Wonder

Sitting at home after the exam wondering what happened to Derek and why his father showed up, she could not help but worry.

After the exams she had heard that Derek did not write the exam but left with his father. She tried to text him, call him, but there was no response. She was afraid to make a call to his father's number.

Taaliyah had the hot pakoras mother made her for snack and waited until the sun set to go sit on the terrace. She had the habit of reading webtoons sitting on the terrace. She wanted to keep the troubles off her head and decided to read the webtoon "Bringing Nation's Husband Home" a popular story on the webnovel platform. When she started reading it from where she stopped the last time it gave her even more tension about Lu Jinnian and Qiao An Hao than her own problem. Once her fast passes got over, she paused reading and sat looking at the pink sky with an egg yolk sun hidden almost behind the cloud before it bid farewell for the day.

Taaliyah got up since she had the exams the next day too. Social science it was. Her favourite. She decided to quickly read through the portions. She had already enough knowledge about the revolutions and struggles happened in her country and around the world. She also had to learn about few personalities. As she read them, her mind kept thinking about Derek wondering if he would be reading the textbook and attend the next day's exams. Wondering whether his mother is okay or not.

"Taaliyah come for dinner," Nihala, her mother called her. Her father had come back from the bakery. Taaliyah heard her father complaining about how Nara is not calling him everyday.

"Does she call you?" Nihala ignored the question and tried to avoid a fight. Taaliyah did not respond either but she kept in touch with her sister through messages 24 hours a days. Nara is finally free from the prison. That's what she felt reading her sister's message and seeing the pictures she send Taaliyah showing her classroom, her kitchen, her uniform, her few new friends, her campus, the garden, everything looked beautiful and worth fighting for. She mentioned that she is also working part time in a hotel nearby waiting table to gain experience and earn pocket money. It all looked good. But never good for her parents.

Nihala invited Zahir's parents also for dinner and all five sat together.

"When is the eldest coming back, don't let a wander around too much," Grand mother Fathima said.

"She will come back for holidays, she has class and training everyday," Nihala said to them.

"Bring her back home soon and find a guy, arrange a marriage for her, women should be married after they hit puberty, don't you know that, or else she will find ways to.." but grand mother was stopped little Taaliyah.

"Grand ma that's an old notion, women should have education and become a bread winner to have a life,"

Fathima stopped speaking and continued having dinner. Grand father Omar remained silent and had his dinner discussing only buisness matters regarding the bakery to Zahir.

"Nihala better teach this little devil good lessons," she said and left the table after dinner. Taaliyah was pissed but spoke nothing. She did not wish to hear more advice from her.

Taaliyah looked at her mother who peacefully had dosa and coconut chutney with chicken. She hurried and got back to her bedroom she shared with her sister. She took the phone to inform Nara what had happened at home.

Nara returned her call immediately. She was in she library going through some cook books.

"You can visit the library at this time?" Taaliyah was surprised.

"Yes dear, libraries are open until 10 pm at night, we can go anytime before that. I finished dinner and came here to check on something I wanted to," Nara told her baby sister.

"Wow cool," Taaliyah said smiling. "You know what happened here?"

"What happened? Fights?" Nara asked.

"No, it's grand ma," Taaliyah began. "She said to dad that you should be married off soon and bring you back home soon,"

"As if I would come running back home anymore," Nara said with a smirk on her face. The moment her family did not care to listen to the truth and understand her part instead of blaming her, she lost all her love for them except her sister who us going live the same plight and Nara's only mission is to get education, earn and save her sister if from all the trouble she will face from the family. She wanted nothing more. She had no thoughts if having a romantic life, fancy dates or even marriage, she could not stand such thoughts, ever since her dreams once were shattered and her identity questioned blaming her how she will reach nowhere with her dyslexia but keep earning bad reputation. It killed Nara inside every time people looked with with such an eyes and words in their mouth.

Taaliyah was shocked to hear such a revelation and had tears filled in her eyes. "Oh," that's what all she replied.

"Okay, I have to read and return, I will get detention if they see me using the phone. Let me hang up if there is nothing I will call you later honey," Nara said and hung up.

"Okay bye," Taaliyah said. "Goodnight,"

In all her life, Taaliyah had only wanted a normal family. But she realized that this dream can never be achieved again. She was well aware that her parents wronged her sister and she is sure she also will go through the same if something happens. To people in the society, especially parents, it does not matter what kids go through but what matters is their pride and reputation. If a slightest mishap occurs, if even the child is not responsible for the mistake, they will get blamed and l because parents lose their faces. Every single blame falls on the shoulders of the innocent child and she or he goes through the trauma that gets fixated in life forever. Nara was innocent except the fact that like any other child, going through the adolescence she also fell in love but never did wrong. But for what the boys did, she got bullied by the elders and severely damaged where she got poked stressing on her dyslexia making her nightmares come alive while she did her best to overcome it.

And for Taaliyah life continued under the shadow of fear and frightened that people might turn against any time if she spill what is going on in her mind.

"Derek I hope you are okay," she whispered and she laid on her bed. She no longer had the mood to study for the exam. She fell asleep.

But Derek was not okay. Derek had a different nightmare going on at home at the same time.

"Pa," he called his father wiping his tears.