A Silent Society - MPHFPC

Patterns Were Traced

My few belongings rattle around in a suitcase that is so small one of the buckles has snapped off due to the impending pressure within the case,
Today, just as I was told to expect for my time here, is dark and gloomy as the fog sits over the small town I have just arrived in.
Now, I did not come here simply because I am able too, I have a purpose.. at least that's what Miss Avocet told me on the ferry ride here.
My name is Noelle, boring, pathetic with not much to it, And while I insisted on going by myself.. Miss Avocet can be quite stubborn when it comes to the protection of the children in her care; I say children, but really I am of legal age and on the very cusp of adulthood.

Miss Avocet didn't want to overwhelm me to quickly by shoving me into my new home with an unfamiliar carer and leaving, so she organised for me to stay with her at a hotel for the first night (which seems to double as an old pub right in the heart of this miniature town..) For tomorrow is the day I inevitably meet my new headmistress and carer.
As Miss Avocet offers to carry my embarrassingly small suit case up to my hotel room, I shift away from her and scribble in my almost finished and falling apart notebook before handing it to her, watching and observing timidly as she reads through my messy cursive handwriting: "I'll hang on to it Miss Avocet, it has to be handled a certain way or else it will break more than it already has" -
I see her smile and nod approvingly, providing me the reassurance through her body language that I'm more than okay to deny or reject an offer so simple, though I still feel ghastly for it, and I feel even worse not being able to use my voice like everyone else would.

Once I am inside my hotel room all I can think to do is write, all I do is write, in my whole 20 years of life, the thing I have found the most satisfaction in is my writing.
I sit in my hotel bed, wrapped tight within the disgusting, yellowing sheets that smell of must and soot, I wouldn't be surprised if the mould spores invaded my body as I slept-
This room.. the cracks in the walls and the familiar smell of wet carpet from leaking rain water disgust me,
And it makes me wonder what my new home will be like, will I merely exist in this new home, or will I actually be living in it?
These are the things I write about, and my diary heard all about the fear and uncertainty I felt during that night.

———————————
"My Dear Noelle, remember what we talked about? That you are safe here with Miss Peregrine?" Miss Avocet says as we approach the door of a beautiful house, her voice is soft and sweet as she talks to me.. yet all I can focus on is the tranquility and calmness of this newfound environment that I have walked into.
Miss Avocet has been preparing me all morning to meet this woman, and to say that I am terrified is an understatement.
As she talks to me, she waits patiently for me to be comfortable ringing the bell, but of course that was cut short by the door quickly opening, and a classy woman whom was taller than both of us emerging out onto the porch to greet Miss Avocet and I.
As the door opened I had flinched a little and subconsciously shifted a behind Miss Avocet,
I must look so weak.

"Right on time!" The woman I now understand to be Miss Peregrine exclaims happily, trying to make eye contact with me, this scene induces a small smile out of Miss Avocet whilst I remained safely tucked away at a distance -
"Miss Peregrine, delighted to meet you! You must be Noelle, correct? We've been expecting you my dear!" She says, her voice is kind and warm as she extends her hand to mine, her nails closely resemble the talons of a bird.
I move back a little and hide my face as I feel my cheeks flare a rosy hue.
"Oh my... bashful are we?" She smiles and lets out a little chuckle as the pipe at the corner of her mouth releases a bout of smoke into the air. She seems to be in awe of the quiet girl in front of her.

"She is quite shy.. aren't you my sweet?" Miss avocet says lovingly, speaking on behalf of me and trying to make me feel included.
"Noelle here has selective mutism.. she's just a little scared as all" Miss Avocet explains kindly, a hand on my shoulder.
"Oh.. Dearie.. it is perfectly alright, I assure you that you are indeed safe to speak on your own terms, or to stay silent if you so desire. Either way it is my job to make you feel presently welcome here in this home" Miss Peregrine says softly and sweetly to me, getting a sense of what tone I best respond to, she's incredibly polite and rather charming.