Francisco came up to her bed and sat on its edge, studying his twin’s face. He was better at hiding the sorrow and tried to do everything he could to make his sister feel better.
Inéz scooted over to one side of the bed, making room for her brother. He lay down automatically. There wasn’t a night they hadn’t slept together, talking and making up stories, just to forget. Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes as she heard the loud crack of glass shattering coming from downstairs.
"Why are our parents fighting all the time?" she asked quietly on the verge of crying.
Francisco sighed, shaking his head. "I don’t know. But it’s all going to blow over and it’ll be alright."
The brunette bit her lip as not to burst into tears. She wanted to be strong. Just like her brother was. However, they might be the same age, look alike and know each other perfectly, but they were complete opposites as far as personality went. She was fragile, he was tough.
"I’m scared."
He looked her in the eyes. "I’m here for you. Just hold on to whatever there is inside your heart that makes you survive," he said but wasn’t sure whether the words could help her in any way. Simply because they were just words. "You're my sister."
§ § §
When Inéz thought it couldn’t get worse, her father came home drunker than usual on the day of twins' eleventh birthday. And what was even worse, he was already furious, not like when he gradually got angrier as he started talking to his wife. And it was one in the morning, but none of them could sleep.
The twins were sitting on the stairs, even after their mother had ordered them to go to sleep numerous times. They were worried that something had happened to their father. But as soon as the frontdoorwas slammed openandtheynoticedamanbarelystandingstraight,they breathed out a huge sigh of relief. However, it was short-lasting when they met his eyes. They were dark and empty. No love, tenderness or happiness. And as their mother shouted at him for coming so late, he completely lost it. The words that flew out of his mouth towards his wife were anything but nice. Swears and spiteful insults were being hissed out as if they were long overdue.
Francisco grabbed his sister’s hand, trying to drag her up the stairs and back to her room. He didn’t want her to hear it, and probably didn’t want to hear it himself. But the girl stood frozen. Tears were streaming from her eyes like waterfalls. She was hurt. Devastated. Her heart was breaking as she saw her mother’s expression fall, losing all hope. She moved towards the woman to hug her, but Sergio yanked her backwards by the arm. A painful snap could be heard, making her cry out loudly. But Inéz was determined to get to her mother so she ignored it and stepped once again forward.
Her struggle was for nothing, as the man grabbed her once again.
"Leave her alone!" Francisco yelled, stepping in to protect his sister. However, he was much weaker than his father so when he pushed him, he tumbled to the floor.
"Don’t get fucking involved in this, boy," he spat out hatefully. The alcohol had completely taken over his mind and body. He had been drinking for a long time now, but never this much. The odor of alcohol was almost touchable. No matter how far or close someone was standing.
Inéz whimpered. It annoyed Sergio as he looked at his daughter once again. She shivered, getting really scared and backed out slowly towards the stairs. As she felt the first step hit her calves, she turned around and ran towards her room.
"Come back here, you ungrateful little bitch!" Sergio shouted, easily catching up to her.
A woman’s screams filled the house. She wanted her husband to leave the children be. And the way he was digging his fingers into Inéz’s arms looked dangerous. There would be bruising for quite a while.
"Don't you dare lace into our children because of your problems at work," the woman intervened.
"Dad," she said almost begging him to let her go. Francisco tried to push his father aside, but it irritated the man even more. He kicked his son, throwing him to the wall. Inéz struggled to help her brother.
"Shut up!"
The girl felt the wind hit her face as Sergio pushed her back. Then the mortifying crack of bones could be heard as Inéz landed on her back, colliding with the sharp edge of the stairs. Her head smashed against it, knocking her unconscious.
After this, the twins were never the same. Family still defined them, branding them as survivors trying to make the best out of each day. Protecting each other from evil. Pretending that they hadn’t been broken on that very day. The day of their birthday.
CHAPTER 26
The problem with wearing a mask is that eventually you can’t take it off. Yet, when Inéz was telling Noah the story of her childhood, somehow it shattered. Pieces fell down on the floor and there was no glue left to put them back together. Besides, she didn’t want to. She was tired of hiding herself, pretending that everything was alright. It wasn’t. Not even a little bit. Ever since her father had come home that ill-fated day, she had stopped being a kid. She had changed inside. The memories were still haunting her even though her family had been slowly and tediously repaired.
Because it wasn’t easy. After all, how could someone go back to their innocent self after such horrifying experiences? Inéz was alive because of the amazing doctors that had taken care of her. They were the only ones to thank. Because of the impact of her spine and head against the hard, sharp steps, her recovery could easily be referred to as a miracle. That her back hadn’t snapped in two, rendering her a
