THE house that once throbbed with the heat of family life now stood eerily silent, its heart being plucked out piece by piece. The morning sun cast long, pale streaks through the dusty windows as Xaniyah bent down to pick up another box. Her breath came out short, her limbs heavy, not so much from the weight, but from what the move truly meant.

She had packed alone most of the night, only catching a few hours of sleep, and now, with Thalia’s help, she was ferrying the boxes one after the ...