After the project in Wheeljack's lab, Marie changed her clothes and retreated to her room to start her homework. As she quietly did her homework, her mind wandered to the lonely violin in the corner of the room. Marie tried hard to ignore a nagging thought that was in her mind. Try it. Yes, Marie did play the violin, but that was before she became hearing impaired. She stopped playing after an illness took away her hearing. A flashback started and Marie was brought back to the first time she played.

Flashback

"Daddy, what this?" a newly-turned nine year old Marie asked her father as she was given a small black looking case. Marie looked up at her dad with a face scrunched up with confusion and wander. Her father chuckled and knelt down to his daughter's height.

"It's a violin case, pumpkin. And inside is a violin." He explained as he started to open the case. Marie hovered next to him and after the case was opened, the most beautiful violin rested inside. It was brown ebony in color and wood and there was a black bow along with it. Marie stared in awe at the instrument, taking in every detail about it.

"Is mine?" the little girl asked with wide eyes. Her dad laughed as he replied with a nod. Marie excitedly hugged her father in thanks. An instrument of her own!

"I'm gonna be amazing mu..musi…" Marie struggled to pronounce the word "musician". Marie loved music and she dreamed of becoming a musician when she grew up. Her father believed one day she would and that's why he got her a violin that day for her birthday.

"Musician, Marie and I know you are going to be an amazing one someday!" he said as he picked her up and twirled her around.

End of flashback

Her dad always encouraged her to do whatever she wanted to do. But ever since her disability, she stopped. Putting her pencil down and closing her book, Marie slowly made her way over to where the case sat. She stared at the case for a moment in confliction.

Should I?

What's the harm in trying?

But, would I be able to play?

Cautiously, she opened the case and brought out the violin. Marie's hands trembled as she brought the violin beneath her chin and laid the bow on top of the strings. Gradually, she pulled the bow across and stopped.

Silence.

Marie knew she wouldn't be able to hear anything. She was also probably extremely out of tune. So she took out a tuner from the case and tuned it. Each time she plucked, she felt the vibrations from the strings. Again, she brought the violin to a playing position and played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Halfway through, however, Marie stopped. She became frustrated with herself.

You can't even hear yourself.

What good is that?

Your dream is impossible to achieve.

You're useless.

That did it. All of her thoughts, verbal abuse from bullies, and people had Marie explode in anger. Then, she did something she would never forgive herself for: she threw the violin across the room, onto the floor.

It shattered into pieces and broke.

Tears welled up in Marie's eyes as she sunk to the floor in anger and frustration. She sat there as she cried silently to herself.

3rd POV

Optimus was on his way to speak with Ratchet when he heard a shattering sound emitting from Marie's room. Upon hearing that, he quickened his pace and headed to her room, all the while sending a quick message to the CMO to come, in case Marie was hurt. Optimus made it to the girl's room and opened the door. Once he opened it, the Prime's optics swept the room. He noticed, on the floor, Marie's beloved violin shattered.

What happened? He thought. A sniffle from a corner of the room made Optimus's helm turn. It was Marie, hugging her knees and crying. Sadness and concern filled Optimus's spark when he saw her. He went over to the girl and knelt down in front of her. Marie's face was red and teary eyed when he got a closer look. Optimus nudged her with one of his digits to get her attention. She lifted her head and her eye widened at the sight of the Autobot leader in her room. Optimus made a motion for her to relax. Optimus's servos fluttered to life as he calmly asked:

What happened? Why is your instrument damaged?

Marie shook her head, unwilling to give an answer to her actions. She would have rather not explain right now. There was silence between the two and with the worst timing ever, Ratchet burst in the room. The CMO worriedly canned the room and his optics fell upon the violin. He then saw the Prime and Marie. Ratchet walked over and asked Optimus

"She is alright?"

"I am unsure, old friend. She will not tell me what happened." Ratchet glanced down at the girl in question and scanned her. She was not physically injured from the shattered instrument but he believed that she was emotionally distraught. The CMO relayed this information to Optimus and Ratchet activated his holoform to ask Marie a few questions.

I just want you to answer by nodding yes or no. Did this have to do with playing your violin?

A nod.

You were frustrated.

A nod.

Because you were out of practice.

No.

Because of your impairment.

Silence.

Ratchet shook his helm and sighed.

Youngling, it's not your…

His sentence was cut off by Marie suddenly signing something.

You can't even hear yourself.

What good is that?

Your dream is impossible to achieve.

You're useless.

She appeared to be repeating the motions as she rocked back and forth, eyes wide with tears.

Both mechs were shocked at her antics. The words she signed, they realized were not her words, obviously because she spoke in the third person. They were someone else's words, specifically directed toward Marie. She had never been this way towards them or herself before. Optimus looked to Ratchet for an answer and the CMO deactivated his holoform and privately commed him:

I believe that Marie is suffering from emotional and verbal abuse. My scans indicate that she has lost some body mass and an energy spike. I want to bring her back to my medbay to keep an optic on her.

Understood, old friend. It will be best not to mention this to Wheeljack for now, for his own well-being.

Very well. And Optimus?

Yes?

I would advise Prowl to stop by her school about this one girl and her "friends".

I will speak with Prowl about it.

They ended the conversation. Ratchet knelt back down, scooped Marie up in his servos and headed to his medbay. That left Optimus in the room to stare at the forgotten violin.

She used to be so passionate about music. She had a spark but I fear that that extinguished when her disability came to light.

Optimus shook his head in sadness as he picked up the remnants of the violin and left, leaving to go see Jazz and Prowl about a few things regarding their human friend.