บท 5: The sacrificial lamb

Zamarad woke up and found herself lying on her bed. The last thing she recalled was being slapped by her sister. Everything else after the slap was blurry to her. Her head felt heavy and groggy.

The girl closed her eyes and rubbed her temple trying to sooth the pain she felt in her head." Here, drink this and you will feel better" her eyes flew open as her heart raced. She tried to sit up and look around. It was only then that she noticed her family sitting around her bed. Her father's voice had startled her out of her wits.

She sat up and took the glass of water from her father. "Thank you." She realized how perched she had been after the water touched her tongue. She finished it in one go and looked up at her father." Why are you sitting around my bed like that? Are you planning to perform some ritual on me? "She asked half joking and half serious.

Her family had been mean and harsh to her all her life and she didn't know how much more they could hurt her. Anything was possible where they were concerned. For the first time since her birth, Mustafa looked at the girl with some regrets in his eyes.

He had never treated her as his flesh and blood. He and the rest of his family had isolated her even before she could be independent. His wife Zubeida had almost unwillingly breast fed her. There was a day when Zubeida had left the little baby in her cradle unfed.

He could remember the loud cry of the baby who was starving. Her only meal was her mother's breast milk yet Zubeida had claimed to be sick and refused to feed the baby. He had not done anything to convince her to feed the baby. He instead had carried the baby to one of the furthest rooms and left her there.

Her siblings didn't take pity on her either. Everyone pretended as though the heart retching cries were unheard. Looking at the grown up girl sitting on the bed, he felt that no matter how much hatred she might have in her heart for them, he would understand.

"We wanted to talk to you about something important." This came from the man of the house." We all have confessions to make but the main reason we are here right now is because we want to explain the changes that have happened in your body. While you were unconscious, we discovered the mark that have appeared on your belly button. It's the same mark that is found on your back.

When you were two months old, your mother fell ill and could not breast feed you. We tried to look for a wet nanny but could not find any within a short period of time. I was forced to place you in the furthest and most isolated room in the castle. Your cries filled the whole castle but there was nothing we could do until you suddenly stopped crying.

You have been in that part of the castle alone for forty eight hours and we finally recalled that you might no longer be alive. I went to check on your condition after getting back from work. Upon opening the doors to the room, an invincible force pulled me into the room.

I was on my knees not knowing why. The blinding lights that was coming from your cradle made me shut my eyes tightly but I could still feel the brightness even with my closed eyes. The brightness finally subsided but the room had an unnatural glow.

I was then able to stand back on my feet once more but soon my feet gave out on me again. Sitting beside the cradle, holding you in her arms, was the most beautiful woman that I have ever set my eyes on. She was dressed in what I could only assume was the finest silk to have ever existed.

Her black hair flawed smoothly on her shoulders like a waterfall as her head was decorated by a golden crown. She looked at you with the most tender look in her eyes but when her gaze turned to me, it made me freeze in place.

The room temperature decreased until I started shivering but you were surprisingly not affected by it. The woman then spoke out loud and clear for me to hear." You have neglected this child and left her to die but my heart couldn't take it.

I have fed her my essence and given her a part of my life. From this day onwards, she is no longer yours. I the Queen of all that is invincible, hereby claim her as my own. She shall be under your care and protection until he claims her as his. She is not to mingle with any other man but Shahzad, the future king of the entire Djinn kingdom.

She will no longer need her mother's breast milk to survive. She has ceased to be one of you and is now one of ours. Take heed. No one is to harm her. If she experiences any physical pain that was inflicted intentionally, you will suffer the consequences.

Lastly, from this day on, you shall gain wealth beyond your imagination as a token for giving us an unwanted princess. This is not out of appreciation, rather it's meant to ensure that the princess grows up in a more comfortable environment. This shall remain her abode until she decides otherwise. Take heed!"

You were claimed even before you knew your name. Since it's almost time for you to meet your groom, I would like to say that I am sorry for not being a good father for you." Mustafa looked away from the girl who had tears of disbelieve and furry in her eyes.

Zamarad watched her father cower away from her furious gaze. She felt heart broken by what she just heard but if she was to be honest with herself, she believed that her family was indeed capable of selling her to the devil. The part she neither wanted to understand nor acknowledge, however was the groom part.

Yet she found herself asking a more burning question. "Why did you treated me like this all my life? What did I do wrong? Did you by any chance adopt me?"