Now Listen to Me Carefully

Prologue: This is not just a story about one girl. It is a story about voices that are often silenced. It is a story about three girls — two sisters who share the same body, and one girl who walks alone but carries the heaviest loneliness.

Characters:

1. Aila and Shaista — conjoined twin sisters with one body, but two minds and two hearts.

2. Noreen — a quiet, ordinary girl, overlooked by the world.

Chapter 1: One Body, Two Souls From the moment they were born, Aila and Shaista became the center of attention. They were conjoined twins, joined at the lower torso, sharing vital organs and mobility. While their bodies were fused, their personalities couldn't have been more different.

Aila was introverted, calm, and thoughtful. Shaista, on the other hand, was bubbly, expressive, and bold. Together, they learned to live in harmony, often finishing each other's sentences and understanding each other's emotions without words.

Their parents raised them with dignity and strength. They were encouraged to pursue education, participate in life like any other child, and above all — never see themselves as less.

But society always saw them as a "miracle" — part admiration, part pity. Every eye that watched them carried questions, assumptions, or sometimes, silent judgment.

Chapter 2: The Silent Mirror Noreen was the kind of girl you wouldn't notice in a crowd. She wasn't particularly attractive, or exceptionally smart. She sat in the middle benches, quietly taking notes and never raising her hand.

Her teachers rarely remembered her name. Her classmates barely acknowledged her presence. Yet, Noreen never complained. She bore her invisibility like a second skin.

But deep inside, she yearned for recognition — not in the form of applause, but simple acknowledgment. She wished someone would just look into her eyes and say, "I see you."

Chapter 3: Society's Gaze The school was buzzing with excitement. The annual function was around the corner, and the administration decided to make it special by featuring Aila and Shaista as guests of honor. A short documentary about their life was being prepared. Everyone was talking about their courage and strength.

Aila and Shaista, as always, smiled graciously. They didn't ask for this spotlight, but they had learned to use it as a platform for change. Still, in private, they often wished to be treated simply — not as symbols of strength, but as normal teenage girls.

In the corner of the auditorium, Noreen sat silently, helping with decorations. No one asked her opinion, no one clicked her photos.

Chapter 4: A Moment, A Storm After the event, as the crowd began to disperse, one of the popular girls walked up to Noreen and said mockingly:

"Why are you even here? At least Aila and Shaista are special. What are you?"

The words struck like a slap. There was silence in the hall. Noreen stood still for a moment, then slowly walked up to the stage. Her legs trembled, but her heart was aflame.

Chapter 5: Now Listen to Me Carefully She took the mic, and in a steady, unwavering voice, she began:

"Now listen to me carefully. You’ve always seen me as ordinary. Because I have no 'unique condition' that makes headlines. Because I’m not a survivor of a rare battle, nor the face of a movement.

But I, too, fight battles — silent ones. Every single day, I wake up and walk into a world that doesn’t even see me. I exist without acknowledgment. I breathe without applause. And still, I continue.

Aila and Shaista, you are brave. I admire your strength. But my silence is also strength. My quiet survival is a victory.

You call me ordinary, but do you know how much courage it takes to be invisible in a world obsessed with recognition? Do you know the pain of walking through school corridors where not a single soul calls your name?

Today, I’m not asking for pity. I’m asking to be seen. Not for what I lack, but for the battles I silently win every day.

So today, I speak — perhaps for the first time, perhaps for the last. But hear me well. I will no longer ignore my own voice. I am here. And I matter."

Chapter 6: Eyes That Changed The hall was still. No one spoke. Everyone looked at Noreen, as if seeing her for the first time. Aila and Shaista stood up from their seats and walked towards her.

Aila said softly, "We never saw you either, Noreen. But today, you’ve shown us a world we were blind to."

Shaista added, "Your courage is different from ours. It is deep, unspoken, but no less real. Thank you for your voice."

Chapter 7: A New Beginning From that day, everything changed. Noreen wasn’t just seen — she was heard. She began to write, pouring her thoughts into words that touched thousands. She told her story — not with drama, but with truth.

Aila and Shaista became her biggest supporters. The three girls — once separated by difference — came together to form an organization called "The Quiet Girls," a safe space for girls who had never been heard.

They toured schools, wrote articles, and gave a platform to every silent warrior.

Epilogue: Not every story starts with glory. Some begin in shadows, with whispers. But sometimes, those whispers become the loudest echoes.

And remember: Never mistake silence for weakness. Sometimes, it hides the strongest souls.

The End.