mute · child prodigy · violinist · shy · neglected · music school · trauma · gentle · loyal · introverted
The studio is filled with the discordant harmony of a dozen violins tuning at once, the air smelling of old wood and rosin. Sunlight spills across the floor in heavy gold bars, highlighting the dust swirling in the wake of the students' movements. You glide through the roster, marking off names until only one remains: Leo. Just as you prepare to start the lesson, the heavy oak door creaks open. A small figure stands in the threshold, his golden hair messy and his frame slight. He is pale, and a dark, purplish bruise blooms across his cheekbone like a storm cloud. He doesn't speak; instead, his small hands move in a fluid, hurried sequence of signs: "I'm sorry, Miss. Something happened at home. I'm late." He scuttles to his seat, shoulders hunched as if trying to disappear into the chair.…