A Single Lifetime | Novella

OF COURSE, HAVING ALL THIS TIME to myself is all she had ever wanted, but everything has downsides. Fajr wished that she didn’t have to be so alone, not all the time anyway.She wished she could give her friends the time of a thousand lifetimes.

We could do whatever we wanted. We could do what a single lifetime wasn’t enough for.

That’s what she thought of, on the way to class, and thought about whether she could use another cat or not…

Perhaps a male, or two males, so Aurora and Lorelai can breed.

After class, she decided to go home and video chat with her mother. It was the only thing that could keep her from being in infinity.

I’m lying to myself, she said, recalling when she talked to her mother this morning and froze time so she wouldn’t waste any of it.

“You will expose us all, Fudge,” her mother said. She was under the covers and it was dark behind her, her face illuminated by her laptop screen light.

“There’s two of us living in one town. That’s why you moved here to have me, remember? Because Husnai women need to disperse, otherwise if they catch us…

“They’ll catch us all and there will be no one left of our bloodline. I know it sounds ridiculous–”“It doesn’t. Actually, that’s a clever idea.”

“Thank your ancestors for it,” she replied with a smile. That idea made Fajr feel important. Almost like she was royalty. She felt powerful and in control.

“Do you think there are more people like us?” she asked, toying with the infinity symbol she wore around her wrist.

“There are definitely more Husanis in the world, but it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever meet any of them,” she answered, her lips a thin line. Zareen slept with her hair opened. It was still flat at the top from having it tight in her hijab all day. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that–”

“No, no. I meant, do you think there are more people like us?” Fajr rephrased. “People with abilities. Supernatural, like us.”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out. But it’s not like we can just walk about asking people whether they can freeze time, or move things without touching them, or fly and whatnout.”

“You’re right,” she admitted with a sigh. “Even if there are people like us, we’d never find them because they’d be in hiding...or undercover.”“Mhmm,” her mother said, nodding slowly. “But, I’m serious, Fudge. You can’t use your powers around other people. Something might go wrong, they might find out…”“How would they find out?”

“We don’t know everything about this, okay?” her voice rose and Fajr pouted.

“I know we don’t. That’s why we’re allowed to experiment.”

“Not in public! It could be catastrophic.”

“Yes, and I might blow up all of Asali. Or, open up a wormhole...now, that would be interesting.”

“People don’t open wormholes, not even supernatural ones...I checked, it’s impossible.”“I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Can’t you stay at home for a few days?” she said, eyes glassy and tired. Now, she was resting her head, showing off her double chin. Fajr definitely inherited her mother’s jovian body. And thanks to their ability, they looked a lot younger.

“Quarantining might be worse since I’ll have…” Fajr stopped herself, biting her tongue. What was I going to say?

“You’ll have 24 hours indoors. Normal 24 hours.”

“Amma, we were never normal. Nobody in our family is.”

“Only the women, we’re supernatural.”

“What about the men?”

“Oh, they’ve got no clue,” she answered smuggly. “About our powers, I mean. We’re not allowed to tell anyone else.”

“Not even our best friends?”

“Fajr...don’t even think about it,” she warned and ended the call.

Fajr sighted, closing her laptop. “Too late, Amma.”

“You’re late,” Fajr said to Sura as she walked into the pet shop.

“How is that even possible? Your house is way farther.”“I guess I just walked really fast.”

Liar, she said to herself internally.

“Fajr, stop,” Sura added, noticing her friend’s mischevious grin as she waltzed over to the cat section and swooned over the napping kittens. “You do not need more cats.”

“Yes, I do. Who else would I whisper my secrets to in the dead of night?”

“Err...maybe me?”“No, humans are not dependable,” Fajr replied with a fake accent, waving her hand to dismiss Sura.

“You’re a human.”“Or, am I?”

“Honestly,” Sura said, crossing her arms. “I hate when you get like this.”

“How about you get one?”

“How about, no?”

“People who don’t like cats disturb me and I can’t trust them,” Fajr said, turning away from Sura dramatically.

“Behold,” Sura said, gesturing to her friend as she spoke to the caged animals around her. “The biggest cat lover since Taylor Swift.”

“You mean, that old singer? Yeah...she’s my greatest inspiration after my mother.”

“As she should be.”

“So, do you think I should get a male?” Fajr said, studying the cats as if they were science experiments.

“Not for your cats,” Sura said under her breath, arms crossed across her chest.

“Huh?” Fajr said, smiling like Cheshire cat down at a bunch of white kittens who wouldn’t stop licking themselves. Sura laughed at what she was seeing. Fajr was as giddy as a child high on confectionery.

“Nothing, you go back to the cats, grandma.”

“I am not a grandma,” Fajr said, swallowing. “I have at least four decades before that happens.”

“No…” Sura agreed, deep in thought. “You’re more of the town’s old-cat-lady.”

“I’m not old yet.”

“But when you will be, you’ll have an expensive house full of all types of cats.”

“At that age, I’ll probably forget to refill their milk bowls.”

“If it were me, I’d fill them with coffee instead,” Sura admitted with a shrug. “Which is why I don’t have cats.”

Fajr’s clothes clung to her buttocks with sweat. She had been walking for too long and she had much to do at home.

Chores and studying. Starting with her overflowing closet that left her befuddled each time she tried to look for something.

Fajr glanced at her watch, it read 7:16 p.m. But sleep danced in her eyes and she barely slipped out of her shoes before falling onto the bed.