Trenton

“Dang it!” Kylie muttered. He card house had collapsed… again. She’d been working on that for the past hour as Dawson and Eric were taking naps to pass time. I have some paper, and I had looked up some neat origami designs. After a while, my fingers were raw. I took a break and washed my hands. I sat next to Kylie at the table. I rested my chin on my arms and watched her build it. Some of the cards had worn all the way through, some had ripped, and others had frayed too much. Kylie decided to become a master at card houses, but so far, they kept collapsing. Just as she was putting the last cards on top, it fell.

“I can’t do this!” she said, throwing the cards.

“Hey,” I said. “If you’re angry, of course you can’t. Watch.” I picked up some cards and build a smaller model. “You just need a steady hand.” I scooted my chair next to hers. I grabbed some more cards and put them in her hand. I held her hands as she built it. Guiding her through the process. “You just need to make sure that each one is steady and supported. Everything needs to be in balance.” We got to the top. After placing the last one, I let go and we stand back. She turns and looks at me. I turn and pull her into an embrace. But this time is was a happy one. No tears. Pure comfort. I felt safe, completely and utterly safe. I entered her mind and we become mingled. She buries her head in my shoulder, and I stroke her hair. She releases and I look her in the eyes. Her beautiful green blue eyes. Like the glittering ocean. Like a deep turquoise stone. Speckles of brown like rocks lining the shoreline. Brown like a majestic eagle. I could’ve stared into them, if I didn’t hear screaming from the other room. We ran in after knocking a few chairs around. Kathryn was writhing in her bed, screaming at the top of her lungs. I ran over to her and started comforting her with words. I even reached into her mind and tried soothing her there. Eventually she started calming down. Kylie and I were talking to her, telling her she was safe and alive. Whatever it was, it must’ve been traumatic. Eric and Dawson were standing in the doorway, fear and concern on their faces. I saw them and waved them away. Kathryn finally stopped and I told how to escape the bonds. They shuddered, but remained locked. I dove into her mind, looked at what she actually cares about. I found it, then receded.

“Think about your sister,” I say soothingly. “Imagine her completely safe.” The shadow shuddered, then closed in on itself. She sat up and gasped. She looked around in shock, then reached for her neck. She closes her eyes and sighed heavily. Then I saw she was sleeping. I pull up the covers for her and left the room with Kylie. I gather everyone around the table.

“Kathryn must’ve gone through a traumatic death, so give her some space. When she wants to talk about it, we will.” Eric and Dawson go back to sleep, but Kylie and I sit at the table having a silent conversation. After about an hour, I hear shuffling in the next room over, and I turn to see Kathryn leaning against the doorpost. She comes and sits down next to Kylie and I. She looks at us and nods, letting us know she’s ready to talk. We give her the rundown, then wait for her to speak. Instead, she gets up and goes to her room. The door creaks shut, and then silence fills the room.