Broken Glass

Chapter 1: Dollhouse - Melanie Martinez

 Yelling came from the other room, the voices echoing through the cloister's corridor. A loud, gruff male's voice with an aggressive tone sent tremors through the floor and the walls, dust and small chunks of the building slowly chipping off and drifting down. Another voice followed not moments later, a usually gentle and calming female one which was growing harsher by the second. They were fighting again, and for the third time this week.

It was only Wednesday.

Wrapped in their bed sheets, two children were sitting up in their beds, their horns and faces being the only parts the blankets didn't cover. Sleep wouldn't come easily to them, the volume of the prolonged argument only worsening with time. "Mama and Papa are fighting again..." A little girl's voice quivered, filled with sadness and fear.

"It's okay Ras.. It'll be okay." A secondary voice chimed within the darkness of the two person bedroom, one belonging to a teenage boy. Shifting off of his bed, he stood and moved over to his sibling, sitting alongside her and wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug. Being the older sibling, it was his job to help his younger sis.

Her voice continued to tremble, tears swelling in her eyes as she slowly looked up at him. "They've been at this for an hour, Sel.."
She leaned on him, taking any and all comfort she was given. Even if his words were not truly believable, the gesture was always reassuring.

The clock audibly ticked as the two reluctantly eavesdropped on the frustrating conversation from the other room, the time appearing to move in a sluggish manner, doing nothing to mercy them. They couldn't rest with all the noise which came from the verbal duels which had made a habit of starting at night. It was like their parents thought they were hiding this from them by doing it this way.

Like they couldn't hear the difference, couldn't feel it. The way they dismissed each other instead of being all sappy with cheesy puns and kisses, the lack of PDA the two children would usually be witness to. It was all so painful to see, making even Selever long for its return.

After what had to be another hour later, the noise finally died down. The night was finally easing into silence. The two tired children were still up and leaning against each other as they shared duel blankets, arms wrapped around the other in a comforting embrace. They were visibly drained, from lack of sleep and the anxious fears of what had been happening within the main rooms.

The bedroom door slowly creaked open, catching Selever's attention while Rasazy stayed as she was, only subtly glancing over since she was finally comfortable. It was hard to make out faces through the dim lighting, but the moonlight which shone through the windows could provide just enough help. A neapolitan printed face peered in the room, before continuing to walk in and gently closing the door behind her. She wore a tired expression, finished with a weak forced smile and sad eyes.

She had her casual style on, the shoulderless wool sweater dyed in a vibrant pink along with her usual thigh-high boots.

"Oh, what are you two doing awake? It's past midnight." A rhetorical comment, she knew exactly why. Her voice was already back to its default cheery and overall calming one, as if nothing had happened just moments ago.
She came next to the bed where her two children sat closely, letting her gaze rest on them for a few moments before speaking again. She started with a heavy sigh, "I'm so sorry you had to hear all of that. I-"
"It's not your fault 'Dad' is a dick." Selever cut her off, language vulgar per usual. Sarvente sighed again, sitting across from them on the edge of Sel's bed as there was little room left on Ras'. She'd dismiss his swearing for the time being.

While it was nice to see the two of them getting along so well, the reasoning behind it...

".. Just you wait, we'll fix everything. It'll be better soon, I promise." Sarv's statement seemed unbelievable, especially with what had ended only minutes ago. Then again, she had always strived to fulfill her promises.

Maybe there was actually hope left.

"But, for now..., you two need your rest." She stood back up, leaning down to give them both quick peck kisses on their heads. "I won't keep you up any longer." Giving one final and sad smile, she turned to leave.

The youngest then stirred, freeing an arm from her siblings embrace and making a grabby-hand motion in her mothers direction. "Don't go..," She spoke, slurring her words with muffled vocals from her grogginess. "Not yet.." It was clear Rasy wanted more comfort, and understandably so.

Sarvente's gaze drifted indecisively, falling on her children, then the doorway, then back to the kids. "Sure. I'll stay a little longer." She was rather gullible and easy to convince, even more so since emotions were aplenty and hearts were tender. She came back, crouching beside the bed as she wrapped the two in a hug and cuddling them close. If only they could stay like this forever.

After a few minutes of the loving embrace, the mother broke off. Rasazy appeared to be asleep, and Selever was nodding off and would follow shortly after her. Slowly, she let them go, not wanting to arouse them any further. Staying light on her feet she made her way out their room, glancing back at the two of them one last time before gently closing the door.

Her boot heels clicked against the tilted flooring as she started down the corridor and towards her and Ruv's shared bedroom. She'd might as well try to get some rest of her own, it had been a rough night.

Selever began to awaken at the same time the sun reached its highest point in the sky. He had drastically overslept, good thing he didn't have anything planned today. Adjusting how he was sitting, he glanced down to his sibling. He couldn't move much or he'd wake her and as she was younger, she'd naturally need more rest.

Having nothing else to do, his eyes scanned the room. The glow of sunshine came through the windows and filled the room, illuminating nearly every nook and cranny within it.

Gaze fixating on the calendar hooked on the back of the bedroom door, he scanned it for the marked date.

March 22.. Already?
Had time been going faster or had he just been completely oblivious? Sarvente's birthday was tomorrow. He and his sister had to prepare something for their mother, especially with the tension that lay heavy in the air.

After thirty minutes of impatient waiting, Rasazy finally started shifting. Sel still had his arms wrapped around her from the previous night and she, luckily, hadn't fallen off the bed despite them being mere inches from the edge. A soft sigh came from the younger sibling as she hugged closer, clearly wanting to continue her rest.
"Ras, sis, time to get up." Done with the waiting, he began continuously poking her on the back of her head with his index finger. "Hmpf.. Five more minutes..." She mumbled in response, trying to ignore the prodding.
"Nope. Up, now." He grabbed her by the shoulders and started prying her away from himself, the outcome being her attempting to tighten her grip. It worked to no avail, her brother was stronger than her. She'd flop onto her back in the middle of the bed, watching him with an annoyed pouting face which would then fade to a subtle smile. He may be reckless and annoying, but his company was much appreciated.

Selever was already up and gathering clothes to change into from his sleep wear. "So Ras, have you seen what today is?" He started conversation as she finally decided to sit up. Instinctively, she turned her gaze to the calendar, eyes widening slightly as she realized the date. "Already..? We need to do something for her, but what.."

"Exactly, but I was hoping you'd have an idea." He sighed, holding his casual wear and starting towards the door. "Obviously, we'll have to figure it out before the end of today. And without Mom hearing a thing 'bout it." Selever cracked the door, peering out before opening it and walking out. "You know the drill!"

The 'drill' he was referencing was what they had done every year. Ras would do the majority of the planning, and Sel would work on how to execute it all.

Rasazy would finally get up out of bed, stretching her arms up and back with a small yawn. Blinking away the tears from said yawn she went to gather her own clothes, gently holding the neatly folded clothes as she walked out the room.

By the time she had awoken enough to actually start preparing for the day her brother had practically finished his routine, now changed into his casual clothes with hair still damp from his shower. They brushed past each other mere feet in front of the bathroom doorway, Selever taking the chance to give her light pats on the head before heading off down the hall.

She responded with a soft chuckle along with a subtle roll of the eyes, proceeding into the restroom to clean and prepare for the rest of day.

They'd have a lot of rushed planning ahead of them.