It had been a couple of minutes since Mr.Warren had sent Zeus to call his sister down and it was taking him awfully long to return. Those few minutes none of us spoke as we both waited for Rose to come down. The silence was soon broken when we heard a loud crash followed by a crying Zeus running out of the room. Mr.Warren sprinted towards his son who was running without balance. Once he got hold of him he asked him what happened but Zeus just kept crying. The look on Mr.Warren's face was of one filled with anger and disappointment. I knew deep down that he was at his limit from the way he was glaring at Rose's room. He set down Zeus and stormed up to Rose's room.
Without thinking twice I ran behind him and before he could open the door I held his hand pulling him behind to face me. He was fuming with anger, breathing heavily. He looked at my hand, at my fingers holding at his wrist with his tear filled eyes. I hesitantly loosened my grip.
"Let me talk to her" I said and he looked up at me for a few seconds, contemplating if it would be the right thing to do by letting me talk to her. He stepped back nodding and made his way towards the stairs and sat down on holding his head in his hands.
Taking in a deep breath I knocked at the door twice before opening it. Inside the dim lit room was Rose sitting on the edge of her bed looking out of the window. It was pretty dark outside so I wondered what she was so intently looking outside at.
"Dad please just leave me alone, I am not going to apologize to Zeus" she said, still looking out.
"Rose," I whispered, trying to be as gentle as possible. She turned around to look at me, eyes widened, she gasped in shock and quickly turned to hide her face, hiding the fact that she was crying. In those few seconds of me looking at her I felt taken back to my old bedroom, when I was little. The feeling I felt right now looking at this little girl was reminiscent of somethings I had I felt. I walked closer to her and she wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater. Turning towards me she spoke with her head low. "What are you doing here Miss Anna?"
"I was invited over for dinner," I said, sitting myself next to her.
"I know that's not it. I know I am in trouble" she said, sniffing.
"You're not in trouble, you've not done anything wrong for you to be in trouble, have you?"
"I made Z cry"
"Yeah. I saw him running down the steps, he was almost about to trip"
Gasping she looked at me with a worried expression, tears rolling down her red swollen eyes "Did he trip!?"
"No. No he didn't. Are you worried about him?" She shifted in her place and moved a little back, looking down and wiping her tears as fast she could she muttered a hard "No."
"Really?"
And there was silence.
"Miss Anna, why are you here? Why are you really here?"
"I was asked to help you with your studies"
"I don't need any help"
"I know you don't." I told her as I picked up the fallen photo frame below my leg that I hadn't noticed was there. I looked at it closely. The once happy family. My mind went back to a crying Zeus running down the steps, a helpless looking father in my cabin, and a poor little girl sitting next to the window staring into the darkness of the night. I kept the photo frame next to me and looked again at Rose who was now looking at me. "You don't think I need help? Then why are you here?" She asked.
"You were a good student, I don't know what has happened but I know something has and I wish to help you with that" I told her as plain and as clearly I could.
"Did dad tell you?" She said as tears started to form in her eyes again.
"No. He hasn't, not yet but what you feel is more important for me to know than whatever he has to tell me"
"I don't need help, you can leave please" she said sniffing as she looked at me with pleading eyes.
"I was once in your place. I don't know if what we went through is the same but I was once as little as you, I was hurt and in pain, pain I couldn't make sense of. I wanted no one to help me even though I knew deep down I needed it, I really wanted someone to hear me, understand me." She began to hysterically cry.
"Rose. Your father, your little brother and I am here to help you, we want to understand you and your pain, take your time in telling us what you feel but remember you are not alone, whoever or whatever hurt you will not anymore, you have an amazing father who loves you, a little man who cares for you and a teacher you can confide in...you my child are worth it, you are loved Rose, so don't put yourself this alone" a tear slipped through my eyes, it was as if I was telling my younger self to be strong, to be brave. The little hysterical child in front of me crushed herself into my arms, I felt her breathing heavily, gasping for breath in between her cries, she hugged me tightly as if she had been craving for some warmth.
"Why...why did she do it...in here...dad..me...she..never...loved...me!" Rose muttered in between her cries. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, letting her know that I am listening, that I am there for her.
A few minutes later Rose fell asleep, gently I laid her down on her bed and covered her with her bed sheets. The fallen photo frame I had picked I kept back again on the desk face down not knowing if keeping it face up would be the right thing to do. Sitting beside Rose I patted her head one last time before I turned the lights off and left the room.
My chest felt heavy because I saw myself in this poor little girl. I could see right through the act she's been trying to put up for once I did the same. It's something we all do to stray ourselves from reality, we put up a mask,a brave, a rebellious face on. We either project all our hurt and pain onto others or we keep it to ourselves. The latter is quite dangerous for one's sanity not that projecting it out on people is a rather better option but keeping it to yourself let's the pain infest and breed in our flesh and if not treated soon it might destroy us.