Haley Locke |Locke and Key]

6.

"Any club you want to sign up for?"

Liza and Haley made their way through the corridors of the school, the question coming from Liza as she picked up a flyer from an announcement board in the wall.

The tour for Haley was still on going because Liza wanted her new friend to not feel lost at all when she couldn't be available to help her.

Haley grabbed the flyer from her hands, reading it. At her old school, she had been part of the drama club - at her dad's suggestion - and she liked it. She was not in the acting part to be honest, but she liked to work in setting up the stage, working with the customs. She had always been in the lead with her ideas to accommodate the stage.

Also, the art club always caught her eye. It was a skill shared by most of the family, painting. She was not as good as Kinsey but give her a pencil and she could draw anything.

Haley sighed softly to herself. She would love to sign up for a club but she didn't have the encouragement her dad would provide for her... At least not these days.

~8 ~

Flashback

Haley had her arms crossed over her chest as she sat in front of her dad in his office. He was her school's guide counselor.

Randall had a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched the pout playing on his daughter's lips. A couple of flyers were placed on his desk as well as a letter from one of Haley's teachers.

"I didn't do anything" Haley signed lazily with one hand.

"Not why you're here, Hal" Randall chuckled, shaking his head. Haley glared at him for laughing at her. "In fact, you're not in trouble at all. Just here to guide you"

Haley stuck her tongue at the exaggerated act he did when he signed 'guide you'.

"I don't need guidance" Haley signed harshly making Randall raise his eyebrows. She sighed. "Whatever. Guidance of what you think I need, dearest dad"

Randall reached out to her, handing her the letter he was given with a paper attached to it.

Haley grabbed it and read. With mom she had been working on her written words the past few months she could understand better what it said. But what caught her attention was the sketch she had made while bored in math class. She hissed air through her gritted teeth as she hadn't realized she lost it. She wanted to say it wasn't hers but it had her signature at the end corner of the paper.

"She thinks you could be a good asset for the art club" Randall told her once Haley had her attention to him. She began to shake her head, seeming to be worried. "And I think the same"

"They don't try" Haley signed slowly, lowering her eyes. "It's tiring dad. I want to communicate with them freely but I can't. The drama club is hard enough for me. I want to quit"

"What's difficult?" Randall asked.

"Communication" Haley replied. "I try to read their lips. I tried to teach some basic signs so they could talk with me but they simply don't use them and they forget I can't hear them and talk with their backs on me or not facing me. I can't communicate if they don't put an effort" her eyes filled with tears of frustration, signing almost too fast for Randall to understand, but he was used to the ramblings of frustration coming from her that he understood most of it. "I don't want to join any club if I'm the one that has to work 200% to understand instructions or to talk to someone"

Randall looked at his daughter in sympathy. "Okay" he signed, "Then they're missing out on the talented and amazing person you are"

Haley scoffed a bit. "Really"