group of scared kids, but I know I shouldn’t underestimate them.
Lowering my backpack to the ground, I’m very conscious of everyone’s gaze on me. Slowly, I take off my cap; they may be less concerned if they see I’m a girl. I’m cautious not to make any sudden movements, as I don’t want to give them any reason to attack me.
My brown hair falls free, and I reach over and give Liquorice a quick pat. Gradually, I raise my hands up to the sky as a sign that I am surrendering. The same way Father did when he was taken.
The air is silent; tension is mounting.
What will they do?
“Child, what is your name?” the mother addresses me with her soft, caring voice.
“My name is Jada. My dog’s name is Liquorice.”
“Hello, Jada. My name is Sahar. This is Haytham, my son.” She looks over to the boy and smiles back at me.
I know I’m no longer in danger. They want to help me. Thank God, I finally get a break from this nightmare. It’s about bloody time!
“Over there is Zak, and his sister Tilly is in the bed.” I look over to the boy, Zak, and he smiles and gives me a wave. He is really cute. Tilly looks over at me and her face lights up with a big smile and twinkling eyes. This pretty little girl looks happy; I feel safe.
Sahar holds out her hand and signals me to come forward. I pick up my backpack, place it over my shoulder, and walk over to her.
“Child, have you eaten? Do you need to rest? We have room here for you.” Sahar has the loving and reassuring voice only a mother could have. I can already feel the stress moving from my shoulders as she speaks.
“I am hungry and tired,” I say. “I would like to rest here, if that is okay with you.”
I look up toward Haytham, and he nods with approval.
I climb up to the second floor room, and Liquorice follows me. Haytham is standing there. He looks younger than me, a bit shorter and a little overweight. But he looks strong.
He has short hair, kept very neat, and you can tell his mother makes sure he looks nice, even with everything going on. He has a happy smile, but I can see in his eyes that he’s witnessed a lot of horror, just like me.
There’s a large bed in the room, and next to it are blankets covering sleeping children. They all look younger than me… I guess they are on the path to find freedom. A band of brave kids, tied together with fear and hope.
“Jada, we have a bathroom there.” Sahar points to the door next to the bedroom. “And there’s some food in the kitchen. We have no power, so the fridge isn’t working, but they have food in the cupboard. We have plenty of water, so fill up your bottle.” She looks down at my bottle and notices that it is empty -- I just ran out.
“Thank you, Sahar. That is very kind of you,” I say, and I smile over at Haytham. “I would like to use the bathroom, and get some food and rest. Thank you for your kindness.”
“Our home is your home. Please feel free to take whatever you need. This apartment has plenty of food for all of us, and we found extra bed linens in the cupboard over there. Please make yourself a bed,” Sahar says, pointing next to the children sleeping on the floor.
Nodding, I head over to the bathroom. Sahar goes back to sleep, and Haytham sits down on the floor.
Once I get into the bathroom, I close the door and let out a big sigh of relief. Placing the backpack on the ground, I remove the gun from my pants, check to make sure the safety cap is still on, and then I set it down next to my backpack, out of sight of anyone coming in. Thank God they didn’t pull any weapons out on me, or things could’ve gotten really ugly, really fast.
Time to select some clean clothes to change into . I’ve been wearing these smelly clothes for the last two days. I carefully place the gun under two layers of clothing, but in a spot I can easily reach if there is a need.
Refreshed from changing, I start to feel a bit safer with these people. I take some cereal from the cupboard
Lowering my backpack to the ground, I’m very conscious of everyone’s gaze on me. Slowly, I take off my cap; they may be less concerned if they see I’m a girl. I’m cautious not to make any sudden movements, as I don’t want to give them any reason to attack me.
My brown hair falls free, and I reach over and give Liquorice a quick pat. Gradually, I raise my hands up to the sky as a sign that I am surrendering. The same way Father did when he was taken.
The air is silent; tension is mounting.
What will they do?
“Child, what is your name?” the mother addresses me with her soft, caring voice.
“My name is Jada. My dog’s name is Liquorice.”
“Hello, Jada. My name is Sahar. This is Haytham, my son.” She looks over to the boy and smiles back at me.
I know I’m no longer in danger. They want to help me. Thank God, I finally get a break from this nightmare. It’s about bloody time!
“Over there is Zak, and his sister Tilly is in the bed.” I look over to the boy, Zak, and he smiles and gives me a wave. He is really cute. Tilly looks over at me and her face lights up with a big smile and twinkling eyes. This pretty little girl looks happy; I feel safe.
Sahar holds out her hand and signals me to come forward. I pick up my backpack, place it over my shoulder, and walk over to her.
“Child, have you eaten? Do you need to rest? We have room here for you.” Sahar has the loving and reassuring voice only a mother could have. I can already feel the stress moving from my shoulders as she speaks.
“I am hungry and tired,” I say. “I would like to rest here, if that is okay with you.”
I look up toward Haytham, and he nods with approval.
I climb up to the second floor room, and Liquorice follows me. Haytham is standing there. He looks younger than me, a bit shorter and a little overweight. But he looks strong.
He has short hair, kept very neat, and you can tell his mother makes sure he looks nice, even with everything going on. He has a happy smile, but I can see in his eyes that he’s witnessed a lot of horror, just like me.
There’s a large bed in the room, and next to it are blankets covering sleeping children. They all look younger than me… I guess they are on the path to find freedom. A band of brave kids, tied together with fear and hope.
“Jada, we have a bathroom there.” Sahar points to the door next to the bedroom. “And there’s some food in the kitchen. We have no power, so the fridge isn’t working, but they have food in the cupboard. We have plenty of water, so fill up your bottle.” She looks down at my bottle and notices that it is empty -- I just ran out.
“Thank you, Sahar. That is very kind of you,” I say, and I smile over at Haytham. “I would like to use the bathroom, and get some food and rest. Thank you for your kindness.”
“Our home is your home. Please feel free to take whatever you need. This apartment has plenty of food for all of us, and we found extra bed linens in the cupboard over there. Please make yourself a bed,” Sahar says, pointing next to the children sleeping on the floor.
Nodding, I head over to the bathroom. Sahar goes back to sleep, and Haytham sits down on the floor.
Once I get into the bathroom, I close the door and let out a big sigh of relief. Placing the backpack on the ground, I remove the gun from my pants, check to make sure the safety cap is still on, and then I set it down next to my backpack, out of sight of anyone coming in. Thank God they didn’t pull any weapons out on me, or things could’ve gotten really ugly, really fast.
Time to select some clean clothes to change into . I’ve been wearing these smelly clothes for the last two days. I carefully place the gun under two layers of clothing, but in a spot I can easily reach if there is a need.
Refreshed from changing, I start to feel a bit safer with these people. I take some cereal from the cupboard
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