"Some suffer in silence so loud the whole world can hear it."

-RJ Cadigan

"Keala?"

Aeron rapped on the door to Keala's room - formerly Amy's - for what must have been the fiftieth time. "Keala, please come out - Beni is worried sick."

It had been three weeks since Amy…

Aeron refused to think the word. It would make him break down, and he couldn't afford that luxury. His grandparents needed help with his cousins, who had moved in so that Darrin could continue to work full time; his cousins needed him to comfort them and help them feel at home at their grandparents' house; his uncle needed him to stay out of his way and let him work. But the pain was like a frozen river - under the surface, it raged as much as usual. They all felt it, and showed they felt it in different ways.

Didi worked feverishly in his woodshop when he wasn't playing with the boys; Beni cooked all the comfort foods she could find in the cookbook and coaxed everyone into eating twice as much as was good for them; the older boys were silent most of the time; the younger ones cried and commandeered whatever comfort was available. But Keala had refused to let herself receive anyone's, including Aeron's, help. The day the Elleves had moved in, she had shut herself in the room put aside for her and stayed there. Aeron hadn't seen her since, and he had the terrible feeling that she was struggling with the same monster that consistently found him - the belief that it was somehow his fault.

"Kal, please." His voice broke; he struggled to regain his calm. Keala's refusal to speak or interact was a weight that became heavier and heavier each time he saw the locked door, or heard his little cousins tearfully begging her to come out, or caught a glimpse of his tired, heartbroken uncle with a hand on the door, resting his forehead on the white surface, eyes closed as if attempting to communicate telepathically with his lost daughter.

"Keala." His voice dropped to a whisper and he slid down to the ground. "I miss you."

There was only silence.

"Come on," he coaxed. "Your brothers keep asking about you - especially Jeremy. Maybe you could-"

But a loud thump right next to his head cut him off mid-sentence.

"Won't you trust me?" he said softly, leaning his head against the white wood.

Another thump came, louder this time: Keala warning him to leave her alone.

"Alright then," he said mock-lightly, brushing his sleeve over his face and climbing to his feet. "I'll… see you later, I guess." He paused, conflicted, then hurriedly said, "Keala, it's not your fault, I promise. I know what you're going through - I can help you. You can let me in… you need me just as much as I need-"

This time Keala punched the door so hard that it cracked, and Aeron thought he could maybe hear her crying. Her answer was clear.

Aeron stood up and ambled down the hallway, casually wiping wetness from his face as if he wasn't crying, as if his world wasn't broken - pretending that all the pieces of it weren't falling on him.

But he wouldn't be able to ignore it forever.

BookShipper13: Aww thank you! I'm so glad you liked it! As far as legacy goes, no - I was just referring to the definition of legacy as in the deeds people have done over their lives and the reputation they have left behind. As always, thanks for reading and the commenting means so much!

Sokeefe forever: I love your name XD It reminds me strangely of mine... As to your question... I am very confused XD. As a dedicated Sokeefe shipper, I by default loathe Fitz, but as he is not currently in the story, I'm not sure what you mean. Please explain XD Thank you for reading this - also, I love the "Ritz Cracker" reference. I'm using it.

Team Foster-Secen: I saved the best for last! You are officially my favorite reader (don't tell anybody else XD)! Thank you so much! The fact that you have pretty much all of my fics and commented on basically all of them means more to me than anything else - you are really the most awesome reader ever. Thank you so much! Love you! -RJ :)

Also, in response to your most recent comment - I was just super busy this weekend. I'm sorry this chapter was kindof short :#