“Qasim?” he called out, placing one foot over the threshold as he hesitated in the doorway.
Silence.
Abdullah half-turned and looked at his sister. “We’ll stay here tonight.”
They filed inside. The earthy smell of dirt welcomed Leila as she stepped into the living room. Abdullah was already on his way up the narrow steps on the left side of the room. Amina clicked on her flashlight and shone it around.
An old, ripped sofa stood in front of the windows, a tall lamp beside it. Leila tried to turn it on but the switch only clicked uselessly. She walked to the other side of the room where a few cabinets still hung on the walls and opened one door. A gray ball of fuzz rolled toward the back of the cabinet.
She glanced down at the countertop to her left, a simple wood panel covered in a sprinkling of sand. Dark stains flecked the porcelain sink. She tried the knobs at the faucet, but no water came, no matter how far she turned them.
“I suppose we’ll be camping here in the living room?” Amina asked to the sound of feet stomping down the steps.
“You two go upstairs,” Abdullah answered shortly. “Do not turn on any lights.”
Amina clicked the flashlight off.
With nothing else to see downstairs, Leila turned and followed Amina up the stone stairway, which opened into a single room with the two windows she had seen from outside. A single mattress lay on the floor, topped with a pile of blankets. After shaking them out and spreading a couple over the mattress, one of them had a decent enough place to sleep.
Insisting Amina take the bed, Leila gathered up the rest of the blankets, dropped them on the floor, and collapsed. Her body melted into the soft heap. Despite the scent of mildew, it was too much effort to reopen her eyelids, let alone move from her spot. The last sound she heard was Amina’s soft snores coming from the other side of the room.
CHAPTER 30
Morning came quietly, a soft blue glow beaming through broken shutters. Leila groaned and rolled onto her side.
Her entire body ached, and her legs felt like lead, but today would be their last day on the back of a camel. Tonight, she’d be home—in Xander’s arms. Now that she had anchored on that thought, there was no way she could go back to sleep.
Still lying on the pile of blankets, she scanned the room. Its shabby state looked even less appealing than it had in the dark. The walls were splotched with spots of who-knew-what, the border of the green wallpaper faded and peeling, the wooden shutters cracked, hanging open on one hinge.
A long, disgruntled growl cut the silence. With a grimace, she curled into a ball, clutching her stomach. It was no use. Amina’s plans to ration the remaining bread had fallen through and the last piece had been eaten yesterday. There wouldn’t be anything else until they reached Saint Catherine. Without food or water, it was going to be a long day. But maybe they would get there without incident. They were so close.
Leila sat up and ran a hand through her hair. She tugged at her tangles for a few minutes, then twisted the strands into a loose braid. Frowning, she wiped her greasy hand on the front of her clothes. She probably smelled worse than the camels.
The first thing she was going to do when she got to Saint Catherine was take a nice, long shower. Except she didn’t have any money with her for a hotel room. And she had to get a hold of Xander before anything else.
A smile crept over her face. The shower could wait. Not for long, but it could wait.
“Who are you thinking about?” came Amina’s yawning voice from the other side of the room.
Leila scooted back and leaned against the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her. “How’d you know I was thinking about someone and not something?”
Amina propped herself up on one elbow and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “Just a guess.”
“A good one.” Leila pulled at a loose string on her sleeve. “I was thinking about my boyfriend, Xander.”
After a wide yawn, Amina pushed herself up and sat against the opposite wall. “What’s he like?”
Leila hummed, unsure where to start. There was so much about him, she could go on for hours. “Well, he’s smart. Funny.”
“Handsome?”
Leila grinned. There was no denying that. “Very.”
“You must miss him.”
Leila nodded, hoping she would soon get a chance to tell him so. Please be in Saint Catherine.
Amina had fallen silent and stared out the open window. Leila studied her a moment, wondering if she was thinking of someone as well.
“What about you?”
Amina rolled her head back toward Leila and one side of her lips tugged upward. “I have no one. Who would want me? My bad leg only scares men off.” She shrugged.
It didn’t seem fair. Everything worked against Amina. Leila drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs. “What happened? To your leg, I mean. Er—if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I was eight.” Amina stopped and stared at her hands. The silence dragged for so long, Leila thought that was all she was going to say. Then she went on, “I saw Abdullah that day, in the market. He was talking to someone, a veiled lady. I overheard them making plans to meet later, at night. I was so giddy, I couldn’t believe my righteous big brother would do such a thing. Instead of telling our parents, I waited until night, pretended to sleep, then followed him when he left.”
A smile Leila couldn’t stop spread across her face. That sounded like something she would have done as a kid.
“But the walk turned out to be much longer than I expected. He didn’t go to someone’s house. He left town, out into the desert.”
Leila’s pulse picked up. Her mind screamed for young Amina to turn around. So much could go wrong.
“Even though the path grew harder to navigate, I kept following him. I was small and nimble. I could squeeze between rocks and stay unseen whenever he looked over his shoulder. I followed him all the way to the gorge, a good two-mile hike over winding paths and rocky terrain.”
“That’s dedication.”
“For an eight-year-old, I know.” Amina smirked. “Well, he finally stopped at a clearing. I kept hidden behind a boulder and watched. But the lady wasn’t alone. She had two other people with her. I saw Abdullah give her something, but it was wrapped in cloth. Then I slipped. Lost my footing and slid out from behind the boulder. The lady pulled out a gun and came after me.”
