SaHil FF - The Phoenix - Chapter 8 - Page 14 - Page 9

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Chapter 7

The room was so silent you could hear the faint rush of the ocean from miles away.

All eyes swung like pendulums between the identical girls. No one moved or possibly even breathed since the other girl was discovered in the room. Dilshad clutched her chest in agony and Rehan rushed to her side to set her down on the sofa.

"Badi ammi" Sanam screamed and jumped out from Aahil's reach. He felt the loss of her immediately. She grabbed Dilshad's had and rubbed vigorously while chanting her name

"Aydin" Rehan bellowed above Dilshad's head and after a few minutes the doctor came bounding in the room with a bandaged up Haya in tow. They both skidded to a stop as they saw Sanam's duplicate standing in the doorway. Aydin's gaze flickered over to Dilshad and he jumped into action.

Aahil wanted to go over to comfort Sanam but he decided to keep an eye on the stranger whose eyes never left Dilshad and Sanam. He was not going to let her out of his sight until he got to the bottom of this.

Once Dilshad had received a shot for her anxiety attack and was sitting up everyone relaxed a tad. Dilshad grasped Sanam's hand and tried to speak but Aahil beat her to it.

"Who are you?" He began while slowly stalking over to where the other girl stood.

A look-alike sent here to harm my family? ... wait... my family? Yes, you idiot, they are your family. SHE is your family' Aahil shook his head slightly to clear the unwanted voices from his head.

The girl held her ground. She initially seemed timid and weak but as she prepared to face the firing squad Aahil saw the fire brimming beneath the surface. She stuck her chin out meeting his gaze head on.

Where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, that's the look of defiance I get every day since Miss Fights-A lot came into my life. What is going on?' He stopped a few feet short of the girl on her right while the others were to her left. The girl glanced around her and realization dawned that she was trapped.

That's right girlie. No room for escape'

"I will only ask one more time... who are you?" Aahil's voice got deadly sharp.

"I-I-I'm..."

"Seher" came the name from two different voices on the sofa.

All eyes went to Dilshad and... Aydin.

Sanam gaped at Dilshad while Aydin got up and made his way to Seher. He opened his arms and she ran into it without hesitation. He engulfed her in a bear sized embrace while all the other inhabitants in the room stood awestruck.

Rehan slowly stood up from the couch not noticing that his hands closed into fists. Sanam did though and she reached out to grab Rehan's hand. The tension partly drained out of him but his eyes never left the embracing couple. Aahil's eyes captured every moment. It was like a hot knife to his heart.

As Seher eased out of Aydin's embrace she steeled herself to give her story. Aydin squeezed her hand and assured her with his eyes that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Why don't we all sit down? I suspect this is going to be a very bumpy ride." She started nervously.

Everyone agreed and Seher sat on the love seat with Aydin as Haya sat next to Dilshad. Rehan stood next to Sanam while Aahil policed next to Haya.

Sanam, who at this point had not said another word, felt a premonition of reckoning at hand. She was certain that the words this girl would utter would irrevocably change her life forever. She was afraid for Dilshad, Haya and herself but she spoke softly to Seher "Go on... please"

Seher looked at the ladies on the sofa, who all had tears in their eyes, and she felt her own eyes go moist. She concentrated on a thread unraveling from the cushion on the chair and began in a shaky breath,

"Twenty years ago my family suffered a terrible tragedy. My entire family was attacked by a demon. A demon in the form of a woman. She brutally murdered my family and set our house ablaze.

I was playing outside with my badi ammi, my sister and my cousin when they went inside and left me alone playing with my dolls. After a bit I went looking for my badi ammi and found the horror that awaited me.

I found my aunt first, she was in her bathroom lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed multiple times in her stomach. I screamed at her to get up but she wasn't moving."

Seher's eyes flickered to Haya's and when they met she knew Haya understood everything she was saying. She looked down and continued,

"I stumbled out of the room screaming for help. I ran into the next open door and found my grandfather hung from the ceiling. He stared at me with unmoving eyes and I screamed louder and ran from there.

I screamed for my ammi, abbu, sister, badi ammi - for anyone to help but no one came. I heard noises coming from my parent's room. I rushed in and found them lying on the floor with stab wounds all over their bodies. They were still alive but just barely. I ran over to them, crying and begging them to get up.

My abbu pulled me close and put his hand on my head to give me his blessing. He smiled his beautiful smile at me as the tears dripped from his eyes. My ammi called out for me but she started coughing. I ran to her and she held my face in her hands. Blood spilled from her lips as her breathing became shallow.

She told me, "You girls are our angels and always remember that your ammi and abbu love you both very much. Always remember that! You have to be a brave girl and protect your sister and your ammi. Find them and run as far away from here as you can. Do you hear me Seher? You need to run away and never come back. I don't want her to hurt you." She pulled me in and kissed the top of my head.

"Ya Allah, please protect my girls forever."

Seher shook violently as she recounted the story and Rehan made a move toward her. Aydin waved him off and pointed to Seher. It was as though she was in a trance and the words were just spilling out of her. He glanced over at the ladies on the couch. Tears were streaming down their faces as they held each other close absorbing Seher's words.

She continued in her somber voice, "She coughed again and this time the blood came gushing out of her mouth. She wiped it away as she knew it was scaring me. She squeezed my hand as we heard a noise coming towards the room. It sounded like a knife scraping the wall. She started to panic and tried to get up but she couldn't. She told me to run but I didn't want to move.

"Run!" my parents both screamed at me and I got up. There was nowhere to go so I hid myself in the cupboard. This demon came back into the room and told my parents that she killed the rest of the family and that she was going to enjoy watching them take their last breaths.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to stifle a scream. She killed my badi ammi? My sister? My cousin? I couldn't bear it. I wanted to run to my ammi and abbu and die right there with them. I didn't want to live if the rest of my family was dead. My ammi kept her eyes on me even as that..."

Seher's voice broke. She punched her hand violently hard into the couch, "... that demon stabbed my parents again. As they breathed their last, they grasped each other's hand and this seemed to infuriate her even more. She became even more hysterical and ran out of the room.

I waited and waited for her to come back but she didn't all the while I stared at my parents dead on the floor - their blood everywhere. I smelled the smoke even before I saw the fire.

There was nothing left for me to live for. I closed my eyes and prayed for Allah to reunite me with my family but I only passed out from smoke inhalation. When I came to I was in an orphanage. I didn't know what happened to the rest of my family and I screamed so much that eventually I stopped speaking.

Two weeks later, someone found me and I was taken to New York. There I met Zeenat Ammi and Anwar Abbu. I remembered them vaguely from video chats but I was already lost."

Seher got choked up and was immediately handed a glass of water by Rehan. Their fingers brushed igniting a spark that neither understood at that moment.

She nodded her thanks and took a cool sip as she composed herself. With another cleansing breathe she continued, "They cried all the time but I was just numb. I would go up to the roof top and just stare at the sky. That's where I met Aydin."

She looked over gratefully at Aydin and squeezed his hand. He took over the tale from there.

"When I met Seher she never spoke. We would always bump into each other on the roof top when I would be hiding from a thrashing from my mum for doing something naughty. We eventually became friends and I did everything I could to make her laugh. One day she did and she didn't stop for hours. The laughing turned into to crying and I ran down to get her family.

They all held on to each other and cried that night together but after that it seemed as though they crossed a hurdle and move on a little. I never knew what happened t make them that way but after seeing them like that I never asked.

She began talking a little and gradually came back into her own. She was wicked smart, stubborn and challenged me on everything."

Sounds like someone I know' Aahil scoffed. All eyes turned to him and that's when he realized he said that out loud.

Oh shit!'

"Sorry, something in my throat. Please continue." Aahil cleared his throat and refocused on Aydin.

Aydin gave a small smile and continued. We were best buddies, inseparable and loyal to a fault. We were what she called "ride or dies". Aydin rolled his eyes at Seher's nick name for them and she giggled. The tension in the room deflated a little as he continued.

"We went to school together and it was because of Seher that I decided to become a doctor to help anyone who may have suffered as she did. She's exceptional with computers and cars. The government even recruited her for her expertise in cyber security. On her recommendation, they hired me as well for my medical expertise and specialty regarding those suffering from PTSD."

Seher blushed and Rehan felt his insides turn to jelly.

"Anyway, as to the reason we are here. It was only after being employed by the government that she told me the entire story of her family .She had always hoped that someone of the family had escaped and with her current connections she put out feelers to see if there were any hits. Months went by without any information but then a report of a dhabba fire came in from the police station and the owner's description matched hers exactly.

She took the next flight out to India and I followed her. She told me go Bhopal and report if there was any activity there. Imagine my shock when I ran into you, Sanam and badi ammi. I never knew you were identical twins and I almost blew my cover then. When badi ammi had a heart attack I knew I didn't have much time. I called her and she was on her way to meet you but she was activated for a special project and had to return to the US. So I stayed back to keep you all safe until her return.

She was on her way back this weekend when the Goa trip came up so she decided to meet us here instead. She was at the market when the blast when off and I lost track of her."

Aydin got up and walked over to Rehan. He pulled him into a hug and thumped him on the back. "Thank you for saving her. My world would have been lost if anything happened to her."

Humbled by all that he heard that evening, he just looked at Seher and muttered, "Mine too."

Aydin caught those whispered words and looked back at Seher was seemed equally trapped in Rehan's eyes.

Hmmm...' Aydin thought.

"Seher?" came the quite request from across the room. All three ladies were standing, huddled close together, hot tears streaming down their faces. Dilshad held her arms open just as Aydin did before. Seher slowly made her way across the room and found herself in the warm, loving embrace of her badi ammi's arms.

Dilshad ensconced her in her arms and she felt safe - just as she did when she was five years old. She held on for a long time and when she finally broke free another pair of arms wrapped around her instantly.

Haya finally had the missing pieces of that tragic day. She held on to Seher tightly wanting to erase all those years and go back to that day. Seher signed to her that everything was ok now and that she was glad to be with her.

Seher looked over to Sanam and she let Haya go to move over to her. Sanam had still not said a word. Seher could tell she was brimming with anger by the little tremors that wracked her body. The two stared at each other intently mapping out each other face.

It was like looking into a mirror for both of them and they would have been identical except for the little mole just on the top of Sanam's ear.

It was eerie - even for them.

Sanam's anger exploded without warning. She was enraged but did not know how to communicate herself properly so she lashed out at Dilshad.

"Why haven't you ever told me this badi ammi? How my parents were murdered? That I had a sister? A twin sister at that. Why did you keep this from me? Why? How could you do this to me? To ME?" She screamed.

Aahil ran over to grab her but she evaded him, "Don't you touch me Mr. Aahil Razaa Ibrahim! Don't you ever touch me again!"

She turned on her heel and ran outside to the verandah. Rehan ran after her as Dilshad collapsed on the sofa in tears.

"Badi ammi!" Seher cried as she held her. "She's in shock. Please don't take it to heart. She'll be fine. See Rehan went after her. She always calms down when she's with him. She'll be fine."

Two hearts twinged with that statement as Aahil and Seher both stared at the open door that Sanam and Rehan just walked through.

Chapter 8

Sanam was suffocating!

She couldn't breathe!

She had to get away. She ran down the steps and just kept running not knowing where she was going. Rehan came out just in time to see the flash of her clothes slip around the hedges.

He ran after her calling her name.

Sanam kept running and finally found herself on the beach when she couldn't run anymore. She dropped on her knees. She dug her hands into the sands and grabbed the loose sand tightly.

She closed her eyes and screamed.

She screamed and screamed.

She screamed for the loss of her parents, of her sister.

Something settled in the sand next to her and she felt arms wrap themselves securely around her.

She breathed in Rehan's scent and calmed a bit. Her screams turned into strangled cries as she let go of the sand and fisted her hands in his shirt. He cupped her head and just held her tightly against him.

Sanam raged and cried but he never let her go.

He held her as though she was the most precious thing. Sanam finally sagged against him, exhausted and spent of tears. Rehan quickly texted Aydin to let them know they were ok. They both sat and faced the water in comfortable silence.

There was no need for words. The steady rhythm of the waves crashing against the shore soothed them both. Rehan now understood his connection to Sanam.

They were kindred souls - knowing the pain and loss of parents - but he would not burden her with his tale just yet.

The skies burst into a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors as the sun began to set.

"Why did she keep this from me Rehan? Did she think I deserved to know?" Sanam questioned in a small voice.

"Maybe she was just trying to protect you. Think about it Sanam. How do you think she would have felt about that day? It was a horrific, gruesome ordeal to witness.

Someone murdered her children and she had to protect her grandchildren. There was no one to help her and she ran to protect you and Haya."

"But why- why can't I remember?"

"Well Aydin mentioned PTSD and sometimes when people go through very traumatic situations their brain only operates on survival mode. All the other memories get trapped.

You are lucky - some people with PTSD get trapped with those memories and relive them all the time. You are the opposite - your brain chose not to remember - to protect you... so it must have been really bad." Rehan finished quietly.

Sanam nodded slowly as she let Rehan's words sink in. She knew rationally that Dilshad wasn't to blame but all the impotent anger she felt for the monster that murdered her family manifested into a force she couldn't control and she had to unleash it somehow.

Thank you Allah Miyan that Rehan was here to help me.' She closed her eyes and the image of Aahil's hurt stricken face bubbled up in her mind. She shouldn't have been so rude to him. Being close to him surely drove her batty but his touch had a way of reaching her that Rehan's never would.

She knew that.

She didn't understand why she felt that way but she knew he was important in her life.

Rehan cleared his throat. "They must be worried. You gave us all quite a scare. Ready to head back?"

"Sure"

They both collected themselves and started the trek back to the haveli. Rehan offered to call the house for a car but Sanam preferred to walk. As they strolled leisurely back to the house, Rehan kept a watchful eye on the surroundings as he knew the threat of Sunshine Corporation was still looming over them all.

As they turned into the driveway, dread instantly descended upon them. They had not taken but five steps towards the house when a large, angry explosion forced them away from the house.

They both groaned as they slowly shook off the effects of the blast. Sanam screamed and made an attempt for the house. Rehan grabbed her around the waist and picked her up off the floor.

"Badi ammi! Haya!" Sanam wailed.

A loud screech drew their attention. A large black van pulled into the drive way and right up to them.

Rehan pushed Sanam behind him; prepared to fight with his hands as he wasn't armed. He prayed that Allah would protect them. Aydin's head popped out from the back and he yelled, "Get in! We've got to go!"

Rehan grabbed Sanam and threw her in the back as the van sped off. Sanam screamed and kicked to be set free. Aydin gave her a sedative and it was the last thing she remembered as she unwillingly drifted off into nothingness.

When she came to, she was laying on a bunk bed in a room with crying voices. Her head felt like it weighed a ton. Seher's narrative played in her mind punctuated by the explosion and all Sanam wanted to do was never wake up.

It was all too painful.

Tender hands shook her.

"Sanam! Sanam! Please wake up. Please wake up! Sanam"

She knew that voice, it was badi ammi!

She must be close now.

Water splashed on her face and she was violently jerked back into reality. She opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by Dilshad and Haya. She was in disbelief as the two ladies wrapped their arms around her and began sobbing.

"Badi ammi! I'm so sorry for yelling at you. Please forgive me. Please forgive me Haya. I'm so sorry" Sanam cried in their arms.

"It's ok beta. We forgive you. You are safe and that's all that matters. We were so scared."

Seher walked into the room and stood by the foot of the bed. Dilshad and Haya let Sanam go and she stood up to meet Seher.

Words were unnecessary just then as Sanam held gathered Seher her tightly.

All that responsibility on a five year old was too much. Sanam loved her sister for being brave and living on. Seher finally let out the breath she felt she was holding on to for twenty years.

The room pulsed with a faint vibration and Dilshad swore she could feel Asad's and Zoya's presence at that moment when their daughters safely reunited. The girls held on for a long time and when they released each other they undoubtedly knew that they would be the force to protect their family.

"The explosion! What happened? How did we get here?" Sanam inquired.

"After you left, we were talking when I got a call from the unit I have stationed with me here in Goa." Seher explained.

"They told us about a suspicious van speeding away from the grounds and when they went to investigate they found a bomb. We had everyone evacuate but Aahil went with them to see if they could diffuse the bomb.

We all left and Aydin went with another van to look for you and Rehan. They couldn't disarm the bomb and it went off.

A few of them were badly injured but all lived. We came to this safe house and set up a make shift infirmary down the hall where they are getting treatment before we can move them to a hospital."

All the blood drained from Sanam's face.

Aahil!

She sprinted out of the room and ran like the wind down to the infirmary. There were a few occupied beds.

She scanned them all.

On the last bed she saw his sunglasses on the cot and she hear Aydin tell someone, "He's not doing so well. He lost a lot of blood and we need to get him to a hospital now."

Sanam almost fainted upon hearing those words. She took a deep breath and inched forward to see him. She saw the team stabilize the man and prepare a stretcher to move him. As they flew by Sanam she didn't get a chance to see his face.

"Aahil!" She cried and sank to the floor as the team left her sight.

"Aahil"

A pair of strong hands lifted her off the floor and turned her around.

"Sanam? Oh My God! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Aahil held her arms tightly as he spoke.

Truth be told he had been going crazy trying to get information about her safety and whereabouts since they were tipped off about the bomb.

He stayed back because he knew everything about the house and knew how to get to where the bomb was to save time.

They got out just in time before the bomb detonated. If he hadn't have been there all those innocent lives would have been lost.

He shuddered at the thought.

When he got to the safe house and she wasn't there yet he went mental. He kept pacing the entrance until the vans came but they needed help in the medic bay so he missed her entry and when he went to find her they said she took off.

"Ouch! You're hurting my arms." Sanam cried.

He left go instantly and looked down at the ground.

Whack! Sanam hit him on the chest.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

"What do you think of yourself? Always trying to be dabaang? To be the hero? What if you had gotten hurt huh?"

"Ow! Stop that!" Aahil grabbed her wrists in his hands and forced them down to her sides. That action forced Sanam right up to his chest as he held her hands down.

She struggled to get free as she seethed in his face, "You are so irritating. You know that?"

"Without a doubt" He smirked.

He stared into her eyes as she breathed fire and he was completely mesmerized.

She was magnificent!

Sanam looked into his eyes and all the fight drained from her.

A different type of fire now fuelled her veins. Her eyes did the slow motion travel down from his eyes, to his nose and they came to a tantalizing stop on his lips.

She licked her own in response.

Aahil almost had a heart attack!

He watched her eyes drift slowly down to his mouth and when she licked her lips he almost took her right there.

He inclined his head forward and her eyes fluttered close in response.

Just a little closer...

"Unhand my grand daughter you foul man!"

Aahil immediately dropped his hands and turned to face the unfamiliar voice from behind them. His broad shoulders blocked Sanam from view and she had to tip toe to see above them.

She put her hand on his back to stabilize himself and Aahil felt the heat radiate through his entire body.

Sanam felt Aahil's body tense as he confronted the person before them.

"Who are you?"

"I am her badi ammi and I will not have you man handling her in front of me. Get lost creep!"

"You are not her badi ammi. I know her badi ammi"

"Obviously she can have more than one Einstein."

"My patience is wearing thin lady... I won't ask again. Who are you?"

"I'm her other badi ammi... Razia."

Wowww this is getting so damn interesting! Continue soon!!!! 😳

Omg so many twists n turns...m loving it.bring it on

wht a twist hehr contonue dooon

Awesome atory.. after long time reading an FF on QH forum. Read first part.. i am alredy liking it.. will read therest soon...