Part Ten
December 19th, 2020
Shard glared at Hanna through the glass partition. Hanna with her big, innocent, blue eyes. Hanna with her black hair neatly pulled up and wearing a pretty, sky blue dress. Hanna staring back at her with nothing but pity. Shard sneered in contempt. What a miserable creature to behold. What a waste of power and destiny. A rat dressed as a church mouse. A weasel. A coward. A traitor. Shard’s sneer turned into a smile and she spoke with faked cheerfulness. “Did you miss me?”
“Hardly,” Hanna responded, keeping her voice even. “How are you?”
Shard blinked, the corner of her smile twitching. “What an odd question. How am I? How do you think?”
Hanna shrugged. “Well, you’re fed, housed, watered…”
“So I’m a houseplant?” Shard jabbed.
Hanna folded her arms and continued. “You’re alive, maintained, and protected. The only thing you’re lacking is entertainment and socialization. You seem set.”
“The only thing I’m lacking...” Shard scoffed and shook her head. “You of all people…” She glared at Hanna again and spoke in a low voice. “You took the only thing that ever mattered to me.”
“Kandi made you a cake,” Hanna said, abruptly changing the topic and looking away. “But the guards confiscated it.” She was trying to keep the conversation out of the past.
“It’s all the same. I would have thrown it in your face.” Shard shrugged then added, “Is that weeb still playing cupcake boss?” She chuckled to herself. “That airhead couldn’t run a lemonade stand.”
Hanna narrowed her eyes and her voice held an edge. “Kandi’s doing just fine. And she only made the cake because I asked her to.”
“Of course.” Shard tilted her head with a forced smile. “...What flavor?”
“Angel food,” was the answer. Shard snorted. Hanna tried to change the topic again. “Have you taken up any new hobbies lately? Read any good books?” She asked. She walked down the length of the glass, inspecting the inside of the cell. A pile of torn papers sat in the corner. “I see you got Misty’s pamphlets.”
Shard rolled her eyes. “Propaganda, you mean.”
“It’s a solid rehabilitation program,” Hanna insisted, walking back to face Shard. “You should give it a try.” She gestured to the cell. “Might get you out of here.”
“Don’t make me laugh.” Shard’s glare turned sullen. “We both know that will never happen.” Shard turned away. It was a moment before she spoke again, as though contemplating. “…I need new shoes,” she said softly.
Hanna tilted her head. “Pointe shoes? What happened to the last pair I sent?”
Shard gave a half shrug and folded her arms, refusing to look at her visitor. “They took them.”
“They?” Hanna turned around to look behind then turned back. “They who?”
Shard rolled her eyes and vaguely gestured to the guarded door with a wave. “Them.”
“Why?” Hanna asked.
“They don’t trust me with the ribbons,” Shard answered casually, leaning against the wall and absently tracing invisible lines in the glass. “Afraid I’ll do something dangerous, I suppose.”
Hanna inched closer to the glass with a critical eye. “To yourself or to someone else?”
“Oh, please!” Shard’s head snapped to glare at Hanna, immediately insulted. “Who do you take me for?! You?”
Hanna stepped back, hurt. “I worry about you, Shard. I know you don’t believe me, but I do. After everything we’ve been through…” She stopped herself and took a breath. “Sending new shoes won’t make a difference then, if they’re going to keep taking them away…” She changed the topic again, taking on a more hopeful tone. “It’s snowing outside. Do they let you see it?”
“No.” Shard’s sullen mood returned. “They don’t let me go outside at all when it snows. In case you haven’t noticed, they like to keep my room a balmy ninety degrees year-round.”
“I noticed,” Hanna said quietly.
Shard folded her arms, watching. “Why are you here?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone,” Hanna answered.
“DON’T LIE TO ME!” Shard exploded. Hanna jumped away from the glass. “You’re pathetic!” Shard continued. “So absolutely pathetic!” Whatever rage she was holding back finally poured out. “How am I? You worry about me?!” Shard mocked, waving her hands around. “Oh no, poor little Shard is behind bars and here I am feeling sad about it. What a JOKE!” She pointed at Hanna. “Don’t pretend you care about me! You stabbed me in the back!” She shrugged. “But you want to talk about the weather. You want to talk about the outside world like I’m still part of it.”
“Shard, please,” Hanna started, hands up.
“NO!” Shard stopped her. “Don’t sit there and ask me how I am like we’re friends! If you came to talk about something important, then talk, but don’t you DARE talk to me about little things. Talk to me about something substantial. About rebellion, religion, revenge, war, betrayal, taking over the world, ANYTHING except the weather! Don’t waste my time with your meaningless chatter. Don’t talk to me about trivial crap that doesn’t matter! Don’t even waste your breath!”
Hanna looked away, blinking back tears and swallowing, desperately trying to maintain her composure. I was trying to connect. It mattered to me. She balled her hands into fists and took a deep breath. She exhaled slowly and released her hands before facing Shard again. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I thought you had all the time in the world.”
“Time is the only thing I have left,” Shard said bitterly, turning her back on Hanna. She extended her black wings, creating another barrier between herself and the visitor. Hanna’s eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat when she saw Shard’s wings. The black feathers were clipped. “You took everything else,” Shard muttered. “Why are you here?”
At least they didn’t permanently... Hanna shook her head and looked away. “I came to talk,” she said. “I thought talking about what happened would help.”
“Is that what a stupid shrink told you?” Shard glanced over her shoulder. “Or your stupid hus-”
“Stop,” Hanna sharply interrupted. “Don’t you dare. There’s no reason to be like that. You need to quit putting everyone else down.” She crossed her arms. “He actually asked me not to come.”
“You should have listened.” Shard turned back to Hanna with a smirk. “Every year, you come back like something is going to change. Every year, nothing does. Maybe you’re the insane one.” Shard stepped closer to the wall and sat down facing the glass.
“You can’t keep holding on to the hatred, Shard,” Hanna said as she also sat on the floor in front of her. “You have to let it go. Get it out. Stop burying it. I’m here. You can talk to me. Tell me what it was like. Tell me what happened.”
Shard raised an eyebrow with an amused half smile. “There’s no reason to tell you. You remember everything now.”
“Then talk to a professional,” Hanna retorted.
Shard chuckled. “I’d sooner pull out my own teeth.”
“Then write it down,” Hanna countered, agitation growing. “They’ll give you paper and pens!”
“Why bother writing?” Shard continued with her amused smirk. “No one is going to read it.”
“It’s not about who reads it!” Hanna exclaimed. Her frustration grew while Shard remained calm. “It’s about getting it out of your head so you don’t have to keep living with it. Putting it on paper gives it a place to live. So what if no one reads it?! At least then you won’t continue to be haunted by it!”
“Who says I’m the haunted one?” Shard asked smugly. “What’s this really about?”
“It’s about separating myself from you and burning the bridge!” Hanna finally admitted. She gasped and covered her mouth. “I didn’t… I mean…” She kicked herself and looked away in shame.
Shard only smirked. Check. After a moment of silence, Shard spoke softly. “Every year, you visit me. Every year. Like clockwork. I don’t ask you to be here. So why are you? If it’s about getting rid of me, why do you keep coming back?”
Hanna shrugged and shook her head, refusing to look at her. “Part of me hopes you’ll change… that you can still be saved.”
Shard’s red eyes narrowed, but her superior smirk never faded. “I’m not a lost sheep that needs saving, darling. I’m not a damsel that needs rescuing. I’m the wolf. I’m the monster.”
Hanna looked at her. “You’re not a mons-”
Shard slammed her fist against the glass. The wall did not crack or break, but the sound made Hanna jump.
“What? Scared of me?” Shard asked, a vile grin on her face. “How embarrassing.” She brushed her hands off and settled back as though nothing unusual happened. “I know you didn’t come to help me or hear my story. You’re here for you. You came to make sure your nightmare is still locked up. You think I’m still a threat. You’re right, of course. Spare me your salvation.”
Hanna frowned. “There’s still hope for you.”
“Hope?!” Shard cackled. “You cling to that word like it’s the only thing holding you together. Your spell of protection. Your security blanket. You are pathetic. Keep your flimsy thread of hope. You can hang from it for all I care.”
“Please don’t say things like that,” Hanna whispered, tears again threatening.
“Disgusting,” Shard continued. “What are you without me? Nothing.” She stood up. “I pulled us out of that bloody arena. I stopped Nathalia. I burned down the lab that mutated us. I did that! I protected us!” Hanna also stood up, watching, while Shard continued. “And what did you do? Cowered in the back of my head. A conscience that turned a blind eye when it was convenient. Pathetic. You stand there and play martyr while I rot. We would have died without me.”
“And what are you without me?!” Hanna asked, her own anger finally breaking through. “You keep crossing the line and I’m the one who keeps pulling you back! No one else cares about you, Shard! I do! Without me, you’re a serial killer for hire! A murderous, lying, thieving-”
“I did what I did to survive!” Shard yelled. “They wouldn’t have pinned half those hits on me if you hadn’t told them! Stop pretending you don’t deserve to be in here with me!”
“I had to tell them! It was the right thing to do!” Hanna shouted. “You’re lucky you’re still breathing! I begged them to keep you here instead of sending you back to Earth! I begged them for mercy!”
“Easy to say from the other side of the fence! Death would have been merciful in comparison! I’ll take anything over this cell! Anything! They should have just gotten it over with! Better yet, put me in the arena and let me earn my freedom!”
“This isn’t Tarish!” Hanna shouted. “Things don’t work like that anymore, you know that! The world we were trained to survive in DOESN’T EXIST!” She glared at Shard, face flush and breathing erratic. Her blue eyes pleaded for understanding. “There is no arena! There is no mob! No assassins are waiting for you! No scientists are going to hurt you! It’s not kill or be killed! Not anymore!”
The anger in Shard’s face dissolved. She blinked at Hanna with wide eyes and shook her head, finally crumbling. “That’s all it's ever been…” Tears fell down Shard’s face. “That’s the only thing I know… It’s the only thing I’m good at.” Her voice broke. She sniffled and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. Hanna stared at her, unsure what to do or say. When was the last time Shard cried? Crying was a weakness, wasn’t it? Shard sniffed again and took a shaky breath before speaking. “My monsters were real. The only way I could save us from them was to become something worse… Something even monsters fear.”
Hanna reached out and put a hand on the glass. She couldn’t remember the last time Shard ever looked so broken. She didn’t think it was possible for her to break. Here she was, actually weeping. Overcome with compassion, Hanna wanted to reach out and hug her. Instead, there was a wall of glass between them. Shard was trapped. Even if she were placed in a cell large enough for her to fly, someone made sure she was physically unable to. Not only were her ice powers restrained, her environment prohibited even the slightest trace of the element. Blasted at all times with heat and never allowed to see the snow. No human interaction, no outside world, no ice powers, no flight, no freedom. And Hanna was the one who put her there. “You can change,” Hanna said softly. “I did. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Shard laughed as she looked at Hanna again. “You’re so blind.” She smiled and shook her head. “Can’t you see?” Shard leaned her face as close to Hanna’s as the glass barrier would allow. “I don’t want to,” Shard whispered.