I was shocked by what I saw, still reeling from the impact, when I heard a whisper saying, "This is the destined day, Rena… the day you rid yourself of Malik forever." I turned around to find Malika standing before me, staring intensely with her wide eyes. She said, "Are you ready?" I nodded. "Then let's begin."
Suddenly, I found myself inside a cave filled with red candles. The ground was covered in red الرمال, and to my right stood three women holding golden plates, while to my left three others held golden swords. Malika sat upon a red throne adorned with gold. She said, "On the night of the blood moon, you were meant to marry Malik, but you were taken. On another moonlit night, you were reborn in a human body, and your love returned to life. But tonight… your love will die forever. He will never reach you again—even if all humans and jinn were to unite, they would fail."
I cannot deny that in that moment, my heart felt like it was being torn apart. I cannot deny that I love him with every part of me, and I will never forget him, no matter what happens. You may call me insane… but I love him.
Malika, however, was impatient. "Let's begin," she said, leaving me no chance to speak. "Step forward, Rena."
I stepped forward, with the women surrounding me on both sides. One of them cut a lock of my hair and placed it in a golden plate. "Step forward," Malika commanded again. I moved ahead, now flanked by two women. This time, fear crept into me as they cut my hand and took my blood. Malika smiled, "Well done, Rena. Only one final step remains."
They brought a gazelle, its body marked with strange symbols. They laid it on the ground, opened its mouth, placed the lock of hair and drops of my blood inside, then handed me a sword. "Stab it," she ordered.
I was horrified. Her voice grew sharp. "Stab it! What are you waiting for?"
"I can't," I whispered.
"Either you stab it," she said coldly, "or you will remain trapped in our world forever. No one—not Malik, nor anyone else—will ever save you."
Her words didn't scare me. All I wanted, all I hoped for, was for Malik to come and save me.
But suddenly… something completely unexpected happened.
Sarah burst in at the last moment, saving me just before I could stab the poor gazelle. I lost consciousness… and woke up in Sarah's bed, with her sitting beside me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Malik sent me to save you from Malika," she replied.
"From what evil? She was trying to help me," I said, exhausted. "I'm tired of all this. I just want to go home."
"Rena, Malika is evil," Sarah insisted. "She's trying to kill two birds with one stone. She wants to steal your memory—you were once one of the most powerful witches, you possess incredible abilities. She wants to take everything from you—your powers, your entire life. Please… reconsider."
"I don't want anything," I said firmly. "I just want a normal life. Stay away from me. I don't want to see you again."
I left Sarah's house and went home. I took a shower, got ready, and called Ziad to tell him I wanted to see him and apologize for what had happened before. He said he would pick me up at eight.
For the first time since Malik entered my life, I felt free. I wanted a normal life.
I went into the kitchen and found my mother preparing dinner. "Do you want help?" I asked.
"Yes, cut the strawberries," she said.
"I love strawberries," I smiled.
"When I was pregnant with you, strawberries were my favorite," she said, then began telling me stories about my mischievous childhood. For the first time, I felt a sense of safety and belonging… and I forgot everything that had happened.
Then my phone rang.
"Who is it?" my mother asked.
"Ziad."
"Ah, Ziad," she smiled.
I left, got into the car with him, and we went to a seaside café. The atmosphere was magical. Ziad was incredibly kind, telling me he wanted a serious relationship, that he had loved me since childhood, and that he wanted to take me abroad with him. I enjoyed his words… I felt like a normal person who deserved to live, to be happy, to feel peace.
It was a magical night. We walked along the beach under the stars, the cold water gently touching our bare feet. It was romantic. He moved closer, brushed a strand of hair from my face, and leaned in to kiss me…
Suddenly, he began coughing, choking.
Immediately, I knew—it was Malik. He had stopped him.
I gave Ziad some water. "I'm sorry, Rena… I don't know what happened," he said.
"It's okay," I replied. "I want to go home. It's getting late."
"Let's go."
On the way back, I was silent and furious. How dare that cursed jinn ruin my first romantic moment… my first kiss with Ziad? He almost killed him.
Tomorrow, I will go to Sarah, I thought, and tell her to make that bastard stay away from me and my family.
As we approached my neighborhood, I was shocked to see all the residents gathered in the street. An ambulance, a fire truck, and police cars surrounded the area.
I jumped out of the car and ran…
And then I saw her, screaming:
"You can't do this to me…"