Ok they aren't really in India! I messed up the title. I will throw in tips and clues but, virtual candy to who can guess where they are. It is a Muslim place in South Asia. Women are disrespected and there are arranged marriages for money. Girls are forced to have children even if they are like 14. Here we go.
"Sister I have to pee!" he says.
"Then go, it isn't like I haven't seen you before. I remember when I was very young and you were going through the nude stage!" I laugh. He grumbles about no privacy and turns around and begins to relieve himself. There is a quiet rustling and I freeze.
"Did you hear that," whispers Yamani. I nod.
"Brother hurry up." I whisper in a panic. I feel arms around my shoulder.
"I am here, what is it?" he asks. Right when the words roll of his tongue a huge tiger, bright orange and black stripes covers the six foot length of deadly beauty. A scream gets chocked up in my throat, but Yamani lets one out for me. Brother picks me up and runs towards Yamani and Sita who are bounding through the foreign forest that seems to similar. I cling to my brother knowing if I let go I will lose him and that I wouldn't be able to catch up with Yamani and Sita, for I am still so sore and beaten. Even the bouncing hurts me while we are bounding through the tropical forest. Andres trips and I fall out of his arms and roll. I cry out in pain. I then remember my brother is in peril and I stand up fighting off the pain. I look and try to find Andres. I limp forward and trip. I fall down the steep hill, screaming in agony. I hit rocks and logs and tumble until I finally stop and pass out.
"Come this way….." echoes a melodic voice. I stand up and follow the beautiful voice. I groan and sniffle from the pain. I am sure I have broken some ribs. Heck, I probably broke everything in my body. I trip over my own klutzy feet and fall face first. I cry out and don't even bother biting back a scream as I hear a snap. I think back to when the pain started. My father beat me. I remember him cleaning me up and making me stop crying. 'Don't tell Andres' he said. I start to cry. Maybe going away with Julian wouldn't be bad. Yamani, Sita, and Andres get to go home. Plus, I get away from my father and suitors. But, what if I find a nice guy, near my age, which is willing to marry me? Instead of living a happily ever after, I live with a Satan.
"لماذا يجب أن تكون حياتي بجد؟" I exclaim. She said why must my life be so hard?
I feel an ice cold, shocking touch on my shoulder and I gasp. Hands wrap around my upper arms and pull me into sitting position. I groan, but I don't fight against the helping hands.
"هل أنا أحلم؟" I ask. Am I dreaming?
"No and yes," answers a musical voice. I look up and see شيطان. I cry out in horror.
"Devil! Don't harm my brother!" I exclaim. He laughs in his exotic voice.
"Promise yourself to me." he says.
"I can't and I won't. You are a Satan! I am human. Within two days with you I would meet my demise!" I breathe.
"I would never hurt you, my dear." He protests. "Last time I recall I saved your life, more than once."
"That was just to confuse me. You will want to violate me then, you will kill me brutally." I say. He growls. I cringe away from him.
"Come," he says and gets up. I just stare at him. He frowns and bends down and picks me up. I gasp and stiffen.
"وضعني أسفل الشيطان!" I yell. Put me down Satan! He laughs and walks to a wooden table with two chairs. He sits me down in one of them and I feel the cushions. The closest thing to soft I have felt was the twin mattress on the dusty floor at home. I sigh and sink into the chair. Julian walks over and puts food in front of me and my stomach growls, yearning for the food to fill it up. I look up at him for permission. I haven't eaten since….two days before Julian got us. He nods and I slowly reach forward and pick up some fruit. I eat it and then I don't remember when I started to eat. I just kept eating and eating. When I feel like my stomach is about to split up I look up and the smiling Julian. I look down at my hands and think, I feel great. I am not sore or broken! I look up at Julian in wonder.
"What, how am I not hurting? What happened" I ask.
"Magic," he says. I clutch my stomach. I start to gag. Looking up at Julian with a glare I say,
"Did you poison me?" I choke.
"No!" he exclaims. "What do I have to do to convince you I am not completely evil?"
"You are evil. You are a devil and nothing can change that." I say. "If you were human maybe you could have bought me from my father." He growls at the mention of my father.
"I should have killed you father, not your mother." He growls, "He was the one who convinced your mother to kill you."
"If that is so, why hasn't he killed me yet?" I ask.
"Partly because of your brother and partly because it would be too weird and people would probably kill him for it." Julian says.
"I want to get up. Let me get Sita, Yamani, and Andres." I say, standing up. He walks closer to me.
"Are you sure you don't want to just give up. Let your friend go to her lover, let her sister find her true love, and let Andres find his? Andres will never find a love if you are there, he will always protect you. I can protect you and let your friends be happy. If you don't give in I will still get you, but your friends will never know happiness. Give in to me." he whispers.
"Couldn't you just let us all go?" I ask. "Let us be happy, of course not, you are Satan."
"No, I know I can make you happy." He says.
"No, I will NOT give into you Julian." I say in a hard voice. He glares at me and I set out my jaw stubbornly.
"Fine, keep playing, but I have your brother. Good luck," he says. He disappears. Like coldthrown on me I wake up.
"Yamani, Sita where are you!" I shout. I jump up and run around wildly. I come upon a dim light and shivering sobs. I see two dark heads and run towards them.
"Yamani, Sita, you are okay!" I yell. Sita jumps up and tackles me.
"Oh I am sorry, we thought you and Andres were dead!" she says.
"I am fine." I say. Fear and angst weigh down my heart as I remember what shadow man Julian told me.
"Where is Andres?" she asks.
"He got Andres, Julian has him hidden." I croak, a tear sliding down my cheek.
"Oh, dear, we will find him." Yamani says behind Sita. Sita helps me up and we all hug.
"Let's go to sleep." Sita says. We all curl up next to the fire. I don't fall asleep easily. I stare into the fire and hope that this is all a dream. The fire then begins to change shape. Words appear in the smoke and flames.
"Dark completion, light heart, strong brain, weak body." It says. Yamani! Yamani, even though she is Sita's close to identical sister, she is different. Yamani is dark hair and dark eyed, like her whole family, has a light heart that hate violence, where Sita will fight, a strong brain like Sita, but Yamani is weak and frail. She won't harm anything living. I must make Sita watch over her constantly when I am not doing so.