kohl-lined eyes

Ifra, still standing in her place, delivered a sharp kick straight to the face of the boy standing in front of her, making him fall face-first onto the ground.

Ifra kicked him in the stomach, bent down, and punched him across the face again and again. Blood was coming from his nose and mouth. Ifra straightened up and placed her foot on his chest.

“What did you say?”

“Now answer me, say it. You won’t cool me down? Look, my fire is burning you. Come on, cool it.”

“Di, Hitler is coming.”

At this voice, everyone started running in different directions. Ifra was still standing there, staring at the boy lying in front of her with red eyes.

She raised her foot and was about to place it on his throat when a sharp voice came,

“Ifra Hayat, You are forgetting that you are in college, not in any arena.”

Closing her eyes, Ifra said, “Hitler has arrived.”

She turned around and saw the Principal standing in front of her, looking at Ifra angrily.

“You know the consequences of what you are doing?”

Standing up, Ifra said, “I don't care ma'am.”

The Principal shouted, “Principal room right now…”

Ifra turned around, kicked him once, and walked towards the Principal’s room.

She looked at the Principal. A 43-year-old lady in an orange saree, with her hair tied in a bun, was glaring at Ifra through her glasses.

Ifra smiled and said, “Good evening ma'am, I have done a favor to your college.”

“In discipline, Ifra Hayat…”

“Oh ma'am, I feel like becoming friends with you. I swear, I really feel like it.”

The Principal took a deep breath.

“Your result may be affected.”

Sitting down on the chair, Ifra said, “You are so sweet. I feel like making you my sister-in-law.”

The Principal’s eyes widened in shock and she started taking deep breaths. Ifra still did not stop.

“But my brother is younger than you. You must already be married.”

“Get lost…”

Ifra was still looking at her with a smile.

“Get lost, Ifra Hayat. Call your parents. I want to talk to them.”

Ifra smiled and stood up. She bent down and kissed the Principal on the cheek.

“I love you ma'am.”

Ifra ran out from there. The Principal lady took a deep breath.

A peon came and said, “That student’s parents have arrived. Shall I send them in?”

“May this girl graduate and get out of here.”

Ifra happily came outside. Her two sisters, Shifa and Rida, came running towards her.

“Di, what happened? What did Hitler say?”

Just then, a boy came running and said, “She beat someone up again. Bhai got a phone call. The Professor called and asked him to come.”

“Will Chachu come or Bhai?”

“Shahryar Bhai will come.”

Walking towards the canteen, Ifra said, “Chill, yaar. Bhai will handle everything.”

“Di, where will you keep the trophy?”

“At Dada Sai’s feet.”

“Okay, come on, we’re going home.”

Jahangir Alam was looking at Shahryar, who was sitting in front of him.

“What happened?”

“The same thing that happens every time. Last time she broke someone’s head, and now she has injured someone. The Professor was very angry. He gave her a red card and is saying they should terminate her. She only has her last semester left. This won’t be good now.”

Baba Sai started laughing. He had grown old and had difficulty getting up and sitting down. Shahryar held his hand and helped him.

“Very good, dear boy. If we had taught our girl this, perhaps she would still be in our courtyard.”

Shahryar said, “Dada Sai, have patience.”

He moved forward with the support of his walking stick.

“There is a feeling of remorse. The burden of ruining two girls, these shoulders can no longer carry it.”

Shahryar said nothing. He simply clenched his fist and took deep breaths.

Zara had come out after offering her prayer. The rays of the sun were slowly spreading. Today was Friday, which meant Kumudini. Her eyes sparkled with happiness. She looked around. There was no one there.

The guards were at the door, while some were standing on the terrace. She placed her dupatta over her head and quietly stepped outside.

She breathed in the open air. Her grandmother objected to her going outside, and Zara was also very afraid of her. She only went anywhere when Haider took her with him.

Zara looked around. She had come here just last Friday, yet she was still forgetting the way. Something came to her mind, and passing through the sugarcane fields, she reached that place. She also knew that this area was different from her own area. She had no idea about the information she had received.

Zara looked around. Last time, an old man had forbidden her from going there. Leaving her slippers there, she stepped into the water. The bottom of her white salwar became wet.

As soon as the cold water touched her feet, she laughed and shivered. This flower bloomed throughout the pond. It came in both white and pink colors.

Taking it with her, Zara turned around to leave.

Her foot slipped and she began to fall. She grabbed the grass and steadied herself.

Shahryar, who was sitting far away on the bonnet of his Jeep Thar, saw a fluttering dupatta. He looked ahead and saw someone bending down and walking in the direction he was going.

His eyes turned cold. He grabbed his gun.

“Who is that?”

The men who had come with him became alert.

One man ran forward and said, “Sarkar, there is some girl.”

Just then, an old man said, “Sarkar, she is just a girl. Whenever that two-colored Kumudini blooms, she comes to take it.”

“Where does she come from?”

At Shahryar’s stern voice, they lowered their heads.

“Sarkar, she is a child. She must come from the nearby settlement. The attraction of the flowers brings her here. Let her go, Sarkar.”

Shahryar looked in that direction. Anyway, the people of his area did not even raise their eyes, let alone weapons, at women and children.

Shahryar looked again. Half of her face was covered with her dupatta. Only those kohl-lined eyes were visible, the same eyes from which he had turned his gaze away.

Ghazi Haveli

Saleem Ghazi had passed away. His wife, Hasina, was now the most important person in Ghazi Haveli.

No one ever went against her word. Above all was Haider Abbas Ghazi, who followed every word of hers with complete respect. She loved him more than her life.

She looked at Zara’s room. Her eyes fell on the flower.

“Ruksana.”

“Yes, Dadi Huzoor.”

“How did this flower come here again today?”

Ruksana said, “Zara Bibi likes it, so we get it brought by a man.”

“Alright, go.”

Ruksana quickly ran away.

“Does some man bring it, or does Zara Bibi go herself?”

While saying this, her eyes fell on Zara, who had just come out after bathing and was smiling as she looked at the flower.

Begum Hasina moved ahead from there.

Zara was frightened. The man who had appeared in front of her was looking at her with fierce eyes. Her heart had started pounding with fear.

“Who was he? He was so scary.”

As soon as she remembered those eyes, she curled herself up under the blanket.

“I won’t go there anymore.”

Hostel

Ifra’s hands were moving quickly over the laptop. She was now a final-year student, and it was her last semester.

She glanced at Shifa and Rida. Both of them were twins.

Her eyes fell on Shifa’s hands.

She got up and came over. She opened Shifa’s hand, and Shifa whimpered in her sleep. Kissing her palm, she said,

“Sorry, but this strictness is extremely necessary. Your training is my responsibility, just like Bhai and Chachu trained me.”

“I hate the family of the man because of whom weapons came into your lives.”

Her eyes were burning with hatred.

She applied ointment to both of their hands and returned to her place.

Their lives were not like ordinary girls. Along with college, they underwent extremely hard training. Their toys had been weapons, and they handled weapons as if they were nothing more than little toys in their hands.

This was Yakub Jahangir’s decision.

Ifra’s phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she said,

“Hello jaan, how are you?”

“Ifra, what kind of way is that to talk?”

“Yaar Chachu, you are jaan-e-jahan. How else can I talk to you?”

“How are Shifa and Rida?”

“They’re fine. Rida has a shooting competition. She is refusing to come because she has to go out of the country. I was thinking of going with her…”

Yakub said, “No. Leave them alone. You cannot go with her.”

“Why, Chachu? I can…”

This time Yakub said strictly,

“Just as you were left free in the open sky, now it is their time. We must not make them weak. You know how the girls of our family are, don’t you?”

Ifra said enthusiastically,

“They are lionesses.”

Yakub said, “What do they do when someone comes in front of them?”

“Then they hunt them in such a way that the person in front of them cannot even have time to suffer.”

“Good.”

“We’ll meet soon.”

Saying this, Yakub disconnected the call.

Haider was looking at his new guns.

“What’s the news?”

Sameer said, “The Jahangirs. There is a lot of commotion in the mansion.”

The men standing behind him said, “Their girls are coming back. Shahryar Jahangir has gone to bring them.”

Haider smiled.

“That means the number of enemies in the mansion is increasing.”

“I heard Baba Sai has prepared them like weapons, so that whatever happened in the past does not happen again.”

Another man said, “A woman is very soft-hearted. She cannot carry on any enmity.”

Sameer laughed.

“Don’t ever make the mistake of getting in front of them. Bashir from their area has a brother who studies in the same college. He had extended a hand of friendship, but the Jahangirs’ girl broke his hand, saying that we do not shake hands with enemies, we uproot their hands.”

“Very good. This is going to be fun.”