Leaving Scars

Broken sentences lay silently in the back of my throat, doing my best to continue breathing steadily, I was better off staying quiet. "Don't worry" He whispered, moving the dyed-red hair out of my golden-green eyes. "Everything will be okay"

I wiggled my toes, the blue bathroom tile was cold under the feet. Staring at the scene, blinking constantly. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, and reached up to adjust the strap of my white tanktop that had slid down over my left shoulder.

Hanging my head, I finally let the tears pour down over my cheeks. It had been an hour, or 63 minutes to be exact, and I hadn't said a thing.

63 minutes since I had been comfortably sleeping in my bedroom. 63 minutes since I heard her scream, and rushed to the bathroom. 63 minutes since I saw my little sister, blood pouring from her wrists, and an old piece of rope connecting her delicate neck to the shower curtain rod. 63 minutes since she changed her mind.

Through teary vision, I let my eyes crawl over every inch of the bathroom. The counter, where the razor blade was dropped, trails of blood leading from it, across the floor, and to the white bathtub.
I glanced over to the toilet, where the rope now sat, soaking in the vital fluid of her body. I watched the dim yellow light reflecting off the puddles of red on the ground around my feet.

Every moment, every detail, replayed over and over in my mind. Her blue eyes watering, her tiny face turning purple, the rope scraping the skin on her neck and jaw.
Her clothes were stained with blood from the cuts she had made previously with the razor blade.
Her delicate body, hanging so innocently, taking on pain and suffering that she never deserved. She strained to open her mouth, but nothing came out, and nothing went in.

I remember untying the rope. Struggling to get her down from there as soon as possible. My fingers fighting against the rough surface, yanking the knots out. We were both gasping for air, and her eyes screamed out with fear.

Finally freeing her from the rope, her body weight shifted onto me, I lowered her slowly to the ground and laid her on the tile. She continually coughed and gasped for air, slowly the coughing faded, her eyes began to flutter. I knelt beside her tiny body. I watched as the rise and fall of her stomach became slower.

I ran down the carpeted hallway, to the door at the very end. Twisting the cold metal knob in my hand, I pushed through into the darkness of my parents bedroom. Rushing to the bed, I placed my hands on my fathers shoulder and shook with all my strength. He quickly opened his eyes, looked up at me, and immediately knew something was wrong.