• AMALIA •
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• MASON •
Amalia doesn't let go of me all day. She clings onto me like a koala, but I don't mind.
I really need a piss though.
I think she's asleep, so I slowly peel her off of me and set her to the side. I pause for a moment, making sure she doesn't wake up, before walking into my bathroom and using the toilet. When I get back, Amalia's gone.
I walk out of the room quickly, stopping when I see her open door. I look inside her bedroom. She's ripping everything off her bed—the duvet, the sheets, the pillowcases. I watch her for a moment, unsure of what to do, until Xander comes up beside me.
"What's she doing?" He asks.
I shrug as she begins to pull the stripped mattress off after throwing all her blankets onto the floor. When it's on the ground, she turns around and stiffens.
"Amalia," Xander says softly. "Are you okay?"
Five seconds pass before she nods.
"What're you doing?" He asks.
She looks back at what she's done, then returns her worried gaze to him. I've never really realised it before, but she's so small. So fragile—and right now she looks tiny.
"Do you wanna go back into my room?" I ask her softly. She slides her eyes to me and shakes her head.
"How about you water your plants?" Xander suggests. She thinks for a moment before nodding. I smile. She walks over to us, then latches onto my hand before pulling me out of the room. I follow her downstairs, into the kitchen—which is empty—and out into the back garden. She shivers when we get outside, but continues walking to her little greenhouse.
She opens the door, walking inside, and I step in after her, closing it over again. She grabs her water sprayer, which still has some inside, and begins spraying different plants. I look around at the cosy space, which reflects her perfectly.
There are small drawings of flowers pinned to the glass behind a work table, as well as stickers and post-it notes all around them. I catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the glass—my face is all swollen, my lip is cut (as is my cheek) and my jaw, eyes and cheekbones are all bruised.
YOU ARE READING
silent
Teen FictionAmalia Romano is a selective mute. After years of enduring abuse from her step father, who has ridiculed and hurt her mercilessly, she doesn't want to talk, for fear of what might happen if someone doesn't like what she says. But then her step...
