"You're drunk again?! John, you can't keep doing this, please, I-"

"YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

"Johnny, please-"

"I SAID YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!"

"Jonathan, the kids-"

"SHUT UP!!!"

Astoria shut her seven-year-old brother's ears with her palms so that he wouldn't have to hear the screaming. She herself shut her eyes tightly, for all the good it would do. Having to hear her mother's pleading voice and her father's loud one were agonizing her to no end. But little Fred didn't have to go through it. Not as long as she was here.

She looked at her brother's face. He was crying. "Freddie," she said, removing her hands from his ears. "What's wrong, kiddo?" Then she closed her eyes, for she knew exactly what was wrong. Her palms were unfortunately no good at shutting the noise out. She quit trying to shut his ears, and just hugged him instead. Fred just cried in her arms, while she tried her best not to break down.

"Look, bud," she said, putting her best smile on her face for her brother's sake. "Why don't we play something? I know it's your bedtime, but it's okay, right? You can still play a game of Uno." She held out the cards, and Fred wiped his tears and joined her. Both of them tried their best to ignore the yelling and screaming that was going on outside the closed door.

* * *

The next day, Astoria came back from school to see a stranger in a Black Suit talking to her mother out on the porch. Her mother was smiling, which was a surprise, considering all the fights. She was about to go inside the house, when her mother called her back in.

"Astoria, this is for you, dear, you need to hear this," she said, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"Congratulations, Miss Wells. You have won an all expenses paid cruise on the new ship, The Dreamweaver!" the suit said.