silent

12

• AMALIA •

I pull my dance hoodie on. Since Grandmas argument with Mason, we've been watching TV, but she left an hour or so ago, giving me her number and telling me to call her if any of my brothers are mean to me again. She said she'd give them a stern talking to.

     Grayson, who was sitting with us, cracked a smile at that.

     Elijah knocks at the door. I rush over to open it.

     He smiles at me. "You ready to go?"

     I hold up one finger, and I see his smile widen before I turn around and kneel down by my shoes, sliding them onto my feet and tying the laces quickly before returning to him.

     He nods down the hall. "Alright, come on."

     I pick my bag up from the floor by the door and follow him downstairs. I wrap my arms around my stomach when he opens the door in an attempt to protect myself against the harsh cold.

     "I might have to leave for half an hour or so to pick the twins up from school, is that okay?"

     I nod as I climb into the passenger seat of his car. He gets into the drivers, setting his hands on the wheel before putting the keys into the ignition and pulling out of the driveway. I look back at the house that's supposed to become my home and sigh quietly. I don't belong here.

•

I stretch, pulling my foot to the back of my head and standing straighter, almost on my toes. I startle when the door to the studio is pushed open, and a young boy who looks to me my age—if not a little bit older—walks inside. He has fluffy blonde hair and brown eyes that brighten a little bit when he sees me.

His pale lips curve into a perfect smile, and I find myself smiling back before I can stop myself.

Keira looks up from her phone and pockets it, standing up from her chair in the corner of the room before walking over to him. She whispers something, and he furrows his eyebrows before glancing at me.

I look down, my smile fading.

"She doesn't what?"

Keira sighs and whispers something else.

"Oh. Oh. Why—"

"Okay!" Keira claps her hands loudly, and the sound echoes. "Let's get started. Oliver, this is Amalia."

"Hi." He says.

I smile politely at him.

"The song you guys are gonna be dancing to is Until I found you by Stephen Sanchez." She explains. "It's a little bit of a romance piece," I look away, blushing, "so you guys are gonna have to have some chemistry, yeah?"

She laughs at our lack of response.

"Right, Oliver—"

"Ollie." He corrects.

"Ollie." She repeats, "stand over here for me and look to your right. Kind of lean on your left leg." Ollie obeys, and Keira focuses her attention on me next. "I need you to stand in front of him, a bit to the side, facing him, and look over his shoulder." She helps to position me so that his face is only a couple inches from mine and to the left.

I avoid eye contact with him, and I can see the amusement shining in his eyes.

For the next two hours, we dance, and there's a small blush spreading onto my cheeks the entire time.

• LORENZO •

There's a quiet knock on my door that makes my head snap up. What time is it? I check my watch, my eyes widening slightly. I've been working for five hours straight.

     "Come in!" I exclaim, voice tired as I return back to my work. I still have so much left..

     The door opens, and I expect Xander or Elijah to begin talking, but when they don't I look up, expression softening when I see Amalia standing in the doorframe, a tall glass of water in one hand and her little notepad and pen in the other.

     "Hi, baby." I say. "Are you okay?"

     She nods, then walks forward and sets the water on my desk. I smile. "Is that for me?"

     She nods again, quickly writing something on her notepad before showing me it. It reads: YOU HAVE NOT COME OUT IN AGES.

     "I have a lot of work to do." I explain. "Thank you for the water, sweetheart."

     She begins to write again.

YOU AREN'T BORED?

     I laugh. "I'm very bored. But I have to do it before tomorrow."

WHAT IS IT?

     "I don't wanna bore you with that." I say. "How was dance, did you have fun?"

     Her nod is immediate. I grin. "What did you do today?"

     She scribbles her answer down: I DID A DUET. IT ISN'T FINISHED THOUGH.

     "Who'd you do it with?" I ask.

A BOY CALLED OLLIE.

     I stiffen. She's dancing with a boy? Why is my little girl dancing with a boy?

Her expression saddens, and she suddenly looks like she thinks she's done something wrong. I hasten to smile, even though the last thing I am is happy about this.

"Is he nice?"

YES. AND FUNNY.

"Hm." I suddenly have the urge to lock her up in a tower and never let her out. That way she can never talk to a single boy, and she can be my little princess forever.

Unfortunately, though, I don't have a tower. And that's not realistic.

"The school called me back," I begin, and her expression dims immediately, "we have to go in tomorrow, is that okay?"

She nods, but she looks sad. "It's only so you can see what it's like and pick a few of your classes. You'll meet some of your teachers, too."

She looks down.

When I talk, my voice is lighter. "Everything okay?"

I know she doesn't want to go to school, and quite frankly I don't want to send her there either. But she's not going to talk again if I don't put her in positions where she needs to. I'm not sure what has happened that's made her want to become a selective mute, but I'll find out, and I'll do whatever I can, and more, to make it better.

She nods. Then turns to the door. She wants to leave, I realise, and it makes my expression dim. But I nod. "You can go now, if you want."

     She lifts her hand up and waves. My expression softens as I wave back and she walks out of the room.