Mom and Dad sighed the last documents before the lawyer stood up with a bible. He held it out to us and we all three put one of our hands onto it. He gave me a warm smile, which I replied with an excited—but nervous—one.
"And so, by the power invested in me, you are now Quinn Mae Brooke. Congratulations on your adoption, Quinn. I hope you live a happy life," the lawyer said with just about as much excitement as us. Mom and Dad smiled at me, hugging me tight and kissing my head.
Debra, my amazing social worker, hugged me tight when my parents released me. I can't believe she's stayed by my side for two years. Yeah, that's right, I'm thirteen now. Mom and Dad we're giving me time to grieve, but now this is my thirteenth birthday present. It was to celebrate me being a teenager, they said.
When we walked out of the office, all of my siblings stood there. I opened my arms and said, "Alright, just don't tackle me, Devin."
The boys all wrapped me in a tight group hug. I laughed at them and cuddled into the warm embrace. Mom and Dad joined, and now I have all of my family. Right here, with us beautifully flawed kids and the chaos coordinators we call our parents.
When we got home, we celebrated until late at night. Everybody left for bed, but I went outside with Oreo, Dakota, and their little pack that have grown up quickly throughout these last two years. I made my way to the big oak tree, my eyes trained on what was beneath it.
I stopped just in front of the little cross, and crouched down to look at it. I hugged the light blue cardigan around me tighter and just stared for a minute. "Here lies Quinn's past," I recited from when Mason, Devin, and I burned it two years ago. Now, I could really say that my past was burned.
It was a funny thing to see where a litter of pups was born be turn into a burial ground for a tragedy. You would have never guessed it. Heck, if you had told me three years ago, I wouldn't have either!
I tilted my head up to look at the bright, cloudless sky. Stars twinkled down at me, as if to say hello. One star was twinkling exceptionally bright tonight. This one wasn't just saying hello, it was praising me for moving on and trying to give me a hug from so far away.
People suddenly sat around me, and I saw my family all beside me. We all smiled at each other, then turned back up to the beautiful sky that sparkled like a rich man's Christmas tree.
There was nothing that needed to be said as I looked up at the brightest star—up at what I thought to be Sammy. One thought never left my mind throughout the night.
Even though Mason said that my voice should never be silenced, there is a truth about me and my way of speaking.
My name is Quinn Mae Brooke. And it will always be the silence that I speak best.
YOU ARE READING
The Silence She Speaks✔
Teen FictionBased on a true story Eleven-year-old Quinn Sage lived a happy life as a small town Georgia girl. She had her loving parents and brother to care for her, and friends came by the dozen. But then everything changes. Quinn becomes mute, and no longer h...
