Heart Asunder (Dear Dahlia Season 2)

Chapter 2

Saida stared at the building in front of her. 

"Here's the house," Dahlia said. 

The heartrender slowly walked towards the house, taking it all in. The ivy that had been crawling up the wall had long since been cut down. The table had been moved. The walls no longer held the pictures she and Dahlia had once drawn. It looked both familiar and foreign. 

Dahlia fished out her keys from her pocket and opened the door. Saida stepped inside. She gazed around the house in wonder. 

"Thank Allah Papa cleaned out the bins the day before we went," Saida heard Dahlia mutter. She didn't reply as she walked to the living room. Something brassy caught her eye. Saida rushed over to the table. "Oh! There's the brooch I wore!" She whirled around to face the wall. "And there's your bracelet!" Saida's fingers ran over the faded paper daisies. "You always loved drawing." 

"Yeah, I did," came Dahlia's reply. 

Saida turned, and without missing a beat, ran up the stairs. 

"Saida, wait!" Dahlia called. 

Saida heard her sister's footsteps pounding behind her, but she didn't care. Elation flooded her as she saw the familiar hallway with three bedrooms. She opened her parents' bedroom door. "Oh, I never got to do this," Saida sighed. "Not during work hours, anyway." She leaned against the doorway, then turned her head and noticed the door at the end of the hallway. The exact same it was the day she left. 

Saida slowly pushed herself off of the doorway and approached her bedroom door. Dahlia was clutching the staircase. 

"No one dared touch it," the otkazat'sya spoke as Saida touched the doorknob. "It felt...wrong." 

The heartrender paused, but didn't respond. Instead, she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. 

Saida inhaled sharply on seeing her room. Everything was the exact same. 

"It should all be covered in dust," Saida muttered. In fact, it would have been better that way. The fact everything looked pristine unnerved her. 

The plushie that sat on her table was still in good condition. Her hairbrush was next to it. Her copy of the Qur'an was still tucked into the shelf beneath her desk. The mirror and bedsheets looked clean. Something felt haunted about this place. 

Saida looked around. She could never go back to this. Kirigan had taken any chance of that away. She'd spent the last days in this place dissatisfied, but feeling temporarily empty was better than the soul-crushing fear and man that had ruled her for the last ten years. 

Something surged within her and this time, Saida did not tamp it down. Rage flooded her veins. She would never be the same person because of him. And for once, Saida reveled in that truth.

Walking over to the bed was easy. Tearing the bedsheets, which had become frail from years of use before she'd left, were even easier. Saida stood, turned, and walked towards her table. She lifted up the mirror and threw it against the wall. It shattered on impact. 

"Saida? Saida, what are you doing?" the heartrender heard her sister ask, but her voice was faint, like she was very, very far away. 

Saida walked behind the cupboard and used both hands to push it. It clattered to the ground. The wood split into pieces. 

"Saida!" 

Before the heartrender could prevent it, Dahlia was grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back. Saida pushed Dahlia away. Her sister stumbled backwards.

"You don't understand," Saida said lowly to her. Then, the heartrender kneeled on the ground, feeling the carpet beneath her hands. 

Saida wanted to destroy more. She wanted to pretend the life she'd had before had never existed. It was less painful that way. Remembering she used to be a different person meant Kirigan had won. He'd taken away her chance of having a normal childhood, and there was no way to reverse it. The grief hit her, and Saida lowered her head. She sobbed, letting the tears roll down her cheeks. 

Dahlia knelt down in front of her. "I don't." The otkazat'sya held out her hands. "But I can help you." 

Saida sniffled. Dahlia watched her. Saida tearfully met her sister's gaze. The fear she'd once felt had gone. So was the rage she'd felt moments ago. Now, she was empty.

Dahlia kept silent as Saida took her hands and with some effort, stood up. 

The heartrender walked out of the house. The sun shone and a light breeze blew, but all she felt was numb. Behind her, Dahlia closed and locked the door.