Everything is going to change.

The hypnotic voice of the Moon infiltrated my subconscious, like a wisp of cold air and my eyes fluttered open, staring at the creaking and groaning fan that did little to help us with the heat of the night.

I sat up on my bed, and I could make out the dark silhouette of my brother on the floor, resting peacefully. My mind wandered back to the words of the Moon and I felt a tug in my heart, as if the Moon was beckoning me to Herself.

Our strange relationship had started at the age of five; I had a felt similar tug in my heart as if someone was calling out to me, and I had slipped from my mother's embrace, climbed the staircase and had stared at the Moon. My mother had found me a while later, she assumed an hour had passed and when she found me, there was a strange silver glow that came out of me.

My father had dismissed her and had said it was her mind playing tricks; my mother had kept quiet after that.

I didn't know whether she was right or not, but I did know that ever since, once a month every full moon, I go to the terrace and have silent conversations with the Moon.

She spoke in riddles, but She has been my only friend, my only hope in my lonely life. She supported me and helped me become strong. She told me that I was important and that everyone born on Earth had a role to play, a duty to fulfil and only then would they leave Earth.

I slipped from my bed as quietly as I could and tip toed my way out of the room. The hall was flooded by the silver glimmer of the Moon as if it was set right upon our house, and I could not help but smile at the breathtaking beauty. I climbed the stairs to the terrace and stared at the Moon and grinned.

Maybe it was my imagination, but I think the Moon beamed back at me. I could feel the power She radiated when the Moon was positioned on Her apex, the way She pulled my heart and made me believe that if I decided to jump from my terrace, I wouldn't fall but fly.

Everything is going to change.

Her soothing voice flooded my mind again, and I found my body relax as a cold shudder passed through my spine. I sat cross legged on the ground, my hands kept on my lap and the silver glow of the moon illuminating my face.

I just wanted to lay and bask in her power; She made me feel that I was understood.

Her words echoed in my mind and my brain finally woke up to register the meaning of Her words. I frowned as the meanings dawned on me and looked at the Moon questioningly.

What is going to change? I asked in my mind but I knew that She was listening.

You have somehow stumbled upon the path that was written for you, my little one. Your destiny is about to unfold, it all depends on the choices you make.

Her words did not make sense to me, but a certain sense of fear gripped through my heart, I sat on my terrace frozen. I didn't like Her words. What choices did I have to make?

I glanced at the moon, I had been having dreadful week already with my father falling sick and recovering miraculously. How did I stumble upon the path that was written for me? I thought I was already walking that path, wasn't I?

Every human in this world has a role to play, my little one. It all depends on how much a person can with stand, no one is ever given more than they can handle.

I stared at the Moon in complete wonderment, finally that I had gotten used to Her way of riddling. She had gone ahead and thrown another riddle on my face and this time, the riddle was very specific. It had to do something with me. I had to make choices. It was my destiny that was about to unfold.

Everything is about to change, my little one. The way you are about to see the world will be completely different than what you are used to. But do remember, I will always be there to guide you.

My mind was on an overdrive. What if I didn't want to make choices? What if I did not want to see the world differently than I was used to? I could feel a headache forming with so many questions bouncing inside.

I took a deep breath to calm my mind; I could feel beads of sweat form on the back of my neck.

I looked at the silver ball in the sky, it was known to mankind as one of the most magnificent of creations. There were stories after stories on the Moon, many scholars had spent their lives researching over it and I could talk to it or Her or whatever this creation was.

I wasn't even sure if the voice came from the Moon, I had just known that I got summoned every time there was a full moon. I know this wasn't normal and that is why it was my guarded secret.

I didn't want to be called 'mental' along with being mute. I had always prayed for a normal life, away from the stares of the people, only with the people I loved.

But it looked like God and destiny had different things in mind, but I was no coward. Along with praying for rain and a normal life, I had prayed for one more thing. I had prayed to be brave, so that anyone who threw a curse at me for being disabled, I would meet them with a smile on my face and a steady gaze.

This was how I was planning to meet destiny too – with squared shoulders, steady gaze and a smile on my face.

****

"Ayah?" I heard my brother call out for me, while soft thuds of footsteps indicated that he was coming up the stairs. I might have been sitting on the terrace for hours, I didn't realise. I was too caught up in my thought to realise anything.

"What are you doing here?"

I couldn't sleep. I replied glancing back at the Moon.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked, eyes furrowing in a worry as he leaned and touched my forehead with the back of his hand. That small gesture from my brother reminded me of my father when I was young, he would always hover around me, he always treated me as fragile and whenever I used to ask him why, he used to answer saying that I was his little princess.

But I didn't know, did they worry so much about me because they cared too much? Or because I was born disabled?

I couldn't deny that they didn't love me and that they wouldn't do anything for me, but in my opinion, I felt that I had never given them a reason to love me.

Yet they treated me as I was the most precious thing of theirs.

"Ayah?" Asad clicked his finger in front of my eyes as he sat beside of me, an amused smile on his face. I looked at my brother and I realised that he was quite handsome for his eighteen years of age. He had black hair that was messy because he had been sleeping, but he had sharp black eyes that convinced you that he was intelligent.

I am okay, I answered after a while of observing him and he just nodded. They knew that I had a tendency to zone out sometimes, and they left me be.

We sat there in comfortable silence, both of us in our own thoughts. I kept replaying the words that the Moon had told me, but it didn't make sense to me what she had said. What was going to change so badly? And how did it involve a girl who could not speak? What choices could she make?

Distant clicks of hooves hitting the gravelled path brought us back into reality and my brother opened his mouth to speak but I shushed him with a look. He nodded in understanding and both of us quietly crawled our way to the edge of the terrace, to get a better look of what was happening.

Horses were very uncommon in the village, as no one here had enough money to afford one, or had enough ration to feed one. We lay on our bellies and peeped outside but could see nothing.

"You did hear that right? Or is it my brain working up?" Asad whispered to me and I glanced at him, thinking if it was some sort of product of my weariness. But how could it be that two of us had heard the same thing?

I nodded and strained my neck a little to look far, my brother did the same. After a while of trying, my brother patted my shoulder and pointed his finger in the direction of a house, three houses away from us on the left. There was nothing I could see clearly, but I could make out the shadow of the hind legs of a horse as it kicked its hoof to the ground – restless.

"Strange." Asad commented and I nodded in agreement.

What was a horse doing here at this time of night? What business did its owner have at this time?

My thoughts flew back to Ra'ad and Master Omar, but I knew that there were many people who had come to Master Maha's house who owned horses. I shouldn't suspect people just because they made me feel awkward.

"Ayah, I think we should go down. Whatever is happening there, I think they don't want any witnesses." Asad said suddenly scared.

I looked at him confused but agreed on what he had said. Of course they didn't want witnesses; it was precisely the reason why they had chosen this time to do their business, whatever that was.

In addition, we were in no position to suspect anything as nothing bad had happened, yet.

Everything is going to change, the Moon's voice echoed in my head and I shook my head, wanting it to leave my mind. What did she mean? Was this somehow related to what she had said?

I didn't know and I had a feeling I wouldn't want to know.

Guess who decided to update? Me! This chapter in a slightly rougher side, so I would love to hear your feedback regarding typos, grammatical error and sentence structuring! Along with that, I would love to hear your thoughts! This chapter is in the eventful side... :D