Page 190 of Never
However, al-Farabi stared at her.
She pretended not to notice and quickened her step. But she could not help looking alluring, for she had to walk with her head high and her shoulders back to carry the weight, and her thighs moved strongly under the thin cotton robes.
Al-Farabi kept walking but looked back over his shoulder, and his deep-set dark eyes followed her as she hurried away, no doubt appearing just as attractive from behind. That look troubled Abdul. There was cruelty in al-Farabi’s eyes. Abdul had seen such an expression on the faces of men looking at guns. Oh, Christ, he thought, I hope this doesn’t turn nasty.
At last al-Farabi turned and faced forward. Then he said something that made Mohammed laugh and nod.
Kiah reached the shelter and set down the heavy water container. Straightening up, she looked flustered and said: ‘Who was that?’
‘Two visitors, both apparently very important,’ Abdul replied.
‘I hate how the tall Arab looked at me.’
‘Stay out of his way if you can.’
‘Of course.’
There was a noticeable uptick in the discipline of the guards that evening. They walked around the camp briskly, rifles in hands, not smoking or eating or laughing at jokes. Vehicles were searched coming in as well as going out. Sandals and sneakers disappeared and they all wore boots.
Kiah wrapped her headscarf around her face, leaving only her eyes visible. Several of the women covered their faces for religious reasons, so she was not conspicuous.
It did no good at all.
***
Kiah was afraid the tall man would send for her, and she would be locked in a room with him and forced to do whatever he wanted. But she had nowhere to go. The camp had no hiding places. She could not even leave the shelter, for Naji would cry for her if she was away long. Darkness fell and the day cooled, and she sat at the back of the shelter, alert and scared. Esma took Naji on her lap and told him a story, in a quiet voice to avoid disturbing the others. Naji put his thumb in his mouth. In a few minutes he would be asleep.
Then Mohammed walked into the shelter followed by four guards, two armed with rifles.
Kiah heard Abdul give a grunt of alarm.
Mohammed looked around and his gaze rested on Kiah. He pointed at her without speaking. She stood up and pressed her back against the wall. Naji sensed the fear and began to cry.
Abdul did not leap to Kiah’s defence. He could not have prevailed against five men: they would have shot him without a second thought, Kiah knew. He remained sitting on the ground, watching what was happening with an expressionless face.
Two guards grabbed Kiah, each taking an arm. Their hands hurt her, and she cried out. But the humiliation was worse than the pain.
Esma screamed: ‘Leave her alone!’
They ignored her.
Everyone backed away hastily, not wanting to get involved.
When the guards had Kiah firmly in their grip, Mohammed approached her. He grabbed the neckline of her dress and pulled hard. She cried out and her head jerked forward, then the fabric ripped, revealing the slender chain around her neck and the little silver cross that hung from it.
‘An infidel,’ said Mohammed.
He looked around until he saw Abdul. ‘We will take her to the makhur,’ he said, watching Abdul for a reaction.
Everyone looked at Abdul. They knew he had grown close to Kiah, and they had seen how he had stood up to Hakim and his armed men on the bus. Eventually Wahed, the father of Esma, muttered: ‘What are you going to do?’
Abdul said: ‘Nothing.’
Mohammed seemed to want a response from Abdul. ‘What do you think of that?’ he jeered.
‘A woman is only a woman,’ said Abdul, and he looked away.
After a moment Mohammed gave up. He gestured at the guards and they dragged Kiah out of the shelter. She heard Naji begin to scream.
