i over heard the finnickins talking the other day.

it was just caleb's dad and brother.

caleb and his mom are gone.

i guess perfect families fall apart too.

the finnickins were a pretty painting; they had all the right tones and textures.

but they were still a sham.

they were a beautiful forgery of crystal glasses and satin smiles.

after time, things began to break piece by piece

the dishes chipped, the tops crumbling away to pointed edges and cruel words.

the dresses and the suits tore, revealing purple skin bitten by unkind fists and belts.

the twinkling lights dimmed and only brightened to reveal a broken trophy, hugged in the arms of a rope.

 then, the father slept alone, his wife tucked away under a blanket of roses on damp grass.

the oldest son left for college, unsure of the world and terrified of the truth.

the youngest son remained a golden trophy in a golden home of diamond chandeliers and charcoal hearts.

still, the family remained beautiful.

eventually, they broke and through their cracked smiles

fell the youngest boy

and he fell hard.

and far

far down.