chapter 7 Cracks in the quiet
729 Words
Aria carried the heavy jug of water back into the compound, her arms trembling slightly. The sun had risen high now, casting sharp streaks of heat across the yard. She wiped sweat from her forehead, but before she could catch her breath, Mira’s voice sliced through the air.
“Took you long enough.”
Aria bit her tongue. She placed the water down gently, not wanting a single drop to spill. Aunt Selda hated waste.
“Mira, stop talking and go dress for school,” Aunt Selda snapped from inside.
Mira rolled her eyes and walked off, but not without giving Aria a look that said she enjoyed every moment of this.
Rae lingered behind, glancing at Aria’s arms. “You… you okay?” she whispered.
Aria blinked, surprised. Rae was always complicated she often Wonder if she was nice or just mean like her sister but she wasn’t cruel. Just complicated
“I’m fine,” Aria said softly.
Rae nodded quickly and hurried after Mira.
Aria poured some of the water into the clay pot in the kitchen. She was about to step outside when Aunt Selda caught her by the wrist.
“Aria.”
Aria froze.
Selda’s eyes narrowed as she studied the faint red marks on Aria’s arms from carrying the jug.
“You look weak,” her aunt said coldly. “Don’t make people think I’m not feeding you well.”
Aria swallowed. “I’m okay, Aunt.”
“You’d better be. I don’t need neighbors gossiping about you looking like a stray.”
Selda released her sharply. “Now go wash the clothes.”
Aria nodded and went to the backyard where a pile of laundry waited. She knelt by the basin and began scrubbing. The sound of water splashing, fabric rubbing, and birds chattering in the distance wrapped around her like routine music.
Halfway through the washing, someone cleared their throat behind her.
She turned to see Mrs. Lysa, their neighbor, leaning over the fence with a sympathetic expression.
“Child, you’ve been out here since morning,” Lysa said softly. “Come drink something. It’s hot.”
Aria shook her head quickly. “Aunt Selda doesn’t like me leaving chores.”
“But you’re still human,” Lysa murmured.
“Aria!” Aunt Selda’s voice boomed from inside.
Aria flinched.
“Coming,” she replied, wiping her hands.
Lysa sighed as Aria hurried off, whispering, “That girl needs a break…”
Inside, Aria found Selda frowning at the vegetables on the table.
“You didn’t sort them properly,” she snapped. “Do it again.”
Aria took a quiet breath and nodded.
She worked silently, cutting, sorting, packing. Each task blended into the next until she no longer knew how long she had been on her feet.
By early afternoon, Mira and Rae returned from school. Mira threw her bag onto the floor dramatically.
“Aria, I’m hungry. Make something.”
“Wash your hands first,” Aria said gently, already moving toward the kitchen.
Mira scoffed. “You’re not my mother.”
Aunt Selda appeared behind them. “Aria, don’t make the girls wait.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Just do as you're told,” Selda snapped.
Aria lowered her gaze. “Yes, Aunt.”
She cooked quickly, her movements automatic, her mind drifting away. What would it feel like to sit at a table and eat without fear of being yelled at? To laugh freely? To sleep on a bed?
Simple things. But they felt impossible.
When dinner was ready, Selda sat with her daughters, chatting about trivial things while Aria served them silently. She ate last—as always—and only leftovers.
Night came slowly.
Aria stepped outside to wash the plates. The moonlight fell softly on her face, making her green eyes look brighter than usual. She stared at the sky for a moment longer than she meant to.
For the first time in a long while, she let herself imagine a different life.
A place where she wasn’t yelled at.
Where her beauty wasn’t hidden behind exhaustion.
Where she was treated like someone who mattered.
But the sound of Aunt Selda calling her broke the moment instantly.
“Aria! Don’t sleep outside!”
Aria exhaled.
“Coming,” she replied.
And just like that, the cracks inside her deepened a little more.
- Writer
