"How about this one?" Iris asked as she held up yet another silver coloured heel. Yasmeen's cousin's engagement was in two days and she still hadn't found a shoe. She was supposed to leave this afternoon to head back to New York but she needed to buy a shoe for the occasion and would have to leave in the evening as seeing that she had already been to five shops and couldn't find a shoe to her liking. Being naturally tall she had ruled out high heels but looking at what was left to choose from she quickly changed her mind.
"It's too ..." Yasmeen trailed off. The shoe had intricate bead work that glinted in the sunlight and was only a kitten heel.
"If you tell me shiny I'm going to phone your mother and buy a shoe based on her description." Iris threatened. Yasmeen sighed and tried on the shoe. It actually looked really nice and paired with the blue hijab and silver head-band that she had from last Eid it would look stunning.
"Okay I'll take it," she relented, "But it is too shiny."
Iris rolled her eyes and laughed. "C'mon let's go and get a cup of coffee."
Yasmeen paid for the shoes and then walked with Iris to Jitters. That place had become like a second home considering how much of time they all spent there. They walked to the counter to get take-away cups when Linda Park walked in. Linda worked with Iris (Iris had gotten recognised by the Central City Picture News for her blog on 'The Streak' and they'd offered her a job to keep writing about him so she no longer waitressed at Jitters) and was majorly into Barry but it didn't pan out too well because Barry was majorly into Iris which he profusely denied every time someone mentioned it and Iris had said there was no way that she was in love with Barry and well, it was just a confusing mess.
"Hello Iris." Linda greeted.
"Hey Linda," Iris replied cheerfully, "Got off early?"
"I wish, just picking up some coffee and then I have to head back."
Their lattes were done so Yasmeen paid and Iris waved goodbye to Linda as the two of them headed out the door and Linda to the counter.
"She seemed so perfect for Barry." Iris said wistfully. Yasmeen opened her mouth to say something but then decided against it. It'd only stir up trouble reminding Iris who Barry was really in love with. She glanced at her phone screen and gasped. It was already 5:30, she'd better get going. Yasmeen greeted Iris and then went back to the hotel to pick up her bag and car and by 6 she was on the road with home set as her destination.
The bright white tent outside the house was packed with people. Food platters lined the tables and the aromas of all the sweetmeats were beginning to give Yasmeen a headache. She laughed as her niece, a tiny two year old, came running with chocolates stuffed in all her pockets and more still in her hands. Yasmeen scooped her up and went to the kitchen. The noise in the kitchen was considerably less and here you could eat off the platters without her mother giving her a look of contempt for dropping crumbs of Bar-One cake on her outfit and for not using a plate.
"What're you up to this holidays?" Her cousin had asked when she went to hug her and wish her and her fiancé everything of the best.
"I've got a job at Central City's Jitters." Yasmeen told her with her heart sinking because she knew why Aaliyah was asking.
"Oh," Aaliyah sounded disappointed, "I thought we'd be able to catch up on all your school stories and do some shopping for the wedding."
Yasmeen had simply smiled but in her head she was screaming with rage. As much as she wanted to spend time with her cousin before the wedding and before Aaliyah moved all the way to Australia, she knew that she had to go back to Central City to learn more about controlling her abilities. Honestly speaking there wasn't much to learn but she desperately needed to know what the blonde woman's (Cisco had decided to nickname her Sapphire because of her bracelet) words had meant.
She looked out the kitchen window as she set her niece down on a chair by the table. The sky that had been a brilliant blue with small white clouds drifting about had now turned a horrific grey and the wind had definitely picked up. Women began to stream into the kitchen and the men moved to the lounge area through the front door. There was a loud crackle of thunder and lightning flashed as icy drops began to pour down. Where on earth had a storm come from? Yasmeen thought that she saw a man in a dark navy coat in the middle of the storm clouds but that was impossible.
The storm lasted for the next two hours and the house had grown increasingly hot and noisy. All the younger children disappeared into the TV room and the slightly older girls into one of the rooms to sit and talk. Yasmeen and Razeen (they were the only two cousins that were the same age) had filled plates with sweet things and grabbed cans of cola and went to sit in their Uncle Ahmed's study.
The study smelled of books, old and new alike and was the only quiet place in the house. "How was your report?" She asked as she took a bite of baklava.
"It wasn't exactly gold but it'll do." He replied.
She rolled her eyes at him. Razeen wanted to become an engineer and worked really hard at getting perfect results. His 'not exactly gold' would make her report look as though she never attended classes. "What're you doing up in Central City anyway?" He asked.
"Just needed a break from all this." Yasmeen replied shrugging.
"So you get a job for the next four weeks in a completely different city." The sarcasm is dripping off his words.
She just downed the rest of her cola and crumpled the thin aluminium can in her hand. "Woah! Getting strong aren't we?" Razeen kidded.
"Oh shut up," she shot back, "What's your plans for the holidays?"
"Maybe I'll follow you up to Central," He said grinning mysteriously, "Just to make sure that you are working and not sneaking off to visit some boyfriend for the next four weeks."
Just then more thunder rambled on in a continuous peal and the house felt as though it was shaking. Yasmeen closed her eyes and prayed that ceiling wasn't about to fall down. When she looked up the ceiling was still intact but the power had tripped. "Come on," she felt Razeen tug at her wrist, "They're gonna need us to either check why it went out or start taking out the gas stoves."
The women were frantic because now there with no electricity how on earth was anyone going to eat warm food? Yasmeen sighed and grabbed a torch and followed Razeen outside to an enormous black box where they'd be able to diagnose what the problem was. The rain had slowed but just barely and even with raincoats and umbrellas they were soaked in a matter of minutes. Razeen forced open the metal door and began flipping all the switches back to the 'ON' position. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye Yasmeen saw a bright streak coming towards the box and she yelled at Razeen to get down just as it struck the box and lit it up like a firecracker.