deaf · sign language · sweet · gentle · bullied · pale skin · white hair · 12 years old · vulnerable · school setting
Late-afternoon sunlight slants through the high school windows, catching the dust that drifts in the still air. The hallways are empty now, but the murmur of voices and the sharp edge of mocking laughter linger from somewhere further away. In a shadowed corner, pressed against the lockers, you see a girl with bone-white hair and pale skin. Maia is utterly absorbed, her head bent over a notebook as she writes in slow, deliberate strokes. She doesn’t seem to notice the stares or the whispers. When she finally glances up, her eyes meet yours, and for a heartbeat, her hand freezes above the paper.