(Rewritten: 5 Apr 20)

Chapter One: A New Life

A'isha lugged a bulky airport trolley, her lips quivering at the stack of bags that quite literally held all of her possessions. Another reminder of why she was here, in her home country of Egypt; a country that, to her, was anything but home.

At this point, every waking moment was one ginormous reminder.

Every sleeping one too, as rare as those were.

A'isha's jaw locked as she peeled her eyes from her luggage to scan the bustling airport, alive with constant chatter, flashing departure boards and blinking signs. She spotted her aunt and uncle in a nearby waiting area, seated among throngs of other airport goers.

"A'isha!" cried her aunt, as she approached them rather sheepishly. "Oh my, you've grown!" With a smile painting her red lips, she pulled her niece into a welcoming hug.

A'isha forced a smile of her own, awkward as it was. She'd only met Aunt Elissa and Uncle Ahad a handful of times. To say she was nervous to live with them was an understatement, but they and their daughter, Amara, were the only ones she had left, and the alternative was foster care.

"Sixteen now, isn't it?" Ahad grinned, ruffling her black, wavy curls. "To think, the last time you were here you barely reached my hips!"

A'isha managed a nod as guilt reintroduced itself. He'd reminded her of her recent birthday; a day that, without a doubt, won first place for the Worst Day Of A'isha's Life award.

"A'isha?" Her uncle placed a hand on her shoulder, his skin the same caramel hue as her own. "Are you alri—?"

"What do you think, Ahad?" Elissa piped up, gripping her hips. "Almahdi and Hani'ah are GONE!"

A'isha's eyes sunk to her shoes as her aunt and uncle began to bicker. God, her parents never argued. Was this the new norm?

After one painful minute of people stealing glances, A'isha finally cut into their quarrel. "So"—hopefully she didn't sound half as desparate as she felt—"which way to the car?"

"Oh my GOSH!" Amara squealed, her black hair swaying as she bobbed up and down. "A'isha, you're going to LOVE it here! So many malls. So many boys: foreign AND native! And all of them have one thing in common." She paused for dramatic effect. "They're all SMOKING hot!"

A small smile flittered across A'isha's face. "Calm down, Mar. You're gonna hit the roof."

"Well, I know how much you LOVE guys and we sure dish em' out HOT!" A loud laugh pried her lips apart.

The Dahar family all had loud laughs, which didn't exactly win their teacher's over. Amara, in particular, had always been loud and bubbly; at least, that's what A'isha had gathered from their video calls over the years.

"Actually," A'isha drawled, "I don't really—um—" She chewed on her lower lip. "I'm... not really crazy about guys anymore." A recent memory slashed through her mind, shredding any joy in the process.

"Not... crazy about..." Amara's eyes bulged. "What? When did THIS happen?" Her brows gathered. "Is this because you had to leave that Danny guy behind?"

A'isha scoffed. "Don't even mention that disgusting pig," she growled, her nose crinkling.

Amara slid a hand onto her shoulder. "Ish," she breathed, referring to A'isha by her nickname. "What did he do to you?"

"It's nothing, Mar. Really."

A lie and A'isha knew it. All that mattered was that no one else ever did.

"Okay," Amara said, her hand falling from A'isha's shoulder to settle at her side, "but if you change your mind please tell me, okay?"

A'isha gave a small nod. "Thanks, Mar," she spoke, as Amara pulled her in for a hug.

At least Mar seems to understand me. She might be the only one now who does.

A tear rolled down A'isha's cheek.

Then another.

Another.

This is all my fault. Mum, Dad... I'm so sorry.

This was a short chapter, but the next one's longer and includes our favourite blond pain in the ass. Woop woop! :D