“That’s me.” Well, not exactly - she doesn’t actually have a last name, she just uses the name of her temple as a formality. She doesn’t bother explaining this, though. It tends to bother other people more than her. 

“Follow me.” They rise, and Iris follows them to the chamber where her sister is.

“I presume you know what to do?” they ask, as the two of them arrive at the door.

“Yes,” Iris replies, and the receptionist nods and leaves. She enters, and sees Dahlia is already there, sitting in a chair on the other side of the glass. There is a guard in the corner as well, but he seems to be doing his best to ignore them.

“Hello,” she says with a nod. “Life going well as ever, I suppose?”

“It is. Bikini sends her regards.”

Dahlia snorts. “Why would she ever do that?”

Iris simply shrugs. They go through this every time, and today is no different. “Have you made preparations yet?”

“It’ll be just you as witness. Well, aside from the prison staff. Oh, and I’ve left everything to you as well.”

Iris nods. That’s about what she was expecting, anyways. They had more or less merged their lives in those months leading up to Dahlia’s arrest, this was just making it formal. “Anything else?”

Dahlia pauses for a moment. “Iris,” she asks, “do you love me?”

“I do.” Iris says. She thinks she’s telling the truth. 

Dahlia nods, and her eyes soften. “I love you too.” She has said this many times in her life, sometimes even to Iris. Iris is fairly sure that those are the only times she’s ever meant it. 

Dahlia pauses for a moment, waiting to see if Iris will say anything. When she doesn’t, Dahlia stands up and calls over to the guard in the corner. “We’re ready.”

The guard takes Dahlia by her arm and gestures for Iris to follow them. 

“You don’t have to watch,” the guard assures her as they walk down the corridor. 

Iris swallows and says, “I want to.”

The guard simply nods. Eventually they reach a pair of doors.

“Go there,” he says, pointing to the nearer door. Dahlia nods, and she enters into a small room, divided by a pane of glass. On her side there is nothing, but on the other side there is a rope hanging from the ceiling and a box underneath it on the floor. Another shard stands in the corner.

The guard and Dahlia enter on the other side, and he helps her onto the box. Iris trembles, almost wishing that she had taken the guard up on his offer. But Dahlia is her sister - Iris should be there for her. No matter what she’s done.

“Dahlia Hawthorne,” the guard announces. “You have been convicted by the State of California on two counts of first degree murder, one count of manslaughter, and one count of attempted murder. For these crimes, the State has declared that you shall be put to death by hanging. Do you have any last words before you depart from this Earth?”

Iris isn’t sure what she had expected Dahlia to stay. Nothing, probably.

But instead she looks right at Iris and says, “Remember me. Please.”

Iris’ eyes go wide, but she responds, “I will.”

The guard finishes. “By the power invested in me by the State of California, I shall now execute you. May God have mercy on your soul.”

He kicks out the box from underneath Dahlia, and Iris can only stare at her sister as she dangles down from the rope, dying, dying- dead.