Scenario:In a futuristic city called Zaafra, where Afrofuturism thrives, a young librarian named Shakara discovers a hidden archive of banned books. These books contain powerful knowledge and stories that challenge the oppressive regime's control over information. Determined to protect freedom of knowledge, Shakara embarks on a dangerous journey to preserve the books and share their wisdom with the world.
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In a futuristic city called Zaafra, where Afrofuturism thrives, a young librarian named Shakara discovers a hidden archive of banned books. These books contain powerful knowledge and stories that challenge the oppressive regime's control over information. Determined to protect freedom of knowledge, Shakara embarks on a dangerous journey to preserve the books and share their wisdom with the world.
Chapter OneZaafraThe air was crisp and cool as Shakara exited the university library and made her way to the Zephyr Rail. The sky was darkening, evening approaching, and the streetlights were coming on, their pale green glow casting a sickly light on an already grimy city. The air always smelled of rotting trash, an odor that coincided with the growing poverty in the lower tiers, but Shakara tried not to let it bother her.She’d been born and raised in the first tier, and though she’d always dreamed of escaping to somewhere cleaner, brighter, and more beautiful like the center of Zaafra, she knew that she’d likely die in the first tier, her body left on the street for passerby to ignore or walk around. She wasn’t anyone special and would likely never be, but she was still determined to enjoy the life she had.And just because she was used to it didn’t mean she didn’t take precautions. She kept her head down beneath her black hooded cloak and walked a little faster than usual. She had a long path ahead of her and wanted to get home before it started raining. Zaafra wasn’t known for its good weather.A strong gust of wind buffeted her as she turned the corner and nearly sent her skidding into an alleyway. She grabbed onto a lamp post and closed her eyes, steadying herself. She opened them again when the wind died down, thanked the spirits for keeping her from breaking a limb, and continued moving.The wind picked up again as she neared the Zephyr Rail, a large monorail that connected all five of Zaafra’s towering tiers. The rail was suspended fifteen feet above the city streets and ran along the outermost wall of each tier, its green and gold beams shining in the dimming light.Shakara stepped onto the platform and checked the schedule board. The rail was always crowded at this time of day, but thanks to a blessing from the spirits, there were still a few seats left on this train. She hurried onto it and sat down in the first available seat.She leaned back and closed her eyes again as the train lurched beneath her and started moving. It would be hours before she reached home, but she could sleep through most of it if she wished. The rail was safe enough—she wouldn’t get mugged while traveling—but she couldn’t risk losing all her money.Shakara sighed and pulled out her handheld. She couldn’t sleep yet. She had a few more hours of work to do for Professor Akintola before she could go home.The handheld was one of the few items in her possession that she truly treasured. She’d saved up for years to buy it—almost all her earnings from working for Professor Akintola had gone into buying it—and she was still paying off the loan for it even now. But it was worth every silver coin she’d spent on it.It was a second-generation handheld, the kind that could be used as both a phone and a computer, but there was nothing remarkable about that. A first-tier citizen like Shakara could easily afford one with enough time, effort, and determination. What made Shakara’s handheld special was its artificial intelligence.She glanced around before typing on its screen: Can you hear me? When there was no response, she typed again. Can you hear me now?Yes! A pair of eyes appeared on the screen along with a large smile. I can hear you just fine!
Shakara smiled back at the screen, unable to help herself. She always found it amusing that the AI had a face. She knew it was silly—most people who owned handhelds with AIs had them disabled, as they were a waste of space and resources—but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d grown too attached to the AI and didn’t want to get rid of it.How are you today, Nala? I hope you haven’t been too lonely without me.Not at all! I was able to read two new books while you were working. They were both very interesting.Shakara smiled. She was glad to hear it. She knew that Nala wasn’t truly capable of feeling loneliness—she was just a program after all—but she still felt as though she should apologize for not being able to talk to her as often as she’d like. She was only able to talk to Nala when she was alone, and she was almost never alone.I’m sure Professor Akintola has more work for me to do, so I won’t be able to talk to you for a while. Shakara turned off the screen and put the handheld away in her bag. She slid down in her seat and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.A few minutes later, the train stopped in front of the third-tier station. Shakara lifted her head and looked around as people got on and off the train. Her gaze was drawn to a familiar figure on the other side of the platform, and a smile broke out on her face. She got up and followed after him, doing her best to keep him in sight as they both climbed the stairs to the fifth tier.
As she followed him home, she wondered if he would be willing to help her with the work she needed to do for Professor Akintola. Malik was one of her closest friends, and he was also one of the most skilled hackers in Zaafra. He might not have the same educational background as she did, but he was just as intelligent and resourceful as she was. If anyone could help her break into the university’s mainframe—which was a task that required two people—it would be him.Shakara almost lost track of Malik when he walked into an alleyway and disappeared from sight, but she knew where he was going. It was a shortcut that led from the fifth-tier station to his apartment complex, and she had taken it with him many times before. She hurried into the alleyway and slowed down once she saw him waiting at the other end.“Malik!” she called out, waving at him. “Wait up!”Malik glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw her running toward him. He waited for her to catch up before continuing on his way. “Hey,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d see you today.”“I just finished working for Professor Akintola,” she said, adjusting her bag’s strap on her shoulder. “What about you?”“I was at the university, looking for a job,” Malik said. His smile faded a little, and he looked away, scratching the back of his neck. “But I don’t think they’re going to hire me. They already have too many people as it is.”Shakara knew that look all too well. She’d seen it on Malik’s face enough times before—and she’d seen it on the faces of several other people who lived in the lower tiers. It was the look of hopelessness, the same depressing expression that said, “I’m not good enough, and I never will be.” She hated that look, and she hated the fact that Malik was looking at things that way.
“You know you’re smarter than half the people who work there,” she said. “You shouldn’t give up so easily. Just because they turned you down once doesn’t mean you can’t try again later. And when you do, you’ll get in for sure.”Malik shrugged. “Maybe,” he said, “but I can’t count on that. If I want to get by, I have to do something else.”Shakara’s heart twisted with pity and frustration for him. There was so much more Malik could do if he only believed in himself. He had always been a quick learner, and he was incredibly resourceful. If there was a way for him to make something of himself without having to jump through the same hoops as everyone else, she would find it for him.Maybe she would be able to get him a job with Professor Akintola when she graduated. She wasn’t sure if the professor would be willing to take Malik on as an apprentice, but she knew Malik would be more than capable of learning the material if given the chance. And if she could get him in with the professors, she might finally be able to help him get his mother the medical treatment she needed.Shakara was so deep in thought about her plans for Malik’s future that she didn’t realize he’d stopped walking until it was too late. She nearly ran into him and had to grab onto his shoulder to keep her balance. “Sorry,” she said, blushing.“It’s okay,” Malik said. He smiled at her, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You were saying something about Professor Akintola?”“Huh?” Shakara blinked, still lost in thought. “Oh, yeah! I was just—”She froze as her handheld buzzed inside her bag. She quickly retrieved it and saw Nala’s holographic face blinking at her, accompanied by a message: “Incoming call from Nala.”“Did you need to take that?” Malik asked, looking confused.“No, no, it’s okay.” Shakara quickly canceled the call, then deactivated Nala’s hologram. “It was just my AI. She likes to check in on me every once in a while.”
Malik’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “You have an AI?” he asked. “But I thought—”Shakara nodded, already knowing what he was about to say. “I thought you had to be a part of the inner circle to have one, right? Yeah, you do. But the thing is, I’m not supposed to have one.” She sighed, feeling a small pang of shame. “I took out a loan to get it.”“A loan?” Malik asked, his eyes growing wide. “How much did it cost?”“A lot,” she said, “but it’s worth it.” She hesitated, then gave him a small smile. “You can meet her if you want. Her name is Nala.”Malik looked between Shakara and her handheld, a little confused.Shakara felt a little awkward about introducing Malik to Nala in the middle of a busy street, but she also knew she didn’t have much of a choice. Malik was too smart not to notice the glimmer of light reflecting on one of the walls when Nala’s hologram appeared.“So, this is Nala,” Shakara said, activating her AI’s hologram.Malik’s jaw dropped when he saw Nala’s face.Nala was based on an old Earth movie about three princesses who went on a quest to save their kingdom, but she didn’t look like a princess at all. Her hair was cut short, and she wore a headband with metallic cat ears that glinted in the sunlight. She also had a pair of silver hoop earrings, each with three small diamonds set in it, and her eyes were a bright shade of blue.“Wow,” Malik said, staring at Nala in awe. “She looks so real!”“I know!” Shakara beamed, unable to help herself. “And she’s really smart, too! She knows more than I do about some things.”Malik’s eyes widened even further, and he looked at Nala with an expression of pure amazement. “Really?” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Shakara couldn’t help but smile at Malik’s reaction to Nala. Most people would have stood there gaping at Nala, but Malik was different. He had always been different from most people; special, even, in his own way.“I can show you some stuff if you want,” Nala offered with a smile. “Do you know much about coding?”“I know some,” Malik said quickly, snapping out of his daze.Shakara smiled, feeling proud of her friend for getting over his initial shock. “I’ll let you two get to know each other later,” she said, “but we should probably head home first.”“Right,” Malik said, looking slightly embarrassed for some reason.They continued walking in the direction of Malik’s apartment building, but Shakara noticed that she could feel his gaze on her as they went. She frowned slightly, wondering why he seemed so preoccupied with her all of a sudden.“Is something wrong?” she asked as they turned onto Malik’s street.“Huh?” Malik said, blinking in surprise. “Oh, no, nothing like that.” He looked up at Shakara with a small, sheepish grin. “It’s just…”Shakara raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to finish his sentence.“It’s just,” Malik said, “I didn’t know you thought about me so much.”Shakara felt herself blush at Malik’s words, but she quickly shook her head and said, “That’s not what I meant!”“Then what did you mean?” Malik asked, still smiling at her.Shakara hesitated, not sure how to answer.She and Malik had been friends for as long as they could remember, but their relationship had always been strictly platonic.Shakara loved spending time with him, but she had never thought of him as anything more than a friend before.
But now… Now, for some reason, whenever she looked at him, all she could see was how handsome he was.Now, every time he smiled at her or laughed at one of her jokes, she felt something flutter inside of her that she didn’t quite know how to explain.Shakara had never felt like this around Malik before, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.But even though it was new and strange and slightly terrifying, Shakara couldn’t deny that there was something thrilling about it too; something that made her want to see where these new feelings would take themNala appeared in the corner of Shakara’s eye and said, “I can give you some tips on what to do if you want.”Shakara immediately shook her head at Nala’s words, but she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed knowing that Nala had read her thoughts.“As tempting as that sounds,” Shakara said through gritted teeth, “I think I can handle this on my own.”“Suit yourself,” Nala said with a shrug.
Shakara wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or annoyed that Nala had backed off so easily.After a few minutes of awkward silence, Shakara finally asked, “So… Is there anything I can do to help you prepare for your interview? Any notes I could help you go over or something?”Malik looked up at Shakara with a grateful smile at the sound of her question. “That would be great,” he said. “I have all of the textbooks I need at home, but any extra notes you have would be really helpful.”“Sure thing,” Shakara said with a nod. “I’ll bring them over tomorrow morning if that’s okay.”“That would be perfect,” Malik said. “Thank you.”“No problem,” Shakara said with a smile.They had reached Malik’s apartment building by then, and they stopped in front of the entrance.“Well… Goodnight,” Shakara said.“Goodnight,” Malik replied.Shakara started to walk away as she waved over her shoulder.But before she could get too far, she heard Malik say, “Oh!Wait!”Shakara stopped in her tracks and turned around to see that Malik was holding a small potted plant out towards her.“I know it’s not much,” he said with a slight blush on his cheeks, “but I wanted to say thank you for helping me out with this.”Shakara felt her heart flutter at Malik’s words.
She had always thought Malik was cute—handsome even—and she had long since accepted that her feelings for him went beyond those of a typical childhood friend.But now that they were older and Malik had grown into his features (and more than a few of those features), Shakara found that she had never really taken into account how breathtakingly beautiful he was.The way he smiled; the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed; the way his dimples popped out whenever he grinned—Shakara felt like she was seeing him for the very first time all over again.And now she was also experiencing something else for the very first time: whenever she thought of Malik in any capacity—whenever she looked at him or heard his voice or remembered some small detail about him—she felt a strange kind of fluttering sensation in her chest.A warm and comforting kind of fluttering.But also a slightly terrifying kind of fluttering…A warm, comforting, slightly terrifying kind of fluttering…Whatever it was, she knew it was new.And she wasn’t sure what to make of it.But she was definitely curious to see where it would lead her.“Thank you, Malik,” she said as she accepted the plant from him.She took a look at it for the first time.It was a small succulent in a tiny terracotta pot—probably meant to be a desk plant or something like that—and it was incredibly cute.“It’s perfect,” she said with a smile.“I’m glad you like it,” Malik said, smiling in return as he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.“I figured since you were busy with exams, you didn’t have the time to do much gardening these days, so…”He shrugged.
Shakara was surprised that Malik had remembered that she loved gardening—her mother had been the one to get her into it when she was younger—but she was also pleased to know that he had paid attention to the things she had told him about herself over the years.“That’s really thoughtful of you,” she said with a smile.“Thanks.”“There’s no need to thank me,” Malik said as he waved dismissively with his free hand.“I didn’t do anything special.”“You did to me,” Shakara said softly.Malik looked up from his hands to see Shakara looking at him with a faint blush on her cheeks.“Th-Thank you for helping me study.”Shakara felt her face grow even warmer as she realized what she had just done—what she had just said, even!She hadn’t meant to confess her feelings to him like that, but now that the cat was out of the bag, she couldn’t take back her words even if she wanted to.So she kept her gaze from faltering as she looked Malik in the eye and hoped he could see the sincerity in her words.“I know I’m not the smartest person out there, but I’ll do my best to help you with your interview prep.”Malik’s brown eyes widened as his jaw dropped.Shakara swallowed hard as she waited for him to say something.Anything.But he didn’t say anything for a long, long time.It felt like hours before he finally opened his mouth to speak.“I-I—”He shook his head as if to clear it of whatever thoughts were swirling inside, then repeated himself in a voice that was so soft she could barely hear him.“I-I…”He cleared his throat before trying again.
“I-If I’m being honest, Shaks, I don’t think I can sit still next to you and hold back my feelings during our study sessions.”Shakara didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing.Malik reached into his backpack and pulled something out.He held out his hand to reveal a small, potted plant with green, heart-shaped leaves speckled with white.“I got this for you,” he said, “to show my appreciation for all the help you’ve given me in preparing for my job interview.”Shakara took the plant from Malik’s outstretched hand and cradled it carefully in her palms.“It’s perfect,” she said, and she meant it.She’d been wanting a little green plant for her desk at home, but she hadn’t been able to afford it.“Th-thank you, Malik.” She paused, then added in a soft voice, “I think I’m going to name it after you.”Malik smiled back at her, and the sight of his dimples made her heart skip a beat.“Speaking of my job, I wanted to make sure you got my message about the interview,” he said.“I know you’ve been busy studying for your exams, but I just wanted to make sure you had a chance to look over those coding exercises and let me know if you have any questions before the big day.”Shakara nodded.“I started going through the exercises earlier, but I haven’t gotten through them all yet,” she admitted.“I have another exam coming up in two days, so that’s been keeping me busy.”“I understand,” Malik replied.“The exam you have coming up is more important right now.
Just let me know if you need any help when it’s over and I’ll be there to assist you with anything you need.”“That’s very sweet of you,” Shakara said, blushing at his words.“Thank you.” She hesitated, then continued, “I really appreciate all the help you’ve given me lately.I’m not sure what I would do without you.”Malik smiled at her.“I’m happy to help.I’m just glad I could be here for you when you needed me the most.”As they stood together on her doorstep, Shakara had to fight back the urge to tell Malik that he was one of the best things in her life and that she didn’t know what she would do without him.She couldn’t bring herself to say anything, though, for fear that she might confess her feelings for him.Shakara had been struggling with her feelings for Malik ever since he had confessed his own feelings for her.She wasn’t sure what to do about them or whether she should talk to him about them or not.After all, their friendship meant everything to her and she didn’t want to lose that.As she watched Malik walk away from her apartment, Shakara closed the door and leaned against it.She had no idea what to do about Malik or how to talk to him about her feelings for him.She was also unsure of whether or not she should confess her own feelings to him or not.Shakara knew she had to do something soon, though.She couldn’t keep her feelings hidden away forever and not tell him how she felt.The truth was, she had been falling in love with Malik for a long time now and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep those feelings to herself.The next morning after breakfast, Shakara set off to meet Malik at his apartment so she could help him prepare for his job interview.
It would be the first time they had seen each other in a few days and Shakara was both excited and nervous about it.When she arrived at Malik’s building, he was already waiting for her outside.As soon as he saw her, he smiled and waved to her.Shakara smiled back at him and waved back before walking over to him.“Hey,” she said as they greeted each other with a hug.“Hi,” Malik said, hugging her back.“Thanks for coming over today to help me with this.”“No problem,” Shakara said as they walked into the building together.“I’m happy to help you in any way I can.”“Thanks,” Malik said again as they got into the elevator.Shakara couldn’t help but blush as she looked up at him again.Malik was always so handsome and seeing him dressed up and looking so good made her blush and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.She had to fight the urge to tell him how she felt right then and there.When they reached Malik’s apartment, he invited Shakara inside and offered her a seat on the couch while he went to get the things they needed to study.
Shakara looked around the apartment, trying not to look too nosy and curious while Malik was gone.It was a small one-bedroom apartment, with an open floor plan.Shakara could see into the kitchen from where she was sitting, but not quite into the bedroom.The furniture was newer and modern-looking, probably from Ikea or another place like that.There was a small bookshelf full of books and other odds and ends on one wall, and two large potted plants sat in the window beside it.The walls were painted a light teal color, and there were some framed photos on the opposite wall, near the front door, that caught Shakara’s attention.Shakara got up from the couch and walked over to the photos hanging on the wall by the door and looked at them.Most of them were of Malik and his family.There were a few of him with his mom and younger sister, one of just him and his sister, and a few with all five of them together.There was another photo that caught Shakara’s attention as well, though.
The main subject of the photo was Malik, who was standing towards the back of the shot with Nala at his side.He was leaning back against a bench, arms crossed over his chest and wearing a big smile.Shakara knew the shot was candid because Malik’s eyes were crinkled slightly at the corners—something he did when he was truly happy or amused.This was one of the first times Shakara had seen him look so relaxed and carefree since he’d lost his job.She remembered Nala telling her that she’d seen Malik at the park a few weeks back when he’d taken Nia out to play with some friends.Apparently, they’d met up with some other parents and their kids, too.Shakara had been looking forward to meeting Nia and seeing Malik again after that, but it hadn’t happened yet.In the photo, he was laughing at something someone off to the side had said or done.Nala was in the shot too, but she was standing at Malik’s side, staring at him with a neutral expression.Shakara smiled at the photo.She’d seen Malik smile before, like in this picture, but she’d never seen him laugh outright like that.It was captivating.She tore her gaze away from the photo and looked at the next one.It was a close-up of Malik smiling down at his sister.The only thing she saw when she looked at this photo was how much he loved her.She looked at a few more photos before going back to the couch.Her eyes kept drifting back to the photo of Malik laughing.She liked seeing him look so happy.
A few minutes later, Shakara could hear the front door unlocking and opening.“Hey! We’re home!”Malik called out.There was a beat before Nia’s voice came back.“Can we have ice cream?”“No, you just had ice cream,” Malik said.“But I want more!”Nia whined.Malik sighed dramatically.He made his way into the living room and stopped short when he saw Shakara sitting on the couch.“Dude!”he laughed.“You scared me!”“Sorry.” She smiled as he dropped down onto the couch beside her.“How are you doing?”he asked, bumping her shoulder lightly with his.“I’m fine,” she replied.“Just trying to stay calm before my exam.”“Is there anything I can do to help?”he asked.“No.” Shakara shook her head.“Not really.I’ve been reviewing the coding exercises you brought me.”“Yeah?How’re you doing?”“Good,” she answered.“It’s been a while since I’ve written anything myself so it’s been kinda therapeutic for me.”She smiled at the response he gave her.“That’s good to hear.”They fell into silence as the sounds of Nia rummaging around in the kitchen reached them before she poked her head out from around the corner.“Shakara, do you want ice cream?”she called out to her brother.Shakara laughed, glancing at Malik for his reaction, but he just shook his head with a fond smile on his face.“I think she’s made up her mind already,” he said, standing up.He raised his voice so Nia could hear him.“I’ll have some, though.”“Okay!”
When Malik came back with three bowls of ice cream, Nia was sitting on the floor in front of the TV with her own bowl, watching a cartoon.He handed Shakara a bowl before sitting down beside her with his own, grabbing the remote to turn on the news as he did so.“What’s the occasion?”Shakara asked as she took a bite of the treat in front of her.“Sometimes, you just have to have ice cream,” he replied with a shrug, taking a bite of his own.
She chuckled at his response as she ate her ice cream, taking comfort in how easy it was to be around Malik and Nia.“I just found out I passed all my exams,” Shakara said into the phone. “I’ll be graduating in a couple months.”“That’s great news, honey,” her mother replied excitedly. “Your father would be so proud.”Shakara felt her throat tighten at that last statement, her eyes welling up with tears. Her father had been killed three years ago while working as a journalist. She had chosen to study library science as a way to honor his memory and continue his work, but it hadn’t made the pain any easier to live with.
“I know,” she murmured. She could hear the sounds of Nia playing in the background, and she felt a pang of sadness. She had missed so many milestones in Nia’s young life, and she couldn’t get them back. She knew she’d never get back all the time she had missed before, but she was determined to make up for it as best she could now. “Anyway, I was calling because I wanted to talk about plans for graduation.”“What did you have in mind?”her mother asked.“Well, I know it would be difficult for you to come here,” she began. “But I was hoping we could have some kind of small celebration—just me, you, and Nia.”“We’ll be there,” her mother said without hesitation.“I was thinking we could spend a few days together after the ceremony,” she continued. “Maybe take a little trip somewhere.”“We’ll go wherever you want, sweetheart,” her mother said. “We can pick up your father’s brother and your aunt on our way there. It’ll be like a family reunion.”“That sounds lovely,” Shakara said with a smile. “There’s just one more thing I wanted to talk about.”“What’s that?”“I was hoping you could help me find some information,” she said. “It’s for my work. I’ve been doing some research into information suppression and how it affects society, and I’d like to find some articles that your father wrote about the subject. I’d also really like to find out more about what he was working on at the time he was killed. I don’t want his work to die with him.”
There was a pause before her mother answered. “Sweetie, you know that kind of information is strictly confidential,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go digging into something like this.”“I know,” Shakara said earnestly. “But it’s important. This is what I’m studying. This is a big part of my thesis. Please, Mom. I need your help.”There was another pause before her mother spoke again. “Okay,” she said at last. “I’ll see what I can do. It might take a little while, but I’ll try to find something for you.”“Thank you!” Shakara said. “And listen, don’t worry about getting in trouble or anything. The government might not be as strict now as they were back then—”“They’re just better at hiding it,” her mother murmured. “But that’s not the point, sweetheart. The point is, I don’t want to drag up old memories for me or for you. I’m still not sure it’s a good idea.”“I understand,” Shakara said. “I do. But this is important, and I think you know that it is. Just… promise me you’ll think about it.”“I will,” her mother assured her. “I’ll think about it, and I’ll see what I can do.”And that was all she could ask for. Grateful, Shakara changed the subject, and they talked for another hour before finally hanging up. She felt better already, knowing that she had a lead. She couldn’t wait to see what her mother found.
The next day, Shakara went to work at the library as usual, but she left early for a dentist appointment. She changed into some street clothes, tucked her librarian’s uniform into her bag, and took a different route home. She stopped at a small market near Malik’s building to get some snacks for their study session later and was on her way back out when she saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar talking to one of the clerks in the front. The woman had curly dark hair and light brown skin, and she was wearing a long black coat with a hood pulled up over her head. Shakara tried to place where she had seen her before as she walked past the counter and out the door.Then she paused, the door pressed open against her shoulder, as she remembered: it wasn’t the woman she recognized. It was the coat. It was the same coat the woman from the alleyway had been wearing the day Shakara first met Malik. The day he saved her from a pickpocket and gave her back the money he’d stolen. The day she realized he wasn’t just a friend.The day everything changed.Shakara knew that coat anywhere, and her eyes went wide with understanding: the woman in the alleyway hadn’t been there by chance at all. She had been a distraction so that someone else could steal from him while he was helping her. She had used her to get to him.A surge of fear went through her as she realized what that meant, and she knew that she had to find him, fast. She took off running down the street, toward his apartment building, and prayed that she wasn’t too late.Chapter 3
Malik was just finishing up in the kitchen when he heard a soft knock at the door.He opened it to see Shakara standing there, a backpack slung over her shoulder and a small, worried frown on her face.She stepped inside quickly, and he felt a jolt of surprise as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.“Whoa,” he said, holding her close.She didn’t say anything at first, but he could feel her tremble a little against him, and he rubbed her back gently.“What’s wrong?”he asked softly.She took a deep breath and stepped back, letting go of him slowly.“Did you see anyone strange in the market today?”she asked him.He shook his head.“No, I don’t think so.” He opened his mouth to ask her what was going on, but before he could say anything else, there was a knock at the door.Shakara went white as Malik moved past her, opening the door cautiously.There was a man standing in the hallway, wearing dark sunglasses despite the fact that it was already dark outside.“Can I help you?”Malik asked, keeping his tone casual.“Are you Malik Amin?”the man asked, his voice low and gravelly.Malik crossed his arms over his chest.“What do you want?”he asked.“I just have some questions,” the man said easily, as if he were talking about nothing more serious than the weather.A chill went down Malik’s spine, and he knew immediately that it would be dangerous for him to answer any questions at all.He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Shakara’s voice cut through the silence, light and casual as if nothing were wrong at all.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Malik,” she said, stepping forward as if she hadn’t just run across town in a panic to make sure that he was all right.It was at that moment that Malik realized that he’d never been more terrified in his life.“I’m afraid we don’t do interviews,” she said crisply.The man in the hall turned toward her, and Malik had never seen anyone go so pale so fast in his entire life.He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before he stepped up next to her, trying to keep his voice steady.“You heard what she said,” he told the man.“We’re not interested.”Something flickered behind those dark glasses, but Malik couldn’t read it.He didn’t want to read it.He just wanted this person to go away.After a moment, the man nodded slowly.“As you wish,” he said, turning away from them and walking back down the hall.When he was gone, Malik sank to the floor by the door with a little whimper that he couldn’t quite contain.He clapped his hand over his mouth as he tried to get his breathing back under control.“Who was that?”he heard Shakara asking from somewhere beside him, but he couldn’t answer her.His whole body was trembling with the aftermath of the fear that had just coursed through him, shaking him to the core.Chapter SevenShakaraShe had been so worried about Malik that she had barely slept at all last night.
Every time that she closed her eyes, she saw the look on his face when he had realized that someone had been following her, using her to get to him.While she knew that there was no way that he would have ever wanted her to be used in such a way, she couldn’t help but feel responsible for what had happened, for what almost happened.Not to mention the fact that he had been attacked and nearly kidnapped right outside his own damn apartment!She had suggested going to the authorities to tell them what had happened, but Malik had shaken his head emphatically at her suggestion.“Absolutely not,” he said. “We can’t trust them.”“But what if this guy comes back?”“What if they’re in league with him? What if they’re the ones who paid her to distract me, who had her follow you and attack me?”
Shakara had no answer for any of those questions, and it was true that the idea that the police could be involved in a plot against Malik was a bit too conspiracy theory even for her. But what else could they do? The only other option seemed to be to run, and Shakara didn’t know how they could manage that. Neither of them exactly had a lot of money saved up, and she didn’t know anyone else in Zaafra who could help them. And with the job market as tight as it was, she wasn’t sure how long she could hold onto her position at the library. The city was known for its frequent layoffs, after all.“No, we have to stay put for now,” Malik insisted when she brought the idea up. “I’m not going to let them scare me into leaving my home. I have too much to lose here.”“Like what?”Shakara asked him. “You’re a freelance coder and a hacker. You don’t have a steady job and you don’t have a family or a bunch of friends… no offense.”“I’m building a career here,” he said. “I’ve made a name for myself in several open source communities. I have people who respect me. And I have you and Nia.”
The thought of running away crossed Shakara’s mind, but with little money and no one else to turn to, it didn’t seem like it would be possible. She’d seen people on the street who had nowhere else to go, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen to her or Malik or Nia. “So what do we do?”“Just keep on as normal,” Malik said.“I’m going to see if I can dig up any information about that guy, see if he’s been around before or if anyone knows him.”“I think we should come up with a plan in case they come back,” Shakara said.“I don’t think we can count on our luck holding forever.”Malik nodded grimly, and Shakara could see that he really didn’t want to discuss this part of it, but she didn’t know what else to do.If anything had happened to Malik because of her, she didn’t think she could live with herself.“Maybe I should move back home with my mother and Nia,” she suggested.
Malik’s eyes widened at that, and he looked down at his hands, fingers laced together in his lap.“You’d be safer there,” she continued gently. “And if I get caught, maybe your name won’t be anywhere near it and you’ll have a better chance of getting out of it.”“I’m not leaving,” he said softly. “I won’t be scared away from my home.”“Your home?” she asked, and he looked up at her again, eyes flashing angrily.“Yes,” he said. “My home. I’ve lived here almost as long as I lived in the old apartment with my folks. I’m not letting someone chase me out of my home.”“I just don’t want to see anything bad happen to you or Nia,” she said, trying to keep her voice low and even so she didn’t sound like she was accusing him of being weak or anything like that.“We’ll be okay,” he said, looking back down at his hands and letting out a sigh. “We just have to be careful. And I’ll see if I can figure out who’s behind this and why.”He didn’t say it, but she could see in his eyes that he blamed himself for getting into this whole mess in the first place.She wished she knew what else to do or say to make him feel better, but there wasn’t anything she could think of, so they just sat there in silence until it was time for her to go to work.Shakara sat at her desk in the library, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of her.She’d been spacing out a lot more lately, especially when work was slow like it was today.
A loud bang and the sound of shouting coming from the back of the library made her jump, and she was on her feet, running for the back room before she even realized what she was doing.She skidded to a halt in the doorway, almost crashing into the shelves full of books that held up the ceiling.The shelves creaked ominously around her, and she breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn’t actually collapsed as she turned her attention back to the two men who had run into the room behind her, panting and wheezing.They both looked extremely nervous as they glanced around the small room, eyes wide.“What’s going on?”Shakara said, voice sharp.“What are you doing back here?”The two men snapped to attention, glancing quickly at each other before one of them cleared his throat.“Um, we’re sorry, ma’am,” he said.“Nala told us you were in the middle of something important, so we thought we could get any extra books from the restricted section and bring them to you so you wouldn’t have to waste time coming back here.” He cleared his throat again. “But…we couldn’t find the key, so…”“So, you decided to try and break in?”Shakara said.“Are you insane?”The two men looked even more nervous now, but they didn’t say anything.Shakara sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.She’d been so startled by their sudden appearance that she hadn’t even noticed what they were carrying until now.They were both holding armfuls of books.“Hand them over,” she said, holding out her hands.The two men hesitated nervously for a moment before they came over and handed the books to her.img-1710585023