The vase was finally completed after much work and molding, and then baked over the fire, followed by being underneath the sun. Smiling Minta wrapped the vase into her hands and walked to Sayid. Who, at her approach, quickly bent his head down to study the equipment he was supposed to be fixing.
She touched his fingers slightly as she pushed her handiwork to him. He closed his fingers over hers and she allowed them to linger there for a few second.
"Is this for me?" Sayid asked, his face broke into a enormous smile when she nodded. It was the first sign of her communicating with the world once more. With hope, he pushed his luck even more. "Would you like me to get some water for you?"
Again she nodded eagerly, and her enthusiasm was matched by Sayid's, who immediately abandoned the cluttering mechanics to sprint to the river, clutching to his new treasure.
"Hey, wait for me!" Michael yelled, chasing after Sayid, juggling three water bottles. "I'm going to the river too!"
"Dude, no wonder they are that skinny." Hurley laughed to himself. "If you ever race like that on feet with that weight, then you can defiantly go down more then one notch with your belt."
Walt was still looking at Minta as he had been entrusted to. Although he was only a kid, he could easily see the strain between Sayid and Minta. After all, he had once seen a similar tension between his parents, when they both refused to go to the other and yet wanted to. But in this case it was slightly different.
Meanwhile Sawyer was observing the seemingly fragile girl. A malicious glint appeared in his eyes as the idea come…
"Minta once gave me a loutrophorus, a birthday gift." Sayid explained as the water started to fill the handmade craft. "It is very symbolic as in the Ancient Athenian society, brides would wash in the water brought to them by this vessel."
"Sayid, I had a failed marriage." Michael confessed bluntly. "So I want to help you and Minta, whatever the problem is as long as it is not left too late then there will a way to solve it."
Michael already knew that it would be more then their age gap of eleven years, or even the problem of being from two different cultures.
"Michael, what can I do?" Sayid said brokenly, his hands were shaking, the waters started to dot onto the vase. "After the discovery she just had a nervous breakdown, she tried to drown herself. That dress…in that dress at our honeymoon! I don't know how…I really don't know how to dispel her fears. She now shudders at the mere sight of me…"
"But what is the cause of this?"
"The past." Sayid whispered the words in Arabic before he changed to English again. "The past. My past."
"Maybe more pots?" Jack was gesturing madly, occasionally pointing to the mud and he even knelt down to mold it. But despite his efforts Minta still started at him blankly.
"Store water? Water?" the doctor scratched his head as he pondered on his next action.
"Jack, no one is going to understand this!" Kate snorted, mimicking his gesture, which was twitching his fingers. "Even I don't understand why you are doing that, so how can Minta work out your mimes?"
"Kate, these pots she can make can help us greatly! They will be very good storage vessels, especially for liquids. If we can persuade her to make some more." Jack said excitedly. "I know! Sayid…"
Kate rolled her eyes for the second time, are men all so blind? "Jake, in case you haven't already figure it out there is some problem between Sayid and her."
"What problems? I thought she is his girl friend, if not his fiancée."
Kate's sigh of exasperation was interrupted by Sawyer's chuckles. The Southerner had worked out that Sayid would soon return, so his plan would have to be carried out now. Walking to Minta, whose eyes were still searching for any sign of Sayid, he smiled as he uncovered the object in his hands.
"Recognize this, Sultana?"
It was a roundish pot about 15cm high with the lid engraved: Minta. The pot had various Greekish patterns painted on it. No doubt, this was another one of Minta's handmade craft. Judging by the style and appearance of the object, it was used as some kind of contemporary jewelry box.
Her hand stretched out to grasp it but Sawyer quickly pulled the box away, and tightened his other hand around hers. She now struggled to free herself but it was useless, Sawyer held onto her very firmly.
"I'll give it back, Sultana, if you give me a kiss."
It was clear that she understood as her eyes darkened in disgust and revulsion. She shrank from him and averted her gaze.
"Leave her alone Sawyer!" Jack warned.
"Why? It is just not right for a beautiful girl to be alone." He brushed his lips against her hair, just like how Sayid had attempted one, this caused her to shudder for the second time. Sawyer continued to a shadow at the entrance, waiting for the anger to explode. He knew that Sayid was watching all this. "Beside, it is not as if she have 'Only Sayid may touch me' somewhere on her body.'"
Minta slapped him hard across the face and spat at him to reemphasize her anger.
"It is clear Sawyer," Kate said calmly, "that Minta does not want your company. Why don't you just leave her alone?"
"Yes Sawyer, let go of her." Sayid spelt each word out as if he was spitting, he stepped out from the silhouette and they saw that he was holding his pocket knife, the blade glowering dangerously.
Sawyer flinched at sight of the man. In Sayid's eyes was a cold rage, and also a deadly calmness that scared Sawyer more as he had no doubt that Sayid would kill him if the situation required it.
"You're gonna what? Attack me with that little knife?" Sawyer laughed uneasily, the hint of bravado not disappearing completely due to his pride.
In his moment of hesitation Minta elbowed him hard and darted away. But she did not rush to Sayid or anyone else. She settled herself at an equal distance from both her attacker and rescuer. Her dark eyes were very troubled, and she seemed to be slightly out of breath.
"I will let no one hurt her." Sayid continued in that same flat and chilling tone, continuing to advance to Sawyer with the knife. "give her property back."
"Sayid, it is just a pot!" Jack appeased, trying to break the tension.
"It's what in the pot!" Sayid snapped. "Sawyer, at least give back her inhalers."
"That I do not have to do." Sawyer taunted back, but tensed when the blade touched his throat.
"I said it once but I will say it again. I will do anything and everything for Minta." Sayid said in slow deliberation. "I will let no one hurt my wife."
At this Minta let out a dry sob and ran way from this crowd. Sawyer was immediately forgotten as Sayid started to chase after her, crying out her name. But then he suddenly stopped.
"Why bother?" he asked bitterly.
"Oh Minta, you searched for a hero but ended up with a villain instead."
Flashback
Sayid hated to see her so shut off from the rest of the class, especially when her twin sister was surrounded by flocks of admirers. With her designer labeled clothing and accesses of makeup, Mandy naturally was like the princess. Her sister had to play the role of the slave, a dirty shirt covered by clay from her pottery, jeans that was torn at various parts.
"Does appearance truly matter so much to teens?" he questioned as he walked to the front of his class. As he past Minta he gave her a smile, and was rewarded by a similar expression.
Her maths book was already spread out before her, and the margins neatly ruled. This was all out of respect for him as he knew that she does not like the subject. But unlike her twin sister, who still had dozens of fashion magazines in front, she was at least trying for his sake.
"Good morning," he said, even after two months of teaching he still felt rather nervous at every lesson. He worried that he would mix up his English, or have an accent too strong to be understood.
"We are learning about basic calculus today…"
That lesson seemed to be completely uneventful. The class started to do some exercise and he began to help a boy solving one of the harder problems. A girl then complained of leaving her text book at home.
"Go into my office and take the spare copy."
"There's cockroaches in there!" the girl shrieked.
"For goodness sake…" he began in exasperation.
"I'll get it for her." Minta volunteered quietly, reaching her hand out she took the keys he dug from his pocket. There were various keys and at the end a pocket knife dangled alongside a key ring. If he had looked at her eyes more closely then he might have noticed the sudden glint there.
"Gosh, she is such a goody-good and weirdo." Many said viciously.
"What kind of sister are you?" Sayid said darkly, silencing her.
As minutes tickled pass Sayid had to glance inconspicuously at his student's watch as he felt that by looking at his own watch would be too obvious a sign.
"Why is she taking so long?" the girl who had asked for the spare book pouted, not because she really wanted to do Maths or care about Minta, but because of Sayid's threat of keeping any who did not complete certain questions in at their interval.
"I'll go and see, Mandy, come with me." He decided when fifteen minutes had passed.
He never expected that sight though! She was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. Her right hand grasped his knife tightly while her left hand laid limply on the ground. He now knew why she always wore long sleeves: to cover her scars. But now the bloods soaked through her top, running down to every where.
"Call an ambulance!" Sayid ordered her daze twin. Taking his handkerchief he knotted it around her wrist, trying to stop the blood flowing.
Trying to save her.
"Why, Minta? Why?"