Silence?

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For once, there was silence. Some would argue that silence was a bad thing -- too loud, too uncomfortable. For me, however, silence was bliss. It meant peace and solitude. Most importantly, it meant the boys were not around.

I loved the boys, of course, but sometimes they could be a little too much. Always fighting and arguing. Sometimes I wondered if Will had forgot he was in his teens not tweens. Charlie, on the other hand, could be excused.

I wasn't too sure where Charlie was. Presumably he was out with Chris, wandering the dark streets as they did sometimes. Will was upstairs, doing whatever he did when Charlie was not with him. Sleeping, probably.

I picked my mug up off the coffee table, feeling its warmth against my palms. It had been a gift from Charlie, the bold black text reading: NO 1 BABYSITTER. It had been a thank you for putting up with his antics for so long, but despite the joke I had been able to see the seriousness in his eyes; the real message. Thank you for always being there for me.

I let my head fall back onto the sofa cushion behind me, closing my eyes. With the boys busy, I could finally get some rest. No shouting or swearing or clattering to disturb me.

"LIZ!"

I groaned, opening my eyes and sitting up just as Will called again.

"LIIIIIIZZZZZ!"

There was a racket of thundering footsteps like a herd of elephants trampling a tree, and then Will appeared in the archway leading from the house entrance. He was wearing black pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt much too tight for his biceps, the material stretching as he crossed his arms.

"I thought you were sleeping," I said, putting my mug down.

"I was gonna, but then I realised I could be putting pears in Charlie's bed." A mischievous smile spread across his face, ringlets of dark hair falling over his eyes.

"Please," I sighed, "leave Charlie's bed alone. You know pears scare him."

"Yeah, which is weird." He leaned against the wall, stifling a yawn.

"You should get some sleep," I said. "It's a big --"

"A big day tomorrow. Yeah, I know." Will's gaze turned to the floor, his jaw tense.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and tucking my hair behind my ear. "It's alright to be nervous, you know."

"I'm not nervous. I'm annoyed. I don't want to start a new school again."

"Neither do I, but we have to."

"But Charlie --"

"Charlie will be fine."

Will looked up, his concerned eyes boring into mine. I knew he worried for Charlie, felt he had to protect him. We all did.

"Charlie will be fine," I repeated.

Will opened his mouth to reply, but slammed it shut again when I heard the front door suddenly fly open, the crash of the door hitting the wall echoing through the quiet house. Will turned towards the door and swore, his eyes wide. "What happened?"

"What is it?" I asked, making my way across the living room to join him. It was then that I heard the shouting.

"Let go of me!" a familiar voice growled. The sound sent shivers down my spine. "You have no right to control me!"

"And you have no right to act as you just did!"

I reached Will, peering around the corner just as Chris stormed through the front door, dragging Charlie behind him. Charlie was soaked. There was mud in his hair and on his jeans, rain dripping down his face, but that was not what caused the dread to pool in my stomach.

He was smeared from head to toe in blood. It was splattered across his shirt, down his trousers, on his face. It gleamed on his teeth and under his fingernails, his palms leaving red marks on Chris' clothes as he tried to push his older brother away.

"This is not fair!" he screamed, using his free hand to claw at Chris' face. "Release me, Christian!"

Chris was furious, his jaw clenched and hand wrapped like a vice around Charlie's wrist as he pulled him into the house and pushed him to the floor. "There. Are you happy?"

Charlie bounded to his feet, his shockingly blue eyes piercing Chris' hazel ones. "You assaulted me!"

"That's enough!" Even Charlie flinched at the sound of Will's voice. "You've had your fun! Now GO!"

There was silence as the two boys glared at each other, both waiting for the other to act. It seemed to drag on for hours, although it must have only been minutes later when Charlie sunk to the ground, trembling as he stared at his bloody palms. Will took a deep breath and stepped back, glancing at me as Chris sat down next to Charlie.

"Happy school night," Will mumbled to me.