Silence

Chapter 4

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"So you've got your phone with text-to-speech, marker board, notepad, and your sign language book."

I sign "yes". My dad lists off all of my communication tools as if it's my first time using them. I always bring multiple with me, in case I lose one or one becomes easier with a specific person. Call us crazy, but it keeps me and the people around me safe.

"And you have you're emergency necklace?" he asks. I hold it up from around my neck to answer him. I know what you're thinking. You mean those life-saving necklaces for old people who fall down and hurt themselves?

I know it sounds stupid, but it protects me. And it's not like regular necklaces. It doesn't alert the police or an ambulance. It just sends an alert to my parents, who both have beepers that let them know if I've pressed the button. They can also send a beep back to let me know they've gotten it. I press it once for a non-life-threatening emergency, or two for a very serious one. We probably seem like freaks, but I'd rather be extremely safe than extremely sorry. And being in a life-threatening situation without it was the worst day of my life.

"So Melony's gonna drive you to the mall and then drop you off this evening?" he asks. I nod. "About what time will you get back?"

I sign the number six and turn back to my window. The sun is high in the sky. I turn up my music on my phone, though I make sure to keep one earbud out in case my dad asks me anymore questions. He doesn't, so I sit back in my seat and close my eyes till we get to Mel's house.

I feel the car stop and I open my eyes. We've reached Mel's apartment building. We both exit the car, and I see Mel's blue bug sitting in front of us.

"Don't crash her car on the way out," I sign. He chuckles.

"Don't worry. I've heard enough of your stories to know not to mess with that bug."

We approach the building and I look up at the multiple floors. I see a black cat perched on one of the windowsills. That cat's been there for as long as Melony's lived here, which is about six months. We don't know exactly who lives there, but their cat feels the need to wander everywhere.

My dad and I walk into the building, and he asks the man at the front desk to let him up to Mel's floor. He recognizes us from the plenty of times we've been here and lets us up. We reach the second floor and I find room 206. We knock on the door and wait for her mom to answer the door.

After a few moments of silence, we hear footsteps on the other side of the door. The door unlocks and Mel stands at the door, wearing a tank top with Flash's logo on it. Of course she would. Her long, dark hair is pulled back, and she's donned her light-colored jean shorts and red converses. She's way more fashionable than me, and her makeup is much more elaborate than mine. I elected to wear a simple blue t-shirt and dark jeans, and a pair of black tennis shoes. My hair is braided behind me, and my makeup is minimal, since I didn't really care much today.

"Hi, Will!" she greets with her ever-perky grin. "Are you doing alright after yesterday?"

"Yes," I answer. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. My mom made sure the school knew about her disappointment in their security. 'Cause it's not like Riddler was a super criminal with plenty of resources who could probably hack the Pentagon if he wanted."

I grin, wishing I could laugh with her and my dad.

"Hey, Mr. Bates!" she greets my dad. "How are you?"