Walter Kovacs sat at his desk at the back of the classroom. Alone. Which was typical since he was… Weird. He never spoke and rumors about how his mother was a prostitute were going around. Kids spoke behind his back about him. Calling him a freak. Walter hated everyone at school. He hated his fellow pupils, his mother… And everyone around him.

The 5th grade classroom was buzzing with excitement and the chatting of students, as the teacher entered the room. "Alright class, settle down please." The teacher, Miss Linson said as everyone went silent and the attention was focused on her. She smiled kindly as she held her hands in a slight excitement.

"Alright everyone, as you all probably heard from the rumors, yes they are true." Walter's ears picked up at this. Rumors… He hated that word, but chose to listen to his teacher, she smiled excitedly as she continued: "We do have a new classmate, sweetheart, you can come in now." And suddenly, the door slowly opened, to reveal a short girl, with short brown hair and big gleaming dark amber eyes, a huge scarf was wrapped around her mouth and lower face, which made sense, since it was winter after all.

"Everyone, this here is Anya. She is a mute and doesn't talk, so please try to make her feel comfortable and welcomed. Anya," the teacher said, turning to the girl who slowly waked over to the teacher. "Why don't you write something about yourself." She continued as she gave Anya a chalk. Anya looked at it for a few moments before she took it into her hands and sharply turned towards the board. She quickly wrote something down and turned away from the board to move away so everyone could see what she wrote:

"I'm a singer."

At this, everyone, but Walter, laughed. Anya remained unfazed but in her eyes you could see that she was hurt. Water could see it from the back of the classroom. The teacher glared at her students as she told them to be silent. The small girl turned towards the teacher and held out the chalk for her to take. The teacher looked at her confused.

"Sweetheart, don't you have anything else to say?" she asked, and Anya slowly shook her head. The teacher sighed as she turned towards the students and took the chalk out of Anya's hands gingerly. "Alright now, does anyone want to sit with Anya or will give her a seat?" she asked, and everyone remained silent. The teacher looked disappointed.

"Oh come on, now. There must be one of you who sits alone and wants to partner?" the teacher said, pushing her students even more. The class remained silent for a few seconds before she sighed. Walter looked down at his seat, trying to decide if he should give her his seat. "Fine then, I'll pick someone." The teacher looked around until her eyes landed on Walter and at his seat next to him. Empty. The teacher knew about Walter's parent and she knew that perhaps he would influence Anya in bad ways, but if Anya didn't complain then she figured she'd be fine.

"Walter Kovacs, what about you?" Walter gave his teacher a surprised look as he remained silent and silently pleaded to her with his eyes to not give his other spot to a girl. The teacher noticed this and pushed, "Well?" Walter sighed as he made up his mind. While he didn't like girls, she didn't seem like such a bad person.

"Fine." He spoke quietly as he removed his bag from his other chair for Anya to sit. Anya tilted her head curiously at him before walking over at him, receiving funny looks and mocking looks by her pupils. She looked towards the floor, Walter noticed the hurt and small tears in her eyes as she quickly whipped away the fluid from her eyes. Her brown eyes landed onto his blue ones as she stood in front of the seat. She was small. She looked too young to be in a 5th grade classroom.

He watched her as she slowly placed her bag onto the floor and sat down next to her. He didn't even bother talking to her since she was a pathetic mute after all. But he couldn't shake seeing the hurt and ashamed look in her eyes. What was her deal? What the hell happened to her?

The teacher began the lesson and when the attention was taken off the two, Walter noticed that Anya was writing something on a piece of paper from her notebook. Walter didn't look to see what it was, but he still watched her. No, She wasn't a normal 10 year old with her height and weight. Suddenly, he felt the gaze of the girl watch him and he shifted to meet her eyes.

"What?" he whispered harshly and she flinched from the tone as she pointed to the paper. He looked down and silently read:

"Please don't hate me. I don't want to be your enemy… I know everyone else already thinks I'm weird… You don't think I'm weird, do you?"

He froze. No he didn't. But if she meant by calling herself a singer while being a mute, then yeah. That is kinda weird.

"No. I don't." he whispered back, a little bitter. Anya's eyes soften in what he would assume to be a smile since he couldn't see her mouth from her scarf. Suddenly, he took the paper from her hands and her pencil and started to write something down:

"LeAve Me AlOne!" When Anya read it she turned away from him and didn't write anything else and focused on her teacher…

/\\\

Walter walked out of his school, bag over his shoulder and his normal emotionless expression remained on his face. He continued down the courtyard, walking towards his house. But his eyes caught onto a familiar sight, that he knew all too well.

Anya was up against a wall, holding her bag closely to her chest as three older boys from 8th grade were harassing her and trying to take her bag. He stood still as he watched the sight from around the corner.

"Come on, mute! A singer? You can't sing, retard! You can't even speak, you worthless shit!" one of the boys yelled and the rest laughed at her as tears came to her eyes. She looked so hurt and was crying. "And also, you're sitting with that whore's son! What's wrong with you? You want to willingly sit next to someone like that?!"

Walter tensed and yet again, melted at the sight as he recognized the boys. They were his bullies and now they were torturing a girl because she sat with him. His blood boiled in his veins as he grabbed a handful of snow and turned it into a snowball. He aimed at a boy's head and threw it, hiding from sight as the impact from the snowball made the boy fall to the ground, passed out.

"Who the fuck threw that?!" One of the bullies, who Walter recognized as Eric, yelled. Walter remained hidden as he heard approaching footsteps and bolted out of there. He raced around the school and around back to where Anya stood. When he saw that she was alone sitting against the wall, he ran over to her and helped her up. She looked at him with surprise and shock as he began to drag her.

"Come on! We need to go before they come back!" Walter urged her as she realized the situation and ran with him, holding his hand as they ran away from the school and towards another part of town. Anya felt the adrenaline and excitement flow through her veins as he held onto her hand tightly. He was much faster than her but he tried to help her and also slowed down for her.

When they were far away from the school, they both stopped in an alley. Anya wasn't breathing, but she was only breathing and panting through her nose. Walter was hardly panting but he did look a bit tired. Anya noticed that they were still holding hands as they both leaned against the wall. Anya blushed, but it wasn't noticeable on her face due to her scarf. When Walter finally noticed how tightly he held her hand, he released quickly and apologized. Anya's eyes were full of thankfulness as she reached down to the ground and snow and wrote something in it with her bare frozen cold fingers and they slightly shivered:

"Did you throw that snowball?" he nodded.

"Yes, I did." He said as he noticed her shivering and pale hands. Anya continued writing:

"Thank you so much! I don't know how to thank you! I didn't know what would have happen had you not came along. Thank you, Walter. I'll leave you alone if you want me to, forever if that's what you want." She wrote, feeling still a little buzzed from the running. Walter froze. He realized that she wasn't safe from now on. Those bullies would be back and he knew it. He knew she wasn't very safe. But he didn't know how to say anything to her to deny her but take off his mittens and give them to her.

She looked at them and then shook her head furiously as she wrote some more: "No! I refuse to take something from you! You helped me! Not vice-versa. I can't." But Walter wasn't one to give up as he grabbed her wrist gingerly and with his free hand carefully put the mitten on. Then he proceeded to do the same with the other one.

Anya was shocked and confused. Was he… Being nice to her? Was he showing her compassion? He didn't seem like that kind of person but as she looked into his eyes, she saw a stern look, but deeper inside she could see a soft look in them.

Anya's eyes lit up with happiness as she hugged him tightly. Walter was shocked as he stood there for a moment before pushing her away, a little too harshly. Anya looked a little depressed as she turned away from him and started to walk away.

"No, wait!" he said, grabbing her wrist, also a little too tightly. She looked at him with surprise. Walter sighed, as he couldn't believe what he was about to do:

"Look, I'm sorry I pushed you away. I… I was never hugged before… So it's new to me… I want to tell you that you don't need to thank me. I can only truly be thanked if I do something for someone. And not just one thing. Those bullies will be back and I… I guess it's my fault that those boys will hurt you some more… So it's me who needs to protect you. It's my responsibility since I got you into this. I'm going to help you out." He said as he gave her a hand to shake. "So… Friends?" he asked.

Anya tilted her head at him as her brown eyes lit up with happiness and she took his hand and shook it. She broke away as she pulled out her notebook and started to write something down:

"I would gladly be your friend, Walter. I would rather be your friend until the world ends than be friends with anyone else. I am grateful for your protection but I say that you don't have to. You don't have to defend me. I can't accept that, Walter…"

"I insist." He told her, not accepting 'no' for an answer. "I don't care what you say. I have a responsibility for you and I won't ignore that responsibility." He insisted. Anya looked at hi surprised at his persistence but she smiled nonetheless, though it was hidden, Walter could see it in her eyes.

"Thank you, Walter…" she wrote, blushing softly as snow started to fall and she held her notebook and pencil to her hands. She noticed Walter's hands were slightly turning pale from the cold. She put the small notebook in her big coat pocket and her pencil as well. She reached out and took his hands in her own, warming them up with his own mittens.

But Walter pulled away from her hands and sighed: "Do you know your way home from here?" he asked and Anya nodded as she pulled out her notebook and pencil and wrote:

"Yes. And don't worry about me, I'll avoid the school grounds and find a safer path. And again, thank you, Walter…"

And with that she waved goodbye and started to skip away, feeling slightly happier at the thought of having a protector and friend. And she knew that if she ever could, she would help him too when he needed her help.

Walter watched her leave for a few seconds before he sighed and started walking down to his own home, knowing what awaited him there… His mother…