MAHIRA
'Fairy, please wake up. Wake up please, we need you. We need you.'
I followed the girl who kept walking away from me but still asked for help.
'Go back fairy. We need you. We all need you, you have to help, please.'
The girl finally disappeared and I was left alone in this black and white world. I tried moving my
hands but then they were tied. I opened my eyes slowly adjusting to the light in the room. I
looked around the room and began to panic as I took in my surroundings.
The room was small and had no door, it looked like an abandoned building that was never fully
finished, the concrete floor felt coarse beneath my bare feet, it was dirty too.
'You're awake. Welcome back.'
The voice startled me, I hadn't noticed anyone in the room. Someone came from behind me and
she went out for a second and came back in with a chair and sat down opposite me.
'Where am I?'
'I'm so glad you're awake.'
'Ariana?'
I was at the hospital, I was with Horatio, how did she bring me here?
'What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?'
Ariana looked at me, eyebrows furrowed and eyes glimmering with tears, then she bowed her
head in shame.
'Mahira, I want to apologize. I was so blinded by revenge, I thought I would be happy after
ruining your life but all I feel is emptiness and guilt.'
She looked up again, her face now stained by tears, she looked so pitiful, so guilty. Could I
possibly forgive her for everything she had done?
'Mahira, you are a very good person. You are also a very good mother. I am leaving this country.
I killed your whole family but now I've had enough of revenge.'
What?
'What...do...y... you m.. mean?' Ariana laughed, her head falling back, the pitiful act vanishing into thin air.
'I killed the whole Carson and Riley's, no one was left alive.'
'My kids? Elena? Why?'
'Tell you what, if I let you go, promise you'll go straight home, if you don't I'll be forced to kill you.'
'Why? You wouldn't just let me go.'
'I don't regret my revenge but right now, your sons do need you, poor Elena is a waitress in
some unknown country. The poor girl is just fifteen. I'm letting you go so you can save your kids
and god daughter but I'm not sure you will find them. Good luck though.'
'What did you do to my children? How can you be so cruel? What kind of woman are you?'
'Listen, if you ask so many questions, I'll change my mind.'
She rubbed her hands over her face then she stood up and went behind my chair. I felt the rope
loosen until it was completely off.
'I'm going to give you a head start, run baby girl.'
Why is she letting me go? It can't be that easy. I looked at her and she stared right back, then
she flashed the gun beneath her jersey and I turned my back and ran out of the abandoned
house.
I ran through the dark thick trees and their shadows that seemed to be reaching out for me, I ran
even when figs and twigs and thorns pierced through the flesh of my feet. I ran even when I was
bruised by the unforgiving trees.
Even when I heard the hooting of owls, the trees dancing to the rhythm of the wind, even when
a gun shot echoed through the quiet I still ran and prayed to god that he'd let me live.
Even when my body pleaded for me to give in, I kept running and running and running. I finally
got to the road but instead of running in the clear path I followed the path of the road whilst still
in the forest. I didn't dare look back, I was too scared that something, someone would catch me
and take me back, that my escape would be cut short.
The city lights finally emerged, there were still people buzzing around in the streets, drunk men,
women or teenagers in revealing clothes all enjoying the youth of the night. I didn't care about
that though, I didn't care at all, all I wanted was to get home.
I ran and I ran and I ran. I got to the familiar path of my home and god was I so relieved that I
didn't buy a home in some deserted neighborhood or rich people area, god was I so glad that I
had made such a decision when I bought a home.
I stopped running when I crashed into Horatio's chest, he caught me before I could fall from the
impact.
'Madam, what happened?'
I broke down into tears and held on to him refusing to let go. He didn't push me away nor did he
force me to speak, he just held me and stroked my hair.
'It's okay, you're safe.'
He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back. I broke free from the hug and forced a smile
on my face.
'You don't have to smile if you're not okay.'
'Is it true? Is… is everyone dead?'
Horatio bowed his head in shame.
'I'm so sorry madam, the night you kids were taken, I was not on duty, Erica was sick so I had
taken her to the hospital.' They're gone. I nodded my head and walked past him. He offered to accompany me inside but I
refused.
What did I do to deserve this? My kids didn't deserve to go through this, they weren't even born
when Ariana was in our life so why is she punishing them? This battle is supposed to be
between us, they don't have to go through this trauma.
When I got inside, I closed the door and leaned against it doing breathing exercises so I could
ease the pain I felt in my chest and throat. I finally felt the depth of the pain my body felt, the
blisters and scars on my legs, the scratches I got on my arms and face, all of it hurt. My body
felt stiff too, probably from the running.
The lights in the house were off, I didn't bother switching any of them on. I just walked aimlessly
in the dark to what I assumed was my room, then I switched on the bathroom lights and sat
under the steaming shower until I felt relaxed. When the tension in my muscles loosened I
applied a foam bath and scrubbed my body with the shower sponge.
The wounds stung from the contact with both the soap and water. When I was done I wrapped
myself in a white towel and went off to the room and this time I decided to switch on the lights.
When the lights were now on, I heard a faint sob from the corner of my room, my heart leaped
out of my chest when I saw Thane hurdled up into a ball in the corner of the room, his head
buried in between his knees.
'Thane.'
I rushed to his side and knelt beside him. He lifted his head and I finally saw him. He's actually
alive. He's alive.
His hair was messy, his eyes were red and swollen and so was his nose, his face looked coarse
and dry and the buttons of his shirt were partly undone, the shirt once white was now stained
with shades of black and brown.
'Mahi? It's really you. You're here.'
He hugged my small waist and cried on my chest. I couldn't help but cry too, cry because there
seems to be so much I had missed yet I didn't know what had happened, cry because my kids
weren't home and I had no idea where they were but I had to be strong, for them I had to be
strong.
'Mahi I couldn't protect them. Why did you abandon me? Without you I can't do anything Mahi.
You are the only thing I have left. Don't abandon me please.'
'I'm not going anywhere, I'm here, I won't go anywhere.'
I kept him close, too scared that this would all be just a dream and when I woke up I wouldn't be
here, but if it was a dream perhaps in real life everything was okay.
'Thane, let me get you something to eat.'
He didn't let me stand, he tightened his grip on my waist when I tried to stand up.
'If you leave you won't come back. You will forget me and die then you will leave me alive alone
in this hell. Just stay with me and hold me, don't ever leave me again please I'm begging you.'
I stayed in his embrace until his arms loosened and I assumed he was asleep now, although the
floor was cold, I didn't move, I just closed my eyes and let sleep take over.