Dedicated to my four very best friends without whom I may not be the person I am today. No, they are not on wattpad but they have been reading every chapter. I love you guys and your support had been my backbone. Thank you for everything you did. The inspiration of four friends of Anaya in this story are taken from them. Names have been changed, of course, but the support these characters will extend to Anaya will be just like how my friends support me.

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Bismillah hir rehman nir raheem

In the name of Allah, who is the most beneficient and the most merciful.

Entering the school, Anaya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The familiar scent of her school, which she also called her second home, ran through her veins, releasing the hormones of happiness. Exhaling, she felt as if some of the negativity had left her. The satisfaction she felt couldn't be explained in words. This was another place, besides home, that held the people she loved.

Cough.

She opened her eyes. Horrified and a little embarrassed when she realized she was standing at the entrance of her school and the guard who coughed was looking at her as if doubtful of her mental stability. Mumbling a quick "sorry uncle." She made her way to her class, her cheeks flushed.

Walking through the corridor, she made her way through the crowd of girls, all busy in different activities. Entering her class and placing her bag between two bags; a brown and a red one, she made her way out, knowing very well where they could be. As per her expectations, she found them in the long passageway between the junior and the senior wings; just in front of playground.

They realising her presence as she came near, turned and waved. She grinned broadly and started taking big steps to cover the distance between her and her friends.

"Assalamaolikum guys!"

"Walikumaslam." Falak, Sameera, Irha and Hania chorused.

Anaya saw biology books in everyone's hands as they had a test of biology today.

"So,Anaya, how's your preparation??" Irha asked opening her book.

"Of course, as good as always." Sameera replied instead.

Anaya rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on! I am n-----" Anaya was cut off by Hania

"I haven't learned anything, I don't know anything, I will fail." She was wailing while flipping pages hysterically,when, quite suddenly, Falak snatched the book from her hands.

"Oye!" Hania frowned at Falak who was busy looking through the book.

"In Mendel's Law Of Segregation, what was the ratio of round and wrinkled peas in result??" Falak posed a question at Hania

"75% Round: 25% Wrinkled." Hania answered mechanically.

"Say 'I do not know anything one more time' and I swear I am going to smack your head on opposite wall." Falak gave back her book, glaring at her.

"I do not know anything, not know anything, not know anything. " Sticking out the tongue and chanting "I don't know anything' Hania ran, knowing very well that Falak will come after her and that was what she did; ran after her.

Ring Ring Ring,

The bell rang.

"OYEEEE! LRKIIOONN!! WAPIS AA JAOOOOOOOO!!!" Anaya cupped her hand around her mouth and yelled.
(Hey, Girls! Come back)

Smack

Anay turned around and saw Sameera glaring at her.

"Tumne mujhy mara??" (You hit me?)

"Nhi! Ik jin aya tha usne mara!" (No, a monster came, he hit you)

Ye lrkiii

"Tumhe seedha jawab na deny ki qasam kha rkhi ha!" (You have decided not to answer seriously)

"Or tumne seedha sawal na krny ki." (And you have decided not to question seriously)

"Hahahaha hahahaha hahahah hahahaha hahahaha hahahah...."

What the------

Anaya wheeled around and saw Irha sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, holding her stomach and laughing uncontrollably.

I should've known.

"Irha, Get up! People are staring." Anaya tried pulling her up but as she took hold of her hand, Irha broke into another fit of laughter, pulling Anaya down.

"Ouch!!"

Anaya,who was about to stand up, caught a glance of Irha's face which looked like a tomato with eyes and tears and also broke into laughter.

"Chalo! Bas tumhare kasar rh gai thi woh bhi pori ho gai. Ya Allah! Kesi namoonian dii hn.* Sameera face palmed, her eyes travelled from the two who were still running in circles to the two who were sitting on the floor, laughing to her watch and she jumped.(What was left of you is also completed.Oh Allah!  Which kind of samples did u grant me?

"DO YOU GUYS PLAN ON SPENDING WHOLE DAY HERE??? FIVE MINUTES ARE UP" She yelled.

Hearing that five minutes are up, Falak and Hania came running back, both gasping for breath, sending glares at each other's way. Anaya and Irha stood up, both red in face from all the laughing.

"What are you guys doing over here? Assembly has started."

They all jumped as if they had received a 500 Volt current. They turned around and saw Ma'am Aliha, their class teacher, standing there staring at them angrily.

They made way to the auditorium, their heads hung in apparent shame.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Assembly had been finished, they were all sitting in class waiting for their biology teacher to come, meanwhile trying to do last minute revision for the test.

"Assalamoalikum teacher! How are you teacher?" They all stood up when Ma'am Aliha entered.

"Walikumaslam, I am fine Alhmdullilah, sit down please and take out your registers for the test."

As they all attempted the questions Ma'am Aliha had written on board for the test. Except the occasional sound of opening of pen or flipping of pages, there was silence.

Anaya was a bit nervous, because of the events the previous day, she didn't learn the biology test the way she was supposed to. That was the reason, Ma'am Aliha had asked her to meet her in her office in the recess period.

"I wonder why is she asking you to come?" Irha asked as they walked towards Ma'am Aliha's office.

"Dunno." Anaya shrugged.

She knocked at the door of the office, heard "Come in" and went inside, closing the door behind her.

"Have a seat please Anaya."

Anaya sat down in front of her.

"So, Anaya, here is your test." She handed Anaya the register.

Nervously, she opened her test and saw 15/20 written there. Her heart stopped for a moment. She was beyond shocked. This was, perhaps the first time she secured such low marks. These marks took her mind to the same thing which she was ignoring the whole day.

I can't be an army doctor. This further proves it.

She looked up to see her teacher carefully observing her face expressions. She hung her head down again.

"What happened Anaya?"

"N-nothing ma'am."

"Really? There must be some reason of your low marks."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I don't think so. Anaya, look at me."

She looked up.

"Tell me now."

Anaya sighed. She knew, that her teacher out of all other people deserved to know it. She had not only been a teacher but a mentor to her. After her abu's shahadah, she was one of the few people who lifted her up. Then her science teacher, she did everything she could to motivate and guide Anaya.

Anaya, told her everything, starting from Iqbal's stepping in the house to his leaving after mentally torturing them into believing that they couldn't be what they wanted to be, just because they didn't have a father.

"So, you decided you won't become an army doctor?"

"Yes."

"Very well, you may go."

Nodding, Anaya got up to leave. Her hand was on the handle of the door when she heard her teacher's voice again.

"Before making any decision, make sure your mother's efforts don't go in vain."

Anaya halted for a second, then went out to where her friends were waiting for her, the words of her teacher ringing her ears and making her doubt her decision she had taken so resolutely.

Before making any decision, make sure your mother's efforts don't go in vain

_______________________________________________________________________

YOUSUF'S POV

Done with his asr namaz, as he folded the mat and sat on the table to study, he heard the telephone in the living room ringing. Wondering who could be calling, he descended the stairs towards the living room.

"Assalamoalikum." He picked up the phone.

"Walikumaslam, Beta! Is this Anaya Misam's house??" A woman spoke on the other side.

"Yes, it is."

"Beta, I am her friend Irha's mother."

Hain?(What?)

"G??"

"Beta! You surely know about Irha?"

Irha is a nice name. But who is she?

"Uh?No, sorry."

"You said you know Anaya."

"Yes, I do. I am her brother."

"But you don't know the names of Anaya's friend."

Why would I?

"No, I don't."

"Yeh lo, Irha, tum khud baat kro." The woman on the other side said in an irritating voice.(Here, Irha take it and talk yourselves)

"Aap konsy walay bhai han Anaya k?" The girl named Irha asked.(Which brother are you of Anaya?)

Irha is a nice name, she has a beautiful voice too. Sharm kro Yousuf, Api ki friend hain.(Shame on you Yousuf, she is a friend of Aapi)

"Acha wala."(Nice one)

"I mean to say, are you Saad or Yousuf?"

Hain, aapi ki friends ko hmaray naam bhi pata ha?(What?Aapi's friends know our names too?)

"Gi, Aap k naam bhi pata ha. Or kuch?"(yes, we know your name, anything else?)

I said that aloud? Ya Allah kill me!

"I am Yousuf."

"Shukria! Yousuf, I wanted to tell you that Anaya has given up on her dream to become an army doctor."

"WHAT!" Yousuf practically yelled.

"Yes! As you are her brother, I am telling you this. Now, the decision is upto you. Ok Allahhafiz."

"Wait a minute, what------" Yousuf's words were cut by a long teee. The call had been cut on the other side.

He was baffled. Anaya api wasn't the one to give up so easily, then what happened to her? He also felt a little hurt that she didn't tell her own brothers.

He ran towards Saad's room and pushed open the door with such a force that Saad jumped.

"You should knock before entering someone's room." Saad glared at him

"This is not someone's room, it's my own brother's." Yousuf sat on the bed.

Saad rolled his eyes.

"If you are done rolling your eyes, can I explain the problem now?"

Saad rolled his sleeves, pushed the books away, putting both the hands on face and the elbows on knees, said, "Yes, you may."

"Full drama." Yousuf rolled his eyes.

"Hey! That's injustice."

"What?"

"You stopped me rolling my eyes and now you are rolling yours."

"I never stopped you."

"Yes you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes."

"No."

"May I ask what the problem is? Or you are just wasting my time?"

"Oh yes, the problem."

Yousuf then told Saad about whatever Aani Aapi's friend had told her, except the part where he thought she had beautiful name and voice.

SAAD'S POV

He's deaf.

Yes, he is definitely deaf because of the earwax clogged in his ears.

He rubbed the inner side of his ear vigorously with his fingers, then turned to Yousuf who was looking at him as if fearful of his sanity.

"May I ask what are you doing?" Yousuf said

"No, you may not." Came the reply.

Yousuf frowned.

"I am telling you  something serious and here you are, acting like a fool."

"Okay, say it again, I am sure I didn't hear it correctly." 

Yousuf sighed.

"Anaya Api is almost upto quitting her dream Saadi!!".

Not,not again,not that Saadi again.

His neck snapped towards Yousuf's paled one while he raised his had and smacked Yousuf on the head lightly.

"Call me Saad ; Saadi was a boy ; I'm a man", he said whilst holding his head up with pride

"A man whose barely even 4 feet..", Yousuf mumbled while Saad fixed his cold gaze at him.

Shrugging off Yousuf's true but disrespectful comment on his manly height ; he focused his attention back on the matter in hand.

"Aani aapi would never give up on her dream and In Sha Allah she will become an ARMY doctor.", he said with utter adoration for his sister.

Yousuf stared at him for God knows how long contemplating how much of a dimwit his twin could get.

"Aani aapi's friend called ; Irha G ; she said Aapi was on the edge today that she wants to give up ; Believe me Saad , There's something wrong with Aapi and we both are going to talk to her right now ; like it or not."

Three things hit Saad on the face like a brick ;

1) Irha G!!!

2)Yousuf talking up and calling him Saad and not Saadi

3) Irha G!!

"Who is Irha G?"

"My girlfriend."

"Stop joking."

"I am not."

"Of course you are."

"How?"

"Number one;  I would know if you had a girlfriend. Number two; People don't call their girlfriends G."

Yousuf, without replying, stood up.

"I am going to Aapi's room, you wanna come or not, its upto you."

"Wait, I am coming too." Saad said, as he joined his brother.

They both trudged down to Anaya's room sketching up the conversation in their mind.

Faint sobs resonated their ears when they reached upto Anaya's door . Saad felt himself hesitating as to whether they should walk in or not. He looked up to Yousuf who nodded at him.

Without knocking they twisted the doorknob and tiptoed into the room.

Anaya's room was quite in contrast to it's usual appearance ; the light-lit room was bathed in darkness , even the fairy lights were off . The usual calm demeanor of the room hit now in waves of melancholy.

The small shaking figure cuddled into the quilt on the bed was surely Anaya.

Saad felt the walls of his heart quivering at this sight ; His sister , his support system , his first friend, his first crime partner , his first everything was now in an abyss of sadness and he didn't know. The sniffling besides him belonging to Yousuf broke him out of his thoughts.

Who dare make his sister cry!

Who dare do this to his sister!

Saad knew that in very moment that he would break hell upon the person who dared to upset his sister.

Without further both ; Saad and Yousuf walked upto either sides of the bed , climbed up and curled upto Anayas's sides.

The sobs from underneath the quilt stopped for a mere second in surprise when ;

"It's okay Aani Api ; It's us ; Saadi and Yousuf." he almost whispered when Yousuf took up his sentence ,

"From now on Aani Api ; don't cry alone , we laughed together and we'll cry together , we had good times together and we'll have bad times together too."

Carrying on from what Yousuf left un-said Saad found himself saying ;

"We did every thing together Aani Api ; what makes you think we won't take you to the ARMY with us. There has to be someone who'll fix our broken noses , right?"

Light chuckles filled the room as all the siblings kept laying there in a silence so serene ; even the stars burned with envy.

ASSALAMOALIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUHU!

How are you all??

How was this chapter?

I hope it's good.

Okay, next chapter is going to introduce the Romeo of this story, HAMZA. 

Anyone excited?

Look at the asthetics and guess what will Hamza be like?

Till then,

Stay safe and blessed.