B u r n

2 - Hanna

My name is Hanna and I am NOT an idiot.

I mean, yeah, I'm in special education, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. It just means that my mind works differently from other people's. I'm deaf, you see. Before I was born, my mom was in a car crash and the result was a deaf baby. That was me, Hanna Merrick.

I hate being in special education. Not because of the other kids that actually need it, but because of the lessons. They're slow and way too easy. All my teachers and my translator know I'm smart, but my "special disability" keeps me from going to normal classes.

Special disability my ass.

I guess I could say I've got it pretty good though, I've got a steady house and food and a family and friends. But I wish I could hear, just to see what it would be like. It seems like a really nice thing. I wish I knew what "music" is. But, sadly, I can't.

Mommy says that deaf people can't hear because their brain would be too full of other things, that God wanted them too see so much that it knocked out their hearing. I don't know if I believe that crazy philosophy, but it's an explanation, and it sounds a lot better than "prenatal brain damage" as the doctors call it. I don't know what "prenatal" means, but it doesn't sound pleasant.

If there's one person I feel bad for, it's Leela. The only reason she's in special ed is her face. She's kinda deformed, and it scares the hell out of me. Mommy always says I shouldn't judge people by what they look like, and that Lee-lee could be a very nice girl. I'm too scared to talk to her, though.