Happy Face

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Unsurprisingly, his mother cries, loud sobs of anguish as she hugs him close to her body, doing her best to shield him away from the world that slowly corrupted him – the ink in his arms, the everlasting smell of ashes, and the dim way his eyes shine; the yellow of heartbreak – to leave a shell of her previous bright baby boy.

Doniya cries too, but instead of trying to go for her brother, she turns to a greater force: Allah. Never the most dedicated of followers, she now prays and prays and prays, tears descending her eyes as she begs for Allah to not take Zayn away; he's too young, too talented, he has so much to live, a potential he'll never reach if he's not in this Earth.

Waliyha does neither; she rages, and destroys every single piece of yellow in the house: from ripping her clothes to Safaa's and Doniya's and mom and dad's, to breaking vases and old toys. She hates the color, and depending on her, it will never decorate the smallest place of their house again.

Safaa, young Safaa, can't quite grasp the situation with all if its magnitude. To think her big brother is dying – her grandpa died too, and she was so sad – because Harry – she used to like Harry, with curly hair and green eyes and bright personality; not anymore – won't love him is so... unthinkable. Zayn is not the easiest person, he can be pushy and annoying and brooding, but he is also the gentlest, most caring person, and to not love him... Unthinkable.

Zayn acts as if nothing's wrong. He tries joking around with Safaa – she gets that faraway look on her face – and talking to Waliyha – she glares at his direction before her eyes fill with tears. He pokes Doniya out of her stupor – the purple circles beneath her eyes seem to darken more, and she turns away to pray – and spends all the time he can with his mom, helping her – she always appears ready to cry yet again – and when he notices he has broken them in ways he can't understand completely, he locks himself in his room. Maybe like this he'll rot faster, without causing more harm to those he loves.

And Yaser sees his family deteriorating with sorrow and despair.

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