silent

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     It's worth it though.

     After ten minutes, she begins to measure her plants, but she looks tired. Still, I stay silent as she jots results down in her little notebook.

     When she puts it away in a little drawer, she walks back over to me and grasps onto my hand again wordlessly. She begins to pull me back into the house, but pauses when she sees Elijah sitting at the counter, Petal on his lap.

     He looks up, and something like relief and pity bursts onto his face when he sees our baby sister. She lets go of my hand, steps forward, and Elijah's face fills with hope, but it dissipates when she takes Petal.

     He smiles lightly at her. "Hi, angel. Are you feeling alright?"

     She stares at him blankly, as though she didn't quite hear what he said. Then, she grabs a small slip of paper from a notebook that's already open and the pen next to it. She writes:

I WANNA GO TO DANCE.

     His eyebrows raise in surprise. I don't think that's what either of us expected her to write. I didn't think she'd even be up to it, with her kidney and what happened yesterday.

     "I don't think that's a good idea." He says.

     "Yeah, not for right now, Amalia." I add.

     She begins to write something else.

I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE.

     My heart crumbles.

     "Okay." Elijah says immediately. "I'll go talk to dad."

     I watch him as he walks out of the kitchen. I look at Amalia, who's avoiding my eyes. A few minutes of silence as my little sister plays with Petal pass before Elijah walks back in, smiling.

     "Dad says you can go, but you need someone to stay there with you." Elijah says. She immediately holds my hand. "You want Mason to?" He questions softly, to which she nods. His eyebrows raise in surprise, but he sends me a look of pride. "Alright. Dad wants to talk to you, too, so go to his study before you get changed, okay."

Amalia nods and let's Petal jump into my arms before walking out of the kitchen.

• AMALIA •

My dads stern expression morphs into one of happiness when he sees me walk into his office, but I notice the pity furrowing his brows and creasing the corners of his eyes. I don't want anyone to look like that; it happened, but it's over now, and I don't want to be reminded about it every time someone looks at me.

"Hi, baby." He says quietly. "How are you feeling?"

I give him a thumbs up, but it's a lie. He knows it. I know it. The fly on his wall would probably know it—if there was one.

His stapler probably knows it too. It looks quite smug.

"Do you wanna talk to me about anything?" He asks softly.

I stiffen and shake my head.

He hesitates before he speaks. "I know what happened was scary. But you can talk to any of us about it, okay? You're safe here, Amalia."