Cold as Ice - (Connor McDonough)

Chapter 4 - Mysteries

~Paige~

"Just because you're deaf, doesn't mean you can't play." he wrote on a tiny piece of paper. He held up his hands, using sign language, he said, "Keep this with you, don't lose it."

She smiled as she took the piece of paper, folding it neatly and keeping it in her pocket.

I was reading this book I found in the dusty closet in my so-called room. It was about a girl who dreamed of playing the violin, but the problem was, she was deaf. She tried playing, but all her classmates never believed she could and always yelled at her. Even though she couldn't hear them, she knew what they said.

"You're just a freakish wannabe who will never ever be able to make music!"

"You are like a turtle who tries to fly! You're wasting everyone's time! You will never learn!"

"Why don't you learn something else?! You are hopeless!"

"Why don't you try learning how to hear first?!"

Then she finds a kind old man who plays the violin in the park, people giving him money for it. To her surprise, he was deaf too.

Tears started streaming down her face. "Why did I have to be different from them?" she asked, using sign language.

"Why-"

"ANDERSON COME DOWN HERE!" Monster Mouth's voice broke through my reading. I heaved a sigh.

What the hell does she want now?

I ran down the stairs as quickly as I could. When I reached the last step, Martimor stared at me with wicked eyes.

"Yes, Ms. Martimor?" I asked as politely as I could, even though I was trying hard not to yell at her.

"As another part of your punishment, you are gonna clean the orphanage." she said.

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"Every inch of it. You will also wash the dishes and do the laundry. No excuses." she smiled wickedly.

"But that's unfair! You didn't let me have dinner, now this?" I asked angrily.

"Don't use that tone with me!" she yelled.

Now I know what you might think, 'Why not just run away from this hell hole?'  

Good question. You see, my birth certificate says I'm 17. That means I can't live on my own yet. I tried running away so many times, but Martimor always finds a way to find me. She is my legal guardian. She keeps me locked up. I'm almost 18 anyway. Someday I'll run away from this hell hole.

I grabbed a broom angrily.

"Have fun cleaning, Anderson." Ms. Martimor said, her voice cold. When she was out of sight, the broom I was holding broke. I took a deep breath. My eyes are red again. If I don't control my anger, I might burn this place down, and I don't wanna go to jail. I didn't even notice I was holding it that tight. I opened the closet full of supplies and tools. I looked for a broom, but unfortunately, there wasn't any.

Well, fuck.

Great, now I have to sweep the whole orphanage with half a broom. This should be fun. Please, don't be an idiot and note my sarcasm.

After hours of sweeping, I began washing the dishes. I felt a pair of eyes staring at me so I turned around, seeing a small figure hide under the table. Probably a kid in this orphange.

"Hello? Come out, I won't hurt you." I said softly. Slowly, the figure got out from under the table. She was a little girl, about 4 years old. She had raven black hair and deep blue eyes. Her face wasn't familiar so she was probably new.