Weeping Truth

 I slid down and sat against the fence, the cold wind blowing against my face. The trees were bare, and the sky was an orange-red color. "Hey, Vivian."

I turned and saw my cousin, "Hey, Legion." His brown hair blowing in the wind, and his green eyes were gentle. He tried looking me in the eye, and I looked down, I didn't want him to know.

He sat with me and put a hand over my shoulder, "What wrong, Viv?"

I shook my head, and blinked back tears.

"You're like ice," he pulled his hoodie off and I put it on, grateful for it's warmth, "how long have you been out here?"

I shrugged, wiping a tear, still looking down, and whispered hoarsely, "Couple hours."

"Why?" I wiped a tear away but flinched when I touched under my eye. I tried to hide it but he saw it.

He lifted my face up, gently, and he saw the bloody black eye I had received. His eyes filled with anger, "Who did this?"

I didn't say anything, if I did I knew the tears would come faster.

Legion softened his voice, "Who did this to you, Viv?"

"M-my Dad," I said, "I-I woke him up b-by accident and h-he kicked me out."

Legion eyes were always an echo of his emotions, I noticed that when I was just five and he was eight. Even now, seven years later, and having been apart for four years I could read them. "How's it bleeding then?" He asked, controlling his voice well.

"I d-didn't leave the yard, and he threw a rock, it hit my face." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Why do you still go home to that house?"

"He wasn't like that before she died," I whispered, my voice cracked, "he didn't get drunk. And h-he loved me, and wouldn't get mad at me."

"But you know mom would let you stay out our house," he replied.

"Maybe if it gets too bad, but for now this is..." I trailed off lost for words.

"Tolerable?" Legion suggested.

I nodded, "Tolerable."

"Come on, let's get you to my house." I nodded, and we got up. The old field with the fence and trees were at the end of our street, and he lived on the complete other end.

Even if he lived on the other side of town, we wouldn't have had to walk that long. Our town isn't very big, about twelve miles, in all directions. That's the charm of Thunder Elm.

We walked along in silence, and I glanced at my house as we walked past.

Legion looked at it too. The rage boiling again. We walked a few houses down, "Keep goin', I'll meet you there."

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing." He went to turn around and I grabbed his wrist.

"Legion, no, please... don't," I pleaded.

"But he hurt you! I can't let him do it again!"

"But he'll kill you!" I blurted out. I realized what I had said, and covered my mouth with my hand. I felt a hot tears.

"What?"

I felt my knees buckle beneath me, and I fell on to them. Legion kneeled next to me,

"What do you mean he'll kill me?"

"M-my mom..."

"What's wrong with your mom? I thought she was on a business trip for work?"

I was sobbing, "He lied. A-after my sister d-died h-he got into d-drinking. Th-then one day Mom told h-him he needs to quit. He he got m-mad and..."

"And what, Vivian? What did he do?"

"He-" I whispered, gasping for breath through the sobs "-killed her and, and b-buried her in the b-backyard."