RABIYA

Ayesha says solemnly. “We didn’t know for sure if we’d be coming back.”

Dr. Durgha Shanmugan-Johnson, a popular teacher among Hillcrest students, says she had grown fond of the sisters and was sad to see them go.

“They’re selfless,” she says. “They’re unique and different from each other, but, in regards to their character, they’re very much the same.”

The girls had adjusted so well to life in the states, Karachi felt a bit foreign.

“We started seeing stuff differently, with a broader mind,” Ayesha explains.

They kept in touch with their friends at Hillcrest via Facebook and Snapchat, but weren’t sure if they’d ever be reunited.

When their grandfather passed away a few months later the girls were heartbroken. But their flight back to the states couldn’t have been more poetic.

“We landed on the Fourth of July,” Ayesha says.

“We saw fireworks from the plane,” Rabiya remembers fondly. “We were were like, ‘Woah, this is amazing! Even better than on the ground.’”