The Pretend Mute

I

Since when did anyone care what happened in my life? My name doesn't matter, my face is unrecognizable, and no one even knows that I can speak. The reason behind it all? I, Kira Daniels, am a pretend mute. I was in a wreck. No one knows what I look like. No one knows my name. Even if they did know it at some point, they forgot it. I am the weird kid in the corner. The one who doesn't hear, doesn't speak. But I do hear. I hear all of it. And maybe I don't speak to them. Or ever, out loud. But they wouldn't know the difference. They wouldn't recognize my face. Or my voice. And they wouldn't remember my name.

No one knows me. No one cares about me. I'm the orphan girl who always writes but never speaks. I'm the girl who speaks. And sings. And draws. And writes. For no one else to see. Because that is just what I do. It's expected of me.
~*~
"What are you looking at, you stupid freak?"
Those are the words I hear every single time someone else runs into me. My reply? Silence. The problem? People want a response. And it takes strength to avoid giving them what they want. The unexpected part is when I hear, "hey, are you alright? I saw that guy yelling at you; it wasn't even your fault. Here, come sit with me and my friends at lunch. My name is Alex, what's yours?"
Kira. But he won't ever know that. Because he is met with silence. He hesitates before, "look, come sit with us alright? You don't have to talk or anything. I just want to make sure you're okay."
This boy doesn't even know if we have the same lunch wave! Why is he so adamant on talking to me? Why must he ask me to sit with him at lunch? I'm not supposed to matter!! "Look, I'm not taking no for an answer, I've seen you sit two tables away, alone, every day for the past week."
Oh yeah. We don't have lunch waves at this school. And I've been sitting alone every day since school started four months ago. In the exact same seat. Because everyone that I cared about, everyone that cared about me, is dead. I don't sit with the other girls; they don't even know my name. Heck, the woman that owns the orphanage doesn't even know my name.