Lailah Dk

I climbed the stairs and walked into my room. My heart felt heavy. I wanted to scream. I hated how I felt, Like a used product. My heart was beating frantically. My emotions were disorganized. I didn't know how to stop it. I took my shirt off and opened the cupboard in my room. There was a whip which I kept in there. That was the only way out for me, I needed this right now. I wanted to feel something more painful than what I was experiencing in my heart. I wished Salim was here, he would have made me feel better. Salim is my little brother. Though he doesn't stay in the county, I sent him to Saudi immediately after I had enough money for his tuition. He was studying medicine over there and has been leaving there for four years now. I couldn't even risk him being in Nigeria. He had to just stay there at least I would know he is safe.

I took the whip up in the air and landed it on my bare back harshly. I whipped myself with all my strength. Tears torrented down my eyes. Not from the pain I was getting from the beating but from the memory of how my life broke down into pieces.

"Ahhh!" I screamed in what seemed like a whisper. The whip landed on my neck this time. After I had whipped myself almost twenty times. I went into the bathroom and took a hot shower. Indeed with every touch of the water on my bare skin, I would whimper. It was painful. I felt a bit better, my body wasn't shaking anymore and I could barely even feel my heartbeat. I collapsed in the bathroom as tears filled my eyes.

"Please don't shoot her, please!" I heard the voice of my father. The cries and the look on my sibling's faces. I could feel my head get heavier. I cried in the bathroom till I was satisfied. When I came out, I immediately got dressed and tried my best to look okay. A few minutes after getting dressed, I heard a knock on my door and I knew it was Haider. I opened it and he asked about the bruise on my neck immediately after he saw it. I was only wearing a cap on my head. I lied to him it was a pin that had injured me but he didn't seem to buy it. He simply informed me that we were going to the presidential villa. I couldn't help but feel a bit happy. I was going to meet Hajarah. The president's daughters, and I both attended the Nigerian defense academy together. I know it was weird for a president's daughter to get herself involved in that but Hajarah chose her dream instead of a fancy life schooling abroad. I couldn't wait to see her.

~*~

We parked before the Presidential villa. I immediately texted Hajarah on my phone the minutes we were in.

"Hey Hajarah, Guess where I am?" I texted. She was always a type that couldn't leave her phone until it had died so she replied just immediately.

"In Jannah?. Are you dead yet?" she texted with a laughing emoji. I hissed with a chuckle.

"I'm at the presidential villa Dummy. I came here with my boss, hopefully, we can see" I texted her.

"OMG! I will meet you in front of the conference room, you are here with the king right?" She texted.

"No, his son" I texted. I was so lost in my text that I didn't even hear Jabar call my name.

"DK won't you follow the prince?" He asked and I looked outside and saw Him already heading in. What a stubborn guy. I smiled at Jabar before running after him.

"Your Highness"

I tried catching my breath, "I'm sorry I was so lost on my phone" I said. He didn't even answer me and continued walking. I decided not to say a word and followed behind him. I heard a beep on my phone and I glanced at it.

"I'll see you there soon" Hajarah texted. I smiled. I continued walking with the prince until we reached in front of the conference meeting room.

"You are to wait outside, there are male securities in there. So there's no need for you" He stressed the word Male. I hissed silently and decided to sit on the chair outside the conference room. The Vila still looked just like I had left it, there were only a few changes in the interior.

"I see you haven't changed one bit" I heard a very familiar voice and I turned around to see the President looking down at me with his bodyguards by his side.

"Mr. President" I immediately stood up to look at him. "Good morning Abba," I said. He smiled at me.

"How are you Lailah? I've missed you so much" He said. I was the former bodyguard to the president before I was given by him to the king.

"I'm fine Abba" Abba was what he made me call him while I worked with him. He considered me his daughter and would never fail to make me happy while I was here. Sometimes I doubt if I was even his bodyguard because of how free he made me feel. He joked a lot and would always buy me the same gifts as his daughters.

"You are here with the prince right?" He asked and I nodded whilst muttering a yeah.

"Stay blessed Lailah," He said before walking into the meeting room. "Lailah!" I heard another voice yell. It was Hajarah of course. She immediately engulfed me in a hug, I resisted the urge to whimper, my bruises still hurt.

"How are you Lailah? Omg, you look so thin. What's wrong with you?" Hajarah inquired all at once.

"I'm not dead yet," I said and she laughed.

"I know you are not now," she said "Not yet"

"You look 18 at the moment and not 21, are you sure you are eating well at that king's palace?" She said. Just then, I realized I've had nothing to eat from yesterday till this morning. I Was so lost in my misery that I didn't hear my stomach rumble.

"Do you know I haven't eaten since yesterday Afternoon?" I said and she squealed. She held my hand and dragged me up. "Come with me, let's go and eat." She said.

"No, I can't," I said.

"But why?," she pouted, I chuckled "You look sick Lailah DK. So come with me this instant, please for Allah's sake don't punish your poor stomach." She said and I chuckled.

"Okay but we should be back here in 20 minutes, the meeting will be ending in two hours," I said and she nodded. Hajarah took me to her room and had her maid bring me food. To say I ate freely was an understatement. I chewed like a gorilla. We both ate like mad women. That was something I loved about Hajarah. She was simple and was the best friend I could ever ask for.

~*~

After the conference had ended, We all retired back home. I had a great day with Hajarah. She fed me so much, I ate shawarma, Ice cream, and Fried rice, and she fed me dumplings. Well, the things I ate were too much, I can't even mention some of them. I was laying on my bed in my room. It was already 2:30 Am and I had made sure Haidar was asleep. I laid my head on my pillow. Indeed Hajarah was right, I was sick. I could feel my temperature had run high. My mouth felt biter and my head was extremely heavy. I knew I was shaking badly. I felt like I would die. My eyes burnt, as tears torrented down. Oh my Allah, what was happening to me? I couldn't see, I felt the world swirling and suddenly I lost consciousness.

4:30 AM

I opened my eyes slowly and found myself in the same state. I had regained consciousness and believe me, my situation was worst because I knew I couldn't get up. I wanted to scream for help, but my voice was faint. I tried my best and crawled out of my bed, I managed to crawl to the door and I got it opened. I crawled out of my room and used the last energy In me to bang hard on Haidar's door. The next thing I felt was a soft breeze rushing into my nostrils before I became unconscious once more.