Code Of Silence ~ Vinnie Hacker

Chapter 4: "No Strings Attached"

Ever since the accident that took place a couple years ago, several of her nights were filled with her jolting awake from the sounds of screaming, crying, gunshots, and her parent's screams in their arguments about what was to become of their family. That wasn't the worst part though, no. The worst part was the fact that she couldn't tell the difference between her nightmares and reality. She frequently woke up from nightmares only to find no outside source of physical harm, to find that it was only a nightmare that came and went. Other times, she would wake up to find that her parents had harbored reality to her worst nightmares. She dreaded the possibility that she might be too weak to escape these nightmares, especially on the nights when she would listen to her mother's cries over simple mistakes. 

She blamed herself for it all. Not because she wanted to, but because she was told it was her fault, that it was all her fault. 

If she had just never agreed to help him...None of this would've happened.

But she did, and she regretted helping him every second of every day and night...If only she hadn't turned around for a few seconds out of temptation- she could have the luxury of hearing her brother's voice again. 

Because of her, her brother has been mute for nine years and counting. 

Her biggest wish in life would just to be able to hear his voice again...Even if it were for just one more time.

She would never forget the time when she realized she had forgotten his voice. Sitting down in the middle of her bedroom, she pulled on her hair in frustration as she tried to remember what his voice sounded like.

Elina hated Malcom at birth. She longed for a baby sister, so when she got the news that she was about to get a baby brother, she broke down in tears. She threw tantrums filled with screaming and yelling as she refused to accept the news.

It started off with him crying in the middle of the night and driving her crazy, wishing that they could just throw him away. Things progressively went even more downhill as they grew older. It simply began with Malcolm chewing up Elina's drawings to him getting all the attention from their mother because of his illness. 

The real jealousy truly coursed through her veins when she watched with her own eyes her best friend paying more attention to him than her. She wanted to explore the parts of the land with him, like they used to, before Malcolm became more important to everyone in Elina's eyes. She would chew on her lip as she tapped her foot on the ground impatiently watching as Vinnie helped him walk up the hills a few paces behind her. It made her blood boil as she stared at them making memories that were only meant to be made between Vinnie and her.

But after that day, she wanted to spend every moment of her life just listening to him, hearing his laugh. She would let him chew on any piece of her artwork if it meant that it could make him happier, but she no longer had the luxury to choose this option. 

It took Elina years and years just to even get herself to look him in the eyes because every time she tried to look at him, she saw nothing but a desperate six year old brother who craved for her attention. Sorrow often took over her as she roamed and paced her room, trying to find ways to fix this. In the end, no matter how hard she tried to retrace her steps to solve the problem, she couldn't and was never successful. 

So from then on, she did nothing but protect him to the best of her abilities. She would always follow him around like a bodyguard, helping him with even the smallest things.

For two years, Elina spent every night staying up late with an open book in her lap, learning sign language. She worked to try and memorize the meaning behind every movement. She did this just so she could find a way to get closer to him, to understand him, and be by his side to help him through everything.