Like a lot of the writing in the Speak fandom, this was a school assessment. I haven't presented it to the teacher or class yet, but I would appreciate some feedback.
This is a rewrite of the scene where Melinda presents her speech on the suffragettes. I wrote it so she was unable to get out of talking in front of the class.
DISCLAIMER: Laurie Halse Anderson owns the rights to Speak and its associated characters and properties.
Right to Silence
Mr. Neck breathes like a rhinoceros. I can hear his huffing even through my hair and hood. I bite my lip and the metallic tang of blood wells in my mouth. It does nothing for the lump in my throat, the solid lump of ice and steel.
I open my mouth and close it again. David Petrakis is trying to catch my eye. He said Something Encouraging at the beginning of class, but it and its warm fuzzy feeling dissipated as soon as I caught Mr. Necks eye. Dissipated. A five point vocab word.
I open my mouth, I try again. A drop of blood spatters onto my report, over one of my footnotes. The back-seaters laugh and make highly original vampire jokes. I swallow again, the warm blood softening the steel and ice.
For a second I imagine the lump melting, the words flowing free. But if the lump goes and my words escape, my screams and the animal noises of that night will too, and everyone Will Know.
"Get a move on, Sordino," grunts Mr. Neck. "Speak up."
If only I could. I glance up at the class. No one but Neck and David Petrakis are paying attention. The back-seaters are still yammering on about the blood, yammer yammer yammer. The two Marthas are studying a fashion catalogue and the Cheerleaders discuss Prom. I spent $6. 72 on the copies they have in front of them, and they ignore them.
They ignore me.
I breathe in, look at my speech. Neat black lines waver in front of my eyes.
The Suffragettes fought for the right to speak, I try to say. The words come out in a sort of moan, strangled by the lump.
David coughs. I look up at him, startled. He mouths something, and I tilt my head. Miming is something I can do.
"The Suffragettes," he prompts. Neck glances at him, but David Petrakis ignores him.
"F-fought." I say. The words seem rusty and hurt my throat as they squeeze past the lump. "Fought for the right to s-speak."
"They were attacked, arrested and thrown in jail for doing what they wanted." David says, not even looking at the copy in front of him.
He smiles at me, encouraging. The class is listening more to him, my weak murmurs getting caught in my hair. The words tangle themselves up around me, but I am talking, talking in front of nearly thirty people.
I get a D+. David Petrakis gets a detention for speaking out of turn.
The suffragettes fought for the right to speak. I fight for the right to stay silent.
This is also dedicated to Italiangurlinamessedupworld for all her feedback through the Slayers series and beyond. She also recommended the book Speak to me. Rocking is you!
Reviews are appreciated. They take ten seconds of your time, but make the rest of the authors day better.
-Nicola.