I wake up to see a ceiling. How strange I'm not dead? I hear a door close, but I can't immediately see who has entered the room. I'm scared. What if I've been taken captured once again? I want to be free for once in my life. I try to stand up and walk away. But shortly after I stand I fell a huge pain in my back which makes me fall to the ground.

"Dammit."

I hear footsteps coming closer until I see someone standing next to me.

"Are you okay?" He asks. "I'm glad to see you're awake but you shouldn't be moving. You've been terribly injured."

His amber colored eyes look at me with concern.

"I'm fine. I don't need help." I try to stand up again but fall down shortly after.

"You aren't fine." He says as he helps me up and puts me back into the bed.

I look at my feet. The shackles are gone. Then my arms? I panic a bit. If those bracelets have been removed he must've seen my arms. I don't want them to be shown. They're a part of me I can never show to people. I see the bracelets are still on my arms but that doesn't mean they've not been removed. I'm starting to hyperventilate and the boy notices that.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"A…arms….did…you….see….them?" I can barely speak to him.

"Your arms, no I didn't. You told me not to remove those bracelets didn't you?" He tilts his head.

I calm down hearing that, but he doesn't make any sense. I've never met him before.

"When? I can't remember seeing you before."

"Really? You remember meeting me a few days ago, when I found you?"

I shake my head.

"I only remember being attacked and…" Then I remember that I had lost the control of my body.

"And what?" The boy asks.

"I don't know. Can you tell me how you found me, uh…"

"Sinbad, sure. I was taking a walk to get some rest from all the things I was doing when I saw you laying in the sand. I quickly went to you to see if you were even alive. You were badly wounded and on the verge of death. When I wanted to help you, you woke up and told me to not do anything to your arms, otherwise someone called Sele would cry. Then you fell back into unconsciousness. So I took you with me and took care of your wounds. I wonder who that Sele is by the way. Can you tell me, or is it some kind of secret?"

"That's me." I answer him. "And you weren't talking to me back then."

"Huh?" Sinbad looks at me with surprise. "What do you that wasn't you and why would you talk about yourself in third person anyways? What even happened to you?"

"You're asking way to much questions. I can't tell you what happened as I want to forget about that, but I can tell you about me. I'm Sele and the one you were talking to, well I guess you can call her Sele too. It's too difficult to explain. And as long as you don't need her, there's no need for us to talk about it anyways.

"That's fine. You don't have to tell everything to me. You should eat and rest some. I have to go back to work for now but I'll be back in a few hours."

"Tell me about yourself then." I say and he gives a smile back. So this is what it feels to be free.

"Ah Sinbad," I say before he leaves the room.

"What is it?"

"Thank you for removing my shackles. Thank you for making me free again."

"Don't worry about it. It was the right thing to do."

…..

I open my eyes once again. I feel horrible, my whole body asks me to go back to sleep, but I don't want to. I sit up and walk around. Outside the window I see the sun rise. I don't expect Sin or Ja'far to up yet so I decide to walk around the palace for a bit. My head hurts and my whole body aches but I just walk. Without realizing it I end up at Dunya's room. Dunya, I pity her. The two guards standing in front of her door greet me.

"Ah, Sele. Aren't you a bit early? I thought you liked to sleep long?"

"Yeah, but I was having terrible dreams. So I decided to walk a bit. How's Dunya?"

"I didn't know you were interested in her. She's not doing really great I heard, but we're only guarding so much information is not known to us."

"I see. Is it okay if I go inside?"

"It's fine with me." One of the guards says and the other nods in agreement.

I step inside only to see my sister who looks terrible, asleep. I sit down next to her and before I know it tears fall from my face.

"Dunya, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for having you feel a those miserable things by yourself. I'm so sorry I wasn't there as your sister. I'm sorry to not remember."

I say these words while crying. Suddenly I feel her hand touch mine. Quickly I wipe away the tears on my face.

"Why are you crying."

It's the first time I hear her talk. I guess we sounds quite similar, except for the fact her voice has disappeared quite a lot.

"I only just remembered you. Wouldn't you be feeling sad remembering your family after 18 years."

She smiles at me.

"I don't know what you mean, but if I make you feel that way then tell me your feelings."

"You don't remember either?"

"Remember what?" She looks at me trying to understand what I just said.

I want to tell her everything. But can I tell her? I've been told that Dunya's beyond saving. So this might be the only chance I get to tell her about my existence. But isn't that the part of my I've always wanted to hide? Even if she's my sister to me she still feels like a sort of stranger. So I can't share things I can't even tell my best friends.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry to have disturbed your sleep. I'll leave you alone. Sleep well."

I walk away from her bed. When I've almost reached the door, I hear her say something to me.

"You know," she says, "I sometimes dream I have a sister. We always play together. I wonder why I dream such things."

I turn around and try to give her a smile without bursting out in tears again.

"Maybe a view of the past or of how life could've been. Dreams are strange things." I say as I walk out of the room.

I greet the guards and decide to go back to bed as I'm still not feeling any better (only worse actually). But somehow I'm not allowed to go back to my room before I'll collapse in the hallway. I can see the door to my room, but as I'm getting closer and closer to it I suddenly hear a familiar voice behind me. It's Ja'far. So he was awake.

"Sele? Aren't you up a little early?"

Sure it was my luck to walk around the palace, feeling like shit, meeting Ja'far.

"Ah yeah, I couldn't sleep well so I took a walk."

"Are you feeling all right? You look pale."

"Ah yes. I'm …." 'Fine' I want to say, but the as the ground came closer to my face I know I'm not. I feel Ja'far's arms catch my weakened body.

"Sele, hey, Sele! Hang in there!" His voice sounds so full of concern.

"Must be something with the family." I joke before my vision blurs and Ja'far's voice doesn't reach me any longer.

Back to the past again ^-^ The past will continue from chapter 34 of the adventures of Sinbad manga.