Eifad shook with fear. Standing in front of her is her nightmare come true. A 5'10-inch-tall lean man stood in front of her. He has changed so much since last time she had seen him. He has a thick short beard, which is slightly greying along with his mane. He has lost a lot of weight; he is leaner and less muscular and his face pale. But his smirk is as menacing and eyes as dark as it was when he was thirteen. Eifad can never forget these eyes; they have always been haunting her.

He walked up to her.

'Eifad, surprise!  Amaad has come to visit us for one week. Aren't you happy?' Aisha beamed happily. Eifad doesn't reply; she kept looking at Amaad like she has seen a ghost. Amaad smiled and forwarded his hand. Eifad began to sweat. Not once, did she move her gaze from his face. She hid behind her mother, holding her shoulders tightly. Aisha frowned

'Arey beta, what happened?' she said sounding confused. Eifad peeked from behind her mother looking terrified. Amaad's smirk widened. He took back his hand as Eifad muttered something about being tired and hurried to her room. She locked herself in her room and sat in the corner. Old memories haunting her and this time her haunting nightmares has come to live.

**********

Eifad was four-year-old when she was introduced to her thirteen-year-old cousin Amaad for the first time. Eifad smiled and shook her hands with her cousin. Amaad smiled back. He seemed like a warm person.

Within one day, Eifad became good friends with Amaad. He was funny and made her laugh a lot. A few days later, she started tagging along with him everywhere. He had come for two weeks with his parents, and so Eifad wanted to make most of his stay here. Amaad used to get her chocolates, ice-creams. She used to enjoy his company. He used to tell stories about fairies, dragons, witch, and evil wizards. Eifad used to hear them with uttermost attention.

One day, she and he were building a sand castle together. Eifad is dressed in a pink and white polka dotted fork that slipped little up above her knees. A four-year-old Eifad is oblivious to the dark gaze of her cousin as she has full focus on her sand castle. Amaad looked around and slowly extended his hand. He placed his palm on her legs. Eifad shivered and looked at her cousin, he simply smiled. She smiled back. Little Eifad had no idea about her cousin's evil intentions.

One day, Eifad is playing with her doll, Emma, when Amaad entered her room. She looked at him and smiled widely. She leaped from her bed and hurried to her brother.

'Come, Bhaiya. Will you play with Emma?' Eifad said happily. Before Amaad could respond, she held his hand and dragged him to a sofa opposite a window.

'Come, play...Emma was missing you' Eifad said making Amaad sit opposite her. She looked through her stash of toys and took out a boy doll, Dino; she had named him. She took out a car and some fake trees.

'Here... (she handed him, Dino) this is Dino, Emma's beeessst friend. They are going for lunch. Emma's Mumma has prepared biryani' Eifad said not looking at Amaad but at the dolls. Amaad is looking at her darkly. Eifad handed him the car and asked him to open the door for the lady. Few minutes into the role-play Amaad is feeling restless. He kept looking at Eifad, for some reason, a four-year-old is creating a weird sensation in him, or perhaps it is the adult film he had just seen with his friends.

He made Dino kiss Emma on her lips, and Eifad gasped 'What did you do Bhaiya? Papa said it is not nice to kiss on lips' Eifad said placing her palm on her open mouth. Amaad shifted closer; he placed his hand on her cheek. Eifad blinked at him innocently.

'It is a gesture of love. If you love someone you kiss on their lips' Amaad said. Eifad smiled. She leaned forward and kissed his lips

'I love you, Bhaiya' she said innocently. The kiss though an innocent gesture by little Eifad ignited a fire inside Amaad.

'You are my good friend...you are the best' Eifad hugged him. Amaad placed his arms around her; he closed his eyes feeling her so close to him.

Later that night, Eifad is running around with Aisha running behind her insisting her to have milk. Eifad giggled and ran here and there troubling her mother.

'Eifad! Stop goofing around.' Aisha said annoyed. Eifad hid behind a green leather sofa; she placed her palm over her mouth to muffle her giggle. She is having so much fun troubling her mother.

'Eifad!' she nearly jumped hearing a whisper from beside her. Amaad is kneeling beside her. She shifted little feeling uncomfortable with the closeness.

'You want to see a shooting star' he whispered. Eifad's eyes widened, and she nodded her head. He held her hand, and both sneaked from under Aisha's nose.

Eifad excitedly kept talking about her expectations as Amaad held her hand and took her upstairs.

'Bhaiya (She stopped on her track looking worried. Amaad looked at her annoyed) we didn't take Emma. She will also want to see the star.' Eifad said turning around, but Amaad held her palm tightly

'There is no time for that, you will miss it' Amaad said tugging on her arm. Eifad nodded and climbed the steps as quick as her little legs can take her. She can understand why Amaad is hurrying; she is happy to have such a caring brother who wants her not to miss shooting star.

Eifad looked up at the sky; it is a dark night, and hardly any stars are up in the sky. She frowned. She opened her mouth to say the same to Amaad when he dragged her to a dark corner. Eifad shivered as he pinned her to a wall. He kneeled bringing him to her level

'Bhaiya...what are we doing here? it's dark...'Eifad said looking everywhere

'Shh...' Amaad said, his eyes dark. Eifad is scared with the look.

'Bhaiya...what are you doing?' she said horrified as Amaad ran his palms on her leg moving his palm upwards to her thigh

'You will like this, Eifad' he said his finger resting on the top of her knickers. Eifad doesn't like this. The poor little girl has no clue what her cousin is up to. Nevertheless, she trusted her cousin and nodded her head- if he is saying she will like this, then she will, cause her best Bhaiya never lies.

Eifad trembled as he pulled down her knickers 'Bhaiya....please...I want to go' Eifad said, tears brimming in her eyes. She doesn't like Amaad's fingers on her crotch.

'Bhaiya... please don't touch there' Eifad started to cry feeling Amaad's hands on her intimate parts. Amaad ignored her pleas and continued touching. He one hand under her skirt and other hand touching her hand, stomach, and nape. Eifad is crying badly and pleading, but Amaad doesn't stop.......

Amaad stayed with them for three more days and every night Eifad went through the same traumatizing ordeal as Amaad molested her. Amaad threatened her that if she tells anyone, he will hurt her badly and also her parents. After Amaad had gone, one day she mustered courage and told everything to her mother. Aisha was furious and slapped her instead

'No TV for you. You are learning these stupid things from it' she scolded her and left, leaving behind a sobbing Eifad. She broke her doll and also Dino. Amaad had left, but he left behind a traumatized Eifad. She wasn't the same cheerful girl she was. The incident changed her forever. A happy, innocent Eifad transformed into a dark, serious Eifad...

................................

'No...No....' Eifad woke up. She is sweating badly, her breathing heavy. She looked around. Her hand trembled as she poured water into her glass. She opened the first drawer and took out her depression pills

'****' she cursed, she already had the last medicines. She drank water and leaned back against the bed. She recollected how disturbed she was and how Shad had come and soothed her. She took out her phone and surfs through her phone gallery pausing on a smiling photo of Shad. His picture alone is making her feel better. She glanced at her bandaged wrist. She remembered him dancing with Rhea. She scowled. No, she won't let Shad slip away from her. Shad is hers and only hers. He is her friend, her drug, her medicine.... he is hers. Eifad caressed his photo and silently made a promise to eliminate Rhea from his life, forever.