When the Sky Comes Down

[Alexia’s P.O.V] It happened again. Had I not been told by my brother, I would not have remembered. But it did. It happened, again. He gently strikes the hair out of my face as he washes my back. My hands, covered in blood are wrapped around my knees, pushing them closely against my stomach. He slowly moves the showerhead over my shoulder. The water is red. How could it not be, with my body covered in blood. He softly rubs a sponge over my skin, as he tries not to upset me any further. I’m sure to most this image would seem strange. Two grown up siblings, of which one is washing the other. To us though, to us this has become normal. He hasn’t said anything to me yet. Not a word. I wonder what he must be thinking of me. He must think I’m a monster, a creature more dark than any he has ever seen. ‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper. My voice is trembling. ‘It’s not your fault.’ ‘It is.’ ‘No,’ he whispers. ‘They brought it upon themselves.’ He puts down the sponge and starts rinsing my hair. ‘They should have listened when you told them to stay away.’ He puts the showerhead in the tub, without shutting it off and grabs the shampoo. He starts rubbing it in, covering every inch of my hair. When he sees my face he freezes up. For a moment, there is nothing. No movement, not even a breath. ‘You’ll learn to control yourself, Lexi,’ he says softly. ‘You’ll start school soon.’ ‘I don’t think I should go.’ ‘You should. They’ll teach you everything you need to know.’ He grabs the showerhead and pushes the top of my head slightly back, so the shampoo won’t get in my eyes when he washes it out. ‘You’ll be safe there, and you’ll be with me.’ He started school two years ago, seeing how he is two years older than I am. I hated it, as it meant that he could only return home in weekends, during breaks, or in case of emergencies. Despite us being two years apart, we are as close as twins. Our family had five children, me being the youngest. ‘You will be just fine,’ he says. ‘You will be just fine Lexi.’   After I am all cleaned and dressed up, he takes me downstairs. The house is empty, it almost always is. My oldest brother, Jackle, he is already 30 years old. He moved out a long time ago. Then there’s Liath, who moved out four years ago, the moment she turned 25. Beck, who was born in the same year as Liath, moved out after a fight with mother. Though nobody wants to tell me what it was about. Then there’s Keith, the brother who is always there for me. The brother who baths me when I can’t even move anymore. The brother who protects me from bullies and who played with me when I was but a child. He has turned 20 last month. I am sure he would have already moved out hadn’t it been for me. This house is not particularly welcoming. Then there was Ferril, but he died before he ever got to attend school. I barely even remember him. I was too young when it happened. Whatever it was that had happened. Once again, nobody was willing to tell me. My mother raised us all alone. Although one could say the word “raising” was not quite fit for what it was she did. She didn’t have a husband, never a steady relationship. Over the years, she had returned home less and less, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Leaving me to fend for myself.   My brother puts down a plate in front of me. He knows I am not hungry, we have been through that fight multiple times. I always lose. I always eat. ‘Take your time Lexi, but eat you must.’ He sits down beside me, with a plate of his own. He starts eating without another word. I hope he is right, that the school will indeed help me. That way he perhaps will not have to work so hard anymore. Just a few more weeks before school starts. We will just have to hold on till then.    [Keith’s P.O.V.] I look at my sister from underneath my eyelashes, while putting another spoonful in my mouth. She needs to eat. Not eating won’t do the situation any good. I need to keep her distracted, so that she won’t think about what has happened. ‘Tomorrow we will go to the city, buy you the necessities,’ I tell her. ‘Uniform, books, writing wear, everything.’ She picks up her fork and starts poking around the food from one side to the other. This at least is already an improvement. ‘We will get you a good backpack.’ ‘How?’ she asks. I look at her, but she doesn’t look back. ‘With what money?’ ‘With the entry to the school come some benefits. Discounts.’ ‘I can do with the hand-me downs,’ she answers. ‘We are not poor Lexi,’ I sigh. ‘We can afford to buy you new things every once in a while. Mother might not like it, but then she shouldn’t have gotten as many children as she did.’ I wonder if she hasn’t got more. Children of whom we do not know. Children with a family, with a father to care for them, a man to care for her. I didn’t tell Lexi, but I suspect that this is why mother is rarely home. ‘I have been thinking of selling the house,’ I tell her. Finally, she looks up at me, her eyes wide in surprise. ‘She isn’t here, and as soon as you start school, neither will we,’ I explain. ‘There is nothing for us here. We can move our belongings to Liath’s house, put them in the attic for a while. Stay at the campus during the breaks, or visit one of our brothers, or our sister.’ She stays quiet, so I continue. ‘We can use the money. I will buy a new place with it once I’ve finished school.’ I only have one year to go and I do not plan on returning here, on living in this house. She knows I don’t intend on doing so. ‘By then, you can live with me during the breaks. You can come over whenever you’d like.’ ‘But the house isn’t ours to sell,’ she says. ‘It is. I researched it.’ Lexi frowns at me in return. ‘She hasn’t been home in over a year, without her living-in children knowing about her whereabouts,’ I start to explain. ‘According to the law, after a year, the estate automatically is inherited by the oldest living-in. Meaning me.’ I hadn’t officially moved out. Had it gone to Lexi, I am sure she would have kept it until mother returned. She was too loyal. Normally a good characteristic, but not towards someone who couldn’t stop hurting her. At times, it made me afraid for her future. ‘So we sell it,’ I state. ‘We live at campus and after this coming school year, we will find a place to live.’ I take a deep breath. Perhaps the tides would finally turn and we might actually live comfortably. She just nods, then spikes a piece of meat onto her fork and puts it into her mouth. She’s finally eating, good.