Kisah Masyitah Rukyah

Chapter 18 - Perjumpaan Semula/Reunion

The others start to murmur amongst themselves. I focus my attention on the two piercing blue lights from within the dust cocoon, and that only. My sleeves flap ever so slightly from the torque.

My aim is unwavering. Better safe than sorry.

The dust settles more and more as time goes on. The minute particles eventually stop their rotation and fall to the ground flat.

I lower my revolver and step forward.

"Kiah?"

Her untied hair is covering her face, glowing blue eyes peeking through the slits of black strands. Her hands are stained red. So are her flannel and jeans. A drop of blood trickles down her face. This is undoubtedly Kiah, though what remains inside of her is far from the polite and observant girl we all knew.

She brushes her hair to the side. Her blue eyes dart around before meeting mine. "Makira."

Xiao lowers his scythe after straining to keep it up, Casey vanishes his clones and Ramya stops charging her wrist. Her voice had gotten deep and raspy, almost like mine. She drops her shoulders and lets out a big sigh.

"Are you all safe?"

"Oh dear, we should be asking you that."

>>

I wince at Makira dabbing my wounds. With a mound of store-bought tissues, she wipes the massive gash on my left eyebrow dry, from which the blood had seeped into my eye when I got here. Xiao puts some plaster on it as a seal. They're gonna need a lot more of them from the looks of it.

The long cut across my forehead and just under my hairline had healed into a scar. I know Makira was staring at it. She adds a colourless solution to a jagged cut on my kneecap, causing me to flinch on my stool. 

"Sorry, dear. And sorry for not getting to you sooner. We tried, but we just couldn't–"

"I know," I interrupt. "It's not your fault. None of this would've happened if it weren't for them."

"Them?"

"You know who I'm talking about." She perks up at me. "I was in Nibong Tebal for a spell. Keeping my face hidden, lurking in the shadows. Somehow, they saw me. At that point, my plan was to hold back," I stare at my shaking bloody hands, "and I failed."

Everyone freezes. Casey drops a roll of bandages onto the floor with a dull thud.

"Oh my God. Kiah, don't tell me–"

"I did, Casey. I hurt them. I really did." My voice cracks all through those nine painful words.

The silence in the room is deafening. Xiao stops tending to me. Makira though, she doesn't move at all. Her face softens and her deep voice goes down into a whisper.

"You couldn't stop Qatila from controlling you," she says softly as her cold hand touches mine, "just like what I suffered." She takes a deep breath and lets it go slowly. "Did you kill anyone?"

I couldn't find it in me to push more words out my mouth. It hurt just enough knowing, I didn't need to bear the pain of admitting it out loud. In the end, a nod is all I show.

Casey rushes over to hug me. His arms almost crush me with all their love. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be embraced. I rest my face on his shoulder, not wanting this moment to end.

Just a few days ago, I was in tears, wailing about the unfairness of my fate. Now, I'm contemplating if I deserve to even be forgiven for what I've done.

My brain knows that I'm not to be blamed. It's all on Qatila and its cruelty. 

My heart and soul, they don't agree. They blame me. Logic doesn't always align with emotions. Logic is calculated. Emotions are volatile. More often than not, the emotions win. It's human nature.