An adventure built for us

Chapter 12

~Elham~

I looked up at my parent's faces, staring at me bluntly. I felt fear creep up and down my spine. It was time that I face the music, I placed my bag on the single sofa in the room, and watched them.

She slapped me, I held my face and watched my father tear up. How the Jahannam (hell) does that even make sense…I did not know how to feel, I felt more upset then afraid. My mother began waving my medical records in my face, everything around me began spinning. The four tiny walls I grew up in suddenly felt like a prison.

I swallowed all the disrespect I was about to throw at them, leaving the house. Yes, they finally found out about what I had done, my relationship with Zayn, the drugs, partying and all-round me being a disappointment.

My parents want Zayn to compensate me through marriage 'fixing what he broke… '. The thought made me shiver, the guy had driven me to therapy once and I'm sure he'll be pleased to do it again. I was upset… but not upset enough to go back to my old ways. I put in a lot of effort and time into becoming an assertive person and, I'm not going to allow anyone to take that away from me.

***

"Elham!" I yelled out to her

She stayed at the house for a few days without a word being said.

" come on, you can't behave like this, your my maid of honor, and lord forbid that your this depressed a few weeks from now!"

Still no response, I hope she's not dead. When she appeared a few days earlier she spoke to my parents and then never left her room, not to eat, not for fresh air. I think the rebellious teen phase hit her in her twenties, she had always been the darling in the family. I let her be, it was of no use she would not budge, she let my parents in but did not respond to me.

I had a boot camp for karate a few weeks before the wedding. At least for a week, I will not hear anything about it, that was what I wanted to tell Elham. I needed to let her know that I won't be home….but she wants everyone to beg her to talk to her… imagine.

I packed my clothing and left with Mutaq, he dropped me over to the ladies' section and rushed to the male's side. No mixing of genders in Islam. There were 4 of us chosen for the boot camp, the rest were from where ever they came from. It was hot, 34 degrees Celsius at most.

Strict rules, proper uniform, fixed eating, sleeping, and work out routines. The girls from my dojo were not the ones I grew up with. Since my arrival they just had gossip sessions about me and sabotaged my protection gear… not that I need them, everyone becomes your competition at some point in this industry.

I avoided them, it's been the same in high school as well as uni, I would have girls behave like girls… which I don't blame them for, I'm quite an interesting topic.

We start tomorrow. Up at 5 back into bed by 8. Killer activities in the sun with only two meals a day, if you miss curfew you get punished. I survived, I was placed through terrible conditions since I started doing karate again, so my body was a little use to everything.

We would bump into the boys here and there and meet for the karate part which was for at least an hour. They included self-defense classes, weaponry as well as archery during the program. I had zero time to contact my spouse to be, and if I were free I either had a bandage to put on or a sprained muscle to tend to.

Elham had not contacted me since I left… another stressful situation that needs to be tended to as soon as I get back.

" do you need help?" she asked after tying her hair into a bun

"no need I'm all good," I say fighting the bandage around my knee

"I'm Ameera, it feels good knowing that I won't be the only Muslim girl going to Japan," she said, fixing the bandage with ease

I look at her for a while without saying a word. " I'm Nura, pleasure to meet you as well… and I had no idea that everyone here was selected for the program?"

" they choose the top dojos per province and then selected the top 10, 5 males and 5 females… soon we'll be having a short competition here to reduce it to 2 girls and 2 boys per dojo."

"Interesting. I love how my sensei left that part out."

She smiles, " now you know, can't wait to see if I make it..."

" I'm sure you'll do well, what's your name again."

"Ameera."

" surprising normally girls with the name Ameera are timid and prefer doing nothing violent."

"one in a million."

She was gorgeous, her physic yelled gentle but watching her go against the other females was jaw-dropping. Her technique, how she instantly had a different fighting style for each opponent, and the way she would instantly read her opponents. Her katas were heavenly as well.

I felt a little intimidated, she was beautiful and strong. Had zero blemishes or scars. I on the other hand was another story. The competition was over and I made it, I had no idea if Mutaq did as well. I took a train home after the event, I will be seeing Ameera a few weeks from now in Japan, under a beautiful cherry blossom tree.

I arrived home with a week left before the final day. It will be over soon I thought. I won't have to go through anything of this sort once it's over. I was extremely excited for my trip. I could not believe that I made it, the only female in my dojo. My sensei was extremely upset and removed the other girl for not knowing a basic Kata, not sure if he will change his mind.

I was treated like a queen for the next few days, showered with blessings and gifts. Given attention and love, if only it were for the right reasons. My wedding dress was beautiful, a white ball gown and next to it a red one filled with jewels. I knew my mother had an eye for expensive extravagant material, but the two dresses… they were perfect for a simpleton like me!

Maybe I misunderstood the people that lived around me for as long as I can remember. They always wanted the best for me, but how would you notice if Image is prioritized. Quite understandable as father had to keep up with all his billionaire friends, they sacrificed their happiness for an image build for them, sadly the did not realize that they were only repeating what was done to them.

Can I blame them though, I mean my siblings turned out exactly the way my parents wanted them to, involved in the families business with their own families to tend to.

children from my father's previous marriage, so I have the bond of an atom with them, but as long as we share the same blood, they will forever have my love.