Afina looked out of the corner of her chocolate brown eyes to see if she was being followed anymore. Out of breathe she sat down on a lumpy, rough edged stump. Wondering where she was she tried to take in her surroundings using her round almond shaped eyes. To her horror it was mountains on top of mountains, atmosphere as thick as the snow that lay on top of all the triangular shards. The worst part was that she was all alone. Her legs gave out beneath her, the puffs of breathe she gave into the Earth started to become smaller and faster, she saw the world spin, then there was nothing. Complete darkness surrounded her.

After about 10 minutes she finally woke up.
Scrambling in the white, cold, heavy snow she found her hijab and furiously wrapped it around her. She knew if her mother saw her without it she would get a shoe to the face. Looking around
to see if her mother caught sight of her she started to feel an unbearable hunger in the pit of her stomach. Her mother always told her to always fight. "No matter what fight for your life, your family, and for those that come before you." So that's what she did, she fought. Her mother's words were echoing clear as day, and then all of sudden she could her nothing but the dry, cold breeze pushing her around. Reality settled and Afina was now reminded of where she was and what had happened in the last 24 hours.
One hot tear streamed down her olive complexion. She felt so cold and dead inside. What was the point of fighting anymore? The family part of her mother's words no longer applied. She had no one left. Just a few hours ago her mother and father were shot right in front of her a few blocks away from her old childhood home. The war had gotten so bad in the last few years. Her little sister was taken a year ago by similar men who shot her parents. No doubt her sister is resting with her parents peacefully right now. She wish she could be with them too. It wasn't fair. She wished right now she had her family. Especially her little sister. She was so full of life... even when other terrorists had taken everything from them. Afina's little sister Ashia gave their family including herself hope. Especially when they got kicked out of their own home fleeing with the little stuff they could fit in her father's beat up car. It just wasn't fair for God to let her live all alone...especially without her best friend that was also her little sister Ashia. The only thought that comforted her is that she knew she was going to die in the next few hours due to hypothermia. She was standing in the middle of the most dangerous mountains known.. Mountain Hermon. Where Syrian refugees tried to cross over to Lebanon. All were found frozen to death. She felt a relief in knowing that she'll see her family very soon...Now she just had to wait...
Soon dusk was settling. The atmosphere became freezing and she was shivering like crazy. She decided to walk around in her last moments of torture. Singing and thanking God for allowing her peace at last. She walked past a dim lit cave and quickly hid behind a lump of some sort.
As she was clutching on to what she thought was heavily packed snow she had the sensation of cloth under her almost numb finger tips. She couldn't be sure. Suddenly the lump of snow washed away with a thick blow of breeze and uncovered a dead man. Afina screamed and backed away. This was how she was going to die, someone would find her like this. This isn't what her parents would want for her! Especially her Mom...she knew she had to keep fighting.
She needed to keep her family's legacy going...
She quickly clutched her shawl close to her, and ran into the cave not caring who was in there.
Tending to the fire eating stale peta was Ashia...