1.1 | daunting medleys

one | hidden daggers

Winters in St Broughton were not as harsh and unforgiving as the muted yells that echoed throughout the house.

Loud bitter shouts clashed like sharpened swords with the malicious intent to hurt. It hadn't always been like this, her parents hadn't always hated the sight of each other. The Daniels household was once a peaceful, warm home. It was the pride and joy of St Broughton. The model family consisting of the parents being doctors and the two extremely smart twin daughters. They were happy, they had the most beautiful familial bond the daughter had even seen.

Now things had changed, the maternal part of the family had turned into a bitter person while the paternal part had settled for being the same lovable goofy man that Tabitha had always been loved and Talia, Tabitha's twin sister had pushed herself into her books, and further away from their family while Tabitha had settled for music and closed ears to numb the pain she felt from her family breaking.

At first nothing was wrong, there was a warmth and happiness that anyone could feel as soon as they stepped in. Her parents had a love that Tabitha envied, hoping that anyone that she was meant to be with, after her horrible experience, would be like her parents but now it seemed like torture to wish that on anyone. It started after her diagnosis, marriage counseling seemed to fix it, but it didn't. Her diagnosis were the cracks in their otherwise seemingly perfect marriage.

Then her baby brother had died in her mother's womb, fully deepening the cracks, with which harsh words and arguments slipped through.

The miscarriage broke through the haze like happiness like a sharp knife and then misery came, slipping through the cracks, and ruined everything. Arguments, shouting, cold dinners dominated their home. There was no comfort or determination to try again, just pain.

Tabitha wasn't sure of if she wanted a younger sibling, but when she heard the news of her mother's pregnancy, she felt ecstasy ripple in her. She needed someone, someone that love and care for, someone who wasn't embittered by sadness. Then the news of the miscarriage came and went as soon as it arrived, taking the familial happiness that they felt with it.

A crash resonated through the house. Tabitha's eyes shut in panic. Her fists balled on her knees seemed to ground her. Her mother had most likely thrown another fit. She unfurled her fists, ignoring the half-moons on her palms and smoothed the edge of her gown. She had chosen a black gown from her closet with long sleeves because the rain made the weather a little cold and she didn't like the cold.

Now Tabitha knew, from the extensive knowledge she had from when her parents fought - which was often - that her dad would come into her room with an apologetic smile on his face after the fight and would make meaningless conversation as if it would distract them from the huge grey cloud that hung from their heads.

It was almost time for school, Talia always took her to school thirty minutes for classes started and dropped her home an hour after school had dismissed. It was an unspoken rule between Talia and Tabitha, and surprisingly their father had no problem with it, as if he wanted her to spend more time away from the chaos that encompassed their house.

She had just twenty minutes left. She could wait. She knew she would wait, she had no other choice. Tabitha could only wait and hoped the storm of hurtful words and flying objects would pass her by.

The large figure her father had bounded up the stairs, before knocking on her door with gentleness that Tabitha was accustomed to.

"Come in." She said, hoping the momentary pause in her voice didn't show.

"Morning hun." He greeted, peeking his head through the slight crack he pushed open for himself. The wrinkles in his face almost mistaken for frown lines, when they were instead, laugh lines from the smile he directed at her. The eyes Tabitha inherited from her father stared at her, searching her face for discomfort she hid. He nodded to himself, seemingly pleased before walking into the large room.