Catharsis (unfinished)

Unforgivable

Silenced filled the rooms and halls. A deafening silence. The only noise crept in after hours, a  voice.

 A small girl knelt on a wooden bed, shaking and staring toward a stained and beaten door. "Open the door, darling." whispered the voice as the girl cowered. She tugged at her gown and felt her eyes burn as tears began welling up inside them, she kept her focus on the door. "I won't ask again, Ava. Open the door." the voice barked quietly before the door handle began shaking. Ava leapt from the bed and raced to the door, pressing her whole weight against it. she whimpered inaudibly, feeling her father push against the door harder each time she silently cussed him out. 

Minutes passed and Ava grew tired, though her father didn't give up. As soon she let go of the door, feeling no pressure from the other side, he forced the door open and grabbed her by her hair. She grabbed his wrist and dug her nails into his skin, shaking her head as she tried to pry her hair from his hand. Her father forced air through his teeth and released her before forcing her to the small, weak bed. "So, we're doing this the hard way, are we?" He queried before unbuckling his belt. Ava closed her eyes, seeing nothing but feeling everything. Her skin burned, she saw; in the darkness; a snake and she watched it crawl around her body. She whimpered, as it all went dark again, listening to the words of a monster. 

Morning came, the sun shone through Ava's curtains, and Ava hadn't slept. She sat on her bed, shaking and crying as she had her pillow pressed firmly against her chest. She waited, in silence, until she heard the sound of footsteps going down the stairs, before she walked to her damaged bedroom door. She opened the bedroom door and walked out of her room, keeping her head down as her brother opened his bedroom door. He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her nervously, biting his tongue as his head spun. Ava turned to face him and lifted her head as she felt his hand against her shoulder. She saw the pain in his eyes and suddenly broke down in tears, wrapping her arms around her brother's neck and pressing herself against him. Her brother held her close, keeping himself quiet as he looked toward the stairs. The two stayed still for minutes, hearing their father calling for them from the kitchen. "Tyler, i don't want to." Ava cried as she let go of her brother. Tyler nodded silently as he walked to the top step. He gestured for her to go back into her bedroom, avoiding direct eye contact with her. Ava walked into her room and closed her door as much as she could before it made a noise, drying her eyes and tugging on her gown. Tyler walked down the stairs and kept his head down as he entered the kitchen. The quiet boy then sat at the dining table, staring at his plate and then glancing briefly at his father while he was preparing the siblings' breakfast. Tyler cleared his throat as he had felt a small lump rise, alerting his father and letting him know that only one of his children were in the kitchen.

"Tyler, where's your sister?" His father asked, bringing a plate of beans on toast to the table and placing it in front of Tyler. 

"She's still in bed, probably still sleeping." 

"I'll go wake her up later, lazy good-for-nothing."

Tyler felt his heart drop, he closed his hands into fists, feeling the joints clicking. He ate half of the food on his plate before walking up the stairs. He stops as his foot touche the second step. "I said i'd wake her up, Tyler, you just sit at the tabel and finish your breakfast. I don't want you to go hungry." his father announced as he pointed to the chair Tyler was sat on.

"I'm just going to my room, i dropped some sauce on my shirt."

"Okay, but come straight down after."

"I will, Fern." Tyler said, degrading his father before walking up the stairs and heading knocking on his sister's bedroom door. "Ava, it's me." he whispered through the crack in the door. He pushed the door open and walked in slowly as he watched his sister close her bedside drawer, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Ava?" Tyler stuttered as he looked at Ava's arm and then at the drawer. Ava said nothing as she walked to the bedroom door and then out of her bedroom, pushing past Tyler. The fearful boy walked to the drawer, looking over his shoulder to the doorway, before opening the drawer that Ava had recently closed. He stepped back, tears welling up in his eyes as he glared to the doorway. He closed her eyes tightly and clenched his fists, taking a step closer to the drawer and pulling out a small note, a belt; which wasn't Ava's; and a pocket knife blade. He put the note and blade in his pocket and threw the belt to the floor before breaking down in tears. The boy cried and cried for what felt like an hour, cussing himself out and gripping at his hair. Tyler eventually calmed himself before walking down the stairs and walking close to the kitchen door. He stood still, listening to his father.

"The whole point of being grounded is that you're not allowed to leave the house unless it's with me or for school, am i understood?" Fern asked as he stared into Ava's eyes as he towered over her. Tyler stormed into the kitchen and pushed Ava back. 

"Leave her alone!" Tyler barked as he stamped his foot down on the floor. 

"This has nothing to do with you, Tyler." Fern said as he stepped past him and held Ava's shoulder. Tyler felt his heart drop again, but he didn't swallow. He took the blade form his pocket and swiped it across his father's arm, causing him to recoil and slap the side of Tyler's face with the back of his hand. He grabbed tyler's wrist, making him drop the blade, and kept a vice-like grip in him. Ava hesitated but quickly picked up the blade and closed her eyes tight before stepping in front of Tyler and slicing at her father's eyes. Fern covered his eyes with both of his hands as he cried in pain. Tyler looked at Ava in shock and watched as she shook and held the blade in her open hand, staring at it. Ava couldn't move, she just stood and laughed. She laughed for a brief moment before breaking down in tears again. She dropped the blade and knelt by her father. Fern began to laugh, forcing air through his teeth as he placed a hand on Ava's thigh. Ava screamed, shaking more before picking up the blade again and slicing cheeks. She kept slashing his face as she cried and chanted through her tears.  "Don't touch me!"

Half an hour passed and Ava stood up, looking at the blood on her hands as she felt an arm slither behind her neck from one shoulder to the other. She turned her head to see Tyler looking at her, his bruised cheek facing her. "We have to go, this isn't our home anymore" Tyler muttered before walking to his bedroom to change. He changed from pajamas into a suit, and slid his shoes on, before walking to the front door and waiting for Ava, who was changing from her bloody gown into studded boots; ripped tights and a skater dress. Ava tied her hair in a ribbon before making her way to the front door. The two took one last look into the kitchen and looked apathetically at the disfigured, bloody face of their father, though they saw no human. They both saw a snake, a large, dead snake. Ava opened the front door and looked up at the sky, she watched the clouds move slowly before looking at her brother. Tyler stepped outside with Ava and closed the door behind him. They both sat on the porch and looked up at the clouds, watching them pass by and change shape. They sat for an hour before standing and heading toward the nearby bus stop.