The Silence She Speaks✔

Thirty one-Camryn

When Alex and I got home from our trip, Mom and Dad were nowhere to be seen, and Quinn was latched onto my twin and Mason. She looked even more exhausted now, with her large bags and her puffy red eyes. The usual wood in the fireplace was now ashes, and there was a deep, fist-shaped indent in the wall. My two younger brothers were quiet, which has never been a word in their vocabulary.

"Hey guys!" Alex called with a huge grin, obviously oblivious to what was wrong.

Quinn looked at Alex tiredly and waved from where she sat in Devin's lap. Poor girl looked conflicted while looking at us, and quickly tucked her head into the crook of my twin's neck.

"So, what did you guys do when we were gone?" I asked, maybe a little less subtle than I could have been, but I've never really been a people-person.

"Sit, watch T.V., cuddle," Mason recited softly, absentmindedly. His distant brown eyes darkened, and he stood up abruptly. "Why weren't you answering me?" He yelled. That set little Quinn off immediately. She started wailing, and Alex rushed to pick her up, but Devin refused.

"Get away Alex," Devin commanded before turning to Quinn and cooing sweet nothings.

"Don't look at her, look at me!" Mason yelled again, seething with anger.

"Mace, buddy, what's wrong?" Alex asked softly, reaching out to him. Mason slapped his hand away and stepped back, glaring at us.

"Why didn't you answer me?" He asked again. "You have no idea how much we needed you, and you just went awol!"

"The college blocked internet. It was a really old fashioned place. We couldn't get any calls or texts, and if we somehow did, we couldn't send any back," I explained calmly.

"Bull! You could have answered on the way back! What is wrong with you guys? Huh? We've been working our butts off to help our sister while you two were off having fun and making college buddies!" Tears were welling up in Mason's eyes, but he blinked them away.

"Mason, just tell us what happened, please," Alex almost begged.

I scoffed. "Why should I? You weren't there then, and you probably won't be now, so why should I hurt Quinn like that?"

"Mason," a little trembling voice choked out. We all turned to look at Quinn. Her bottom lip quivered and her rosy cheeks were tear-stained. Her blonde hair was a mess, and her little nose redder than Rudolf's. Her small hands reached out for him, which he didn't hesitate to reply to by sitting down beside her and hugging her.

"I've got you," he whispered while smoothing down her hair. "I've got you, you're okay now. Just breathe for me, Quinn."

Devin kissed our sister's head before standing up and glaring at the two of us. "We're going to talk about this outside," he grunted before walking to the back door. He slammed it open and stormed outside, not even bothering to hide his anger now. Alex and I slowly made our way out too, gently shutting the door behind us.

"What happened?" Alex blurted.

"Quinn's an orphan," Devin replied solemnly. "It happened the day you left. I was out at a friend's house, but when I came back, Mason was punching the wall. He wouldn't respond to anything I said, so I just had to pin him and slap him until he came back to me. Then he told me everything that happened. Quinn's mom killed herself."

We both stared at him with wide eyes. Guilt was eating me alive at how I hadn't been there for my family. Devin and Mason looked just as tired as Quinn—almost like they were zombies. Every day that we were gone must have been a struggle. For Quinn, it was the weight of never seeing any of her family again, and for my brothers, it was the fact that they couldn't do much to help her. Sure, they could comfort her, but that couldn't bring back her family.