Dedicated to Noorie____

~To all the ladies out there, you are so much more than others think of you~

~To all those who feel you're alone, you're not~

~To all those who feel like quitting, there's a light ahead just a little bit more of patience~

~To all those who feel like there's no point in living anymore, that there's no one to stand with them. You have a life ahead, just have sabr~

~To all those who feel like they can't achieve anything, you can do anything you set your heart into~

~To those who feel like they're to blame for what happened to them, you're not. You're just a victim. No one, not even yourself have the right to blame you~

~To all those who feel like they're not good enough,

To all those who feel like giving up,

To all those who feel like they're a mistake,

You are so much more than what you think. Be proud of who you are, do what makes you happy, and just be happy and contented with yourself. Life will be so much easier if you think such way~

~Speak up, shout out, talk a little bit louder and trust yourself. Deep down somewhere inside of you is a strong girl whom can achieve anything she sets her heart into it~

There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark. You should know you're beautiful just the way you are ~Alessia Cara, Scars to Your Beautiful.

ABUJA, NIGERIA.

7TH MAY, 2019.

A lady moved her head to the side as a makeup artist apply the finishing touch of her makeup. She closed her eyes momentarily, her eye lashes resting on her face for that moment giving the MUA another opportunity to fix her eye shadows.

To most, she is the epitome of beauty even without makeup-Beauty not really physically but what lies deep within. Having sat for over an hour for her makeup exhausted her despite the fact that she had been through this countless times before; but still, she was grateful when the man announced that he was done. He left after packing his belongings.

She reached out her henna covered hands to pick up her IPhone and the logged into her twitter account to tweet and read threads. She blinked as she read the unfortunate cases of what's happening to women nowadays. She scoffed slightly when she read some people's comments on how women are to be blamed for everything that happens to them.

The nerves! She thought dropping her phone as the comments had started to annoy her. Do they even know how those women feel?

A few minutes passed before a resounding knock came, "Come in" She said as the door knob twists. She had her face buried between her palms as she thought over what she's about to do. She had done this before but this time is different. And she knows that, it's time for everyone to do so too.

"Rahma" Said the person that knocked making her look up.

"Yes" She replied smiling slightly at the person that peeked in.

"Twenty minutes left"

She nodded, "Ok thank you Grace" she watched the woman-Grace leave, closing the door shut behind her.

Minutes...she thought in her head. How time flies...

She sighed and placed back her phone on the vanity table. She looked at herself past the makeup in the mirror as her thoughts go back to a time in the past when none of this existed-when there was only them and nothing else.

Back to the beginning.

MIYA,

GANJUWA LGA,

BAUCHI STATE.

10 JAN., 2000.

A five-year-old watched from the small uncovered window of the scrapheap she stays in as her aunt walked out, no doubt heading to another wedding of a neighbor. That's all she ever does on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday evenings. Sometimes the girl wonders if the woman ever gets tired of going from one area to another in the name of weddings but it never seemed so. And the fact that most of those wedding she wasn't exactly invited was another matter.

It's what a Hausa man calls "Kalan dangi". Except the woman never seems to care.

She jumped off the window when she saw her aunt's figure disappear outside. Her feet made contact with the cold sand that covered the floor of her room as she landed on it. The cold grits dispersed a bit because of the impact of how she landed on it.As she walked a little bit further, she pushed the old battered piece of wrapper that acted as a door and headed towards the place where unwashed dishes lay cautiously. She looked behind her just to check in case someone could see her but she didn't spot anyone so she continued.

She didn't look back as she descended on the first plate of leftover dumamen tuwo da miyan kuka that some flies were already feasting over. She didn't care though, what she cared about was getting something in her stomach as she hasn't been given anything to eat since breakfast the day before. So, along with the flies she ate the three morsel of the food that became the first food she had that day greedily. She was thankful that her aunt had left that as she normally doesn't-the woman eats everything even if she will throw up afterwards just so the girl wouldn't have anything to eat.

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un!"

She dropped the plate she was licking when she heard her aunt's voice that sent chills down her spine, and not in the good way. Her small frail body turned to look at the woman that had been nothing but cruel to her for as long as she can remember. She trembled out of fear as she blinks rapidly; tears welling up in her doe eyes as her gaze met that of her aunt's irate ones.

"Rabiatu? So this is what you have resorted to?" Anty Maryama, her aunt said pointing at the plate that Rabiatu just ate from.

Rabiatu gulped. The little girl didn't know what to do. If anything she's scared to the core of the consequence that she'll get from Anty Maryama. She knew she wasn't supposed to touch or eat anything until she's instructed to but she couldn't help it. It's been long since she had put anything inside her stomach apart from the two bread slice she had the day before and if she didn't know any better then she'll say that the woman forgot about her.

But if anything, even the five-year-old could tell that it was intentional. The woman is simply the definition of wicked.

"Ba magana nake miki bah?" Anty Maryama asked stepping closer to the girl whom on instinct tried to back away but slipped and fell on the floor, her head hitting the ground.

Rabiatu wasn't able to relieve herself off the pain of hitting her head before a slap landed on her face. She whimpered as the tears in her eyes started to fall but that didn't stop Anty Maryama. The woman raised her hand and hit Rabiatu on her already throbbing head followed by another ignoring the yells and pleads of pardon from the little girl.

"Anty Mamama...dan...dan Allah kiyi hakuri" the sobbing little girl pleaded amidst of her loud wails. The girl couldn't even say the woman's name properly because she had a problem with the 'r' letter in her parlance.

"Yimin shiru dan ubanki! Shegiya kawai!" Anty Maryama's veil that was wrapped around her shoulder fell off but it was the least of her concern. She held the girl's two hands in one and pulled her into a kneeling position.

Rabia hiccupped whilst sniffing as her eyes began to swell.

"Didn't I tell you never to touch anything unless I give you permission?" she asked as her grip on the girl's hands tightened.

"Yi...yi...haquri a...anty mamama" Rabia whimpered.

Anty Maryama hissed before taking a hold of Rabia's ear and twisting it brutally, "Ba tambayanki anyi ba?"

Rabia nodded as new wave of tears fell down her face.

Still not satisfied, Anty Maryam raised her hand up and slapped the five-year-old hard, "Use your words!" she seethed.

"Kin fadi" Rabia said quickly hoping to get out of her aunt's torture.

"So why didn't you listen?" Slap "Ehen?! Why didn't you listen?" Another slap, "Was I speaking gibberish?"

"No"

Anty Maryama glared at the girl before she pushed her away as she stood straight whilst fixing her veil. She hastily walked behind the girl and picked up all the plates that had bits of food left in them and dumped it all in the trash. She went to the extent of taking a handful of sand in her hand and dumping it on the plates thoroughly before she placed them back where they were earlier. "There! Let me see you try and eat from the dumpster or eat sand in you can. Mayya!"

She hissed before she walked out again this time with her purse pressed in between her armpit and her shoes stomping on the sandy floor. All the while as she left the house she kept on mumbling about how unfortunate she is to be stuck with a witch that won't even let her rest in peace. "Ko uban meyasa ya kawo min wannan mayar ma oho?!" she muttered before she hissed again.

When Anty Maryama left, Rabia sat up and wiped her tears though they just kept on falling rapidly.

Rabia didn't know how long she stayed there crying. Her head hurt a lot and she was weak from the lack of food and the beating she received from Anty Maryama. Her stomach growled loudly making her wrap her small hand around it. She didn't know what to do.

A small figure walked into the house. Her hijab creased up and moreover she had it on inside out. In her hand she held a small traditional silver bowl that Hausa people call 'Kwanon silba'. "Assalamu alaikum" she said loudly. The little girl was filled with so much energy more than kids her age have. "Anty Maryama!" she called out as she walked further into the small premises of Malam Dalha's house. "Sallama alaikum! Anty Maryama!" she called out again but just like the other time, no one answered.

She pursed her small lips forward and turned to walk away when she heard muffled sobs. The girl was so caught up on delivering her message that she didn't notice the figure that laid on the floor quivering. She turned back and walked towards the little girl on the floor.

She sat on the floor beside Rabia and tapped her shoulder. Rabia didn't have it in her to sit up and reply. Instead, she groaned out of pain and hunger making the girl look at her puzzled. She tapped her shoulder again, this time with more force than the last time.

"Meya ke damun ki?" She asked Rabia who didn't reply. She tapped her again, this time harder than before. But the thing is, the girl didn't do it with the intention of hurting Rabia. She just wanted to see if the girl her age is alright.

Rabia wanted nothing more than for the girl to just leave her alone but the girl didn't get the memo. She's simply too nosy for her own good.

The little girl looked at Rabia's body that looked more like a pile of bone having always being starved. She must be the one her mother was talking about. "Gashi" She pushed the silver bowl towards Rabia.

When Rabia made no move to open it, the girl opened it herself and pushed the bowl till it was in front of Rabia. "Mamana ne tace in kawo miki"

Rabia opened her eyes with much effort. One of Anty Maryam's slaps landed on her right eye and slowly it was swelling making it hard for her to see with that eye. At the time, the food could've been poisoned but she didn't care, she greedily ate it with such hastiness the girl that brought it thought Rabi would choke. Nevertheless, she watched Rabia eat everything up with a wide smile on her face.

Rabia offered the girl a smile despite her now swelling eyes that made her look hideous. The joy the little girl felt somehow seeped out and made her look beautiful when she smiled. "Nagode" she said.

"I'm Rahma. You are?" The little girl whose name is Rahma extended her small hands out to Rabia.Rabia extended her sand covered hand and held Rahma's hand, "I'm Abia" Since she has a problem with her parlance, she couldn't pronounce her name correctly.

Rahma's brows furrowed a bit, "What type of name is that?" she didn't bother to stop herself from saying that. She had always been the type to say whatever is on her mind without thinking twice. Whether what she says will hurt you or not, she didn't care.

She's a brutally honest child.

Which is the reason why the children in the village do not like her. Who would like a child that will downright tell you when you're wrong. The adults do not like her too. Not one bit.

However, Rabia did. She smiled but didn't say a word. She was simply grateful the girl gave her food that she didn't really care that what she said might've sounded offensive.

Rahma stayed for a little while longer and kept Rabia company.

And day marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship that lasted till they took their last breaths.

The day that Rabia met Rahma.

~*~

Hello everyone!

First chapter is here! Thought on it?

Thank you all for the views, likes and comments! Jazakumullah Khair to those who shared too!

Love, Jannah.