Her Silent Screams

Ellesin sat the dining table, watching as the other each stood and began making their way to school for the day. Just like with Irina, she silently waved from her seat, not expecting anyone to return her gesture. But as per usual, Erith turned around and waved back with a gentle smile before turning back around and jogging out the door.

After some time, she pushed back from the table and stood, lifting her head and staring at the adjacent wall intently.

'Time to get to work', she thought with a decided nod. Rolling up her imaginary sleeves,she got to work, cleaning.

____________________

David sat in his office, tapping away on his computer, his glasses reflecting the white screen. He stared intently at the screen, slightly leaning forward as he worked away. It had been a few hours since everyone had left, but he knew how teenagers were. There was a good chance they had cut school and returned.

He stopped typing and leaned back, pulling his glasses down and rubbing his eyes.

"I need a drink."

With that, he stood and headed to the kitchen.

Ellesin stood over the sink, scrubbing away at the dishes. 'Learn to clean your own dishes...' she thought, frowning a bit. Suddenly, the floor creaked behind her so she turned around. There was David, stooping forward, staring into the fridge, paying her no mind. He moved forward a bit further for a bit before straightening up, holding a can of soda.

He turned, noticing Ellesin looking him, one hand on her hip while the other supported her against the sink. With the window behind her and the light that came in shielding her appearance, all he could really see was the reflection from her glasses.

"What's up, sis?" David took a few steps to his right so that he could see his sister.

Ellesin began making hand gestures. Some were slow while other were quick, almost as if they were meant to denote anger or frustration. And, in fact, they were, after all these gestures were sign language.

'Why do you pick on Irina?' she signed, 'she's going through a difficult time. She doesn't need your harassment.'

"She needs to be bullied and mistreated. How else will she pull out of her depression?"

'With support and love from those closest to her!'

"Love and support? From who? What will it do? What good did it do for you?! Look at you-"

David immediately froze as the last word escaped his lips. His sister, also, stood still.

She instinctively reached and stroked her throat. There was a deep scar that spanned her neck, reaching from one side to the other. Her eyes darkened a bit, losing some of the life that they held.

You would never notice the scar since Ellesin always had her head bent forward, letting the shadows hide it. But now, it was on full display.

David swallowed his saliva as he stared at his sister. He had said something out of annoyance, but it was still cruel.

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Three Years Ago.

It had been raining all day. The streets were wet and slick, with oil strewn about from the various vehicles that traveled the roads each day.

Ellesin had been excited because she was finally getting to spend some time with her father. Though he wasn't the greatest, she knew he did his best, and that was fine. She had him and her brother, and that was all she needed.

"Are you ready?" David asked, standing just outside his sister's room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was looking toward the ceiling, a look of annoyance plastered across his face.

"Almost! Just wait by the front door, I'll be there in a few minutes!" A song, sweet voice exclaimed from the other side of the door. Even though it was muffled because the door was shut, David could still make out the exasperation in her tone.

"were going to be late! Dad said we needed to be ready by 6."

"And we'll be ready by 6, Davey! Just give me a few minutes to... do feminine preparations!"

Even though she annoyed him and got on his nerves, he loves Ellesin. Her voice, no matter how bad his day had been, or how tired his fsther felt, always helped them. He was going to play the role of the overprotective brother until the day he died, and he was fine with that, even if his sister didn't realise it herself.

Unfortunately, tonight was going to be a night where he was powerless...