CHAPTER 1

I was sitting on the steps of the stage in our school ground. It was

a freezing cold day, 6 in the morning. The cold wind gushed over

my face and I hugged myself to be warm. I was completing

yesterday's Math homework, the subject which I loathe. The

morning bell rang which meant that it's time for the first period. I

quickly closed my pencil case, fixed my bun and made my way

towards my classroom. My school building had 3 floors; my

classroom is on the second floor. I entered my class and a familiar

figure engulfed me in a warm hug.

"How are you not sleeping today? You are usually asleep when I

reach." it was Hajera.

I rolled my eyes at her.

"I am not always sleeping, okay?"

I walked over to my bench and settled down. My eyes darting

towards the bench where she usually sits. I don't see her.

Shahira ma'am walked in smiling. We stood up to greet her and

then we recited our morning prayers.

"You all are like lazy logs. Why don't you people get done with

your morning prayers before I come?" she scolded us.

We all began with our lessons of the day when we heard the door

knock and opened up. She mumbled an apology to the teacher for

being late again. She got excused and walked past my bench to

hers at the last.

'Why is she late every day, is there a particular reason for it and

how the hell does the teachers let her get away with it so easily',

Aqsa Anzar, my classmate that has always been a mystery to me.

From the way she looks, talks, acts, and trust me, you would not

want to see her laugh, it's creepy. And don't even get me started

about how she always comes late to school since grade 4. I've been

with her ever since. I was her first friend in this school, she told

me once. She is lean and a little shorter than I am. She wears

spectacles and there are deep and dark eye circles under her eyes.

She has the kind of eyes that creeps me out for some reason I can't

comprehend. As we grew up, we grew distant; well, we were never

close either. Maybe that's why the distance didn't really matter to

both of us. My concern wasn't really the distance but it was her

cold behavior towards everyone that bothered me. I don't

remember her being like that. She used to be a bit of extrovert and

a sporty kind of person. But now she is nothing like that. She

usually sits alone, doesn't talk to anyone and often I see her zoned

out during the classes. I quickly shook myself out of those

thoughts and concentrated back to what the teacher was saying.

Shahira ma'am was reading the lesson out loud and explaining

some phrases. I glanced at my wristwatch and there were 5

minutes remaining for the period to end.

I leaned towards Hajera.

"What's the next period"? I whispered.

"Social Studies."

Shabana ma'am walked in with her usual and peaceful expression

and gets started with her topic of the day from History. Soon all of

us get engrossed in her explanations, questions and jokes for

today. The period comes to an end and I grabbed my books to

head to another class for the next period.

I glanced in her way who looked straight in my eyes and that gaze

gave me chills. There's something mysterious in those eyes with

deep eye circles and whatever it was, it was wrong and scary. Not

being able to meet eyes with her I walked out.

I walked inside my language class. I took off my spectacles and

rubbed my hands over my face. I saw a girl looking in my way. I

know who it is. It's Ismath my Hyderabadi friend from language

class. I turned around wearing my spectacles and walked towards

her. "Hey Ismath!" saying that I hugged her.

"I thought you forgot me." she spoke in her pure Hyderabadi

dialect.

"How was your trip to Hyderabad?"

"Very good" she smiled.

I gave her a sad smile and sat down. I've never been to India

again, I came back after my first birthday; I don't know what it's

like to pack your suitcases, get excited for the journey, board a

plane, meet your relatives over there and wander through the

Bazaars of Hyderabad. I sighed and wished I could change it. I go

ahead and opened up my book to revise the lesson.

Our language teacher entered the class, we quickly composed

ourselves. She began with her lessons of the day. Soon the period

came to an end an I made my way upstairs towards my class.

While walking I bumped into a sharp shoulder.

"Ouch".

Those eyes with deep and dark eye circles look at me and before

saying anything she walked away. I entered my class with an

annoyed expression. I took out some money for my lunch and

made my way towards the canteen. I stuffed my hands into the

pockets of my uniform and walked calmly to the canteen only to

find a long line of waiting. I sighed not wanting to deal with this

waiting session, I try to find a person I know in the line; it was

something that we all did, we would find someone from the line

that we knew and give them our money to buy for us. I walked to

the front of the line and my eyes found those eyes with deep dark

circles again.

What's the worst that could happen if I ask her? "Fatima, smile is

a beautiful thing, it even makes enemies your friends." I

remembered the beautiful quote.

"Here goes nothing" I mumbled to myself.

I tapped on her shoulder; she turned around and gave me the

same creepy expression as always. I smiled hopefully,

"Do you think you could buy for me"?

She looked at me and without saying a word she looked ahead. I

was stunned, no one would have denied me like that even people

who didn't knew me would buy for me if asked with a smile.

Fortunately, enough I found another classmate of mine and I

handed her my money after telling her about my order. We

usually had lunch inside.

"What's wrong with Aqsa, why is she so rude to me, to everyone

basically?" I broke the silence.

"Ahmed, please close your buttons." Yasmeen spoke between her

bites.

I ignored her.

"I think she likes to stay alone." Hajera shrugged.

"But, why is she so rude? She wasn't like that before."

"Well, people change." Nadeefa stated.

"You've changed, Fatima." I heard a voice in my head.

I sighed.

"Maybe you should go and talk to her, didn't you say once that you

were her first friend when she came here first." Yasmeen smiled.

"No, I don't want to, I am scared."

"What, what's there to be scared of? Is she a Jinn or something.''

Hajera looked at amusedly.

I rolled my eyes at her, of course no one wouldn't understand. We

quickly finished our lunch and got ready for the next period. The

day went on and soon we had only one period left before dispersal

time.

"Isn't it PT period now?" Hajera asked me.

'Really?' I grin.

"Yes, now let's take our backpacks and head downstairs."

We head downstairs to our school ground. Each period was of 45

minutes that meant we had a good amount of time for leisure. We

hear drum beats from one corner of the ground where the Arab

girls were making drum beats by banging their fists on the table.

We saw our crazy mate Leena dancing like a maniac along with

her other friends.

"So, what game are we playing?" I asked excitedly.

"What are we kids, to play games? Let's just rest for a while,

Ahmed." Yasmeen covered a yawn.

"No, please, please."

"Let's play Hide and seek."

"Okay, but where are we going to hide in this ground."

"We can use the corridors of the floors and even the empty

classes." Nadeefa suggested.

Our school building has 3 floors, currently the top floor is empty

the students of 6th grade being yet to join. We aren't allowed to

use the empty classrooms but we can still go upstairs on the top

floor.

"Okay, but let's not use the top floor."

"Why huh, scared again?" Hajera teased.

"No, am not scared." I lied.

"Okay, so we all are going to hide and you will be the seeker."

Hajera decided.

"Fine, but go hide in easy spots guys, I am not in the mood to

work hard." I spoke tiredly.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to play?" Nadifa taunted.

I rolled my eyes. "Just go hide."

Within 5 minutes they all disappeared and I made my way inside

the building for my hunt. For some reason the top floor gave me

wrong and creepy vibes. I checked the ground floor first only to

find no one. After checking the second floor and finding Yasmeen,

Nadifa and Hala I made my way upstairs to the top floor to find

Hajera. Each floor is divided into 2 sections and each section has

3 classrooms. After checking the rooms of the left section, I

walked towards the right section. I hear low weeping sounds from

the room in the corner.

"Is that Hajera, but why is she crying? Did she think that I forgot

to seek for her. But why is she crying for a such silly reason,

dumbhead." I thought.

The door was half open and as I pushed the door, I saw a lean girl

sitting in the last bench crying, her head down and shoulders

shaking from crying. I gulped; I know who it is. Her head slowly

rose up and she looked at me, those eyes with deep dark circles

looked at me.

I froze in my spot not knowing what to do. A part of my brain asks

me to go and talk to her but the rational part of my brain asked

me to leave quickly. She looked at me for a second and let out a

loud scream. I quickly turned around and ran without looking

back, I ran down the stairs and suddenly I fell. Gladly my hands

rescued me from falling flat on my face. Girls around me were

staring at me. 'I'm fine' I muttered to the no one in particular and

ran away. I ran until I reached the ground. I found my friends

sitting on the stage and laughing at something that Hajera said. I

sat down and I gulped down two large sips from it.

"What took you so long, and why is your face pale? Did you have

an encounter with the Jinn?" Hajera spoke between her laughter.

"Shut up, and where the hell did you hide?" I asked angrily.

"I hid in your backpack." She replied and laughed again.

'Whatever' I murmured and looked away.

Soon the bell rang and it was dispersal time. Tired from the day I

closed my eyes and rested my head against the seat of the bus. My

thoughts wandered off to that creepy corridor and the sight of her

raising her head slowly and looking into my eyes and that scream

full of horror rang in my ears. After reaching home, I lied down to

take an afternoon nap.

It was a little dark and a little sunlight was pouring in the room

through the windows and I was shaking with fear. My hands were

bleeding and my eyes pleading her for mercy.

"Did you think that you will disclose my name and I will let you

get away with it so easily?" she asked bitterly.

'Please' I sobbed.

"I will tell them that I was mistaken and you didn't do it." I cried.

"Oh, please don't shed crocodile tears now, and tell me would you

like your body to be cut horizontally or vertically when I cut it into

two halves." she spoke and laughed like a witch.

"No, please let me go" I Screamed.

She raised a big knife in the air and I screamed loudly.

I woke up gasping for air and looked at my surroundings, I was in

my bedroom and my sister was sleeping beside me, I checked the

time in my phone. It was 4 pm in the afternoon. Later in the

evening I finished my schoolwork and as I waited for dinner my

thoughts went back to the encounter with her in the empty

classroom and that nightmare. Well, I had it in the afternoon so

should I call it an afternoon ware I thought. Should I not go to

school tomorrow I thought but sighed knowing mommy would

never allow it.