"There's a basement in our house and we ain't allowed to go there, and your dare is.... " he paused for a while and I raised my eyebrows to him. "....to go there and click the pictures of every single thing you see, " Hamza scrutinized my face and gave me a sly smile.

"No way on the earth, I'm doing this," I back off immediately.

"Miss Zaynah, dare is dare and Hammad is accompanying you," Hamza looked at Hammad and he shot a glare at him.

"No, We ain't doing this Hamza, change your dare," He cut him off.

" Don't behave like pussy Hammad..."

" Language, Hamza..." I shot him a glare.

" Sorry," he lowered his head then whipped around his head at me, "Miss Zaynah, so you're not gonna do this right,?"

"Wait, let me think..." I sighed.

" I'll take it as YES" he smiled at me.

" Okay but tell me what I need to do exactly,"

" Let's go inside, I'll tell you everything,"

******

My heart was racing and I was holding a small torch in my hand.

Why the heck I said YES to this dare??

Darkness had enveloped me and a strange silence surrounded me. My breath fastened and the whole body was drenched from sweat. The fear was rushing into my body. I started reciting all the surah I knew.

As I walked some distance, weird noises started coming from God knows where. My heart jolted in my chest.

Jinn?? Ghost???

I covered my ears from my hands and closed my eyes. My eyes were bawling and the whole body was shaking from a known fear. I was no longer that seventeen years old Zaynah, I was that five years old Zaynah whose family beat her up and locked her in the same basement. As Safiya told her that there's a jinn in their basement and now she was hearing loud chuckles from that jinn. Her breath got heavy and she was shaking... Her breath got to stop and she screamed... She screamed and fainted...

I screamed with full force...naah not again... I fell on my knees and my heart was shivering along with my body.

I found it difficult to breathe. Panic Attack again??????

I started crying vigorously, I laid down on my chest and let out another scream... The darkness was enveloping my surroundings and I blacked out.

I was working in my room when I heard a scream, I ignored it cuz "screams" in my home ?? Naah it doesn't make any sense. But the screams became louder,

Should I go and check it??

I closed my laptop and walked outside. I stopped midway when my gaze traveled to Hamza and Hammad.

Nervousness was written all over their faces and it seems that they were arguing about something. As their gaze met mine, their facial expressions changed.

"What's wrong?" I stood beside them and asked.

"Ummm. nothing...we were just tal..talking," Hamza replied nonchalantly.

" Wajahat Bhai... Miss Zaynah.." Hammad spoke in a worried tone.

" What happens to her," My heart started pounding in my chest.

"Nothing..." Hamza forced a smile, " He is saying that he lost the game cuz of her, she's really a bad player..."

" Why the heck are you lying Hamza? You were the one who gave her that dare" Hammad cut him off and almost screamed at him.

"DARE?" I watched them with confusion in my eyes. Hamza facepalmed and sighed. " Wajahat Bhai, We just gave her a dare and she is doing it right now that's it"

"And now it's been an hour and she is still not back," Hammad bawled his fist and glared at Hamza.

"For God's sake just tell me what the heck you guys gave her" I took a deep breath and control my emotions and rage.

"Hamza asked her to go in the basement and clicked pictures of..."

"WTF...BASE...BASEMENT, have you guys gone mad? You asked her to go in the basement alone..." My eyes were raging from anger.

"I'm sorry Bhai, I was just giving her a dare..." Hamza spoke in the lowest tone, the guilt was written all over his face.

"DARE? STFU... I thought you're a grown kid Hamza, I didn't expect this from you, How long?" I frustratingly ran fingers in my hair without giving a damn to their judgemental looks.

"Thirty minutes,"

"Damn it," I ran towards the basement and my heart was pounding and thumping loudly. I was hoping she is okay...but the screams I heard?

"Zaynahhhhh" I shouted from the top of my lungs but got no response.

"Zaynah" again No response, My heart skipped beats and I started searching for her.

Suddenly my feet stroke with some metal, I bent down to pick it, It was a torch...I opened the torch and started looking around and my eyes traveled to a fragile figure which was lying unconscious. I ran towards her and flipped his head to see her face. As soon as my skin came in contact with hers, a tingling sensation ran in my whole body. My heartbeats became irregular and heat rose to my cheeks. It wasn't new, I always felt it around her.

"Zaynah" I whispered her name and sighed.

"Just open your eyes," But her body didn't show any type of consciousness.

I took her in my arms and rushed outside ignoring all the dramatic changes in my body.

"Zara... Zara..." I called her as I reached the lounge.

"What happen Waja" She was rubbing her sleepy eyes and looked annoyed as I just woke her from her precious sleep but stopped midway when her eyes landed on Zaynahhh.

"What happens to her, Ya Allah, Zaynahhh," she ran towards her and started crying.

"Don't cry like this Zara, I've called the doctor," I controlled my emotions and tried to assure her.

"How is Miss Zaynah" Hammad rushed towards us and Hamza followed him.

"Just stay away from her, You guys are responsible for this" I snarled at them.

"Wajahat..." Zara gave me numerous strange looks and I realized what I just did, I wasn't supposed to react in that way.

I walked outside but she followed me, " What was this Wajahat?" She raised her eyebrows at me.

"What? I'm human Zara...It's normal..."

"Wajahat, You can't fool me, okay... I know you and I know you are catching feelings for her..." She spat out and I rolled my eyes at her.

" What rubbish Zara... there's nothing like this, She's your friend and she fainted in our house cuz of my brothers, So, it's natural to react in that way," I said nonchalantly and walked away from her.

**********

I knew it wasn't normal, I knew he was hiding his feelings from me. Well, I knew from that day that this is gonna happen.

The doctor gave her some pills and injection, she told us that it was some kind of panic attack. Zaynah was hiding a lot of stuff from me and I was waiting for the day when she would trust me.

The boys were guilty, I talked to them and came back to my room. Zaynah was sleeping beside me. There was innocence all over her face. I averted my gaze from her face, my heart started beating loudly from some known fear. My breath picked a pace, I picked the glass of water and gulped the whole glass in a single breath.

I stood in front of my wardrobe and touched a black hard object which was our childhood photo album, I sat again on my bed and started flipping pictures.

I stopped at a picture and fixed my eyes on the picture of the girl, Her beautiful smile was so real and pure, tears started rolling down my cheeks.

"Wajeeha," I whispered and memories started flashing in my mind.