Tw: pain, anger, depression, talk of suicide

The table went down with a room-shaking bang. Everyone in the room flinched, expecting the table to be broken, but… it wasn’t. It stood fine on the living room floor, the sun shining on it. The girl stood above it, her chest heaved up and down like a mad dog. She gripped the table so tight her knuckles turned white. Her whole body trembled, damaged brown hair hid her face, but Basil could imagine her expression. Her mind saw the wide blue eyes, the trembling lips, the red face, she’s seen it too many times to not see it.

Everyone expected the girl to try again, but instead, her grip released. She stepped back, the sound of her breaths louder than before. They were the only sound in the room. Her wide eyes looked at each person in turn, it was fast, frantic, like she was losing her mind almost, and she was, in a manner of speaking. “Sister-“ The girl grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter behind her and pointed it toward Basil. Her face looked exactly how Basil imagined it. “Don’t say a fucking word! Don’t say a fucking word! I will drive this knife into my stomach and you’ll never fucking see me again! Is that what you want?! You think I can’t see the way you’re all looking at me!!”

She started pointing the knife at everyone now. “You think I can’t see the pity behind your eyes!! That I don’t know that you’re all thinking about how easier it would be for you if I wasn’t here giving you my shit! So that you could go back to parties and fucking other peoples lives up without having to worry about whether or not I’ll kill myself!” No one made a sound. Some people shook where they stood, others cried, and the rest just wanted it to go away. Basil understood all of them. But she couldn’t help but grin softly.

The girl noticed this. Her eyes honed in on Basil like a target. “You think this is funny, bitch?! You think this is funny! I will drive this into myself! I’ll fucking do it, bitch!” Basil didn’t blink, she just kept watching her sister, love consumed in her gaze. Her sister snapped.

“I said I’ll do it!!!” The knife slammed down onto the table, and everyone flinched. They expected the knife to go into the table, but instead she slammed it down on its side. When Basil looked back up at her sister, she saw it in slow motion. The way her eyes relaxed as tears welled in them, her face dropped ever so slowly, her lips came apart followed by a sob, and suddenly, she dropped to her knees.

“Why did he do this to me?!” Basil approached her sister immediately and scooped the skinny frame into her arms. Her sister wailed in her shoulder, racking and shaking. Basil held her tight, a smile of pride on her face. “It’s okay, my sister. You can cry now. He’s not here.” She whispered. “You don’t have to fight anymore.”

Her sister hugged Basil tightly, the way she hiccuped and choked showed that she had trouble crying. Basil looked up at her family, and quietly gestured for everyone to sit down in a circle. They looked confused, but sat down all the same.

Everyone sat in silence, just watching the girl break down calmly. “Why are you smiling?” Her foster mother asked after a moment. Basil looked down at her sister. She curled up in her lap, still crying, far too loud to hear a thing. Then Basil looked up, the smile remained on her face. “Shh.” Her gaze returned to her sister and she whispered in her ear. “You didn’t break anything, Iris. You didnt break anything.”

She hugged her sister tighter. “You found control. Your own control. You did. And we all saw it. We’re all here for you, sister. We are.” Her sister cried harder, and Basil just kept her in a hug.