Max wasn't the kind of kid to spend time outside of his room. He didn't have any friends in the neighborhood, and being in the same room as his parents was practically unbearable. Quietly spending his days in his room was normal for him. Hearing shouting and the breaking of objects was another norm. But on this particular day, not all of the yelling was from his parents. He heard two distinct other voices that were unfamiliar. He slowly walked to his bedroom door and opened it, trying not to let the hinges creak. He then walked, silently still, towards the loud sounds. He knew he shouldn't get involved, he wasn't an idiot, but his child-curiosity was powerful.

Max peered into the room and was met with a sight he hadn't quite prepared himself for. Both is parents sat on the floor, guns pointed at both of their heads. Two men were with them. One with the loaded weapons, and the other was shoving random items into a sack.

Okay, so they were being robbed. Whatever. They could replace things, easy. As long as neither of his parents tried anything.

One the the men, the one with the bag of now stolen objects, shook the others shoulder and pointed towards the door.

They're leaving. 'Please don't do anything.' Max prayed, still watching the scene in front of him. The other man nodded and glared at Max's parents.

'God why can't they just leave with our shit-"

BANG!

BANG!

Max jumped at the sound of the guns going off and his parents bodies dropping. Unfortunately, his sudden movement drew the attention of the two men towards him. Both guns were immediately pointed at him. Max froze, only to keep himself from running. If he ran both men would be behind him in two seconds and there would be a bullet in his back. So instead he shut his eyes and prepared himself for whatever will happen.

Max then felt a something hard hit him on the side of his head, and he collapsed. Next thing he knew, a thick cloth was wrapped over his eyes, a hand was pressed over his mouth, and he was dragged out of his home by his hair.

Whoever was holding him then tossed him in, what he could assume was a car. The momentary suspicion was confirmed when he heard the engine start. He felt the vehicle speed off, away from his house.

Max sat silently in the car until the thick cloth was removed from over his eyes. He was in a small, black car, and was held against one of the men. Glancing out the windows, Max knew he could find a way out of the car and back to his home. His only restraint was the one hand that was wrapped rather loosely around his arm. And the doors weren't even locked.

'Damn, these guys are sloppy.' Max thought, rolling his eyes. All he had to do was reach to the door handle. He slowly moved his hand towards the door, trying not to be too sudden.

The grip on his arm suddenly got tighter and the other one was now pulled to his side. He was then lifted, and the man holding him slammed the left side of his head against the dashboard twice. Max bit down on his lip to keep himself from yelling. If he made a single sound it would probably happen again. So he let his body go limp and tried to focus on another way of escaping. But the intense pain on the side of his head was strong, and refused to let him think.

And after what felt like hours, the car slowed to a stop and the cloth was pulled over Max's eyes again.

The car doors sung open and Max was led out of the vehicle. Horrifying thoughts ran through his mind.

'I'm not going to make it out of this.'

'These assholes are going to keep me with them.'

'They're going to kill me.'

Sure Max was smart, but he's still a child. He couldn't see, or think. He just knew he was fucked.

"Shit-"

The man holding tightly onto Max's arm tripped, and accidentally released the boy. The cloth slipped off Max's face and all he knew to do was run. He didn't know who was going to chase after him, he didn't know if a weapon was pointed at him, but he quickly stumbled around the old building that he now found himself at. He carried himself passed it and worked around a few trees that tried to stand in his way. Max, eventually, didn't hear footsteps behind him anymore. Hell if that mattered, he didn't know who could still be behind him. He just knew if he stopped, he'd be caught again and thrown against a wall.

Max eventually realized he'd run into a small park. Unsure of exactly where he was, he sat on the patch of grass he stopped on and looked around. There were enough people around to where if either of the men decided to come looking for him, others would notice. So he let his body relax.

Max now lay on the somewhat soft ground. The entire left side of his head was still pounding horribly, but at least he was mostly safe. "Fuck." His now raspy voice whispered to no one. "That was terrible." He ran his hands over his eyes, closing them.

He tried not to let his mind wander to the events that just unfolded. He wanted to think of what to do next.

'What am I supposed to do alone?' The thought was painful. No child should witness such horrid things. 'They're fucking gone. What do I do?' Max bit his lip, trying to keep tears from falling.

'I might fucking die out here.'

Max's mind threw him into a place he'd never been before. Goddamn it, this fear and confusion was too new. His head was pounding and he was exhausted.

'Don't sleep.' He wanted to yell at himself. 'If you sleep, it's over. Hide first.'

With this in mind, he sat up and looked around the park he was in. There were so many places to hide. So many places to stay safe without getting help from anyone.

There!

A large tree hung over a bench. He could sit on the bench whenever he pleased and climb up into the tree if he found that he needed to hide.

He couldn't go back home. So he'd have to make one.

Life in a tree is hard as hell.

Staying in it while asleep was no big deal, but staying in there all day and keeping people out of his space was hard. He barely ate, and when he did, it was small things he managed to take from oblivious people. He had found a small bucket left behind by a child and filled it with mud after it rained. With this he kept people at a good distance by tossing globs of it at them. Despite being so lonely, he knew if he let someone find him, he'd be sent somewhere worse than a tree.

Not to mention, he won't be able to explain himself if he was called out. He didn't know if it was some form of brain damage or just a lasting shock, but Max hasn't been able to speak a word for the past few days.

After trying to talk to himself for company, he noticed he couldn't make a sound. He nearly broke down, panicking. He knew he'd be fine. But such a change is so scary for a child.

Max can outlast this. His voice can't be lost forever.

Normally, rainy days would keep David inside. But after nonstop rain for five days, he had to leave his house for something other than work, which he also mostly stayed inside for. So he grabbed his umbrella and coat, and head for the neighborhood park for a walk.

After almost slipping 10 times, David found a relatively dry bench and sat down. It was guarded by a large tree, so he trusted that it would stay dry for a while. He sat and watched the rain. He watched the people driving or walking past him. And the grey clouds that cried from the sky. Despite the sad weather, David managed to find the beauty of-

SPLAT!

"Ahh!" David wiped furiously at his face. Something wet and slimy had made contact with his face. He looked down at his hands to see what he was trying to get off of himself.

Mud?

Someone had thrown mud at him!

David looked around. There wasn't a single person in sight. They must have been hiding. Probably a bunch of kids. He laughed. "Okay kids. Thank you for the mud." Another clump of mud hit his face. "Ah- Okay. Maybe we could stop-" Another hit him while his eyes were covered by the mud.

Maybe this was a warning? Did a homeless person live in this park? By this tree? Was this their claimed bench?

He stood up and backed away from the bench. "Is this yours? I'm sorry!" David didn't know who he was talking to, but the mud had stopped, so this was definitely working.

He had walked a foot away, when another toss of mud hit him. "Where are you getting all this from?" He asked aloud to the hidden person. Despite each mass of mud being small, there were many tiny onslaughts coming at him. Maybe it was a child throwing mud at him?

"You know, you don't have to throw things at me. If you want me to leave just say something." The mud stopped. No more headshots, no more misfires, it stopped.

The leaves on the tree above the bench began to shake, and a small child poked his head from out of the wet leaves. His face was hidden by the hood of a blue sweatshirt. He heard an awkward intake of air from the boy when he saw David's face, and as he began to climb down.

'So it is a kid. How long has he been up there? And why does he have mud with him in a tree?'

Once away from the tree, the child ran at David and nearly knocked him over from the force of a hug.

David quickly pulled the hood off the kid's head.

And he'd recognize the fluffy, black curls anywhere.

"Max? What are you- Why did- What's going on?" He tried to ask more questions, but he was so confused he couldn't find the words. Max shook his head, and didn't respond. "Why aren't you home?" Max moved his head up to look at David. He glared with tear filled eyes. David kneeled to the boys level in an attempt to comfort him. "What happened?" He asked again. Max shook his head. What was wrong with him? David looked around and decided taking the poor child home with him would be the best idea. Max trusted him. He picked him up and carried him in the direction he first came from.

The entire walk, Max was visibly on edge. He glanced around every so often. David wanted to ask him what had him so worried, but knew it could wait until they were under a roof.

David had finally set Max down to find the keys and open his house's door. The moment the door opened, Max rushed in. 'How long had he spent outside?' David asked himself silently.

David followed Max inside and quickly found a warm, heavy blanket to wrap him in.

After getting everything situated, David sat Max down and made an attempt to get answers again. "Why aren't you home? In your own room?" Max shook his head again.

"Why won't you just answer me?"

Max curled into himself. And rubbed at the side of his neck. That's when it clicked in David's mind.

'Something had happened… to make Max unable to speak.'

"Okay… uh- how about paper? You can write?" Max nodded. That would work. David ran off to grab paper and a pencil.

After returning, Max immediately took the pencil and paper and began to write short sentences.

"I almost got kidnapped."

"They threw me against their car."

"I think it fucked with my brain."

"I haven't spoken for 3 days."

"I don't know what to do."

David nearly cried. He'd been lost and mute for three days.

"Were you throwing mud from the tree to get my attention?" David was about to tell him how smart he was for thinking of that, when Max gave him a nervous look and stated writing.

"I actually didn't know who you were the first few times."

"I recognized you after you apologized for sitting under the tree."

"Then I threw them to get your attention."

"You started walking away and I couldn't do anything else."

David was about to scold him for throwing mud of all things, but knew he needed to help Max. So he changed the subject. "Should I take you back to your parents?" Max breathed in harshly and scribbled down: "They're dead."

David was careful, "Can I ask, how it happened?" Max closed his eyes. Maybe he should have waited to ask. Max started writing.

"The same people who tried to take me."

"I fucking watched it."

"They killed them and grabbed me."

"I can't go back home to corpses."

Max was suddenly pulled into a hug, which he almost refused to return. He also didn't allow any tears to fall. Despite watching his parents die, he didn't want to be sad. They were the same people who neglected him. Why should he be sad at all?

"Do you want to stay here?" David asked. Max blinked. Stay with David? Could he do that? He slowly nodded.

"Maybe we can even try to get your speech back. I'll help you. You can go back to swearing and calling people out on the things you think are stupid. Not that I encourage it. But I know it'll make you happy." Max sighed. God, that's all he wanted. To say 'fuck' just one more time.

"How about you get to bed. It's not very late, but you look tired." David suggested. Max responded with a nod, knowing it would be best. "You can take my room, since I don't have another bed." Another nod from Max, and David led him to the nicest place he'd slept in a while.

Max woke up the next morning, well, afternoon. He'd slept nearly 12 hours. Climbing out of the bed, he looked around the room for David. Without the ability to call out to him, he had to wander about the house until he found him.

He walked down a hall and looked into a room he recognized. He saw David, staring at a computer screen. He turned when he heard Max walk into the room. "Oh, you're finally awake. I made some breakfast. I don't know if you want it, but-" His words cut of when Max sat beside him. He pointed at the screen David had been previously staring at a gave a confused glace at the words in front of him.

"It's just some research."

Max scanned the words again, noting the connection to himself. David was already trying to find a solution to Max's problem.

"I know you don't want to be in this position for long, so I'm trying to help. That's fine, right?" David looked like he had been drilling information into his head for hours. He probably doesn't even know what he's looking for.

Max nodded in response to the question. Not that he really cared.

"I'm still so confused." David sighed. "This situation is so strange. You said they threw you?" Max gave a hesitant nod. He was never thrown, but details like that aren't important. He then made a hitting motion with his hand toward his head, showing he'd mostly been injured there. David hummed in thought. "It makes sense. Brain damage can definitely come from hitting your head, except I didn't know it could cause any kind of muteness." He thought over his endless hours of research again. "Or maybe it's some form of emotional trauma?"

Max looked around the room for the pencil and paper he had last night. He couldn't communicate with silly hand gestures forever. His eyes moved to the far end of the desk David was working on and grabbed the paper he was using.

He wrote "Give it a rest. You can figure it out later." and handed it to David. "No, no. I really want to help." He insisted. "Besides, I might have found something." He sorted through the multiple sources he had open, trying to find something that would interest Max.

"Here! We have this that is mostly about what the brain controls. Where exactly did you get hit?" Max pointed to the left side of his head as a response. "That makes sense. The left side is used for interpreting language. Research sure is fun, huh?"

Max gave him a cold stare. This wasn't supposed to be fun.

"Hey, Max? I want you to try something." David had a very cheerful tone that had been absent for a while. he looked at him, listening. "I was wondering, since, you have been writing all of your words recently, if you wanted to just forgot about doing that and just learn sign language!" Max was immediately confused and moved his hands to his paper and pencil.

"No way. I'm not wasting time on that."

"But it could really help you." David urged. "What if you need to say something quickly, but you can't with paper?"

"You said this wouldn't last long."

"That's not exactly what I said-"

"I don't want to learn something I'll use for one week."

"Fine. But think about learning. It could really help you." David smiled, most likely with the intent to be encouraging. Of course he knew Max was stubborn and wouldn't take any offer he was given. At first.

Max will soon realize he might need it.

As days went on, Max became more and more frustrated with having to write everything he needed to say. He already wasn't the best at communicating, this made it so much harder. He was even beginning to think David was right about using other forms of speaking.

His voice still hadn't returned, and being unable to tell David something without a damn piece of paper was worse than learning sign language.

So he stole David's phone and got to researching.

It was hard.

There were different ways of saying one thing, and one wrong move could change a sentence entirely. Despite his frustration, Max continued to secretly teach himself, but remembering a concept so foreign to what he's always known was aggravating.

David wouldn't be able to find his phone unless Max wanted him to, so he didn't have to worry about that. He was also careful not to use what he knew around David. Max knew he'd jump with excitement about it. So he had to learn and practice alone. It wasn't ideal, but like David said, it could really help him.

A week of learning on his own was effective though, and David still didn't know (nor had he gotten his phone back). So he was feeling good about his ability to teach himself something he wasn't planning on learning. He knew the entire alphabet and very basic words, such as yes, no, hello and thank you.

This day had marked a day over one week of staying with David. Max was noticeably less on edge and allowed himself to relax more than he did when he first arrived. He let himself smile and glanced over to a small clock David gave him.

9:00 am

Max knew David would be making breakfast around this time, so he quickly got himself dressed and walked into the small kitchen, where David was cooking.

"Good morning, Max! Are you hungry? I made tiny waffles." He held one up to show Max. "They're fantastic! Do you want any?" Max rolled his eyes at the excitement, but nodded. David placed a few onto a plate and passed it to Max, who, without thinking, placed his fingers to his lip and moved his hand down, signing "Thank You."

This did not go unnoticed.

David gasped and jumped, just like Max thought he would. "You've been practicing! I knew you stole my phone for something." Max shook his head, trying to deny it and silently cursing himself for the slip up. "I just saw you! What do you know?" Max thought over this question. Does he answer and admit defeat? "Not much.", he decided and reached over the table for paper to write it out. David hummed quietly after seeing the response. "I guess we should start working on it then."

"Lessons" started simply enough. They went to basics first, giving a full day to one word or phrase. Max had already taught himself a decent amount. He knew short responses and swears. David had gone ahead and made a small list of what he considered to be essential. Introductions, greetings, and question words. Max had them down quickly. Occasionally he'd spell his name or random words just for the fun of it. The doubt he had about learning ASL was now gone.

David was beyond proud of the boys achievement. He had gone from an angry child that only knew to push people away, to an angry child that would let a select few into his life. He also had no idea Max was able to pick up on things so quickly. He could only imagine how easy conversations would be after Max was fluent.

Max kept telling David he'd never need to be fluent, since whatever caused his muteness wouldn't last forever.

A month passes.

Another goes by.

Then Max had been living with David for nearly three months.

Max had grown used to the patterns of each day. He knew what time David needed to leave for work, he was a teacher's assistant, and what time he'd be home to help Max with sign language. The schedule was easy to follow and Max appreciated the consistency. Secretly, of course.

David had just returned home from a day of teaching assistance, noticing that the TV was on. Max wasn't normally watching TV when he came home. Usually he was waiting to practice. But this time the boy was staring into the screen. "Hey, what are you-" David looked to the TV, Max had been watching a news channel and found something he didn't need to find. He saw a home, which he assumed was Max's, surrounded by police and news reporters. He knew… something had happened there, but he didn't know it would take so long for someone to take care of it.

Max knew people would be looking for him now. He goes missing and now someone gives a fuck.

Thought from when he was still at the park flooded back to him. If anyone found him, he be sent to a place worse than a tree. Or David's home. Or his own home. He shut off the TV and looked at David. Not being perfect at signing yet, he grabbed his pencil and paper. "They're looking for me." he wrote. David searched for an answer. "What do you want to do?" Max shrugged.

David knew Max wouldn't want to leave, but he also knew he'd would be removed from the house if he was found. Unless he-

"Max, you can stay here. I'll make sure of it." David was smiling, but Max had his doubts. "How?" He signed with his hands.

"I can just adopt you!"

Max's eyes widened, then he glared. For a moment he thought it was a joke. David didn't want to do that, did he?

"You won't have to worry about being alone or having to meet new people. You've been here for about three months, you're happy here- Are you happy here?"

The question was sudden. Max's instinctive response was "No.", as it always was, but he knew it wasn't entirely true. He wasn't happy, but he'd never felt safer. So he nodded. Any other answer and he'd be alone again. David smiled. "Okay then. This might be a long process, but if you're happy I'll do it." Max nodded again. He'd be damned if he was going to live with someone else.

Like David said, the process was a bit long, there were plenty of papers to sign, but it was nice knowing he'd never have to worry about being moved into another home. Or even multiple homes. He had his own room after David cleaned out an unused one, and he had a bed, and new clothes. David payed attention to him, and helped him learn enough sign language to have small conversations without paper. David had told him he was too young to be so alone. And living in a home that wasn't broken was certainly a relief to Max.

But he still couldn't speak. He knew he didn't necessarily need words to be happy, but he was still adjusting.

Max found himself waking up to six months of safety.

He also found that David really enjoyed making fun breakfasts for every month he lived there. He wasn't complaining, in fact, he wouldn't expect anything less from him. He signed a quick "thank you" when he was handed a plate of oddly shaped pancakes.

"So this is my last week of school," David started. "And I think we should start planning a trip."

"Camping?" Max asked, using two fingers from both hands and making a tent shape.

"Of course! That is, until Camp Campbell is in session." For a moment David wondered if that was too much of the outdoors for Max, but then reminded himself that Max would love it was much as he did. Eventually.

Max shrugged, eating a pancake that looked a bit like a diamond. "OK." He was too busy eating and deciphering shapes to sign a longer response.

"Oh this is so exciting! I'll start planning. Let's see, what should we start with?"

David continued with his rapid thoughts. Max tuned him out. The plans would continue for another hour, but Max wasn't tuning him out because of that. He was distracted by a sudden worrying thought. He hadn't left the house very many times since he first got there, and the idea of being so far from a safe place was beginning to make him anxious. He didn't know who was still looking for him.

"And we'll probably have time for- Max are you okay?" David had noticed the look of apprehension on the boys face.

"No. Fuck off." Fortunately, David was never bothered by Max learning that one, which was used often. But this time he knew to pry. "Not this time. What's wrong?"

"I'm scared." Admitting fear. That was new. It felt weird having to sign something that seemed useless before.

"About what?"

Max wanted to yell. He didn't know how to tell David he was afraid of something so irrational. "People" he tried. "People?" Max nodded and fumbled with his hands, trying to reword his answer. "Bad people."

What could that mean? "Do you mean the people that tried to… uhh-"

"Yes." Max cut his stuttering off by flicking a fist down. His look of fear that he previously had had become a look of annoyance. David wasn't sure if it was at him or not. "We don't have to go if you're not comfortable. It's not that important."

"I'm sorry." Max hesitantly apologized. He already threw out most of his dignity when he admitted he was scared, why not let it all go.

"It's fine. Don't be afraid to express your feelings." David reassured. Max rolled his eyes and moved his hands to respond. "I know."

David's last week of being a teacher's assistant was finally over, allowing him to focus on Max. He would have to drive down to Camp Campbell soon, but until then, the only thing he needed to think about was new breakfast ideas. He'd been running out.

He'd also been running out of ways to convince Max on seeking help from someone else on trying to get his speech back. He absolutely refused to show any interest in doctors or therapy. Sending him anywhere near camp would be difficult as well, seeing as none of the other campers know of his current predicament.

Max didn't like the place much anyways, it shouldn't be too big of a deal.

But, of course, being the unpredictable person he is, Max insisted on heading to the woods for the summer.

"I don't know why you want to. Nikki and Neil aren't on the list of campers this year. You might be alone again."

"I don't care." Max dismissed. "I don't want to be here alone."

"How are you going to talk to anyone? It's not like we can assume more than one of them will know any ASL."

"I don't care" Max repeated.

David understood well enough. Max was too nervous to be alone still. But camp would make things so much harder. David tried to find a simple answer to it. Communication and positivity would solve this!

But Max was so stubborn.

David sighed and stood up straight, hands placed on his hips. "Okay then, you can come this year, but if you feel uncomfortable, tell me." This received an eye roll and Max brushing the concern off. "I'll be fine." Despite Max being unable to make words vocally, anyone could still hear the amount of worry his words held.

The drive to Camp Campbell was as silent as both David and Max would have anticipated. It was mostly because they didn't have much to say, but Max's anxious fidgeting was too distracting for a conversation and that didn't help any.

"So," David started, "Are you going to try to make new friends this summer?"Max continued to fumble with his hands and shrugged as a response. Gosh, this kid was being difficult. "I bet a great kid your age will be there. You can be as close as you are with Neil and Nikki, maybe?" Another shrug. "Max, I'm trying to talk to you. Can you use what you learned?" Getting him to do anything was so hard.

Max looked at David and scowled. Obviously, if he wasn't responding, he didn't want to talk. He should know this by now.

"I know you'll make some friends this year! Despite... uh, this." David gave a quick smile and continued to focus on driving to camp.

"I don't need new friends. I know some people there." Max stopped ignoring what David said and signed a short response that was almost unseen by David's preoccupied eyes.

"You don't have to go. I can drive you home if-"

"No." Max cut of with the quick motion of tapping three fingers together. "I don't want to be alone."

David knew how Max felt about being alone for too long after he'd started living with him. Being alone all his life meant that if a person showed care for him, he'd never let that person go.

David made the quick decision to pull over, park the car in an open dirt patch and pay close attention to Max.

"How about this? You can either stay in you own tent or pull an extra bed into my cabin. You can stay in there as long as you want whenever you need to." David offered, in hopes it would ameliorate some of Max's doubts. The idea was acceptable to Max, who nodded. "Okay."

"Whatever make you happy." David smiled.

"Thanks."