Between brother and sister

A door slammed
Soft footsteps padded on the hard tile floor
towards the kitchen sink.

The faucet turned.
Water touched.
Pain stung.

He bit back the words taught outside the home
Glancing around
Knowing the other would not hear
Letting a few slip past

It soaked in, the silence
Numbed, he stood
Walking towards the one room
occupied by the other.

Hearing her breath.
Fast, uneven
Was it her?
Was it him.
Stepping inside
Light burning
Caught

The soft sigh
examining the wounds.
Silence
Nothing

No words
No sounds
Eyes say everything
Everything she wont

The floor creaked.
Light faded.
Blankets stirred.

A door slammed
Hard footsteps tromped quickly away
Back into the chilly night.