"I brought coffee for you," Fatim said in a way of greeting as I opened the door to let her in.

I had been waiting for her. Usually, I liked to stay in on weekends, but going out with her was something to look forward to in all the madness surrounding me. Returning her smile, I said, "Please, come on in. I'll be ready in just a minute."

My house wasn't anything grand, but I kept it clean and well-organized. That was the only semblance of order in my chaotic existence. At least I had that little control over my life.

"No hurry. Take your time," she said while making herself at home in my living room and looking around. "So, where are we going today?" She asked while I grabbed my coat.

"I don't know. What would you like to do?" I asked her instead of suggesting something myself. It wasn't that I wanted to be generous or anything. The truth was I rarely went out and had no idea of any popular hang-outs that people might prefer. The only place I frequented was the coffee shop just around the corner from my house.

"How about a stroll in a park and then dinner somewhere nice?" She put it as a question as if there was any chance I wouldn't agree to something sounding so blissful.

"Sounds perfect," I said because it did, and I was glad she didn't suggest someplace as crowded as a cinema. She was a girl after my own heart. That was decided quickly, and we were out within the next minute, on our way to the nearest park.

"Have you been here before?" I asked trying to make conversation.

"In NashGali? Yes. But if you mean here, then no. This is my first time staying long enough to see the city." She shrugged as we made our way toward the pond.

"Really? How come? Nate has lived here for as long as I have. Why didn't you visit before?" I was curious to know more about her relationship with Nate.

"There was never time for social visits before," she said with an odd smile.

"What are you thinking?" I asked when she was quiet for a while. We sat on a bench and watched the ducks. I loved that the park was almost devoid of people. Though I loved nature, I wasn't a fan of people.

"Oh, nothing much. Just this and that," she said and didn't elaborate. The faraway look vanished from her eyes.

She seemed reluctant to tell me something. I could sense she wasn't being entirely honest with me, and it made me uncomfortable, which I didn't like. Fatim was an admirable person, and I wanted to feel at ease with her—and see where our relationship might lead. But it wouldn't go far if she were dishonest about her intentions or herself.

I could tell something bothered her as she kept glancing around, expecting someone to appear. There was something in the way she walked and talked which made me doubtful. I didn't know if I could trust her or not. "But you looked deep in thought," I remarked hoping she would share her worries with me.

"It's just," she paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Well you'd think me crazy."

I smiled reassuringly. If only she knew my life, she would know nothing she said would be crazy. When she didn't say anything, I said, "Don't worry, I'd never think of you as anything but perfect." I wasn't lying. The fact that I was out with a woman I didn't trust completely, told me all I needed to know about my feelings toward her. I was willing to take a chance.

"Wow, aren't you the charmer," she said and laughed.

For a second, I was mesmerized by the sound of her laughter, but I recovered quickly. "Come on spill it," I pressed before she changed her mind and closed off again.

"Lately I've been hearing these voices in my head," she said and paused dramatically.

#

Fatim guessed the troublemakers were aware of her origin and that was why they scurried away when they saw her. That wasn't good for her mission to discover more about what they wanted from Waheeb. She had hoped to eavesdrop on them while pretending to be on a date with Waheeb. But it couldn't be helped. After all, no matter how much they tried to act and behave like humans, they weren't. It must be obvious to other non-humans, she supposed. Now, she needed to change tactics. That's when she decided to pry while taking a more direct approach and feigning that she suffered from the same affliction as he did—the affliction of hearing voices without seeing anyone. That might be the best way to gain his sympathy and trust.

"Voices?" Waheeb looked at her a little shocked and much intrigued. "What kind of voices?"

"You know, two people talking to me from behind the veil or something," she gave an awkward laugh. She wasn't quite sure how much she could say or how should she put it into words. She had no idea how much Waheeb knew about the troublemakers or how he felt when they talked to him.

Whether he believed her or not, pretty soon Waheeb was opening up to her and telling her about the voices he heard just like she did.

"Seriously? Do you also hear disembodied voices? Two to be exact." Fatim faked shock at that revelation.

"Yes, in fact, I had been thinking of getting my brain analyzed by experts. This couldn't be good, but if other people hear such voices then maybe I'm not as crazy as I feared."

Waheeb sounded relieved. And for the next hour, they talked about the voices he heard and everything they told him. Fatim showed enough sincerity for him to keep talking. Her concern wasn't feigned, though. The troublemakers had been telling Waheeb weird things, and even if half of it was true, it didn't bode well for the earthling.

She felt as if Waheeb had been waiting to about this insanity. And as soon as she assured him she wouldn't judge him, he started sharing his experience. People often told her she was a good listener, and it was coming in handy. She asked the right questions and pushed the right buttons, and she didn't need to pretend to listen. Waheeb seemed to have needed a sympathetic ear. And she could be that for him if nothing else.

The more he told her about the things troublemakers said, the more Fatim realized that their story didn't add up. Nothing they had told him revealed their true intentions. They were playing with him. Those two creatures were surely cunning. They made him think he would save the world somehow. But what was their end goal? She wished she knew more about them because then they wouldn't be as much in the dark as they were now. Unfortunately, most of the knowledge about the two ancient entities had been lost to time.

Enterers surely knew about the troublemakers and even had a prior encounter with them, but that was such a long time ago. Many of their people had begun to consider troublemakers as myths. The stories your parents would tell you while trying to make you fall asleep. How much did they truly know about these creatures, and most importantly, how much did they need to know? Waheeb had given Fatim a lot to think about. While she, in turn, had tried to give him some peace of mind.

The rest of their day flew by fast, and when it was time to say goodbye, they promised to see each other again soon. After all, their relationship was just beginning, and now they even had something in common they could talk about at leisure. Fatim smiled at what she considered a fruitful day.

#

After talking about mysterious voices, I felt lighter. It was good to share some of my worries with someone. Fatim didn't make fun of me. Instead, she seemed to understand my situation. Perhaps she heard the voices as she claimed, and that was why she had no problem believing me. But I doubted that was the only reason. She was an amazing woman, and she was intuitive. She had picked up on my restlessness and had wanted to know more. I wasn't sure what her purpose was, but she tried to make me feel better about the whole situation. She even agreed to help me deal with it. Together, we could figure out this mystery haunting us. As all these thoughts were whirling around in my head, I realized something else: I hadn't heard the voices when I was with Fatim. I wondered if that was just a coincidence or if there was more to it. Anyway, I was too tired to worry about it. Closing my eyes, I willed myself to fall asleep.

Before sleep found me, I heard a soft voice whisper in my ear, "Don't trust her. She is not who she says she is." I felt a chill down my spine. Wide awake, I called out to the voices but heard nothing more.