside the living room. The man didn't even noticed that I walked in. He was just staring at space,in the same kneeling position,tears streaming down his face.

The sight made my bones cold. I quickly grabbed my purse and took a taxi back home.

"Mama! I'm back." I said tiredly as I opened the door to her room.

"I thought you will stay long." She said.

"I told you I won't stay long."

"Maya isn't around right? That's why you came back early." She stated and I just smiled tiredly and walked to my room.

I locked my door and settle down on the bed to think about what happened earlier at Maya's dad house.

Maya's sins,can it be forgiven? That girl have caused me too much pains in this life.

I sighed and decided not to think about it again. I lied down and slept off.

When it was prayer time, someone walked inside my room to wake me up.

"Stand up. Its prayer time." The voice said.

"Okay mama." I groaned and tried to continue sleeping,totally ignoring the question that wanted to get in my brain..'how did she enter my room when I locked it?'

"Mama? Who's that?" The voice that suddenly changed from my mum's own asked.

I immediately opened my eyes and it landed on Maya, standing in my room,smiling devilishly at me.

"Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun." I said in panic.

"Why haven't you die up till now? I just want you to leave this world but since you're still here,I will gladly end you." She said smiling.

I was scared and recited supplications. I remembered what uncle Haroon and Ahmad told me. This wasn't real. Hallucinations aren't real.

"This is hallucination,she isn't real. She's not real. She's not the one. This is hallucination. This is hallucination. This is hallucination." I kept chanting with my eyes closed.

After what it felt like twenty minutes,I opened my eyes when I didn't notice any movement.

Maya was still there standing shocked.

"You said I'm not real? It's hallucination?" She asked the obvious.

"This is hallucination." I said again and slightly proud of myself. If I believe that this isn't real then it can't hurt me cos its really not real.

"You're wrong Ummul Khair. You're so damn wrong. You even gave you that idea?!" She laughed.

I kept neutral face and kept reciting supplications.

"Your prayers won't destroy me." She stated in a freaking tone and walked towards my bed.

I crawled backward not in much fear but....you know,I can't take risk and I'm still a little bit scared.

"You're getting too confident and I don't like it. I will eat you raw." She said and that made me laugh.

She laughed alongside with me and suddenly stopped.

She cracked her neck and turned her head 360 degrees.

My smiled dropped and I crawled back further.

Okay! That was creepy.

"You!" She yelled and grabbed my neck choking me.

My eyes widened in fear as I struggled to breath and free myself from the hell of a grip she had on my neck.

This isn't hallucination?

Father Lord!

Tears started making their ways out of my eyes. I managed to fall on the floor hitting my knee on something hard and the grip loosened. I ran to the door and tried to unlock the door but my shaky hands won't even hold the key well.

I looked back and Maya was behind me.

I started banging at my door and calling my mum's name as loud as I could.

"Nobody can hear you dear especially not your mother. I already killed her." Maya said and I was shocked for a moment.

I shouldn't believe anything she say.

She held my neck again and squeezed my throat.

I tried kicking her but my leg passed through her. I used my hands to remove her hand from my neck but I couldn't touch her. She was just a kind of a hologram.

But....how the hell was her hand still on my neck and I can literally feel it.

After much suffocation,trying to wiggle out and banging the door,I gave up,rather,my strength and breathing gave up.

I could feel my soul leaving my body and I slumped down with blurry vision.

Which kind of calamity is this?

So this is how I die?

Good Lord!

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