Deaf Thoughts

Chapter 1

　It was the day before the move, and I had many doubts in my mind for some reason. I was extremely excited but I was worried. So many seeds of doubt sprouted in my mind that I just couldn't shake. I decided to think of the pros and cons of the situation, which would determine if I should just call everything off. I thought for a moment, and the cons kept rolling in, yet the pros of the situation pushed the cons aside.

　'You haven't been there since high school, Japan probably changed a lot.'

　'But what about our family?'

　'What if they aren't there anymore?'

　'We are going to Japan for a reason! We want to hear the beautiful sounds of Japan, the wondrous music, the townspeople chattering away, we want to hear our friend's and family's voices again! We want to hear our siblings' voices, their laughter, what's happened to them while we've been gone! We're going to Japan and that's final!' My brain argued forcefully, winning the debate in the end.

　I finished the rest of my half-eaten Pocky, closing and putting the small Pocky bag into the trash can that came with the hotel room. I paused the anime that I was watching and closed my laptop. After brushing my teeth and changing into my nightclothes, I climbed into bed. I turned off the light, rolling onto my side to get comfortable. For the rest of the night, I tossed and turned, not getting a wink of sleep.

　Suddenly, I heard something. Ringing. Extremely loud ringing in my ears. It lasted for about one or two minutes before there was utter silence once again. I thought back to the argument between Daisy and me, almost tearing up because she was my best friend until that fight.

　I couldn't imagine that she would be so okay with me just up and leaving as I did. I thought she would try to stop me from going alone at the very least. I didn't expect her to scoff and brush it off as she did. It was heartbreaking to know that she could be fine with losing a friend. I know for sure that I wasn't, but I was stubborn and wasn't going to turn back now that I knew that she just brushed me off like it was nothing.

　A tear welled up in my eye as I thought of Daisy, but just as quickly as it came, it went away quickly. I shook my head and decided it would be a good time to get some sleep. I needed rest for tomorrow, it was a big day so I knew that I would need all of the energy I could get. I sighed, rolling onto my back once more to stare at the ceiling. Within a few minutes, I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.

　　　　　　　　　 • • •

　I yawned as my alarm went off loudly. My arm automatically reached over to my phone and turned off the alarm after I tapped the screen multiple times. I groaned, shoving the sheets off of my slim body. I grabbed my phone, turning it on to see that it was four in the morning. I almost went back to sleep when I realized that the flight to Kyoto would leave at ten a.m.

　I leaped out of bed, excited for the trip, but anxious that I would miss the flight. Though I was sluggish and tired, I managed to wobble to the bathroom to do my business. A few minutes after I had showered, brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, and put some deodorant on, I packed what I brought into a separate compartment in my rather large suitcase. I put on a new pair of nice clothes, put my hair into a half-up half-down style, grabbed my suitcase, and raced downstairs, making sure to lock the door behind me. As soon as I reached the downstairs area, I saw a tired-looking clerk standing at the front desk.

　"Hello! I'm sorry, I hate to be a bother, but I'm checking out now," I declared, my voice unknowingly sounding desperate and in a rush.

　The clerk immediately got shook up as I ran to the front desk. The poor boy struggled to get me checked out. He held his hand out, patiently waiting for me to get my debit card out to pay the fees.