Unable to speak, autistic Claire fears she will never be hired. Then an autism organization offers her a chance to realize her dream: to publish her writing and share her voice with the world.
It's a dream come true, right? But Claire's father can'...
Claire follows Ahmed and Ava to this "meeting" that Ava mentioned. Ahmed parks in front of a very modest, old-looking building. They climb a staircase that must be at least 50 years old. It has a very unique smell.
They step into a brightly-decorated old room. Christmas-style string lights have been carefully hung over an old chalkboard. Handmade posters with bright rainbow lettering hang from the walls.
Claire looks over the chalkboard.
PosAutivity Network
Long Term Agenda
* Anthology
* Autism Acceptance Month plans
* Autism HELP act
* Why Sky is so cool
A girl in green reads the board also. She rolls her eyes. "Sky, you vandalized the blackboard, didn't you?"
"I prefer to say I made it fabulous," says a light-skinned person in a blue shirt with bright blue hair, blue glasses, and pink lipstick.
In a corner, a baby-faced black girl with pink dreadlocks and a lavender sparkly skirt eyes a vase of pink flowers. "Are the flowers going to be okay if they get left alone? What if somebody forgets to water them?"
"Don't worry," says a middle-aged man in red. "They're fake."
The pink-and-lavender girl breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good! Fake flowers don't die."
Sky, the person with the bright blue hair, walks over to Claire with a big smile. "HIII! I'm Sky! What's your name?" Sky pauses. "Um, you are new, right? I think I'd remember someone tiny like you."
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[Image description: Sky, a light-skinned nonbinary person with bright blue hair, pink lip gloss, and a blue shirt, stands smiling at the viewer. Behind them is a handwritten poster with words in rainbow colors: "Our goal: to protect, empower, accommodate, assist, accept autistic people for a brighter future for all."]
Claire smiles. "My name is Claire Fields. And yes, you've never seen me here before."
"Oh, good!" Sky exclaims. "Well, I'm so glad you're here, Claire! I really hope you like it here!" Sky's words come out fast, like they are tripping over each other. "Oh, and what are your pronouns?"
Claire blinks. "I don't understand. Could you explain?"
"Of course, yeah!" Sky says. "A lot of people don't know what that means. Like, do you want to be called 'she,' or 'he,' or 'they,' or something else."
"'She,' I think? I'm a girl."
"Cool, okay!" Sky grins. "I love the way you dress, by the way. So chic!"
