____________________________________
"My heart tells me this is the best and greatest feeling I have ever had. But my mind knows the difference between wanting what you can't have and wanting what you shouldn't want. And I shouldn't want you."
— Cassandra Clare, City of Bones
____________________________________
Jamal vs Jamil confrontation
As Tahir strolled down the A.R.C campus and his path met with Sadeeqah and Jamal, the afternoon sun stretching their shadows long across the pavement.
From the corner of his eye, Tahir could tell—Sadeeqah was watching him differently. Careful. Quiet. Whatever she had seen or learned before, she hadn't brought it up. She had kept the video to herself. That alone told him more than any confrontation would have.
Jamal, on the other hand, hadn't learned a thing.
"So," Jamal scoffed, walking a little ahead, "The Miracle goal scorer huh..? I expected more. Guess luck really does favor mediocrity."
"Hmm," Tahir replied without looking at him. "If that helps you sleep."
Jamal clicked his tongue. "Figures. No spine."
Sadeeqah shot Jamal a warning look, but he ignored it, continuing his low-grade verbal assault. Tahir didn't rise to it. His responses stayed slow, uninterested, almost bored.
He continued throwing small insults.
Petty. Needling. Trying desperately to get a reaction. Trying to prove something.
Anything.
Yet every jab seemed to disappear into empty air.
Tahir simply kept walking. Calm. Unbothered. Almost bored.
And somehow…
That was making Jamal even angrier.
Then—
The atmosphere changed.
Heavy footsteps approached from the opposite direction.
Deliberate. Measured. Purposeful.
Jamil. A.R.C.'s Head Boy.
He wasn't alone.
Several boys walked beside him. And the moment his eyes landed on Jamal—
Something dark flashed across his face.
The two groups closed the distance.
Neither side slowed. Neither side greeted the other.Then it happened.
Without warning—
SMACK.
Jamil's hand lashed out.
Jamal's phone flew from his grip.
The device spun through the air before smashing against the pavement.
CRACK.
The sound seemed unnaturally loud.
Everyone froze.
For a split second, silence swallowed the hallway.
Then Tahir's eyes narrowed.
Because that wasn't random. Not even close. The angle. The timing. The position.
Every detail had been calculated.
Jamil hadn't merely knocked the phone away. He had selected the exact spot. The exact moment. The exact camera blind spot.
No CCTV would capture the strike.
But if Jamal retaliated?
The cameras would catch everything. A perfect trap. Clean. Elegant. Cruel.
Jamal stared at his shattered phone.
His breathing changed.
Once. Twice.
His chest rose heavily. His fingers curled into fists.
A pulse visibly jumped beneath his jaw.
Anger flooded through him so fast it was almost visible.
His entire body shifted.
Preparing. Ready to swing.
Ready to make the biggest mistake of the semester.
That was the moment Tahir moved.
Effortlessly. As if he'd been expecting it.
His hand shot out and caught Jamal's wrist before the punch could form.
The grip wasn't violent. Yet it felt impossible to break. Tahir pushed him back half a step.
Just enough.
Just enough to kill the momentum. Just enough to save him.
Then Tahir turned.
Slowly. And faced Jamil.
The temperature of the hallway seemed to drop.
Everyone felt it. Jamil included.
"Seems like somebody didn't learn their lesson yet, huh?" Tahir's voice was calm.
Almost conversational. Which somehow made it worse.
"Or did you forget about me so easily?"
His eyes settled on Jamil.
Cold. Steady. Unblinking.
Then his voice dropped lower.
Sharper.
"Need I remind you gentlemen what pain is all about?"
The effect was immediate.
Jamil took two unconscious steps backward.
His body moved before his pride could stop it.
Recognition crashed into him.
Those eyes. That voice. That terrifying calm.
The memories from their fight a day ago surged back.
The humiliation. The pain. The helplessness.
The realization that no matter how many people stood beside him…
It hadn't mattered.
Sweat formed along his temple.His stomach tightened.
And for one horrible second—
He felt exactly the same fear he had felt yesterday.
The fear of realizing someone was operating on a completely different level.
Around him, his entourage shifted uneasily.
Nobody wanted another repeat of that disaster.
Nobody.
Jamil swallowed. Hard.
Then forced strength into his voice.
"Let's go, boys."
The words came out rougher than intended.
His hands trembled slightly as he turned.
Nobody argued. Nobody hesitated.
They left immediately.
Like men retreating from a storm.
Silence followed. Heavy.
Almost surreal.
Sadeeqah stood motionless.
Her heartbeat hammered against her ribs.
Not from fear.
Something else.
Something she couldn't quite name.
Because the realization had hit her all at once.
She was wrong.
Completely wrong.
If Tahir hadn't stepped in…
Jamal would've retaliated.
The cameras would've caught everything.
C.A.A would've been disqualified.
Their semester would've ended right there.
And Jamal would've carried that guilt forever.
Her chest tightened.
For the first time since meeting him…
She felt grateful. Genuinely grateful.
Jamal yanked his wrist free. His pride was still bleeding.
His anger still searching for somewhere to land.
"Why are you butting into things that don't concern you?" he snapped. "This wasn't your problem."
Tahir finally looked at him. Really looked at him.
And something about his expression made Jamal wish he hadn't spoken.
"I'm not here to defend you, King Jamal."The title dripped with mockery.
"Your Highness."
A slight tilt of the head.
Then the final strike. "Or should I say…"
A pause.
"Your weakness."
The words hit harder than any punch.
Jamal stiffened. His face darkened. But he said nothing.
Because deep down…
Part of him knew Tahir wasn't entirely wrong.
Tahir stepped closer. His voice lowered.
"I'm protecting C.A.A."
A beat.
"Not you."
Then his gaze drifted beyond them.
Across the campus.
Across the competition grounds.
Across the noise and banners and distant cheers.
For a moment he looked almost thoughtful.
Almost peaceful.
"I don't want to go back to school and simply resume normal activities."
His eyes lingered on the arena.
The students. The chaos.
The freedom.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I want to enjoy this beautiful scenery a little longer."
Then he looked back.
Expression unreadable once more.
"And I won't let anyone…"
His gaze briefly flickered toward where Jamil's group had disappeared.
"…A.R.C. or otherwise…"
Another pause.
"Take that away."
He walked ahead without another word.
Leaving silence in his wake.
Sadeeqah watched him go.
And for the first time…
She finally understood something.
Not just intellectually. Not as a theory. But deep in her bones.
Tahir wasn't simply dangerous.
Dangerous people were easy to understand.
Easy to fear. Easy to hate.
Tahir was something worse.
Because he could be terrifying…
And still be right. He was necessary.
And that realization unsettled her far more than any threat ever could.
______________________
Tahir walked away without looking back.
The echoes of Jamil's retreat still lingered behind him, fading into the endless noise of the tournament grounds.
Students moved everywhere.
Clusters of competitors crossed the pathways in matching uniforms. Spectators filled the open spaces between the different students from different elite schools. Announcers' voices drifted through loudspeakers, sometimes clear, sometimes distorted by distance.
The entire campus felt alive.
Yet Tahir moved through it as though separated by invisible glass.
Detached. Observing. Never truly belonging.
His hands remained buried inside his pockets as he crossed one of the connecting walkways.
Then his phone vibrated.
Once.
He stopped.
The movement was so slight most people would've missed it.
He pulled the device out.
A message.
From MiMie.
His eyes scanned the screen.
"Can we meet? In the next 10 minutes. At the Luv-Garden"
Nothing else. No explanation. No greeting.
No attempt to soften the request.
Just those few words.
Direct. Simple. Urgent.
For a brief second, he stared at them.
Then his thumb locked the screen. His expression didn't change.
Yet something shifted quietly beneath the surface.
Without another thought, he changed direction.
___________
As he rounded the next corner, someone nearly walked straight into him.
"Oh—there you are."
Aysha Amad stopped abruptly.
A few strands of hair had escaped from her ponytail, framing her face. "I was just looking for you."
"Hmm."
Tahir slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Found me."
Aysha rolled her eyes. "You always answer like that?"
"Like what?" Tahir asked.
"Like every conversation is exhausting."
"Most conversations are."
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
They fell into step beside each other.
"I'm heading to the stalls." She pointed toward the vendor section.
"Gonna buy snacks and soda before the next event starts."
Then she glanced sideways. "You want anything?"
Tahir actually considered it.
Not because he cared about snacks.
But because she had asked.
A small distinction. A meaningless distinction.
Yet somehow his brain noticed it anyway.
After a moment he shook his head.
"Hmm… surprise me with anything."
Aysha blinked. Then laughed again.
"That's a terrible idea."
"Why?" Tahir asked.
"Because I could buy literally anything." Aysha replied
"Exactly." Tahir said.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You enjoy chaos way too much."
"Maybe."
"One day that'll come back to bite you." Aysha said
"Probably."
Aysha shook her head. "You're impossible."
Then she smiled. A genuine one. "Don't disappear."
"No promises." Tahir replied
She pointed at him accusingly. "See? Impossible."
Then she turned and headed toward the food stalls.
For a few moments Tahir watched her disappear into the crowd. Wondering how she is actually feeling, if she is actually okay, is she still hurting from the yesterday's heartbreak.
Then he resumed walking.
Three steps later—
His phone vibrated again.
This time he already knew it wasn't MiMie.
The message appeared beneath a symbol instead of a name.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Plan B1 activated.
Three devices placed.
Remote controllers secured at retrieval point.
Awaiting confirmation to proceed with additional plans."
The message might as well have been written in another language to anyone else.
To Tahir—
It made perfect sense. His expression remained unchanged. No excitement. No anxiety. No satisfaction. Just calculation.
His fingers moved. He replied with
"Thumbs up"
A second message followed.
"Wait for the signal.
Prepare to move to Plan B2."
Sent.
Phone locked. Back into his pocket. He never broke stride.
______________
The meeting point appeared ahead.
A quieter area near the edge of campus.
Far enough from the main venues to escape most of the crowd.
The sounds of competition became distant.
Muted. Like another world.
Small garden with different kinds of flowers. Bunch of roses at the center.
Tahir arrived first.
Of course he did.
He doesn't usually arrive first in for a meeting. But it's MiMie. So it's always different when it comes to her.
And besides he was curious.
So arriving first gave him time to observe.
Time to think. Time to leave if necessary.
He stopped beneath the open sky.
Hands still in his pockets.
Waiting.
Above him, clouds drifted lazily.
Some were bright. Thin. Weightless.
Others were darker. Heavy with rain.
Moving across the same sky.
Sharing the same horizon.
Yet carrying completely different storms.
Tahir stared upward. Quietly. Thoughtfully.
"Freedom."
The word entered his mind.
Then another.
"Detachment."
Strange concepts.
People talked about freedom as though it were beautiful.
As though it were peaceful.
But clouds were free too.
And storms. And disasters.
And falling things.
Freedom wasn't inherently kind.
Neither was detachment.
Both could be terrifying. Both could destroy.
Both could save.
A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth. Then vanished.
Footsteps approached. He looked down.
Turned.
And saw her.
___________
MiMie.
Standing there.
The wind tugged lightly at loose strands of hair near her face.
She was already dressed for the upcoming lawn tennis match.
The C.A.A insignia stood proudly against her sportswear.
Her hair was tied back. Her posture was straight.
Confident. Focused. Ready.
Yet there was something else beneath that focus.
Something quieter. Something heavier.
A tension hidden behind her eyes.
The kind that only appeared when nobody else was paying attention.
For a brief moment—
A very brief moment—
Tahir simply looked at her.
And the realization hit him unexpectedly.
She looked beautiful.
Not just pretty.
Not just attractive.
Superbly Beautiful.
The sort of beauty that became more dangerous the longer you stared at it.
His breath caught. Only once.
A fraction of a second.
Then years of discipline slammed down on the thought immediately.
Locked it away. Buried it.
Destroyed it before it could grow roots. or open up the past.
Because thoughts became attachments.
Attachments became weaknesses.
And weaknesses became leverage.
Tahir understood that better than most.
By the time MiMie reached him, his face had already returned to its usual calm.
Nothing remained of that fleeting reaction.
Nothing anyone could see.
"Hmm." His eyes met hers.
Steady.Unreadable. "You wanted to see me?"
___________________________
Shackles of the Past
"There you are."
MiMie's voice cut through the distance between them.
Not loud. Not angry.
But sharp enough to make it clear she hadn't come here for a casual conversation.
A gust of wind drifted across the open section of campus, carrying distant cheers from the stadium. Students moved in clusters far away, preparing for the next event, but here, in this quiet stretch of concrete and shadows, it felt like the rest of the world had been muted.
MiMie stopped a few feet away from him.
"I got your text," she said, irritation slipping through every word. "Now tell me—how did you know Safeeyah's little 'accident' was going to happen?"
Tahir didn't answer immediately.
He slowly turned away from her and looked toward the distant crowd instead.
The silence stretched.
"Hmm." His hands slipped into his pockets.
"How I knew wasn't that important." His eyes remained fixed on the horizon.
"I see. However, It's too much of a coincidence. What have you done to Safeeyah." MiMie asked genuinely. "Because I saw it in her eyes, she was battling some emotional pain, even before the race started. So I will ask you again Tahir… what have you done ?".
"Hmm… I haven't done anything to her." He answered firmly. No expression on his face.
MiMie's jaw tightened. "Haven't I told you not to intervene with my revenge plans"
"Again. I have no intentions on intervening with your plans or whatever."
"I see. Whatever then. I don't have time to investigate you properly anyways." MiMie turned around. Started walking away
Tahir spoke.
"But this was not what you came here to ask isn't it ?" Tahir asked casually, knowing well that there is more to the meeting than this.
"Figures…" MiMie replied while she turned around. "
Of course. Always this.
Always making people walk through mazes just to get an answer.
She folded her arms.
"Fine."
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"Isham said she saw you with Afreen yesterday. Right before closing time."
A pause.
"And again about 40 minutes ago. At the bus parking lot."
Her eyes narrowed. "So my question is simple."
Should I be worried again?
Tahir finally glanced sideways at her.
Only for a second. "Hmm."
His expression remained unreadable.
"Were you even worried the last time?"
His lips twitched slightly. "I doubt it."
The bitterness in MiMie's smile deepened.
"I'm glad you brought that up."
For a moment, the confidence left her eyes.
Only a moment. "You know what happened before." Her voice became quieter.
"You know the shackles that were put around our necks."
The words carried more weight than they should have.
Not because of what she said—
but because of what she wasn't saying.
"Until we break them, neither of us is free." She looked away. "And that future we're dreading?"
A long breath escaped her.
"It's still a certainty."
Tahir clicked his tongue softly. "Hmm. Shackles. Dreaded future. Family drama."
He finally turned toward her. "MiMie."
His voice lowered. "What happened 3 and 1/2 years ago created a monster."
A brief pause. "Afreen."
The name lingered between them. "She's hunting all of us now."
Another pause. "And honestly?"
His shoulders lifted slightly. "We kind of deserve it."
MiMie's eyes hardened instantly. "You mean what we did."
The air seemed colder. "You created that monster."
She stepped closer. "Your involvement led to everything." Her voice sharpened."If I hadn't intervened, it would've been worse."
"There you go again." Tahir's response came almost lazily. "Carrying the weight of the world." A small shake of his head "Trying to be responsible for everyone."
His gaze drifted toward a group of students passing in the distance. "Micromanaging every living creature around you."
"And there you go again." The retort came immediately. "Acting like you've figured me out."
MiMie's eyes locked onto his. "You haven't."
There was challenge there.
Pride. History.
"You still deny that I am also capable of what you do best." A faint smile appeared. The dangerous kind. "But go ahead. Keep belittling me." Her eyes narrowed.
"You remember our early childhood, don't you?"
The smile widened slightly. "How I've always been able to read you like a book."
Tahir let out a quiet breath through his nose. "Maybe."
Then his expression became more serious. "But right now you don't seem to understand me, and how I have turned out since you left A.M.A." His eyes settled on her.
"I know… But you know that we had to separate eventually. It has to be that way."
"Yes. We are indeed too toxic for each other." Tahir replied as he lifted his head to look at the clouds
"And we tend to hurt people that surrounds us. But right now, I don't care who I hurt anymore. I want my revenge against A.R.C" MiMie added, with determination in her voice
"Are you sure?. Will you be okay afterwards?" Tahir asked.
"I will be, so long as I win, I am confident in myself." MiMie said
"Hmm…" Tahir sighed "Fine…" then continued.
"But I'm telling you." For the first time, there was no teasing in his voice.
"No sarcasm. With your current state. If you face Afreen on the court today. You're going to hit a reality check you're not ready for."
"Nahh, I'd win. Why?" MiMie smirked and made a fist "…cuz I am MiMie"
"Hmm… I see…" Tahir said.
MiMie looked away. Toward the clouds.
Toward the future she pretended wasn't terrifying.
"Well… what you said about Reality check, Tahir." A faint laugh escaped her. "2031 is still miles away."
Her smile returned, weaker this time. "That's the only reality check I dread."
A pause.
"And you remember what my Aunt Meerah said."
Her fingers tightened around her folded arms. "Everything she predicted came true."
The confidence faded completely.
Something vulnerable appeared underneath. She took a slow breath.
"But Tahir, I swear she's hiding something bigger." Her voice almost dropped to a whisper.
"Something that'll tear the two families apart."
"It won't matter, because the most powerful people in the two families have already agreed to 2031."
Tahir watched her quietly. "Hmm. Do you still think we can escape reality ?"
His tone wasn't mocking. Not entirely.
"Where do you get that energy from?"
"Be that as it may," MiMie replied, lifting her head again, "I still refuse to accept what our parents have planned, in order to appease the two 'Vampire grandparents'. I reject the Marriage pact."
"Hmm. And yet you've never rebelled." Tahir sighed. "Not even once." His gaze sharpened.
"If they ever find out what you've been planning with your aunt?" He paused.
"It'll probably break your Mom and Dad."
"Maybe." MiMie replied. There wasn't even hesitation. "But until the moment of truth…" The old confidence returned. "I'll keep the goody-goody daughter act."
A smirk appeared. "They'll never know what we're up to."
Tahir's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hmm. What if I tell them?"
MiMie laughed. Actually laughed. Then stepped closer.
"Tahir."
There was certainty in her voice. Dangerous certainty.
"I know you. You'd never do that to me."
The distance between them shrank. "You pretend to be cold. Heartless. Detached. To everyone." She continued "But deep down?"
She pointed at his chest. "You care. Specifically about me. Even if you show it in twisted ways."
A smile appeared. "You have always loved me. And you know it."
Tahir looked away first "Hmm." His voice came quieter. "Maybe you're right."
A pause.
"Or maybe you're comforting yourself with the idea that I care." His eyes drifted toward the clouds. "Maybe you're scared of the alternative."
His smile vanished. "That I'm not capable of love." The wind brushed past them.
"Or Maybe I'm just an empty shell walking among people. Dreadful eyes. Empty heart."
He closed
"May be the me, that cared about you, never woke up from that coma, 6 years ago."
MiMie shook her head immediately. "Doesn't matter." Absolute conviction.
"To me, you'll always be Tahir. No one can love you the way I can. No one understands you the way I can."
A pause.
"No matter how far you run…" Her smile softened.
"You will always come back. To me. To infinity and beyond."
For a second—
just a second—
something unreadable flickered through Tahir's eyes.
Then it disappeared.
"Hmm." His lips curved faintly. "Careful with what you are saying. The walls have ears, and Your heart should belong to someone else. And he will be in this school, soon."
MiMie replied "Again, it doesn't matter. Because my heart is also sealed. Just like yours. No room for anyone else."
"MiMie, I think it will matter in the near future. "
"No. It won't, I am as stubborn as you."
"Hmm… fine, I guess we will have to see."
"I bet" MiMie added.
Tahir stared at a bird soaring high above the clouds, drifting and gliding the winds. "Tell me, what if the plan you and your Aunt Meerah fails. What then. ?"
"I don't think it will fail."
"But what if it."
"Ehmm… then I will run away… for good. I will leave behind, the family name and the legacy" MiMie said with much conviction in her heart.
"Hmm… I see… I suppose that's also an option."
"Yeah… it is… You going to run away with me…?" MiMie asked genuinely
Tahir Looked deep into her eyes "Hmm… I guess we will have to wait and see…"
"Ehmm… typical of you." MiMie said
"Anyways, enough with the Family issue and the future that's yet to come." Tahir wanting to change the subject.
He paused. Then.
"Really though. Do you feel confident that you are capable of facing Afreen alone?"
"Capable?… hahaha. It doesn't matter." The answer came without hesitation. "Capacity is overrated.People forget about will."
She pointed toward the stadium. "Capability gives you what?. Gets you to about 45% percent in readiness, in advantage?" A small shrug. "But willpower decides if you use that capability."
"Hmmm." Tahir studied her carefully.
"I was right, both you and Afreen have natured and nurtured skills. But both of you lack something essential."
"What do I lack?"
"Hmm. Interesting question."
"Tahir." A warning. "I don't have time."
"Fine." His expression hardened. "You both have natured skills. But they're domesticated. Civilized. You fight to win. But within limits."
His eyes narrowed. "Even your sneaky tricks are civilized." He continued
"To truly win. You need a third and fourth energy."
MiMie raised an eyebrow.
"The third and fourth? Go on."
"Third." His voice lowered. "Is the wild, uncivilized natured skill. Earned through hardship. It requires abandoning empathy. No pity. No hesitation."
His eyes darkened. "That's how you secure victory.
"So abandon pity entirely?" MiMie asked.
"Yes." Tahir answered. No hesitation.
"Pity causes hesitation. Hesitation destroys capacity."
MiMie stared at him. Then laughed softly.
"You know…" She shook her head. "That's actually deep." A smirk appeared.
"But no thanks. I'll beat Afreen my way. Still appreciate your insanity though."
"Hmm." Tahir sighed and closed his eyes. "Ignore my advice. It's not like I care who wins."
"Whatever." She turned away. "I'm leaving."
She took several steps.
Then stopped.
Something occurred to her.
She looked back.
"You didn't give Afreen similar advice, right?"
"Hmm." The faintest smirk returned on Tahir's face. "Why do you care?. Scared?"
"I'm not." The answer came too quickly. "But if you help her take me down?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I won't forgive you."
"Hmm. I didn't help her. And I don't care who wins." Tahir gave his answer.
A pause.
"You two are equally troublesome." He folded his arms. "I'm trying to avoid both of you."
"Fine." She waved him off.
"See you around, Tahir."
Then she disappeared into the hallways.
Gone.
The noise of the competition returned.
The cheers. The announcements. The movement of students.
Yet Tahir remained where he stood.
Watching the place where she had vanished.
Silent.
"Sometimes MiMie was so focused on future disasters that she couldn't see the one standing directly in front of her.
She had no idea what was happening beneath the surface.
No idea how many layers existed underneath the story she thought she understood.
Maybe that was for the best.
Because when she finally learned the truth—
when she discovered how deeply I was involved—
next semester wouldn't merely hurt her.
It would destroy everything she is building towards.
And she wasn't ready for what's to come.
Not yet."
Tahir slowly exhaled.
A cloud drifted overhead.
For now…
He would help her. As Afreen suggested.
And because he was curious.
Curious about Afreen's plan.
Curious about how far she was willing to go.
Curious about which monster would blink first.