Three years ago, on a cold december evening, Sophia decided she would never talk to anyone ever again.

It became a pivotal part of who she was, and it had caused few qualms over the years, besides the occasional new student or teacher. She could write down an explanation and they would hastily apologize, never to talk to her again. In fact, since she had moved to the cozy and small town with her foster parents, she had made no friends. But friends had never been a huge deal to Sophie anyway. They weren't necessary.

It was easier like this, being alone. She didn't have to go to therapy or tell her foster parents how she felt. No one had to know about the memories or the flashbacks or the screams. She could smile and pretend she was fine. It could all stay inside of her, just how she liked it.

Sophie was fine.

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Amelia was not fine.

She didn't understand - no, couldn't understand - why she had no friends. She was outgoing and full of a plethora of facts. She was bubbly and friendly and talkative. So why did she feel so alone? No one at school seemed to want to talk to her. No one wanted to know what she had to say.

And she had so much she wanted to say. She soaked up information like a sponge, writing almost all of it into her journal. She was inquisitive and full of energy. Her journals were chock full of notes about nearly everyone in her grade(almost all good things!).

One student she had her eye on was Sophie, an utter mystery since she had moved to Amelia's quiet town about a year ago. Rumors spread through the village like wildfire when she arrived. People say she couldn't talk, others say she just refused to, some seemed to think her mad and still others pitied her. No one was quite sure where she came from or what had happened to her though, and the nice couple who had taken her in didn't seem to keen to answer all the town's questions.

Amelia, on the other hand, was sure she could force it out of the young girl herself. She had learned a smidge of sign language just in case she needed it! Sophie was an oddity, and one that this redhead planned to figure out.

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