Oh How The Tables Turn

The video had changed everything for Sikandar. The schoolmates who once looked at him with contempt now held admiration in their eyes as they watched him walk through the school corridor.

‘Tsk, they don’t admire me, they admire my super rare and super powerful karamats,’ Sikandar scoffed, ‘I know I said I wouldn’t be an edgelord, but it’s hard to be nice to people who wouldn’t be nice to you if you were powerless. Like this black-haired girl from the dodge session. She’s been at my side right since I got out of detention.’

“You’ve got to see the movie in the theater, it’s so worth it,” the girl said as she walked beside him.

“Look, what’s your name?” Sikandar asked her.

“Aaliya,” She answered.

“I’m sure the movie is nice but like I said, I can’t come, I need to help out at Suleiman’s bakery store and I’m already late,” Sikandar tried to make her understand.

“Your best friend’s bakery? My friends and I have always wanted to try out their sweets. You wouldn’t mind if we stopped by?”

“I won’t say no to business,” Sikandar shrugged.

“Great! It’s a date!” Aaliya perked up.

“Get a clue Aaliya,” a girl said in a mocking tone, “You’re bothering him.”

‘Great! More headache,’ Sikandar sighed as they turned around to see Zara with her hands on her hips.

“Mind your business Zara, if I was bothering him he would have said so,” Aaliya rebutted.

“I was taught to be polite to everyone,” Sikandar murmured, ‘More like behave in front of my betters.’

Zara walked up to Aaliya and glared up at her, “Well, it is my business, that’s my fiancé you’re flirting with.”

Aaliya stared the shorter girl- ‘Lol!’ -down and smirked, “Engagement isn’t marriage. He’s free to choose his life partner.”

“Our fathers say otherwise,” Zara stood on the balls of her feet, raising her height up.

Sikandar sighed for the umpteenth time, ‘The old me would have been excited over two pretty girls fighting for me. But they aren’t fighting for me, they are fighting for the new top dog of high school. I’d rather be with Suleiman right now than here,’ Sikandar perked up, ‘Wait, I can do that.’

“My father is not only close friends with his father but also his third cousin,” Zara gloated.

“I’m from the Khanzada clan, the same as you,” Aaliya pointed out.

“Sikandar doesn’t even know your name.”

“He does now.”

“Only because you kept annoying him.”

“Well, why don’t we ask Sikandar if he’s annoyed with me?”

“Fine! Sikandar-” They turned to Sikandar only to find him gone.

“Sikandar?” Aaliya called for him, but there was no response.

Sikandar disappeared from the high school and appeared at Suleiman’s bakery, he collapsed as his head spun and he puked up the day’s lunch.

“Easy there buddy,” Suleiman helped him get on his feet, holding his long hair back to prevent puke spilling on it.

“What happened?” Sikandar asked aloud, “This didn’t happen when I did it during the fight.”

“It must be because you travelled a long distance. Your body can handle short distance teleportation but longer distance makes you sick.”

“I think it’ll take a few tries before I get used to that,” Sikandar rasped as he took a seat while Suleiman poured him some water, “Just give me five minutes, I’ll clean that up.” He assured Suleiman while accepting the glass of water and gulping it down.

“Yeah, you have bigger issues to deal with,” Suleiman smiled sheepishly.

“Sikandar!” His father entered the dining hall, followed by his mother and sister.

“Oh come on,” Sikandar whined, ‘I did not whine! Maybe I did, but anyone would.’

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” Ismail demanded answers.

“Can you wait until tomorrow?” Sikandar requested, “I just emptied my belly.”’

“Why did you hide your karamat?” Ismail ignored his request.

‘As usual,’ Sikandar sighed, “What good would that do?” 

“What do you mean, what good would that do?” Aafiya asked, “Your intrinsic karamat awakened and your elemental karamat is void, the rarest and most powerful element.”

“So?” Sikandar raised an eyebrow.

“This changes everything!” Ismail emphasized, “You are no longer the shame of our clan, you have the potential to be its greatest asset. You can return to our home so that we can work on making you stronger.”

“And why would I want that?” Sikandar asked.

“What do you mean by why? You can finally have the love and respect you have craved,” Aafiya answered.

Sikandar smirked sardonically, “So you admit you’ve never loved or respected me?”

His parents were taken aback.

“That’s not what they meant,” Raeesa interjected, “Of course, we love you.”

‘Not respect though,’ Sikandar noted.

“Yes, you are just putting words in our mouths, boy,” Ismail added.

“What have we done to make you believe otherwise?” Aafiya asked.

‘I’d make a list but the world literally started six chapters ago,’ Sikandar felt dizzy as past memories of neglect and abuse rushed through his mind. He laughed sardonically as his mind processed the memories, ‘Isn’t that helpful?’

“What are you laughing about boy?” Ismail asked indignantly.

“Oh! You’re serious,” Sikandar asked rhetorically, “Let me refresh your memories.”

“Not a day has gone by when you haven’t reminded me that I was unblessed, that I was a living stain on the Khanzada name, that I was a burden that you tolerated, was that your love?”

“Your servants openly taunt me, refuse to serve me, your own son, and you do nothing, brush it off as me being overly sensitive. Was that your love?”

“Every time Ishaq gets in trouble for pranking me, you blame me for causing him trouble, not once have you told Farhan uncle to make him back off. Was that your love?”

“My schoolmates, teachers, relatives, a whole lot of people openly mock me for not having karamat, but instead of standing up for me you blame me. Was that your love?”

“Even yesterday when I asked if we could spend time together as a family, you took offense as if I’d asked you to handover all your property. Was that your love?”

“Now you come to me not because you want your son back, but because of the karamats I received. Your love is not love at all, it’s a trophy that I can only earn based on how useful I am.”

“You are over exaggerating,” Ismail denied Sikandar’s complaints, “If we didn’t love you we would have thrown you out of our house a long time ago like so many other unblessed go through.” 

“You didn’t throw me out because it would look bad for the family,” Sikandar countered, “Even yesterday you were happy to let me go because now nobody would say that you cruelly kicked me out. Raeesa was the only one who tried to stop me.”

“We’re here now, to take you back,” Aafiya insisted.

“Only because I’m not useless anymore, not because you love me,” Sikandar retorted.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Raeesa asked, “You used to wait every day for your karamat to show up so that everyone would treat you better.”

“I was a fool,” Sikandar admitted, “I was so desperate for your love that I didn’t understand that love is unconditional. It does not depend on having or not having karamat, it is a karamat in itself.”

“We admit we have been harsh with you, but you would go through the same no matter who your parents were,” Aafiya insisted.

Sikandar took Suleiman’s hand and raised it, “This boy and his family didn’t care. They gave me more love and support than you ever did. You may be blood but they are my family.”

“Congratulations on having a new family,” Ismail huffed, “Let’s go, the boy has obviously let his power get to his head.” He walked out of the bakery. Aafiya kept looking at Sikandar with tears in her eyes, but Raeesa motioned her to move, trying hard not to cry herself.

Watching his family leave didn’t bring him peace. They had reopened wounds that fueled his unbridled ra-

‘Just stop already!’ Sikandar snapped.

“You okay bro?” Suleiman asked.

“Yeah, let’s clean that mess first,” Sikandar gave him an assuring smile as he picked up a mop.