Chapter 1: Introduction
In the quiet of my office, the click-clack of my heels against the polished marble floor was the only sound. The fluorescent lights hummed steadily above me as I walked to my desk, a sleek, modern piece of furniture that seemed to blend into the minimalist decor of the room. My high-backed leather chair awaited me, and I sunk into it, adjusting my hijab subtly to ensure it still framed my face perfectly.
I was the only one left in the office. The rest of the staff had long since gone home, leaving me to the solitude of my work.
My fingers danced over the keyboard, the screen casting a soft glow on my face as I finished up the last of my reports. The city outside my window was a buzz of activity, cars honking and people hurrying in the twilight, but in here, it was just me and the hum of my computer.
The phone rang, startling me. I picked it up, checking the caller ID before answering. "Fatimah," I said, her name like a prayer on my lips. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
Her voice was soft, breathy. "Mom... I...
I'm okay, Mom. Really." Fatimah's voice wavered, betraying her attempt at nonchalance.
"Fatimah," I said, leaning back in my chair, my eyes scanning the darkness outside my window. "You don't sound okay. What's going on?"
There was a long pause, filled with the sound of her breathing, ragged and hurried. "I... I don't know how to say this, Mom."
"Just tell me, sweetheart," I urged, my grip tightening on the phone.
"It's... it's two women, Mom. They... they broke into the house.
They... they're not... normal, Mom. They're different. Japanese, I think."
"What do you mean, different?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. "Fatimah, what are they doing to you?"
"They're... they're making me talk, Mom. About what they're doing to me," she whispered. "Hana, the one with the... the tattoos, she says I have to describe everything. She says it turns her on. And Sakura, the other one, she just watches, like she's... enjoying it."
I could feel the color draining from my face.@18+++