Davidsons

"...you are just another tragedy." Her fingers traced the brutal words that struck and marred her heart. Tears streamed down her face kissed her lips as she pursed them together. The taste of salt lingering in between, her mind lost everywhere yet nowhere to be found. Her grip on the phone loosened as it hit the wooden floor beneath. She had put herself in the darkened room, switched the lights off, and pulled the curtains. She sat on the floor with her back to the door now.

Thinking back to the days when everything in her life was normal. Before, the heart decided to fall weak in the arms of life, making her bow down to the miseries it brought. If it weren't for her heart, she wouldn't have been walking around with a label hanging off her head.

With a heavy sigh, she breathed in the air as her whole body shook. The tears dripped down her chin silently as the shivers went up to her spine, her breaths so shaky as she kept in the hiccuped cries. She laid her head back on the door, letting those feelings fall apart.

On the ground laid her phone blinking from time to time. It vibrated, yet her eyes remained fixed on the ceiling.

--

"Dammit! Pick it up, An," Vic murmured to herself as she paced back and fro in her room. She had been calling Anna for an hour now. She was getting worried sick as a pang of guilt was building up inside.

She dialled her number again, and it went straight to voicemail again.

"I hope everything's okay," Murmuring to herself, she dialled Isobel's number. It rang for 5 seconds and went to voicemail. Then, with no other option left, she dialled her number again.

After a few rings, Isobel picked up, "Hey Victoria! So sorry I was busy in the store. Long day, what's up?" She said in one breath.

"Anna's not picking up. Is she with you?" Vic asked, concern evident in her voice.

"What do you mean? She's with you, right? You both were supposed to go to school to pick up your things?"

"I was too hungover. I couldn't go with her." She said. Silence took over at the other side.

"She may have gone home?" The tiny bit of hope laced her voice as she waited for Vic to answer her.

"I went there. Nobody opened the door." There was the sound of things moving. Something dropped down as a few things were shuffled. Finally, her voice made through.

"I will see you at the house," And with that, the line went dead.

--

She parked the car in the parking lot and killed the ignition as she stumbled out of the car. Without even closing the car door properly, she rushed towards the gate. Fumbling with the keys, her fingers slipped as they always missed the right one in the hole. With the sweat trickling down her forehead to the throat, her voice was trapped inside. She was able to hear her heart beating rapidly.

She took a deep breath in and tried to find the right key to the door. Her mind raced back and forth, trying to keep faith beside her. Finally, when her fingers touched the right key, she jumbled it inside the hole and pushed open the door.

The kitchen was untouched; the wrapped food sat on the counter, the air cooler running in the background with no one around. Her breath hitched as her eyes roamed around, searching for her daughter.

She rushed to the staircase, climbing two steps at a time, her hands not finding the need to hold the railing. Seeing her daughter's room closed, she sighed lightly, her heart still pounding. She turned the doorknob, but it was locked. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried turning it again.

"Anna?" She called out, worry settling in her voice. Silence rounded the room, only the hearts beating rapidly.

"Sweetheart, you in there?" Still silence. Her hands formed in the form of a fist, the middle nail broke as she banged the door. She heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Her head turned back as Vic made her way up. She stood beside Isobel, knocking on the door repeatedly.

"I don't wanna talk right now, just go, please" The crack in her voice startled them both. Isobel's heart shattered on hearing her daughter's voice filled with crushed hopes.

"Sweety, what's wrong?"

"An..."

"Just go. Please. I don't wanna talk right now," Her voice came out raspy. They both looked at each other with no idea of what had happened before they got here.

"Please, mom," Isobel moved her hand from the doorknob. She had always given Anna space whenever she had wanted it.

With tears streaming down Anna's face, she looked back at the door breathing heavily, hearing nothing but silence at the other side of the door. When she heard their footsteps walk away, she slid down the door onto the floor.

The tears still hadn't dried. They were a reminder of the wounds that were cut open so mercilessly. She winced every time they hit the bruises.

The sun settled in, and the moon rose; the night of the sad souls surrounded her as her own soul mourned the brutality of the words said. She was still sitting on the floor, just breathing. Her body remained cold, yet every shiver had burned down with the tears dried up and her eyes swollen.

Isobel had come time by time, knocking on her door only for Anna to turn her face away, wipe off her tears, clear her throat and answer her with a small no. She didn't want her mom to carry the tears she had burdened herself with for so many years.

She finally stood up, leaving the floor for once and all. Tear stained face, her heart shattered in pieces she no longer wished to pick, stumbling towards the bathroom to get rid of the sadness that wore her out. It wasn't the path her heart wished to follow, yet wasn't she destined to fall weak in the arms of sadness with a heart that could give away any moment?

She splashed water on her face making it free from the tear stains that had marked their way there. She took the towel and wiped her face, staring back at her reflection. The redness had disappeared, yet her eyes remained swollen. Sighing, she left the bathroom and walked downstairs to look for something to eat. She was indeed just a human.

The clock struck 11 in the dining room as the dim light from the porch invaded the privacy of the dark lounge. She tiptoed towards the kitchen, knowing the steps in the dark by heart. Not wanting to wake up her mom, she left the room in the dark; and searched for something to eat in the refrigerator light.

Her eyes searched for the dinner to microwave when she heard the sobs coming from her mother's room. Her eyes snapped towards her room; the door closed with dim light coming from beneath the door. She closed the door as the darkness erupted again; she walked towards her mom's room.

Opening the door, she saw her mother sitting at the edge of the bed with a photo frame in her hand. Anna walked closer.

Isobel had the wedding photo frame in her hand with today's date engraved at the bottom. Her thumb caressing the photo lost in the past moments, she didn't even notice Anna coming in and sitting beside her.

Her mind brought back the memories of that day, the love still in her heart, a heart that broke years ago yet not once let love slip away. She sobbed as Anna wrapped her arms around her, holding her close, letting her know that she could fall apart; this time, she was ready to rescue her.

Her tears dropped down on the photo, the date at the bottom long lost.