Chapter: [The Heavy Coincidence
When Love Doesn't Belong to the Purehearted]
After the storm, silence once again blanketed the place...
Walls of quiet grew between faces. Everyone was trying to forget....or at least pretend nothing had happened.
Mary walked slowly, her steps as if searching for her lost shadow.
Her eyes fixed on Moayyad.
The one who, for a moment, pulled her back from death... not with words, but with a hand extended into the fire.
She looked at him... trying to hide that look.
A look of gratitude, admiration for his bravery, and maybe... something she hadn't dared name yet.
She watched in silence, how his gaze always found Tala,
how his features lit up whenever Tala smiled at him.
His eyes never left her.
He seized every chance to get close, to speak with her.
But Tala… Tala never left Mazen's side,
clinging to him the way children cling to their favorite toys.
A whirlpool of love that wasn't love at all.
More like a merciless fate, spinning people in its circle,
making the one who loves… love someone who doesn't see them at all.
Mary gave a half-smile....
the kind only those who've tasted the bitterness of being overlooked would understand.
Then she lowered her gaze and swallowed her feelings…
just like she always did.
On the Other Side of the Yard...
Sawsan sat alone.
A faded image of who she had been just hours before.
She wasn't crying… but she was defeated.
Mary approached her.....slowly, cautiously, yet with firm steps.
She sat beside her, eyes free of anger, but full of quiet disappointment.
Mary {softly}:
Why did you do that?... We could've made it.
Sawsan didn't raise her head.
She stared at the ground, as if afraid to meet Mary's eyes.
She whispered:
I'm sorry… I panicked… I thought if I used you as a distraction, they'd focus on you, and I could escape…
Then she lifted her head slowly:
If you were in my place… you would've done the same. Maybe worse.
Mary smiled....not the smile of forgiveness,
but the smile of someone who learned that betrayal doesn't always come from behind.
Sometimes… it comes from the hand that once helped you stand.
She tilted her head toward the sky, releasing what remained of the weight in her chest.
A deep inhale… and then an exhale.
Mary:
I helped you. I stayed with you till the end without once thinking about myself.
I could've been selfish, left you behind, and gone my own way.
We were so close… but fear got the best of you.
Anyway, it's done.
She turned to her, calm but firm:
But if I were in your place… I'd never sacrifice anyone. Not even to survive.
She stood up, dusting the dirt off her pants.
She didn't need an answer. Everything had been said.
*****
And as she walked away...
What Mary didn't see,
was that Mazen had been watching from a distance.
Watching her as she truly was....not as she tried to appear.
But like many before him,
he didn't know if his heart had the courage
to approach a woman who looked…
like light.
Everyone sat around the fire,
soft laughter echoing…
the exhaustion of the days melting from their faces.
But Mary sat a little farther from the circle,
silently watching Moayyad.
He,who had saved her...
yet his heart never turned toward her.
His eyes, no… his whole soul,
was fixed on Tala…
the beautiful, golden-haired girl who took everyone's breath away.
Mary looked down at herself…
What a fool I am…
He'll never see me that way.
Days passed quietly…
No new adventures, no new orders.
Everyone seemed confused.
Tala {nervously}:
What's going on?! I fear the system is preparing something big for us!
Moayyad {with calm determination}:
Don't be afraid. We've survived before....
We'll survive again.
This system will see we won't fall for its tricks.
....
Mazen stood tall, trying to inspire courage and patience in them all:
Mazen:
But we won't just stand here doing nothing...
He began distributing tasks, organizing them into groups.
Mazen:
Some of you will gather firewood, others will hunt.
Our food is running low!
Waseem {doubtful}:
Do you really think there's anything to hunt in this digital world?
Jawad {firmly}:
Mazen is right. We have to search and explore.
The hundred people who entered this place years ago....
we must try to find them.
Moayyad [tense]:
You think they're still alive?
Mustafa [dryly]:
They're probably bones by now!
Mazen:
Or maybe… they're still alive.
We lose nothing by exploring.
Then he started assigning team leaders.
Mazen:
Mustafa, pick four people.
Jawad, you do the same.
I'll choose....
Tala cut in without hesitation, her tone playful but bold:
Tala:
I'll be in your team.
She smiled mischievously.
Moayyad quickly stepped in, his tone firm:
Moayyad:
Then I'll join your team too, Mazen.
Mustafa:
Then, if you don't mind… I want Mary, Farah, Majd, and Zain in my team.
Mazen hesitated.
He glanced at Mary, sitting alone, gazing at the sky....
as if he had hoped to choose her for his own team… but failed to act.
He sighed, frustrated.
Exhaled heavily, as though trying to push out the negative energy Mustafa's decision stirred in him.
Mazen {quietly}:
Fine.
Jawad, choose whoever you want.
Moayyad, see who else wants to join us.
As for the remaining five...they'll stay here. We don't know what might happen next.
He turned away.
Mazen:
I'm going to sleep. It's been a long, exhausting day.
Good night, everyone.
He left for his room, not fully understanding the tightness in his chest.
His heart refused to accept Mustafa choosing Mary.
But his mind… refused to obey the heart's plea.
"I'm the one who asked Mustafa to choose.
Should I have divided the teams myself?"
Somewhere in that digital world...
each person lay their head on a different pillow,
yet the ache in their hearts… was the same.
Mazen lay in bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling,
trying to convince himself that what happened… was just meaningless detail.
As for Mary, she closed her eyes with one image lingering:
a hand that saved her,
and eyes… that never truly saw her the way she wished.
Silence settled over the place,
and everyone sought refuge in sleep...
fleeing from their thoughts,
from the fear of the games yet to come,
and from whatever the system might unleash… once it awakens.