Chapter 3 : Humanity

It’s more than what she expected Raiya's room to be. Laitza, that’s what she calls her, so that must be her name, enters in the guard’s room and gapes at the plush mattress which settles on a king size bed rather elegantly. And then she conspires her eyes to look straight and witness a satisfactory balcony with a glass door, left to her went a door, hoping it would be a restroom she looked back to Raiya and finds her smiling at her, for no particular reason.

“You can rest and I’ll be back in a moment.” Without waiting for a reply she walks out and shuts the door behind her. She looks at the mattress again, craving for the softness, she walks to the edge of the bed and stands there looking at a shelf in front of her which was not something she saw when she entered the room, taking in the quantity of the books which sat on that shelf royally. Even books know where they belong to… she recalls back for a sense of literacy or reading or books, anything that could make her more human, but found nothing else than the screams of someone she loved, someone she cared about. She doesn’t remember if someone killed that person or if she herself killed her. She doesn’t want to remember, because she doesn’t know that if she ever will be that person, who killed her or the one who watched in silence, she doesn’t want to be either one.

She looked at the room again and the one thing other than the mattress that attracted her was the balcony. The feel of the wind which flushed over her face to make it more human, softer, rested on her hairs, which reached barely below her shoulders. She remembers them reaching below her back. She could feel them there, some part of her wished that she could go back being that girl who she was long ago, she wished she could turn back into time, she didn’t want to end it like this way, she didn’t know that it would end this way. But if it has already ended, then she would have to deal with it, bravely. This thought still startled her; nevertheless she closed her eyes and let the wind fall on her face and blow through her hair.

Raiya came back after half an hour, and she was at last glad at the sight of someone. She looks at her while leaning on the iron grills and finds that she has something in her hands, a pot, in which people keep eating things, food. And a pair of copper plates, she walked up to her and took the pot from her hands and put it on the table and began taking the plates from her.

“I took some extra food from the kitchen for you, hope you’ll like it.”

“I am not in a situation to like it, I have to like it to keep myself alive.” Laitza has to have a filter in her mouth, but that is one thing which makes her want to be herself in times like these, at least she has food and a friend?

She started with a smile on her lips “Yeah, I know. Listen, tomorrow we’ll go shopping because we have to leave the day after tomorrow and Shrey will be with us but still we should be responsible for our own selves.”

“Oh…who’s Shrey by the way?” Laitza says while digging the rice in her mouth, the food is not delicious but it’s edible.

“He is my brother, don’t worry you’ll learn to tolerate boys with time.” she said after taking in the frown at her lips.

“Have you read all of these?” Laitza said, turning her head to the shelves.

“Obviously not, I don’t get the time between my training sessions, I have read a few books here and there, do you know how to read?”

Does laitza know how to read or write? She also wants to know the answer to this question, because she doesn’t remember. The rest of the dinner is completed in utter silence and they both go to wash their hands together.

“Let’s see if I can read.” Laitza says while drying up her hands on her rags. She walks up to the shelves, Raiya following her all the way when she takes a book out. As soon as she starts reading the first sentence fluently, they both start smiling and couldn’t stop, the rest of the night follows with Raiya telling her about her favorite books and novels and Laitza debates which to read first, they both manage to sleep on the bed.

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