transmutation // river + rain

Water dripped slow from the kitchen sink. Rain watched it fall with a steady, loud thump to the basin below and thought about how many times his father had talked about getting it fixed.

Thing was, it was easy to talk about doing something, harder to actually do it. He'd probably mentioned it at least once a week for the past two months. It had been that and training scores for weeks. River's grades had made it into the conversation too but it's always been about their scores with their parents.

Rain lit a cigarette.

River and him weren't apart very often but he'd started feeling off around one. He'd gotten up too early or maybe just hadn't slept at all. Last night's party had driven him home though to the safety of his bed. That had been hours ago.

Alice Killesa lay on the kitchen tile in front of the sink with her throat slit, bright yellow dishwashing gloves still on. Benjamin Killesa's body was right in front of the doorway. There were multiple stab wounds on his body. Rain guessed that he'd walked in on the killer after they'd already killed his mother. Both had been trained careers, not that it had done either of them much good.

There was blood on Rain's shirt, his hands too. He'd touched both bodies, forgotten that he wasn't supposed to and cupped his mother's empty face in his hands. He'd gotten blood on his knees from the pool of blood surrounding her. Her blood marked the kitchen window and afternoon light painted the room in tones of red.

River was late.

The television was on in the living room and Rain had now heard the same Sardonyx interview three times on loop. She was talking to past victors. Rain had thought about how he'd answer her questions if he ever made it to the Capitol. He couldn't think of anything good.

The cigarette burned to ash between his fingers so he dropped it at his feet.

Sometime later, Rain finally heard his brother get home. River called out in greeting but Rain couldn't find his voice to warn him. He'd been still for so long that it was too much effort. So he stayed sitting with his back against the wall, where he'd landed after he'd finally understood that his parents were dead.

They'd still been warm when he'd gotten home. How much time had he missed the killer by?

It was River's voice, so full of fear and confusion that roused him finally. It wasn't like Rain was River's protector or anything but he was the one with the ideas, the half of the duo that bothered to think critically.

"We should find some sheets," he said, voice calm "Cover them until..." Until when?

"This was our fault," he said after another long moment, "We did this, it's a message."