Muted

Humiliation

(Walsh's POV)

I walk slightly behind Morris, both of us approaching the front door of [Name]'s grandparent's house.
"This is the address she gave me. I'll ask the questions, alright." Morris states firmly, not letting me have any room to argue. I nod as she knocks on the door. The woman on the other side screams though a window.
"Come in, I'll be with ya in a second." Her tone was very antsy and rushed. We step inside and I close the door behind myself, listening to the woman's feet stomp down the hall. Her face was red and sweat was dripping down her cheeks.
"Are you Miss Nina?" She questions as she jerks her head at Morris.
"Yes, I am. And this is my friend Sam." Morris points at me, calling me by my first name. I wave, smiling.
"Howdy." I say, before I'm interrupted by the ever-so-grumpy Morris.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions about your granddaughter. Is there a place we can speak?" She's always the getting down to business kind of woman, but we don't have a set schedule to follow here.
"Ya, I do. Go ahead and sit in the livin' room. I'll be with you n a moment." The woman points to a room across from the entryway, where we are standing. She continues to walk down the hall into another room while Morris and I sit on the large sofa. The woman walks in with a dish rag, mopping up her sweat as she pulls over a wood chair. She sits down, sighing.
"So, what do you want to know?" She asks with the slightest hint that she was short of breathe.
"When did [Name] disappear? And was she kidnapped?"
"About five days ago, on Saturday. No, it would've been too much of a coincidence. She- she ran away."
"Do you have any clues on where she may have gone?"
"She went to the library often, but no one had scene her. It was the first place I went to hang up the fliers."
"How much area have you covered with the fliers? Where are they hung?"
"I drove around town and a few towns over, mostly in stores and other public places. I even put them in the trains! Im so desperate to find her... I just want to say I'm sorry." [Name]'s grandmother becomes a nervous wreak, her eyes glazing over as she begins to choke on her words. Morris nods quietly.
"What happened that made her runaway?" I speak out of turn, receiving a glare from my partner. She elbows me, growling.
"Samuel! Don't be rude."
"He's fine, Miss Nina. I expected to be asked something like that. She was blamed for stealing something very precious to me and my son and I ripped her room apart to find it. There was too much proof saying she was guilty, except she still denied it with all her heart. I only just figured out it was my son's plot to scare her off, I kicked him out at that moment." The room went quiet as Morris tries to find the right words to say.
"In the flier, you state that [Name] is a mute. How did she lose her voice?" Morris's eye narrow at [Name]'s grandmother.

"Remember what I said about my son? Well, let me tell you how else that asshole ruined her life."

~•~•~

(Cry's POV)

'Man, I really need to fluff these couch cushions. How could [Name] spend five nights asleep on this thing? Well, I guess she slept four nights, she was knock out cold for the first one...' I reach my arms out, stretching. Flopping my arms back down to my sides, I look around the room to see Scott asleep on the air mattress with his blanket wadded around his ankles and Snake in a sleeping bag on the floor, laying perfectly straight like he's dead in a coffin. The room was very warm as I push the blanket off of me, standing up quietly; waking Snake to moment my feet hit the floor. He didn't open his eyes, but his slight snoring stopped. I moved to the kitchen like any perfectly normal day. I down a glass of water in one gulp, then splash some water on my face to cool off. Snake stands up, immediately stuffing the sleeping bag and setting on the couch. He follows my same route to the kitchen, sitting on the bar stool.
"Was it too hot for you last night too?" He asks looking at me. I look myself up and down.
"Yea, it was. I took my shirt off because I was overheating. Looks like I wasn't the only one with that idea." I jerk my head at Jund's entangled limbs and at Snake. None of us had shirts on, oh well not like any of us care.
"Hungry?" I look towards the fridge, aiming my question at him.
"What'cha got?" Snake nods, quietly asking. I dig through the cabinets and fridge drawers.
"Where'd all the cereal go? I bought two bags."
"We ate it all last night, because no one thought of cooking dinner." Scott speaks as he untangles the blanket from his ankles.
"Really?" I ask with wide eyes, I don't remember being hungry nor ever eating dinner, weird. "Well, what else do I have."
"What do you have for dinner? I'm not craving toast or eggs." Jund complains, sitting on the stool next to Snake.
"He's got tons of raw vegetables." I widen my eyes as Snake answers the question for me. "I can see them from here." He calmly explains as if it is entirely obvious.
"What can we make with that?" Scott mutters sleepily.
"Hmm... I can make a pretty mean stir fry." I throw the idea out to them.
"Sounds good, lets do it." Jund slaps his hands down on the counter, standing up. Snake just nods.