The world is as clear as crystal and we are just stains on the glass.
I am Silence.
Calm
The day was peaceful when Silence sat at the park on his own, his tattered copy of Stained Glass open as his eyes took in the depth of the words on the page. The air surrounding him was still disturbingly cold, to the extent where he could swear that his fingers were slowly turning blue. The strange man that Raymond had come over really unnerved Silence, enough where the teen just couldn’t stand being in the same room as him and just left. Left the house, left the suffocation, left the destruction just waiting to happen. The park was his only form of release; it eased his troubled mind and gave him the right sense of calm to continue reading his book.
There was a soft itching on Silence’s right arm—a little ant had been crawling into his sleeve, trying to salvage warmth in this cold weather. Silence knew what it felt like to be left alone in the cold, it was the entirety of his life so far, being kicked out just for being mute by his mother and then being judged, albeit not verbally, by the kids in his school. He’d lived this life for so long. There was no escaping the shackles that chained him down to the dirty ground.
“Hey, aren’t you cold?”
Silence looked up, his scared blues meeting concerned hazel. It was that blond, that blond which was thin, but still had a fair build. He was bent at the waist, trying to reach Silence’s eye level. He was wrapped in a thick coat, the lucky guy, and Silence watched with a stoic gaze as he removed his hat and placed it on the mop of unruly black hair. Silence blinked a couple of times, closing his novel. “Please don’t leave,” the blond said, thrusting his arms out to stop the taller boy from moving. “I remember you from earlier, at the library.” He reached into his messenger back that overflowed with notebooks and papers and novels to pull out his own copy of Stained Glass, the one he’d seen at the library. The same one that sparked their first, very awkward, meeting. “I was going to let you borrow this book, but it looks like you have your own copy. So why’d you seem so interested in this one?”
What kind of answer was this person expecting? Silence could feel the answer lodge itself stuck in his throat, but despite that, he still couldn’t answer. The hazel eyes stared into his longingly, until he found his voice and finally answered, softly, carefully. “I don’t know.”
“Well, it looks interesting. I think I’ve read it before as a reading assignment, so I didn’t really pay attention to the details.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Christopher, but you can call me Chris.”
Silence nodded slowly. He wanted so badly to tell Christopher the truth behind the words of the book, to beg him to not read it. Christopher stood up and jumped on the heels of his feet. “Do you have a way to get home Silence?”
How? How did he know what his name was? The blond chuckled as Silence stood up, clutching the book to his chest. “What goes through your head?”
“The world is clear as crystal, and we are just stains on the glass,” Silence replied, instantly and quickly. He left the boy standing there trying to figure out the meeting of the words, heading home as the sun set beyond the horizon.
“Don’t ever do that, Silence. You scared me half to death.”
Silence felt his brother’s arms go around him in a loving embrace, but Silence had his eyes on the man sitting on his couch, staring at the pair with concerned eyes. “Why did you run away?” Raymond asked, holding his younger sibling arms length away by the shoulders. “Especially in this cold weather.”
“Threatened,” Silence responded.
“What did I tell you about expressing yourself?”
A sigh escaped his lips. “I felt threatened.”
Raymond’s face morphed into confusion. “By what?”
Silence nodded his head toward the stranger in the room. Raymond followed the motion, chuckling softly. “Don’t worry, Silence. That’s just Thomas. He’s going to be staying with us for a while, okay?”
No. It’s never okay. He’d make fun of Silence for his being mute, and make him feel like garbage every day. He was a stranger, someone unwanted. Before Silence could say anything, however, the intruder finally spoke.
“I heard from your brother. Please understand that I’m not going to be a threat to you, Allen.”
“Silence,” Silence responded curtly, and Thomas was taken aback.
“Excuse me?”
“My name is not Allen. I am Silence.”
It wasn't until Silence stepped into his room that he realized he’d forgotten to return Christopher’s hat and would probably have to talk to him that next day in order to give it back. Which now forced him to go back to that school and endure the looks and stares and slurs and shoves and he didn't want to deal with all that. It was bad enough that Silence had to deal with this new face in his house, the place where he was supposed to feel safe, having to go back into a huge building with strangers who obviously viewed him as some sort of freak of nature just didn't sound very appealing.
He placed the hat tenderly on his desk, right next to his book, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He could hear an argument starting downstairs between Raymond and Thomas, and knowing Raymond’s overprotective tendencies as Silence’s older brother, it was probably about him. And Silence didn't want to do anything about it, as usual. He stalked over to his bed and crawled under the covers, letting sleep take over him. He hoped for pleasant dreams, unlike the nightmares he’s had over the past few years.
Knowing his brain, however, the wish for a nice vision while he slept was far from reach.
“Scott! Wait for me!”
A young boy with neatly cut black hair ran after his friend, who was heading toward the woods at the edge of time. He stopped once he reached the border, biting his lip. “Scott, come back. Mom told us we couldn't go over there!”
“What, are you a little baby, Allen?” Scott laughed ahead, his green eyes reflecting the joyous emotion he felt. His red hair reflected the sunlight, contrasting with his pale skin. Allen sometimes worried that his closest friend and brother was always ill, which was why his skin was a deathly white, but of course, the older sibling always assured that it was because their father was Scottish and it was just part of his genes; the same reason that their father was pale with red hair and green eyes. And freckles. Lots and lots of freckles.
“I’m not a baby!” Allen whined, stomping his feet childishly, making Scott laugh. “Don’t laugh at me!”
“I’m going ahead, baby brother,” Scott said, waving behind him. He walked into the thick mess of trees, leaving Allen at its’ entrance, his blue eyes wide with fear. He didn't want to see his older brother get hurt. Despite their three year different, sometimes Allen could swear that he was older than the redhead mentally based on how they treated each other.
“Scott,” the dark haired boy whimpered. He hated being alone, it freaked him out. “Scott, come back!”
“Allen!” his brother’s voice floated through the trees, the tone urgent even while being echoed. “Allen, get out of here!”
“Scott?” Allen started pacing, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do. His older brother sounded scared; he sounded terrified, but he was begging Allen to leave.
The redhead ran out of the wood, breathing heavily, bending down at the waist to try and catch his breath. His ten year old body looked suddenly beat up and more tired than usual. “Allen, please, get out—”
He couldn't finish his plea as an ax came down from behind him, lodging into his skull, blood spraying onto the ground as his body crumpled along with it. A masked figure stood behind him, the now stained weapon glistening red in the sunlight. Allen stared at the man in fear before screaming and running, tears falling down his face—
—And Silence woke up.
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