Chapter 67
I looked deep into her eyes, waiting for her to say something. But Mohandia remained silent, turning her face away from me in cold defiance.
"Mohandia, do you even think we are enemies?" I asked softly, keeping my tone calm and measured.
At that moment, she whipped her head back towards me, her eyes burning with intensity. "If we are not enemies, then what are we? You’re no friend of mine, and if you’re not my friend, you must be my enemy!" Her voice was sharp, filled with anger and bitterness as she glared at me with hatred.
I held her gaze, unfazed by her words. "That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not your enemy, and no one here is. We’re all trapped by circumstances we never wanted, forced into lives of servitude in a place we don’t belong. We are not enemies, Mohandia. We’re just people, each carrying our own pain under the same roof."
Her face softened slightly, the fire in her eyes dimming for a moment. She looked away, unwilling to meet my gaze. I could see the confusion on her face, but also the struggle within her, as if my words were slowly sinking in.
"Mohandia, we are one big family here. Life has been cruel to each of us, and that’s why we’re here. Instead of fighting each other, we need to support one another. Happiness is hard to find out there, but maybe, just maybe, we can find a little bit of it here—if we choose to be kind to one another."
She didn’t respond, her eyes fixated on the ground. But I could tell she was listening. The silence between us hung heavy, but it wasn’t the same cold silence from before. This time, it felt like there was a shift, as if something inside her was starting to crack.
I stood up, brushing the dirt off my clothes. As I began to walk away, I turned back to her one last time. "Mohandia, you’re a good person. You have leadership qualities, and we need that to make this place better. Don’t waste it. Think about what I’ve said."
I left her sitting there under the tree, her face still turned away from me. As I walked back to my room, a small grin formed on my face. *She has a lot to think about now. If she changes, it’ll make things easier for me to reach my goals.*