I glance at my mother. With her drawn face, she was aged by the lines of worry etched into her skin. She looked so old compared to her age of old./em I wasn't much help to how she felt. No, I was the reason for all of this. Standing in front of two sturdy wooden doors, what lied beyond was….the end. That's what I thought at the time, but looking back, it was the beginning to this whole new chapter of my life.
"Are you ready?" She whispered, her voice strained under this heavy atmosphere. Her eyes asked a different, silent question of 'Are you okay?'. But I wasn't, and she knew it. It was all very pointless.
I opened my mouth, struggling to work my tongue to form my response. She looked so fragile. The dim glow of the torches illuminated her pained grimace and the defeated look in her eyes. I wanted to reach out and comfort her; however, no weakness can show. I will NOT allow it. I cannot. Hah! Pride is a funny thing.
If not in action, then I can comfort her in words. I turn to her, white clashes with white, a gaze I try to relay all my resilience into. With one word I convey all the conviction and determination to her.
"Yes," and if that was not true then I'll make it.
One day, I'll tear apart this whole system. I'll make them regret what occurred here in this compound. Because today, I will be branded with a seal like all my family before me. Today, I become a slave to the main family, chained with the shackles of tradition and subservience. Today, they made an enemy, one with more knowledge at their disposal that they could not have ever imagined.
"I'm fine. It's fine." My voice is faint and drowned out by the creak and groan of the doors opening. Okay, It's showtime.