Killing Butterflies ( Inspired by Lewis Blisset)

Breaking Point

Nishant paced restlessly around the small, dimly lit room, his mind racing in every direction. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, and his dark eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, were stormy with frustration. The confrontation at the market had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it wasn't just the physical blows he'd endured—it was the humiliation, the helplessness that gnawed at him, and the memories it dredged up.

Selene sat at the edge of the table, watching him, her expression unreadable, but her eyes soft. She had seen this before—Nishant's anger, the fire in his veins threatening to consume him if he didn't find an outlet.

"You can't keep pacing like that," Selene said quietly, her voice gentle but firm. "We're safe now. We'll figure it out. We always do."

"Safe?" Nishant spun on his heel, his voice sharp. "Do you really think we're safe, Selene? Because I didn't see you there when it all went to hell!"

Selene flinched, the words hitting her harder than she'd expected. "I had no idea they'd surround you like that. I wouldn't have—"

"Wouldn't have what?" Nishant interrupted, his voice rising. "Wouldn't have watched from the shadows while they turned on us? Like always, you're just... somewhere else when things go wrong."

Hurt , Selene stepped back. "That's not fair, Nish. You know that."

"I don't give a— "Nishant took a heavy, shuddering breath. "You know what, just get out.  Get out. You just stay in your garden all the time anyways." 

He didn't need to look up to know she'd already vanished through the back door. The familiar creak of it shutting behind her was answer enough. For a moment, he paused, uncertain, but the anger drowned it out just as quickly. His fists tightened, his nails digging into his palms.

He hated feeling this way—helpless, bitter, with no control over what was happening. Not over their cursed fates, not over Aylin's strange silences, and not over the way Selene drifted through life like a ghost, avoiding the harder truths they were forced to face every day.

But why should she be the one who gets to escape, even if just for a moment? Why was she never around when things fell apart?

Nishant's hands trembled as he leaned against the wall, his head hanging low. Outside, he could hear the faint sound of Selene's footsteps fading into the garden. The only place she ever seemed at peace. She was the eldest sibling, yet all she did was run away from her problems , from everything.

"Damn it," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know if he was cursing her, himself, or the whole world. Maybe all of it.

Nishant's anger simmered in the quiet room, the echo of Selene's footsteps growing fainter as she retreated into her sanctuary. The creak of the back door closing still lingered in his mind, filling the silence that followed her departure.

He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the roots in frustration. The bitter taste of his own words hung in the air.  Why did he always have to be the one to hold everything together?

He slammed his fist against the wall, sending a sharp jolt through his arm, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside him. Every day felt like a losing battle—between the rebellion, the taunts, and the weight of the past, he could hardly keep his head above water. And Selene, always so distant, acted like it wasn't her responsibility, like she could just hide away in the garden and leave the rest of them to deal with reality.

He stared at the floor for a long moment, his chest rising and falling heavily, trying to find some shred of control. But all he could feel was the weight pressing down on him, the weight of responsibility, and the gnawing fear that he was failing. Failing Aylin, failing Selene, failing their parents' memory.

His thoughts drifted to Aylin, quiet and withdrawn. The youngest of them, the one who should have been the most carefree, now a shadow of himself. Nishant clenched his fists harder. He knew something was wrong with Aylin, had been wrong for a while, but no one had addressed it, and now he was spiraling.

Nishant closed his eyes, exhaustion tugging at him, but his mind refused to rest. He couldn't let this keep happening. He couldn't let the cracks between them grow any wider.

But damn, it was getting harder by the day to keep pretending everything would be okay.