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Silence is My Curse

Chapter 3: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

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Sage's POV

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When I wake up, light is streaming in through the window. It shines on my face, making it warm. Just as I was trying to recall how sunlight was shining on me, I remember that I'm not a prisoner anymore. That those boys saved me.

Slowly I sit up, stretching my body and trying to avoid hurting myself at the same time. When I've gotten used to the light and I've woken up a bit, I push the covers off of me and lightly step onto the floor.

Looking around, I wonder where I might be able to get some clothes. Someone had put me into a clean t-shirt that was to big for me, and I certainly couldn't walk around in that. I search the room again until I find a small pile of neatly-folded clothes sitting on top of the dresser. I pick them up and look at them. There is a pair of black shorts, that would definetly be a little big, and a blue tanktop.

I carefully remove my shirt, and find that it's difficult when your right arm is nearly immobile. I pull the shorts up and realize that they are way too big. They were obviously meant to be tight, but they'd be loose on me.

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Heero's POV

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I'm searching throughout the house at this moment, tearing things up and trying to find my little black companion. Somehow it's dissapeared, and I don't know where it is. It vanished last night at Quatre left to visit the girl.

I charge into the room Duois staying in since he's the one most likely for stealing my laptop. Throwing open the door, I pull out my other little black companion, my gun, and shove it in his face.

He wakes up instantly and quickly stammers, "H-Hey Heero. W-What's up?"

"Where is it?"

"W-Where's what?"

I shove it even closer to him, the barrel no more than an inch away from his head, resting right between the eyes. He crosses his eyes to look at it then looks back at me.

"My laptop."

"Sage has it! I swear!"

"Sage?" I ask, wondering what the hell he's talking about.

"Yeah, that girl. Her name is Sage."

In one fluid movement I put my gun away and turn around, stroming out of the room. I walk down the hall and approach Duo's room, the room the girl was staying in. When I reach the doorway, I open this one slowly, knowing that she's likely to be sleeping. Quatre was very promenant about making sure that we didn't bother her.

I glance in the room and see she isn't in her bed. I look around and see her standing in the middle of the room. Her chest is tightly bound in bandages and her arm is in a cast. She has no top on and is wearing only a pair of black shorts, my shorts. When she notices me, she stares into my eyes. We stand like that for a moment, not moving.

Finally we both shrug at the same time and as she grabs the tank top that just happens to be mine, I grab my laptop. We meet eyes again and I walk out of the room and head for the kitchen where I can already smell breakfast.

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Sage's POV

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I was slightly surprised when a boy with a serious face and messy brown hair walked into my room, but shrugged it off and continued dressing. He was wearing an outfit almost identical to mine, except he wore a green tank top, and it fit him much better. I'm guessing it was his clothes I was wearing.

All he did when he entered was meet my eyes, then he grabbed the laptop, which must have been his too, and walked out of the room.

I walked over to the other side of the room to the mirror. I grabbed a brush that happened to be there (much to my amusement) and began brushing my long blond hair. I was happy to brush it again, because it had gotten full of knots during my stay in OZ's cells.

My hair fell to waist in slight waves. I never wanted to cut it. Unfortunetly it had been longer once, but an eight-year old boy cut it once in my sleep. I wasn't happy, but since he was older than me at the time, I couldn't do anything about it.

I brushed it nearly a hundred times on each side, enjoying the feeling of the brush moving through my hair that I had missed so much. Someone must have cleaned me when I arrived, because my body was no longer dirty and my hair no longer greasy and natted.

I looked at my face in the mirror. It had changed alot since I ran away. It used to be full, happy. Now it was thin, from lack of food, and pale from lack of sunlight. My cheeks were no longer flushed, instead just a white, limp color with no life in them at all.

There was also a change in my eyes. No longer were they a happy, cheerful, lively green like they used to be. No longer did they hold the innocence of child. Now they were a dark green, full of sadness, hatred, and suffering. I knew that they'd never be the same again. Nothing could change them, or me. What I have had to live through for so long will be forever etched into my mind. I'll never be the same again.

Sighing, I set the brush down and walked away from the mirror. I turned my back, wishing that this hadn't happened and that somehow my life could change, so that I didn't have to go through so much suffering.

I walked out of the room intending to head towards the kitchen. Just as I had taken a few steps down the hallway, I realized that I didn't know where I was going. The building, most likely a house, was huge and elegantly decorated. Past every few doorways stood a tiny stand that held a pot full of fresh flowers. On the walls were large, beautiful paintings full of color and life.

Shrugging my shoulders I walked down the hallway, knowing that either I'd somehow find the kitchen, or I'd run into one of the boys. There were five here, I had to find someone.

It was the latter. After I'd walked through nearly five different hallways, they all looked the same, I found a tall, black haired boy that looked to be Chinese. He was exiting one of the rooms and heading in my direction.

"Lost?" He asked me. His voice was curt and low.

I nodded.

"Hph. Figures. Follow me." He continued down the hallway without checking to see if I'd follow. I did, because I was very hungry, and I didn't dare arguing with him, even if I could have.

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Trowa's POV

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Exiting my room, I walked calmly to kitchen where I knew that Quatre was most likely making breakfast. I took my time, I'm never in a hurry. I eventually entered the kitchen and saw Quatre preparing pancakes. Duo was standing next to Quatre, talking animatedly.

"Yeah. So I'm like, 'hey He-man! Don't point that thing at me!' and he says, 'Where is it?' and I'm all, 'Where's what? Dont' point that at me!!!' and he says, 'My laptop.' So I have to explain that we let Sage borrow it and then I had to explain who Sage was. He just turned around and walked out of the room." His arms guestured wildly as he over- emphisized what had happened earlier that morning.

I walked past them and sat down at the table. Picking up the newspaper, I began reading the comics. Although I never showed it, I love the comics. I just don't laugh at them.

I could hear Heero in the other room clicking away on his laptop. He didn't stop typing for several minutes, and I began to wonder what he was doing. 'Probably just writing Dr. J about something.' I thought.

Wufei walked into the kitchen, stalking and glowering as usual, with the girl, Sage I think, at his heels. 'She must have gotten lost.'

Wufei took a seat, but Sage just stood there, looking around. She must have been confused on what to do. Finally she walked over to Duo and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Whatcha want?" He said, then turned around and realized it was Sage. "Oh, hey! Good morning! How'd you sleep?" He asked her.

She shrugged but didn't say anything. I knew it was because she couldn't talk, Quatre had told us all that last night. I figured it was best that we had another quiet, sober person living here. It was another role model for Duo to follow. Although I don't think that we've helped anyway, but it was a nice thought.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Go ahead and sit down." She nodded and walked over to the table. I looked up and her and motioned that she could sit down next to me. She walked over and pulled out the chair, sitting down in it.

I could feel her stare through the newspaper. Sighing, I asked, "What?"

She pen out of thin air and began writing on the newspaper. I don't think she even noticed she did it. It was such a confident way to act, either she must have known she could do it or she was too busy to notice.

She stopped writing and passed the paper to me. I read her neat writing that said, 'What is your name?' The pen was gone now.

"Trowa." I said. Sage nodded then glanced over to Wufei. She looked back at me and motioned to him.

"Wufei." She nodded again and then pretended she was typing on a computer or something, then pointed to the living room where Heero was currently occupiing.

"Heero."

Suddenly Duo came bouncing out of the kitchen and sat down at the table shouting, "Breakfast is ready!!! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!" He was suddenly chanting now, but still shouting.

"Shut up, baka!" Wufei shot at him. Duo stopped and stuck his tounge out at Wufei before putting an arm around Sage's shoulders and continuing his chant. She looked down at his arm, then back to him. Then back to his arm again. He finally got the idea and took his arm off.

Heero walked in the room, laptop under one arm, and sat down next to Wufei. He opened his laptop again and continued with what ever he was doing earlier, eyes never leaving the screen.

Quatre entered the room from the other doorway that led to the kitchen. In his hands was a large plate of stacked pancakes that was still steaming. He set the plate down on the table next to a bottle of syrup and a tub of butter.

Instantly Duo grabbed his plate and began piling pancakes onto it. Once he had nearly ten pancakes laying messily on top of each other, he reached for the syrup and began pouring it.

The rest of us watched all this with growing sweatdrops. Finally Wufei cut through the silence by yelling, "Hey! What about the rest of us? You can't have them all you braided baka!"

As if a "GO" sign flashed, each of us suddenly reached foreward, trying to claim as many pancakes as possible. The only people who didn't were Quatre, whose manners were too good for that kind of behavior, and Sage, who was too shocked to do anything. Once everyone settled down, only four pancakes were left. Quatre and Sage took two pancakes and waited for a chance to use the syrup.

Once I was finished pouring my syrup, I handed it to Sage. She nodded her thanks and reached for it. She poured only a tiny amount on, then handed it to Duo to pass to Quatre. Duo, however, already had way too much syrup, but he poured more on anyway. When he was finished, he handed what was left to Quatre.

I watched with growing amusement as Quatre looked at the bottle's contents and sighed. He tried save as little as possible for Heero, who still hadn't had any syrup. When he finally did get the syrup however, he pulled out his trusty little gun and pointed it across the table at Duo, who began to choke on his pancakes while pleading to him.

Sage patted his back and he finally calmed down enough to thank her. Then he turned back to the barrel and began frantically apologising. Sage must have thought it was funny, because the tiniest of smiles broke out on her face.

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Heero's POV

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Furious that Duo had used all the syrup, I brought out my gun and shoved it in his face once again. His eyes widened and he began choking on the enormous amount of pancakes in his mouth. I saw the blonde girl wearing my clothes reach over and lightly tap Duo's back, where he then recovered. He gave a quick thanks before turning back and offering me his syrup.

The girl must have thought it was funny, because suddenly the tips of her lips curved slightly up, and her eyes sparkled with something there that I never thought I'd see for a while. I really couldn't name it, but it was there. That certain thing sparked a sudden chain of events.

Suddenly something else moved, and I turned to look at Trowa, who was suddenly smiling too (if you can it a smile. It matched the girl's perfectly.). Confused, I looked over to Quatre who was laughing gently, and Wufei was roaring with laughter. I raised my eyebrows at this, and put my gun away.

Grabbing Duo's plate, I poured most of the remaining syrup onto my pancakes and returned it. Ignoring the laughter, which had doubled now, I began eating.

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Sage's POV

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Once breakfast was finished, I left the room and boys behind, needing some time to think. I figured I could probably explore the house because I didn't need to get lost again.

I picked a random hallway and began walking down it, studying the pictures as I went. I passed dozens of paintings, varying from anchient portraits to lively landscapes. Some where colorful and others bleak. I never looked to long at one, only enough to memorize it until I moved on to the next one.

One picture caught my attention though. I nearly passed it until I realized what it was. Walking back, I looked at it with a gasp. I covered my mouth as my eyes went wide. This picture... I know the person who painted it.

It was me.

It was one of my first paintings. Ever since I was younger, I had a particular talent with paints. This picture was one I did a year ago. It was the first painting I had ever sold, and it made me so proud to see a man in a black suit and sunglasses walking away with it. I knew that whoever bought it would be happy with it. I just never realize that Quatre was the one who bought it.

I jumped when a hand touched my shoulder. I turned around and looked up, noticing it was Quatre. He smiled at me, then looked at my painting.

"Do you like it? I bought it from a small village in Europe. Quite a talented artist I must admit. Although I never got to meet her." If only he knew.

I looked back to the painting and nodded. I brought my good arm up and traced the signiture. My signiture.

"Have you met her?" I nodded. I am her!

"What was she like?" He said it thoughtfully, and I knew it was a rhetorical question.

I shrugged and continued walking down the hallway. 'I couldn't tell him I did it. Then he'd know who I used to be. And that person doesn't exsist anymore. Afterall, a picture is worth a thousand words.'

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