Masqué Chapter 4

I felt groggy, my muscles were asleep and every part of my body felt numb.

"Omar, we weren't supposed to bring her back. We need to take her back to Switzerland, before she finds out.."

"How? We can't take her back now, they've seen her. They won't let us."

"What if she finds out?"

"We won't let her find out."

The following voices were faint, I recognized them as my parent's whispers. My eyes were open now, I was staring at their backs.

"Find out what?" I pushed the words out of my mouth before I could stop them. My voice startled my mother and she quickly turned around to look at me.

"Ha shnu 7bebty?" Her voice was shake-y.

"Find out what?" I repeated. I was in my bed at my Grandmother's house, I tried to sit up but that caused a sharp pain to flood back into my head.

"Baba g3day, la etgoumeen!" Dad hurried over to my side, forcing me to lay back down.

"Answer me." My eyes stared deep into my Dad's nervous ones.

"Ma gilna shay about you finding out about anything. Honey, you're tired, you need to rest." Mom recomposed her posture and looked perfectly confident of her words, it made me question if I really did hear their voices or not.

Was the conversation I heard just another memory or flashback like the one with the little boy? What was going on?

My parents both gave me a little smile before leaving the room, forcing the subject to end. They switched the lights off before they left, causing my eyes to feel heavy again.


I quickly grabbed the switch for the lamp next to me, switching a light on so I could stay awake.  My gut feeling told me that there was something going on. I pushed the heavy blanket off of me and tip toed to over where my bedroom door was.


I pressed my ear against the door and listened closely.


Nothing.


I pressed my hand against the door knob, feeling the cool metal against my fingers as I turned it, pulling the door open. I dipped my head through the gap and found no one walking down the hall.


I couldn't help but notice that there was faint music coming out of Nawaf's room.


Nawaf!

 The little boy.. could it be Nawaf? 

But I was never in Kuwait before, that image I got didn't look like Switzerland at all..

I needed answers.

Now.


I was dressed in shorts and a shirt, I grabbed a jacket draping it over me to cover up before I walked over to Nawaf's bedroom door. I pressed my ear against his door, listening closely.

I heard Good Charlotte's song "Counting the Days" in the background.

"Mm, good taste in music." I murmured to myself, my cheek up against Nawaf's bedroom door.

And then suddenly, the door opened. I nearly fell down to the ground but I held onto the wall which supported my weight.

I looked up and found Nawaf with a grin on his face.

He caught me.

"Amal, shitsaween?" Nawaf was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Uhm.. I was, uhm.." I looked around, trying to gesture to my room and then to his. As if that explained why I was eavesdropping.


"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Nawaf lifted one of his eyebrows up, a piece of paper in his hand.



"Uhm, I-I.. couldn't, uhm, sleep." I bit down my bottom lip, my eyes not meeting his intense dark ones.


"Amal, when you bite your lip, it means you're lying." Nawaf stated, but a look of regret passed his face when his words slipped out of his mouth.



"Huh.. wait, how do you know that?" Now I was the suspicious one, my eyes were now on his hand, I could vaguely see what he was holding. It was a picture of the little boy I saw in my head but Nawaf's fingers were blocking the rest of the picture.



Nawaf caught me looking at his hand, he quickly covered the picture up with his fingers.


"It always works on girls." Nawaf said harshly. His words distracted me.

Did that mean he was a player now?


"Nawaf, stop lying." Suddenly, I had a gut feeling he was lying too. His eyes weren't meeting with mine anymore, they weren't as clear.


"W-what?" Nawaf looked taken aback, he looked back into my eyes.

I took this chance to dig my fingers into his so I can slip the picture out of his hands when he was distracted.


I grabbed the picture and gave him my back so he couldn't take the picture back. I opened my hand, unfolded the picture and nearly gasped.

There was a little boy with dark eyes in the picture, he was sticking out his tongue at the camera and the little girl wore a pink dress, she looked like a ballerina and she had the same dimple as mine.


It was me in the picture.

That could only prove one thing.

The little boy was Nawaf.



I felt Nawaf's arms wrap around me so his fingers could yank away the picture from my hands. I felt his warm chest against my back for a few seconds before he backed away.


"B-but, I was born in Switzerland." I turned around to look at Nawaf with a confused expression.

"You weren't born in Switzerland." Nawaf's eyes looked pained, his fingers wrapped tightly around the picture, as if he was protecting it.


"What do you mean I wasn't born there?!" I took a step away from him, fear taking over me.


"You had amnesia and then-" Nawaf's was about to explain but his eyes suddenly tore away from mine and were staring at something else behind me. I turned around and found that my mother was standing behind me, with an angry expression.

"Amal, shitsaween ga3da m3a Nawaf? Riday darich al7een." I've never heard my mother's voice so angry before. It terrified me, I obeyed and hurried back into my room, closing the door behind me.


I had my ear pressed up against my bedroom door, trying to listen to Mom and Nawaf's conversation. I only heard a few words.

"Stay away from Amal or else you're going to regret it." I heard my mother hiss, her voice terrifying. I heard her heels click clack against the ground, nearing closer and closer to my room. I quickly slipped into bed, switched off the lamp light next to my bed and acted asleep.

Mom entered my room, stared at me for a few long seconds before closing the door again. When I opened my eyes again in the dark, I noticed that my hands were shaking.

-


-Flashback-

"Amal, promise me we'll always be best friends." Nawaf's childish smile was in view. We were hiding in the closet together and we were playing hide and seek.  I could smell the odor from the shoes that were in the closet, I had my tiny fingers closing up my nose in order to block out the smell.

"I promise." My voice was nasal-y since I was holding my nose.

"Haha Amal, your voice." Nawaf giggled, I could barely see his face in the dark.

"Nawaf I can't see you properly in the dark." I pouted, I was afraid of the dark and too stubborn to admit it.


"Etkhafeen Amal?" Nawaf asked.


"La2 ana ma akhaf." I jutted out my bottom lip but the fear was exceeding. I felt Nawaf's little fingers wrap around my free hand, holding onto it.


"Amal, don't be scared. I'll kill the monsters if they try to hurt you." Nawaf gave me a wide grin, showing off his missing teeth.


"Legeitkom!" I heard a woman's voice, she pulled the door to the closet open.

Before I could find out who the woman was, I felt the harsh rays of the sun disturb my sleep. I was back in my room again, my body feeling worn out.


Was that a dream? Nawaf was with me.

 Were my parents lying about where I was born? Were they keeping me away from my family? 

What was going on and why would Nawaf say I had amnesia?  

And if I did have amnesia, why would my parents keep me away from my family so long?



Who was lying? And who was telling me the truth?


"Amal, yalla bini6la3." I heard a few knocks and Bibi's voice.


I forced my body out of bed and went into the shower. I needed a long relaxing hour just under the water. I didn't care if I made the Bibi late, I just needed the relief of forgetting about what happened yesterday for 60 minutes.

Once I was done, my skin was all wrinkled. It faded after 10 minutes as I began to pull on a pair of jeans and a tucked in button down shirt. I paired my outfit with a blazer, my Chanel bag and let my light wavy hair loose.

I pushed my Raybans over my hair, using it as a hair band as I was hurrying down to the living room.


"Asmaa, weinha Bibi?" I asked Asmaa once I found her sitting by the kitchen, next to the living room.


"Lal7een ma khale9at. Hey, shsaweitay ams? I didn't see you all day." Asmaa has a quizzical look.


"What do you mean?" I asked her, confused too.


"I asked your Dad where you were and he said you were out all night." Asmaa replied while she had a bagel in her hand.


So they didn't know I fainted yesterday night? 

 Makes sense on why Bibi would tell me to get ready to go out. 

But Nawaf knew, how did he know? 

Did he find me in the hall, on the ground?


And why would my Dad lie to Asmaa?


"Oh." I replied in an emotionless tone.


"Morning." I heard Nawaf's voice. I quickly turned around to look at Nawaf, he wouldn't look at me. He was wearing a blue A&F shirt that complimented his tanned skin and a pair of white shorts.



"Morning." Asmaa mumbled, with her bagel stuffed into her mouth.


Nawaf grabbed a bagel from Asmaa's plate and turned around to leave the house, his Wrangler car keys in his hand. I watched him leave, his eyes still not meeting mine.



What was that?

"Yalla, lets go to Avenues. It's not like 360, it has loads of shops." Bibi was finally in the kitchen now, standing next to me in her long flow-y one shoulder shirt and her denim skinny jeans.


"O-okay." I stuttered, my thoughts about Nawaf and my parents still whirring around in my head.


Asmaa was grounded (she can't go out or use her phone) because of the incident with the guys in 360, so Bibi and I left the house alone.

The car ride took about 15 minutes.


I was used to the small stores in Switzerland and the open malls, Avenues was closed and had AC blasting inside because of the hot climate. I stared at the long stretched out stores, trying to find the familiar ones I usually shopped at back at Switzerland.


"Amal, look." Bibi nudged my shoulder as we were walking past H&M. She gestured to the guy in the polo shirt behind me.


"What?" I asked, looking at the guy. The guy caught me looking, he gave me an easy smile but I ignored him and turned back around.



"Amal, it's Saif." Bibi's eyes were twinkling.



"What?" I turned around to look at the guy again. It was Saif.

Saif approached us, leaving his friends behind.


"Shitsawoun?" Saif's eyes were on me, his smile still intact. I pointed the plastic bags I was holding, as if it wasn't obvious enough.


"Ahaa, you girls and your shopping." Saif laughed. Bibi laughed awkwardly in response.


I felt a few eyes on us and I began to feel awkward too.



"Oooh, Nawaf ehny?" Saif's eyes traveled to the right.


Nawaf? 

I turned around to where Saif was looking. I found Nawaf sitting by Starbucks outside, he had two cool drinks in his hands and he was walking towards a table.


My eyes were on him, he looked like he was about to approach a table that a girl was sitting at.

My eyes nearly bulged out of it's sockets when I caught Nawaf sitting in a table where a petite girl with short black hair that framed her cheekbones was sitting at.


Nawaf gave the girl a wide smile, handing her one of his drinks.


Nawaf felt my stare once he was seated, he turned his head and his eyes locked with mine.


I saw shock behind his dark eyes.