Okay, for me, visualizing the characters helps me when I imagine my stories, so I kind of made up a little cast for mine. Comment, see if you agree with me. *Like half of them are too old right now, but still*

Alexandra (Desdemona) Aveta: Camilla Belle

Theodore Marwolaeth: Gaspard Ulliel

Diane Jefferson: AnnaSophia Robb

Ethan Aveta: William Moseley

Jacqueline Marwolaeth: Anna Popplewell

Valerie Aveta: Abigail Breslin

I don't know if I'm the only one that does this, but I come up with songs that could be the story's theme song, and for this specific story I found that the song by Within Temptation, Angels, fit this perfectly. I could tell just by listening to the first four lines. Listen to it, I wanna see how many people agree with me on this. :D

Chapter One:

I opened my eyes, and was frightened for a moment when everything was silent and black. Shouldn't there be crickets, or the sound of the fan spinning?

Then I remembered. During these six years, I hadn't yet gotten used to the endless silence. Being deaf had completely changed my life. I had never appreciated the ability to hear until it had been ripped out of my hands and taken away from me forever.

I put my hands on my head, pulling away my short chocolate colored hair off of my face. Because I could no longer hear, the talking in my head had slowly grown louder, driving me to insanity piece by piece.

Just then, a small light filled the room. My TV had turned on.

"Crap," I groaned. Unlike most deaf people, I could speak, because I had been able to hear for twelve years of my life before becoming deaf. I grabbed my remote and shut off the television, rolling over on my side. It was about five in the morning, and I had school today. I didn't go to a school that was made for "special" people, like some other deaf kids did. I went toArborViewHigh Schoolwith all the other normal-kinda-kids. But everyone gave me special treatment because of my "condition" and I hated that. Yes, it was harder for me to learn. Yes, I couldn't hear anything. But no, I am not stupid. No, I am not failing high school. Actually, I'm one of the better students, straight A's almost every year.

I decided to get up and take a shower, since there was no way I was going back to sleep. I thanked God I could still feel the steaming hot water on my icy skin. I let the hot water sooth my muscles and run down my ski-slope nose.

When I went downstairs, dressed and ready, my mom was in the kitchen frying eggs and bacon. I grimaced. Ever since my "accident" that had left me deaf, I had spent more time with animals. After a few weeks, I adapted a vegetarian diet, and always frowned upon the rest of my family eating meat.

Mom's head raised, and her lips started moving, but I couldn't hear her words. I read her lips. Hello, Alexandra!

"Hi, Mom," I replied, grabbing a cup of orange juice and sitting at the table. Mom smiled sadly, as if just remembering I couldn't hear, and brought eggs over to my seat. I picked up a fork and started poking the eggs.

She must have been saying something, because she tapped my shoulders. I looked up at her, and she said, Don't play. I smiled guiltily.

"Sorry." I took a bite of eggs, but they tasted strange. I fed them to the dog when Mom wasn't looking before picking up my bag. "Bye, Mom. I'm going to school."

My friends and I usually just mouthed words, they all joined me in my wordlessness at school. In class, when I couldn't make out what they were saying, I nudged whoever I was sitting by and they wrote what the teacher had said on a piece of paper.

Today I knew would be awful. Our history teacher, Mrs. Hallowell, transferred, and we were getting a new teacher today. I knew she wouldn't remember to tell whoever the replacement was that I was deaf. That should be fun.

When I got to school, I went straight for my locker, where my friends Gracie McGillicough and Hanna Gomes were already standing. They saw me and squealed...I think. I smiled at them. Their lips started moving so fast I couldn't tell what they were saying.

I held up a hand, and when they stopped talking, I pointed to my ear. They looked down guiltily. Hanna, as always, "spoke" first. She nodded and mouthed, Sorry. Then she started mouthing again, so fast I only caught two words.

New. Guy.

I smiled and nudged Hanna. She was the prettiest and most ambitious of us all. "New bait, huh?"

She laughed and shook her head. Ew, no. She mouthed. But then she looked down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of deep brown hair, pale skin, and black clothes. I let my eyes follow up to his face.

Oh. My. God. He was gorgeous. But scary, in a Goth sort of way. He turned, as if he could feel my gaze. His face transformed from annoyed to suspicious to angry and he whirled back around and walked out of my line of sight.

Hanna nudged my shoulder. She motioned to where the boy had been standing before pointing to her ear and shaking her head. My eyes widened as I registered what it meant. That Goth boy was... "Deaf?"

We sat down in class. History was our first hour, Gracie and mine. Our new teacher was Mr. Hennings, an older strict-looking man. When he started taking role, and I dozed off. I new the chorus of "here" was going around. I caught the new guy, who was sitting in the corner, staring at me, a smirk on his face. When I turned back to the front, Mr. Hennings was in front of my desk, looking angry. His lips were moving, but I couldn't understand.

I motioned to my ear and shook my head. His head turned to Gracie, who was next to me. I read her lips as she spoke to the teacher gently. Alexandra's telling you that she's deaf, Mr. Hennings. He looked back at me and shook his head. I read his next words.

Two deaf kids in one class. Lucky me.

I looked back at the kid in the corner, who was staring at me, his eyes-which were a beautiful aqua blue-wide as he understood that I was, like him, deaf. I smiled. Then I turned back to Gracie and motioned with my head back at him.

"What's his name?"

She wrote it on a piece of paper. Theodore Marwolaeth.I resisted the urge to snort. Theodore? How could such a tough, scary looking teenager be named that? I looked at Gracie, and she was holding back a giggle, too.

Then she poked me, pointing to Mr. Hennings. He was saying, ...Alexandra, Theodore, come with me please...I stood up at the same time Theodore did. I still thought his name was ironic, but I couldn't laugh in front of him.

Mr. Hennings lead us into the hall. He must have understood that we could read lips, because he spoke slowly and clearly, easily showing what he was saying on his lips.

Now, since you two, Alexandra, Theodo-

Theodore held up a hand and shook his head. I looked at him. He spoke, I could tell by his throat moving, but I read his lips. Teddy. Not Theodore. Teddy.

Teddy...still an ironic name, but better.

Mr. Hennings sighed and went on. Alexandra, Teddy, I want you two sitting together, because of your...conditions.I rolled my eyes, but nodded. You will both receive extra time to complete assignments, but will be expected to take tests with everyone else.

Now I held up a hand. "No. I don't want special treatment. I wasn't born deaf. I can handle it."

He raised his eyebrows but nodded. Alright. Let's go. Alexandra, you move your things over by Theo-I mean, Teddy. Come on.

I followed him inside and gave Gracie a sorry look as I gathered my things and sat in the desk by Teddy. A piece of paper landed on my desk. It had elegant writing on it and read only one word: Overachiever.

I crumpled the note and tossed it at Teddy's head, and he almost smiled. Almost. I brushed hair out of my face and looked at the teacher, but I could feel Teddy's eyes on me. Or maybe I was just crazy. But the text I got next proved me right.

Goth guy staring u, Lex. It was from Gracie, and I snuck a peek at Teddy. Yeah, he was staring. I was deaf like him, so what? But...he was kinda hot, so I have to admit I didn't mind much when he stared at me with his big blue eyes. I even smiled a little to myself.

It turned out we had a sub today in my third hour, so I had to go through the "deaf kid in my class" thing again. And, it turned out, Teddy and I had three more classes together, and, because we were the "Soundless Ones," as people were now calling us, we were sat next to each other in every class we had together. And during every class, Teddy just looked at me. I wanted to ask him why, but I couldn't.

At lunch, I got called up to Principal Ruthord's office. He "told" me that he expected me to help Teddy around, because I had gone to this school for my entire high school years, deaf, and he was new here. I told him that I didn't mind and that I would have helped Teddy anyways. Then he told me that I was to sit with Teddy at lunch. Teddy had already been informed of this, and he sent me out to find him.

There was a small cove in the middle of the school, a fountain in the little garden. I found him there. I was going to knock, but what use would that be to get a deaf guy's attention. Instead, I went over and touched his shoulder. He looked up at me and smiled cockily.

He said, what I thought was, "Damn, you found me. Gotta admit, I was hiding." I smiled.

"Don't cuss at school. Just cause you can't hear doesn't mean you won't get in trouble." I sat down in front of him and suddenly asked, "How did you become deaf?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "What?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Well, most people born deaf at birth can't speak well, or at all, but I'm guessing that you can. So, if it's not too personal, will you tell me?" I looked up at him, my bright green eyes staring into his blue ones.

He shook his head. "A stupid accident a few years ago. What about you? What's the story of how you came to be in this condition?" He chuckled. He must have noticed my annoyance at Mr. Hennings use of words.

"Same. Fell out of a tree, hit my head. Woke up in the hospital the next morning deaf. I was twelve." I sighed. "They tried to fix me, but they just had to accept that I would be deaf for the rest of my life."

"Well, you never know, Lex," he said. I realized I didn't know if he was talking or not, but all that mattered was that he was actually "talking" to me. "Your hearing could come back."

I scoffed. "After six years? What, are you a miracle worker or something?"

He smiled weakly. "No not quite. I'm getting my Professional Miracle Worker permit in a few days though," he laughed, but it turned into a cough. I noticed how pale and thin he was, and wondered if he was sick.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look too good?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. Fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Lex!"

"My name is Alex!"

"Fine! I'm okay, Alex!"

Despite myself, I started to giggle. Then I was on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Something icy touched my skin, and I yelped and sat up, my giggles subsiding. It was Teddy's hand, the cold thing on my skin. He was holding my wrist.

He smiled. "Sorry."

I pushed his hand away, laughing again. "God, Teddy, you got the hands of an eighty year old man!"

He chuckled and touched my face. I yanked away from his touch, a terrible feeling welling up in my stomach. He looked at my face. "What?"

"I...nothing." But there was something.