Chapter two

I keep my head down as I walk into the big, white marble building. It is a private school for gifted students, one that I can only stay in so long as I keep my grades up. It is supposedly only for children who have higher than normal brainpower, but there are many who say that I got in because I am "gifted" by more than grades.

The halls are crowded, but I do not hear the noise. There is pushings and shovings, but I pay no heed. I walk as fast as I can to my locker, but I am not fast enough. I feel his footsteps beside mine before I see him. He slides his hand by my belt to get my beeper, but I grab it before he can get to me.

As it turns out, he is a she. She is a redhead and much, much bigger than me. Her eyes are an amber-yellow color and she holds my shiny black beeper in her palm. Funny, I could have sworn that she was a man as she crept up to me.

She opens her mouth and says, "I'm sorry my boyfriend was a jerk. Here, you can have this back."

Timidly, I hold out my palm to grab the beeper, half expecting her to jerk it away, but she does not. When the hard plastic falls into my palm, I see who she spoke of. He is big with a varsity jacket, white and red, with dark brown hair and beetle black eyes.

He says to her, "Don't bother talking to him. That little monkey is deaf."

I don't hear what he says. I read it. I can only hear the loudest sounds, human voices are not among them.

Similing, the girl leans down so that she is face to face with me and signs with her fingers, "Is...true?"

I nod.

"Partially...totaly?"

I sign for her, "Might...well...total."

Her boyfriend shouts loudly in her ear, "ASK IF LITTLE LINK TEACHER'S-PET CAN TALK!"

I can tell from the expression on his face and more than a dozen passer-bys that he is laughing, but I have never heard a human laugh.

The girl signs again, "You...brave...boy...do...talk?"

I shake my head.

I don't talk.

Not to anyone.

:30~

I put the saddlebag over Epona's back. My, she is getting big! Already, I can hardly see over her shoulders, and it made it a little difficult to pack, but Epona loves me and will bend down if I need her to.

I never hear his approach; never know that he is talking to me. I do feel someone standing beside me, but I am so intent on me packing that I do not notice.

He grabs me by my shoulder and shouts something into my face that sounds muffled only to me dried ears.

"Hey, Hero, do you think you better 'n us country bumpkins??"

I shake me head and tear away from his grasp to find a dagger I slipped into the saddlebag. I do not make it far. He grabs me again and lightly bops the side of me face.

"C'on, boy, 's rude to ignore people when they's speakin' to ya."

"I cannot here you," I try to defend myself. The moron thinks that I be funnin' with him and gets a little angrier.

Even on a bad day, someone twice me size wouldn't bother me.

"Can't hear me, can ya?" he sneers into me face. His breath is awful, reekin' of the village dumpsters.

"Leave 'em 'lone, Argus, the rumors say 'ees deaf," a pretty Gerudo girl whispers in his ear, clearly enough for me to read her lips. I smile. Spirit indeed!

The behemoth drops me and scampers away with his head down and glaring at Nabooru.

I smile.

Nab smiles back, "I thought Rauru said you was to avoid fightin' whenever ya could?"

I grin, "I try, but its hard to *not* fight when a gotta psycho holdin' your collar who is deaf 'n you are!"

Nabooru laughs, "Are you gonna come to the carnival?"

I shrug, "I think."

:30~

I am sitting in my first period class when my beeper buzzes again. I glance down at it. It is the number for the office. I get up and walk out of the room, feeling certain that the teacher knows.

I trudge down the hall and into the counselor's office. It is the redhead from the hall behind the desk!

She mouths so that I can read her lips, "I am a student of psychology. Tell me about yourself Mister..." She glances at a stack of paper in front of her and then continues, "Elmaker."

I nod.

"You grew up in an orphanage, didn't you?"

Again, I nodd.

"Up until last year."

More nodding.

"Another girl there takes care of you?"

Three guesses.

"Do you talk to her?"

This time if you guessed that I nodded, then you are wrong. I shook my head.

"Why not?"

My mouth goes dry. What could I say, even if I wanted to? The bad man could come back for me if I talk!

:30~

There be much music and dancing, wild laughter and play. Smoke creeps along the ground by me feet, where bonfires burn. What catches me attention is a small, purple tent near the center of the merriment. I squint me eyes to read the sign.

A fortune teller?

Might be worth a look.

:30~

There is much music and dancing, wild laughter and play. Fog from the resent rains creeps along the ground by my feet. What catches my attention is a small, purple tent near the center of the merriment. I squint my eyes to read it.

A fortune teller?

Might be worth a look.

:30~

I enter the tent and hand the wizened crone a not that says that I cannot hear her. She smiles a toothless smile and asks with her hands if I can read lips. I tell her verbally that I can.

She be at least in her nineties, with a violet dress and golden jewelry. She gives off the same aura Star-Lover has, knowledgeable and power. I guess old things just do.

She tells me told hold out me palm and I do. She traces the lines and the scars over me fingers where many a fool, including meself, has tried to rip that sword from me arm. Her graceful, delicate, wrinkled hands trace the triforce symbol on the back a me hand.

She looks up and meets me gaze, "You have a twin and you will be meeting him soon."

I shake me head, "Me da already said I be an only child."

She smiles her knowing smile and says, "Your accent is strange, boy. I expect this twin of yours will walk between dimensions just to meet you."

:30~

I leave the tent shaking my head.

Multiple dimensions and twins. How silly!