Free Path of Jen: Bloodborne by Sidney Wood Page B

officer
peeked his head into the conference room to see what the commotion
was about and quickly ducked back out when he saw Fouzia angrily
walking toward the door.
    “Fouzia!” Najid called after her and stood up
to give chase. Mahmoud also stood and took her by the arm as she
stormed by. She jerked her arm away and gave him a hard stare that
said, “Back off!" He did. Fatima cried harder and covered her face
with her hands.
    Fouzia was walking through the door when the
Inspector stepped in front of her and blocked her path. She pressed
her lips together and took a deep breath. She looked the Inspector
in the eye and slowly exhaled, trying to regain control. Somehow,
she knew he understood her emotions, and felt as if she could trust
him. She allowed Najid to take her by the shoulders and lead her
back to her seat. They all sat down and the Inspector explained in
greater detail what Mahmoud had quickly shared with them a moment
before.
    Fouzia tried to listen as the inspector
briefed them, but her mind kept wandering to thoughts of a little
girl in a dark alley. Soon an unbearable pressure crept into her
chest. It threatened to squeeze the life right out of her. She
remembered seeing Najid standing over her and looking concerned. He
was saying something she couldn’t understand, and then everything
went black.

Chapter Eight
    Jen awoke to the sound of the engine cutting
off. Unlike the other stops as they were traveling through the
desolate wilderness, this time there was commotion outside. Jen
heard the sounds of many voices, vehicles in the distance, and dogs
barking. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and took the last drink
of water from the plastic bottle she cradled. The camper shell was
opened and the tail gate was dropped. The same two young men, who
had shepherded them since the switch several nights before, stood
at the end of the truck and beckoned the girls to get out. Although
these younger men protected the girls against the old man when Jen
struck him with a rock, they were not kind. They did not try to
molest the girls, but they had no patience or understanding. The
girls were hit or kicked when they did not immediately obey. They
were hit or kicked if they looked at the men, or if they spoke
without permission.
    The girls quickly disembarked from the small
truck and stood in a tight group, looking at the ground. Jen
glanced about as she hopped down, but then joined the others in
obediently looking down. She had her share of bruises for
disobeying, and did not want any more. Before she cast her gaze
down, she saw many men dressed in traditional Muslim garb, four
single level buildings made from stone and earth, and a few small
wooden shacks. Dust from a vehicle passing slowly by made her
cough. There was no grass or pavement nearby, only dust and more
dust.
    Jen and the other girls were herded toward
the nearest building and ushered inside. As they went inside, each
of the girls slipped her shoes or sandals off and left them by the
door. Jen followed suit and joined the others on the floor against
the far wall. They were not there long before a woman in a black
burka walked swiftly in and spoke firmly to the group in Farsi. Jen
did not understand, so she watched the others to see what how they
responded. They stood and got in line according to the woman’s
instruction. Jen began to worry that she would be discovered if she
didn’t figure out what pattern they were following. She didn’t want
to let on that she was American. Panic was setting in when the
little girl with light skin took her hand and walked her to the
front of the line, just behind the tallest girl. Jen looked back at
the others. “Oh! We’re going tallest to smallest,” she
realized. She squeezed the young girls hand and let her go back to
her own place in line.
    She swallowed as the woman in black said
something sharply and the line began shuffling forward. Jen stepped
with the others and followed the woman in black to another