Flip Chart : Chapter Seventeen

Yasmeen stood stun with both her hands by her sides, she seems to be lost of words, lost of emotions. As Ezekiel pacing nearer towards her, she pulls her long loose shawl, which she had partly covered her hair, as she secure the other end of her loosely light cream shawl, around her neck.The rope of love ,which she had profound and has been far too long been inclining to that hope, is standing right in front of her eyes. Ezekiel came closer towards her, with a smile of potion to her ailing heart, that used to be so in needing, for his true love.

"Yasmeen, wow, look at you." whisper Ezekiel, bringing up his arms, as he wanting to embrace Yasmeen. Yasmeen, took few steps away without saying any word, much to Ezekiel's dismay. "Please forgive me, for everything...for lying, for not trying hard enough to salvage our friendship, for letting you go, for flipping you away from my chart. I know, where I stand, on what ground is my level of status now, been an ex-juvenile convict, been an idiot and for not appreciating you." noun Ezekiel, with piercing look of guilt surrounding his eyes, beaming with welling up tears.

Yasmeen turns away from him, as she tries to hold back her tears. "Ezekiel, it's not about you. You should know me, what kind of person I am, for I don't judge and I never like to judge, about a person's worth or status. It's just not right." mutters Yasmeen, with her finger gently, caressing the corner of her shawl.

Ezekiel soon, begins to understand why and much to Yasmeen's surprised, he smile with many tales of hope, courage and probably love. "Well, I'm so sorry, you have indeed change alot....but I'm liking it, and with this new enlightenment of spiritual faith, which Allah swt has bless you with, may be you can guide me....please cause I really needing this." said Ezekiel, with a new fuse sign of urgency, to be back on track..to get hold on to what he has been for so long forsaken, Faith.

"With Allah's grace, insyaAllah, but you know I can only help, but to get a true guidance, maybe you should engage yourself with a spiritual teacher, that could teaches you more about Islam." said Yasmeen, with her face beaming with joy, knowing that, there's always hope for every dreams, keys to every lock.

"Please hang on here for while..." trails Ezekiel, as he walks few feet away and headed to another, store much to Yasmeen amazement. Yasmeen, was delighted and there's no errs about that, seen Ezekiel, which he too has change in  many ways. He looks more calm, at ease, more compose...and with this new hair cut...wow.

"Here, hope you like it." state Ezekiel with a grin.

Yasmeen, took the fresh pink stalk of rose and brings it closer to her nose. "It's beautiful. Thank you." said Yasmeen with a smile.

"Sooooo, we still can be friends?" asked Ezekiel, with a cheeky grin. Oh how, Yasmeen has miss that so much.

"Anytime.....Eze....you will always be my friend. Nothing has change." replies Yasmeen.

"By the way, what's the occasion? I'm kind of surprised seeing you here in the city state." asked Ezekiel, as they both joins back the queue at the cafe.

"Well, assignment from my college, to do some marketing of our recycle products." answered Yasmeen, with a smile.

"That's great, well same goes to my school, doing some selling of our old library books and some magazines too." cried Ezekiel excitedly....cause seeing her, seeing his old home, the park bench, fish and chips with the diet coke. "Yasmeen, I miss you alot....especially all those great times which we used to have." said Ezekiel, as the shudder notion, came into the note of his heart.

"Beats me." replies Yasmeen, choking back her words, as suddenly she felt flabbergasted and silly, with that short statement. Ezekiel was stunned but he knew, both of them need extra effort, to make this relationship of aspiration works.

After both of them, gets what they needs from the cafe, standing at the corner, both in silent, seems to be a strange latitude of a different kind of map, but with the same dreams of an infinite journey. "So, I hope this is not just another sudden onset of here I am....here I'm not." utters Yasmeen, as she looks upon the smooth surface of the marble floor of the mall. Ezekiel, gently held her palm and bring it close to his heart.

'The beautiful morning sun, of Eden rose it significant rays, upon the valley of their new found nest. Fleeing is a better choice, than to fight a battle, that does not seems, to have any great conclusion of eminence. Migration is not noun as been a coward, but a degree of humanity, that bores the significant sign of not wanting anymore senseless ripping of souls and battered loathe of egos. Sephira, had her sight towards sleeping Luth by her side, with her fingers tenderly, carressing her tiny silver bend wedding ring on her finger, as she smile with so much ease and comfort. She wouldnt care less about falling Kherash, all the battles which led to nothing but more and more blood sheds, and the queen, Dhaleya, her mother who only thinks of her own dignity and prestige. Luth, begins to stir to his side and then as he felt the warmness of Sephira's gentle fingers, touching the side of his face, he wakes up with a smile. Been three months away from all the blood shed horror, living far off away from Kherash, but in the hide out among the main woodlands of Eden, was unknowingly such a felicity sentiment.

"Luth." whispered Sephira, as she rest her fingers upon his hair.

"Yes." replied Luth with concern cause, he saw some darkness of inferno, written in her eyes.

"Do you have any regrets, for been with me?" asked Sephira, avoiding her eyes from his sight.

"Been married to a hundred years of age immortal?" asked Luth with a grin.

"Not exactly that, but it still could be a point though." response Sephira, with a faint smile.

"Sephira, to regret is not a word about you in my thesaurus, for I could find so much hope, love and courage written with that invincible ink, inside your heart." utters Luth, as he gently caress her hair away from her eyes. A new set of valiant sentiment, begins to engrave inside her soul....she knew she has found her true love.

"The curse, the crystal rose of hope..." trails Sephira with a frowning brow, as she begins to recall back about the tale of the fallen oak tree. Luth, was stunned as the color of his face begins to change to shudder onset of fear.

"Please forgive me Luth, if my words has unintentionally, causing you to grief." cried Sephira feeling worry.

"Sephira, there's something which I think you ought to know, something that has to do with the past, about Kherash, the King and the Beast." said Luth, as he stood up and walks further away from her.

"Kherash, the King and the Beast...I still can't get what you meant." utters Sephira. First the curse, the rose and now the beast.

"Sephira, I know too much about the past, and it's tormenting my soul." grief Luth, sorrowfully as tears begins welling up in his eyes. Sephira felt alarm, seeing her husband in such a state, as she stood up and held him close to her.

"What would the sky be grieving about, if the sun decides not to shine it rays anymore? Wouldn't the moon and the stars be enough to finalize it's role, as the glorious form of shade for this illusory earth? Or was it more, for the sky to hope upon...?" said Sephira. "Look at me, you have save my soul for umpteen number of times and I'm thankful.." trails Sephira.

"I can't loose you, how selfish I am. I'm afraid, I might loose you, once you know, everything about the past."
declared Luth. "Sephira, Aden is not your father and you are not suppose to be, exactly who you are. The curse, which she had cruelly bind the three of you has eventually involves me too." utters Luth sadly."I'm....I was born as an immortal, way even before you are born. But she, Dhaleya has viciously killed my mother, who was her sister, due to her jealousy of my mother's winning the heart, of the same man, which they have both fallen in love with. I was only two, when Dhaleya took me in as her disciple. She saw so much me, and seeing so many significant powers alluring me spirit, but I swear, I loathe it...loathe everything that I had becomes. The last deed, was the last service which, I was force to comply with. To come out with a horrific curse, that had tragically ends the sovereignty Kingdom of Kerash. Aden's soul, was taken and be left out to rot as that oak, Ashlan....." quiver Luth, as he begins to wept, covering his face with both of his palms...as the guilt, which he has been concealing hidden inside his soul...begins to spill, like the breaking pearls away from it's chains. Sephira ponders, with so much mixed feelings of uncertainty. "A beast, he had becomes for slaying the soul of Aden...and Marish...the soul love of Ashlan..."whispered Luth, but he stop abruptly with his hands softly touching Sephira's face. "Sephira...I'm not the true love, which you thought you have found..the curse is still there...you have got to find that rose...." however, before Luth could end his statement, an arrow of Carlus, had flew right from the window of their hut, and pierce through his heart.

"Luth!" screamed Sephira in anguish, sorrow and horror. The death of Luth, was not the end of everything, but it was the follicle seed, of new found courage with a profound mission of hope, to break the curse, and brings back what Kherash has lost.

"So Beast." utters Sephira, with tears in her eyes." That rose is already in my grasp, but why....why the curse is still here...and being me, for not who I really am...this is simply torturing my soul. Luth is my life, my source of hope, but why, he can't be my true love...or was it more than this heart could tell." grief Sephira tearfully. The beast slowly, limp closer towards her, as he place his rough scaly palms onto her shoulder.

"I need to know the truth....and I can only get that truth from her. So please, I'm begging you.....please release me.....set me free." begs Sephira pathetically, much to the Beast despair.

The hollow, but the expressive well define icy cold blue eyes of the Beast, seems to be crafting lines after lines of undefined secret tales. Deep inside his soul, the remorse fullness but engulfing craving desire of wanting Sephira just to be close with him was simply tormenting his mind, but seeing her in such a state of grief, it does sure making him fall into a turmoil. He released his palm away from her shoulder as he stood up and moves away from her, before he leaps further among the midst of the woods.

Sephira , begins to fall in dilemma, but keeping her captive in a meant of protecting her, is just nor right either. Watching the grey shallows, gliding their hearts freely in between the highest peak valley was sure, such a longing sign of unspeakable power.'

Yasmeen, place her bookmark on the last page of her reading as she checks her inbox messages. True enough Ezekiel had sent her a good day message with two smiley faces on it. "To jump or not to jump, choices been laid upon for the heart to choose and to decide. Making the right turn, well done heart..you have learn indeed. Making the wrong turn, it's never too late for there's always the reverse gear. Learning as we goes on with this colorful journey of hope" continue Ezekiel on his next text message.

Yasmeen was beaming with joy seeing her best friend has become someone with so much new determination "See, Eze...it's was Allah's great love and mercy which He had shone upon us....bringing back what first thought has been lost." lingering her fingers upon returning those awesome messages from Ezekiel.

"So, do you have time for fish and chips...just the two of us..since you will be sticking around this city. ." another beep...Ezekiel's new message pouring in.

Yasmeen grin with excitement...and with a big YES!!!

Flip Chart : Chapter Sixteen

Three months has passed and yet there is still no chance of hope at all. Been locked up for an accusations which is so bleak of proof or evidence, churning Ezekiel's heart like a frail dead carcasses with no tomb to be named. Looking straight in the mirror, his eyes and cheeks were hollow...too many sorrow significantly written clearly in his iris. His head has been shave...so is his humanity. How he hated himself...how he loathed this look."I'm turning more and more like you father...!!!" whirls his mind yet again and again.

"Hey, come on, the guard is waiting for us." cried one of the inmates Saiful. Ezekiel took one last glance on his looks as he shuts his eyes in anger before he left.

Carpentry activities, were simply dragging on that scorching burning hot afternoon. The sun was right in the middle of the sky and the guard had told few of the boys, with their tools to be station at the open basketball court area. Ezekiel and the rest of the boys, were wiping and swiping off their sweats from their forehead and neck.

"Laid out your tools on the double!" shouted the guard, as he march pass each and everyone of them. The boys were left with no other choice but to comply, emptying their tool bags, placing their carpentry equipment on the hot concrete ground."See those rust foaming on them, scrub them off, and I want to see them smoking clean, in thirty minutes time from now." wailed the loud siren commander.

The boys, including Ezekiel seems to have left with no other choice, but to follow and hit the orders. Ezekiel, grab the sand paper from his tool box and soon he begin his task, scrubbing with all his might. Deep down in his thoughts, it seems like a comfort bliss, though the afternoon sunny rays is beaming it's might, right upon his head, but after seeing the rust been peel off vigorously away from his saw, it's like peeling himself away from his own being.

In the midst of their current labour, suddenly another guard came forward towards the loud siren warden and they both seems to be engross in a conversation. The loud siren frown, as he had his sight towards Ezekiel, who was looking nonchalant, while pushing his dark ash brown frame glasses further up his nose bridge.

"Ezekiel, pack your stuff and follow this guard." barked the warden.

"When the noun name hope, seems to be snapping away from it's rope. When the sun could no longer shines it's light of trust upon the valley, when the rain took away the dew life of courage, sweeping them away to the mud....was it me to be blame, was it me to be shamed? Will the door be shut on me, yet again and again...or will the road be braided with thorns for this callous being to walk upon ? I'm taking it with a placid mind...keeping my hope,fear and trust only to the One..the One with no close doors...the One with abundance Light of Sustain...cause I belief.- Ezekiel Akhbar Bukhari." Riley, was simply impressed after reading the significant note, which has been displayed on the notice board. He realised that Ezekiel had indeed a hidden talent...of being a potential poet or who knows even a writer. Thought Riley to himself with a smile.

"Sir upon your request." utters the guard, bringing Ezekiel along by his side. As he set his hazel brown eyes upon Riley, Ezekiel look of displeasure, fall upon his features.

"I have come to take you home." exclaimed Riley, with a smile of hope and courage.

"I don't know what, or who to belief anymore." sigh Ezekiel, as he too his leap towards the door, much to the guard's and Riley's surprised.

'I've read that note..the note which you have written, displayed significantly against the wall. I was feeling like that once, in my life, but now...I belief." cried Riley.

Ezekiel stood froze. He begins to feel confused and numbed, not knowing what will his current status of life going to be like. And the worst thought of it all, is his mum.


Oasis had his tiny head laid resting upon Ezekiel's finger. He seems to be missing him alot, missing being pet, talk to, being caress, in almost everything. thought Ezekiel to himself with a small grin. "Thanks Riley, you have done well for baby sitting him, while I'm gone."

"Anytime. It is certainly, a very well experience for me." grinned Riley.

Ezekiel remains on the couch for almost an hour with his pet turtle without moving an inch, he felt kind of awkward and uneasy. "Where's my mum?" shoots Ezekiel, with a frown of anguish on his soul. A question, which he can't be keeping hiding inside his timid heart. No matter how angry and disappointed he felt for his mum, no doubt he still loves her.

"She's off station. Don't worry about that, she will be home soon. Anyway she send her love to you, saying ..well ehhh...welcome back home..yup. That's what she says." said Riley, shrugging his shoulders with his hands hiding inside his pockets, looking innocent.

"She said that huh?" retort Ezekiel. " You know what, you are pretty bad in telling lies...cause, for one thing, your eyes can't lie and another thing, you look like a freak." gasped Ezekiel, with a smirk.

"Just trying to help." utters Riley, feeling dejected.

"You have help me alot. Really, I feel touch. Thank you." reply Ezekiel and this time with a genuine smile, of a new found courage. "But still curious, how? I meant what exactly happen ?" asked Ezekiel, placing Oasis's bowl back onto the mantle place.

"Failed suicide attempt, that had led Jessy into all this mess." replied Riley, with so much intensity in his voice.

"I still can't get the picture." utters Ezekiel, shaking his head as he gave a wondrous stare, expecting more account from Riley.

Riley, pulls the chair away from the dining table as he sat on it. "Well, it seems she's having a deep relationship with her foster daddy." begins Riley, sounding monotone. Ezekiel decides to remain unspoken until, all the details were flushed out for him to comply. Riley, begins to fiddle with the top portion of the cream satin table clothe, running his fingers to and fro by the edge of it. "They were both in massive shit, when she finds out, that she's having his baby. Jessy, been afraid of going back to yet another juvenile home, and the fear of her lover, been put up in jail, for having consensual sex with her, cause she's a minor, the daddy soon came out with a plan, that unfortunately had involved you." said Riley, as he stop fidgeting with the clothe and had his eyes on Ezekiel's instead. Ezekiel remains motionless, but from the look on his face the cast was simply cloudy. Riley, decides to move ahead with the details cause, he knew Ezekiel was expecting more. "Jessy, somehow know Qareem or Qareesma from Face Book...and that's where the three of them had set up a indecent trap. But things just goes weary, when she lost her baby due to miscarriage, I guess God is Al-mighty...wants to show the truth, behind all their sickening deceptions. Her dead foetus, were sent for forensic test, and justice was done, cause the blood sample and all those medical stuffs results shows, her sweet daddy is the father of the child. So end of the story, daddy's girl tries suicide, but failed...now she's back in a juvenile home and daddy was sent to prison." grin Riley, widely as he putting it all in such a happy ending. However, Ezekiel still looking perturb. "Hey, this supposed to be, and we live happily ever after?" whine Riley, as he felt kind of dismay seeing Ezekiel looking like that.

"And why the hell, she got herself involved, with her sweet daddy then?" retort Ezekiel, a million dollar question.

"She claims, that she's in love with him. Only sixteen, and getting herself involved in this kind of beheading gallows. She has given herself a name...trouble." answered Riley with a smirk.

"Wasn't that how, you had always felt about my mum? Way back when you are barely seventeen, when you came into our picture and mess up the puzzles." snapped Ezekiel, the confused and duplicity of his crippling past, came back in such a quick notion to plague him.

"Oh, Ezekiel, come on, we have both been through this before!" utters Riley, as he felt kind of distraught. "He's killing her spirit, even before, you were born for your info!" rants Riley.

"And the foundation of love, which both of you have profound ? It is still, a riddle in my head, I just can't figure out how, why and what?" snapped Ezekiel.

"The cafe, which I've told you about, the place where the beginning mark of my tale for success, is the place where, I first met Eva. She was trying to make her selling, of her cup cakes in our cafe." utters Riley, as he had his vision towards the lilac lace curtain, which was swaying gently by the window. "The boss had eventually, puts me in charge on that day. She seems in so much distress and persistent, wanting so badly to sell her goodies. Well, those cup cakes, does looks too good to be eaten though, but still I shove it in my mouth. The taste was splendid, and since then, our cafe begins taking orders from her. And sooner or later, both of us, not only talking about business, we both begins to open up more about our lives, hopes and dreams. She was carrying you in her womb and she has so much significant faith on you. We talk almost everyday...almost about everything. Our spirits lift up, and she does know how, to make things right, with the words she says, the deeds which she's commit with, and finally I begin to realised, I have fallen in love with her, despite my age been half junior of hers. Her husband was not aware about our platonic relationship, because I have been concealing this deep notion of love for her, a secret within my soul. After you were born, things were not getting any better for her, he's becomes so much worst. All I can see from her eyes were pain, battered and anger. She's suffering and I know." revealed Riley, feeling remorseful.
Ezekiel hung his head low, as he begins to listen while fighting so hard, not to let his tears fall. "I've told her and persuade her several times, for her to move on and get away from all this, but she had you in her mind, she was afraid of losing you. One day, she stop coming. I became frantic and worried, worried for the worst instalment upon her status. So I came by your home and true enough, I saw him hurting her, while she was carrying you in her arms. The worst point to come, when he accursed you, of not been his child. Really, weird sickening dejayu on my part. I step in to intervene, to stop him from carrying on tormenting her with his fists. That must have driven him mad, as he shove her towards me while, please forgive me Ezekiel...your grandma, ransacking her closet and threw out all her belongings. She was literally, thrown out from her own home and strange thing though, your grandma had forcefully grab you away from her frailing arms. Your mum was begging and crying so much, just to embrace you for another second or more, but it was all in vain. Therefore, that's how I took her in." continue Riley, with this wreaking incident which seems to happen only yesterday.

"And the fact is, me becoming like him, is simply disastrous. Riley, I just hated being me..being like this and looking like this." utters Ezekiel sorrowfully, a statement which he had often mention to, Yasmeen.

"Eze, been looked alike, doesn't meant that your fate will turn out like that. Does a mirror speaks upon the image of a being, which has been projected ? Well, of course it does..but how about the inner part of it, can a mirror tells what lies in a heart? No, definitely not. So think about it ?" grinned Riley as he wink an eye.

"Yeah, may be I should not be too absorbed with these hollowness of being....not me." state Ezekiel.

"Well, it's normal, to have that angle kind of perception, about ourselves once in a while, trying to find the right note, the right frequency to fit in with the rest of the channel. We are learning, almost everyday, new things, new stories." replies Riley with a smile. Ezekie,l nods his head as his face, was beaming with so much new found hope, love, trust and courage with this noteworthy friendship. "Wow, I guess..we are back as normal." exclaimed Riley excitedly. "Come, get your coat, let's go lunching somewhere." said Riley, as he removed his hands from his pockets and walk towards the mantle place to get his car keys. Ezekiel nodded with a grin and soon both of them hit the road, to Riley's desired destination.

More and more assignments coming along Yasmeen's schedules, and not forgetting her project presentation which she needs to give, in three days time. With her always on the go and rushing date lines, Yasmeen soon begins to realised that, all this tasks were indeed a significant blessings in disguise, because, the more she occupies herself with projects, the further away her thoughts about her moaning past could haunt her. Making new friends in college, can be quite disastrous.. where you can't be too cool and hip or you can't be a nerd or looking like a freak either. Yasmeen decides to look normal, no more curling lashes or succulent kissable lip gloss...but beauty of Yasmeen has speaks itself. She glows more radiantly even without all those extra improvisations.


"Thanks Riley for this lunch. Finally, get to tucked in my favourite fish and chips that goes along very well with diet coke." trails Ezekiel with a beaming smile.

"Anytime..for my friend and a.." utters Riley.

"Ahh..ahh..not the son..please." pleads, Ezekiel as they both giggles. Suddenly, Ezekiel begins to feel shudder, as though another piece of a puzzle, is missing in his blue print photo. "Hope?" that word just sprung on his mind and he knew, it was Yasmeen, the missing puzzle which he for so long forsaken.


"Hie, Yasmeen not around at this moment. Please, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I could. Thank you." Ezekiel has been trying for umpteen number of times, however it was too no avail.

"Yasmeen right?" asked Riley casually, as he plays around with the straw of his glass of coke.

Ezekiel nodded in silent of disclosure emotions.


Not only Riley, but both Eva and Ezekiel himself were quite surprised with his own decision, of going back to the boarding school to continue pursuing back with his thesis. Two and a half years more to go..well, time travels fast these days, therefore in a nick of time, a cert will be in his palms. To be a writer, that's had cross Ezekiel's mind and that dreams, seems to be getting stronger in each passing day. Saif ,was glad seeing Ezekiel been back with him, as his room mate and so are the rest of his others school mates. Qareesma, quit college, as he was feeling too ashamed to be facing Ezekiel..ashamed with his horrid and deceitful friendship which he had with him.

"Oh! Eze, I'm so excited about this whole deal." exclaimed Saif as they both were busy setting up their booth for the opening of their very own garage sell which was held in the city expo during their summer school holidays. And the interesting matter was, this garage was open to all intern college student on that city state.

Ezekiel give him a smile of courage."This won't be happening if it wasn't for you that has been pushing me along with this idea." said Ezekiel. Ezekiel was looking fresh with his new crew haircut, his dark rim glasses has been forsaken, as he decides to go on with the lenses. He had his ears piece, much to his mum annoyance..wearing ear studs, to portray his self identity of just been him.

All was set, old paper back and hard cover books, were neatly arrange on the display table. "Saif, I get ourselves some coffee, do you want anything else?" asked Ezekiel as he walks few step away from the booth.

"Coffee with some curry puffs, will be a great leisure." reply Saif with a grin. Ezekiel snap his fingers, as he giggles and took his phase, towards the nearest cafe that he could find.

As he came closer towards the cafe, he was startle, for the queue was pretty long and it seems this is the only cafe, which was available. Ezekiel decides to wait, as he follows the queue, while he place his hands in his pockets, to get his notes and cents. Accidentaly, a dollar coin drops out from his pocket and begins to roll away, towards the edge of another feet. "Damn." sigh Ezekiel, as he walk closer towards his dime. The feet ,had felt something brushing against it and decides to check what it was.

"I'm so sorry." utters Ezekiel and suddenly he stood numb and was set in daze. His heart was pounding in such an amazing trance. "Yasmeen." mutters Ezekiel, feeling uncertain about his own emotions. Like the pouring of the torrential rain, sweeping away the puddle of mud, to make the path come undone again.
                                          

Flip Chart : Chapter Fifteen

It was almost half past twelve as Riley look at his watch while waiting in his car. He knew, he can't just be sitting around and do nothing about it...he brush off Eva's degrading words of not wanting to get involved with his son's plight. She doesn't want to care anymore...for all she thinks about now, is her so call reputation among her socialite friends and partners. Riley felt disheartened by Eva's attitude towards Ezekiel and also towards his small heart. It seems the love foundation, which they used to build illuminating their harmonious live...begins to show few signs of insignificant flaws of wreaking. Riley tries hard to figure out, what exactly has happened between them...was it his fault, that she's flipping her characters towards the barb fences of wires....or was there something else that might have sway their love boat, upon the hard rocky shore instead. Riley shakes his head in disbelief as he decides not to bother about his trouble mind off his marriage...but to focus on Ezekiel's case instead. Then he saw her....the girl...the victim, as that's what the judge has name her. No exact evidence was presented..during the trial, however...the case was still consider as rape...even though medical report had clearly stated...consensual sex does happen on that 'victim' part..but still no concluded remarkable evidence to proof that she was having sex with Ezekiel...the worst scenario..she was only sixteen.

Suddenly, Riley saw her coming out from the school gate with the rest of her girl friends...she seems to be a popular girl in her school...as that what Riley presume..in a sense on how she was carrying her head high up in the air....looks like she's the leader of the pack. Riley decides to step out from his car...when out of the blue, there came around a white van which stop abruptly along the side of the road. Riley stay put in his car in awhile. From the white van, came out a man....and Riley soon recognized he was the girl's father. He walk briskly towards his daughter...and roughly pulls her away from the crowd. From, Riley's view..it seems the girl was trying hard to get her father's grip off her...but it was all in vain..as he continue roughly dragging her along with him....towards the van. Riley frown upon seen this...with so many questions circling around his mind. As the white van droves off....Riley decides to follow along.

Not wanting to look so obvious, that Riley was tail gating the van, Riley plan to drove few feet away from it. After few minutes of unspoken solution, to where the heck the van was directing, his undeterred quest of pursue, when finally the van stop in front of a nice looking home. “This must be their home.” thought Riley to himself, with uncertainty note forming in his heart. Still sitting in his car, as he wanted to finalize his earlier statement of doubt. Soon, the father of the girl….came out from the van as he came towards the other side of his vehicle, opening the door and forcefully drags his daughter out from it. Riley tap his fingers upon his steering wheel…”Should I be out there too.. Should I be not ?” he quiz himself with this question. From his view..the girl was crying tearfully as her father continue to force her onto the pavement which lead them to their home. After unlocking the door, he quickly slammed shu …and that’s was it. Riley waited for yet another fifteen minutes but still, there were no indication, of anyone coming out from there. Putting on his shade, Riley decides to drove off and will continue with this mission….some other day…because he decides to jump head along to the other party, whom Ezekiel seems to become too close with…Kareem!

Yasmeen continue reading her FB inbox message from Ezekiel for several times....until she must have lost count. "Yasmeen, probably this is the last message..I'm sending to you. Just like what I have tell you before....yet again and again....it's just not worth fighting for it any more. My hope were like chasing shadow of a flying dove...thinking that I could touch the dove with my palm..but I was a fool, a barren idiot for I'm not chasing anything, but just a mere soul less shadow of despair !!! I'm deactivating my account by this mid noon...for I'm bringing my dead soul to hell....forget about me...forget about us. Please forgive me for what I have done....for the things which I say...Ezekiel." Yasmeen finally...suck in deep breath...as she wipes her falling tears off from her cheeks....and then she shut her mini note book lap top. Touching her warm neck with her palms.....suddenly she felt so lonely. Having her sight towards the bare wooden bench along the shady path garden....the thought of him....keeps coming back to haunt her. The chasing games....tickling each others tummy....wild hilarious jokes...the wonderful feeling of been so in love. "Was this just a waste of time? Self pitying on my part...making me feel so empty and small.." thought Yasmeen to herself. "So if this is what he wants...so let it be then...!!! I'm closing my charts on you....it might take a miracle to flip to your clean chart of hope." scream the inner voice of Yasmeen.


"He did move along with that girl....which unfortunately, I did not know where both of them were heading too..." exclaimed Kareem as he twirl the straw of his mix fruit juice in the plastic cup.

"So you don't know anything about her?" interrogate Riley as he push his courage....in wanting for the definite answers.

Kareem shakes his head as he sips his fruit juice. Riley gave a huge sigh....and shakes his head in bewilderment. "Look, Riley....I do belief Ezekiel is innocent. He will never hurt a flea...and this sickening accusation....is simply atrocious." continues Kareem, as he had his attention towards Riley's stare.

"What did you do to him?" snapped Riley coldly. Kareem froze and this time he lost his guts as he can't watch straight into Riley's intense stared."Answer me?" drill Riley.

"I can't recall much either..."stammered Kareem, as he begins to get kind of anxious, been interrogated like a convict. Riley was not convince with that remark, as he had his intense eyes looking straight into Kareem's terror eyes....terror eyes of guilt. "I was too drunk to remember...." finally utters Kareem, as he looks away from Riley's deep stare. Riley give a huge sigh as he stood up from the stool...bringing his jacket above his shoulder...wanted to move along.

"Wait...Jessy....that's her name....she was an adopted daughter....no blood ties or relation with her family that she was living in right now." cried Kareem while he begins fidgeting with the straw....but his sight was totally away from Riley's. Riley turns to look upon Kareem...remorseful looking face...and from those eyes....every little secret begins to unveiled itself....but Riley decides not to push any further.

"That's good enough." replied Riley coldly. "Anyway, here's my number, you can always drop me a message, or give me a call if you have any additional info about this matter. Thank you...I really appreciate this...and I'm sure Ezekiel would be too. Sure this is killing your soul....seeing one of your friend's hope and dreams crash." continue Riley, and then finally he left as he headed towards his car.

"Adopted child....this sounds interesting." thought Riley to himself.


'It seems death enclosing Sephira's mind as her spiritual and faith courage begins to be slipping away from her soul. Her soul courage from the beaming moon, soon begins to fade away, due to the gloomy clouds which had shroud the infinite rays.

"Please forgive my wretch soul...for the cause of the fallen kingdom....your highness." suddenly utters a voice tearfully.

Sephira smile meekly, as she was thinking to herself that might have been the death angel coming to strip her soul, "Come as it goes....take whatever needed to be taken...free my spirit...enlightened my heart." cried Sephira weakly.

"You will never understand...you will never know..." cried that voice again..as it begins to sound more persistent..while moving it's half rot branches against the tiny window of the dark hollow dungeon.

Sephira looks around, as she tries to figure out where possibilities that voice might have come from, "You can't be the death angel I supposed?" asked Sephira curiously.

"No...it was a curse from that witch. I was tricked...I have been fooled..."exclaimed that voice again, remorsefully as the branches trembles in dismay.

"You speak?" cried Sephira, as soon she realized it was the fallen oak tree that has been talking to her..trying to gain her attention.

"Please forgive me your highness....!!! Seek your true love and break this curse. I know nothing can be done to save my helpless soul....but it is never to late to save the other...." continue the oak tree again sorrowfully.

"Why are you speaking this way....I still don't understand? And who are you...someone whom I know..do our path crosses before? asked Sephira curiously as she begins to find, her new source of hope.

"I have taken everything away from you...everything was gone amd perish due to my own darkness...I was blinded due to my desire..." trails that voice again. "Please continue your mission, insearching for your true love and break this curse. You have got to find the crystals rose, which that witch has hidden. Find it....before the last petal falls...convey your love. the rose will blooms again..." trails the old oak tree.

The strange oak tree, was the new found hope for Sephira, once more uplifting her will, to hang on to her soul. “Do you have name? Maybe any core words that might trigger my memory…any form of memory about you?” probe Sephira.


“A name which I have long forgotten about myself, your highness…” trails the oak tree again solemnly.

Suddenly, Sephira saw a spark of thunderbolt right across the sky…and she knew this is something not ordinary at all. Few more thunderbolts and arrow begins raining down from the sky. Soon, loud shrieking wail came from above the castle …it was deafening and horrifying moment, as Sephira’s struggle with all her might to get herself loosen from the barb thorn which has been tightly bind around her. From her freaking perspective, she could sense her other sisters were dying or probably could have been dead due to the piercing poisonous arrow. The oak tree begins to tremble and shiver in such agonizing fear.

“Sephira!” cried a familiar voice of hope, it was Luth.

“Luth, how did you manage to do this ?” ask Sephira, as Luth begins to cut her loose from the thorny branches.

“We have got not much time left….we have got to go….” trails Luth, bringing Sephira along with him towards the upper level stairway, which could lead them out of the dungeon.

“Wait..the oak tree!!!” cried Sephira, as suddenly she remember the feebly tree.

“Huh?” cried Luth in doubt.

However, as Sephira turned back her tracks, which lead her towards the oak tree….strange thing the oak tree has vanished. Sephira peer throughout the scene…from the window of the dungeon, but it was all in vain.

“Sephira…hurry, Before Dhaleya returns.” trails Luth, pulling Sephira away from the the window.’ Yasmeen place the bookmark on her last reading page.

“Find that true love to break the curse…sadly, I’ve found mine, but I have put a curse on it instead of breaking it.” thought Yasmeen to herself. Sitting alone on the bench by the park, as she begins contemplating about her inner self. Regretting about her wasting years during her early teens, where she cares only about herself but never about the others, especially about her parents. Ezekiel was her paradise of hope, during her desperation moment, of wanting to have some security and some sense of belonging. But yet still, she had fallen inside her own trap and trip over the same curb again. Yasmeen took an envelope from her pocket, as she begins to unseal it, to read the content of her letter. Yasmeen smile in determination as she held the letter in front of her. Folding it back, and place it neatly inside the envelope…she had her sight towards the vast, late afternoon skies and smile. “All praise to you Allah…for giving me yet another chance.”

Been at Turf State, was not such a bad idea after all. Seeing the beautiful, unique and historical places here, which is so contrast from her previous home, but the most significant moment that Yasmeen could ever imagine is seeing her family as a whole again…and yes, finally she had found her real home, her sense of security and belonging. With a college future, she had set her mind before, of becoming a sociologist and social developer…a dream which she had once shared with Eze!