The Silent Child

Chapter One

                The silent child stood in the kitchen. People surrounded her and talked with each other.  It was her father who brought the silent child to silence. Of course, he didn’t know that. She wouldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t tell anyone. She wouldn’t speak hence the name ‘the silent child’. Her true name was Claire. Claire Clark, known around town as the girl who never spoke. She hasn’t in two years. Ever since her mother passed two years ago and her father brought in that sorry excuse for a replacement. Genevieve Aniston was her name and Claire hated her. Her mother would have told her that hate was a strong word, but right now she didn’t care. Hate was the perfect word to use.

                “Where is your sister?” Claire narrowed her eyes as she heard the high ranged voice coming from her vent. The devil has arrived. Claire didn’t move from her bed as she laid there and stared at her ceiling. Her hair spread all around her. Her long thick locks that came from her mother. It was all she had left to remember her favorite person by.

                “Oh up in her room. I’ll go see if she wants to come down and say hello.” That was Claire’s sister’s voice. Aaliyah, her used to be best friend. Aaliyah’s footsteps came softly up the steps and sooner than expected Claire heard a soft knock on her door,

                “Claire?” Aaliyah waited, but of course there was no answer. So she continued “Genevieve is here. You should come down and say hello to her.” Again Claire’s older sister waited for a response from her silent sister, but as she expected she got only silence. “Please Claire, at least think about it.” Than Claire heard her sister’s retreating footsteps.  Claire didn’t move. She stayed in her position on her bed. She tried to block out the conversation that wandered through her vent.

                Claire was used to her life by now. Her father and sister would come up and beg her to speak to them. Just a sentence so they know she can talk and her voice box wasn’t injured. Claire just laughed inside her head when that happened. They were just trying to bribe her with guilt. Her father even sent Genevieve up once thinking Claire needed a ‘motherly’ figure to help her. That just filled Claire with disgust. Obviously her father did not see the reason why she wasn’t talking. They all thought it was sadness that overcomes her from the loss of her mother, that was surly part of it, but it wasn’t the whole part. There was another reason that Claire would not uncover.

                It was true Claire missed her mother. She missed her more than anything. She would do anything to just get her back for a day, or maybe just a few hours, but Claire knew that was never going to happen. She still remembered that cold night when her father got the call. The call that marked the end of Cara Clark’s life. Claire has never been the same since. No one knew why after two years the young child still hasn’t spoken. Her father brought in a woman that was 6 years older than Claire’s older sister, Aaliyah, who was just 17. Her father was 43 and her step-mother-to-be was but 23. It sickened Claire; not only by the age, but that he brought this woman in two weeks after their mother’s funeral! It just was not right at all.

                “Aaliyah, have you talked to your father about taking Claire to see a counselor?” That was Genevieve’s voice. It was sickly sweet and made Claire want to cover her ears. Claire could here Aaliyah’s sigh from the vent next to her bed. This was her way of spying on her family when they spoke of her, which was quite often.

                “We tried one. It was no help though. She wouldn’t say a word to the women. The women said she just needed time, of course we have had anything but time. I’m just so worried about her. SI she really that upset about our mother?” Of course she was! How could Aaliyah not be to? Claire lay up in her bed and think things of her sister that 7 year old girls shouldn’t even know the meaning of.

                “Of course she is Lia. Every little girl is upset when a parent dies. You were upset were you not?” Aaliyah used to hate being called Lia. That’s another change Genevieve brought on. Aaliyah always was known as Ally. Claire missed those days when her sister used to be picky about her name. Claire missed a lot of things that would never return as long as Genevieve was in the picture.

                “Yes, I was very upset, but I still spoke. Claire must know that she can’t hide like this her whole life. She has no friends at school because she won’t speak to anyone. Dad is torn up from her and I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m ready just to give up. I just can’t handle this anymore.” Claire widened her eyes at the sound of her sisters voice. She was series. Aaliyah has never been one to give up on anything. Never once in her life did Claire ever hear her sister give up on anything, sports, grades, dances, anything. That was the first time Claire ever heard those words spoken from her sister and she actually meaning it!

                “Maybe I could try talking to her again?” NO! Claire didn’t want that. That was the last thing she wanted actually.

                “Oh no Gena, really Claire will come down if she wants to. We have tried everything there is nothing else we can do. All we can do is wait.” Claire lay there waiting for the witch’s answer, but none came, instead it was her fathers.

                “Gena darling! Welcome, so sorry I came in late. They kept me late.” Claire could practically picture the two kissed he was planting on her cheeks. It made her sick, but only because it was the very thing he used to do to my mother when she got home. All Claire could do was think why? Why did he have to do this to her? Why did he have to do this to my mother? His first love. Yes It’s true Claire’s mother was his first love, his high school sweetheart as they used to tell Aaliyah and Claire. As they held Claire on one of their laps and Ally on 13 kneeled in front of them next to the fireplace, the orange/red flame flickering up warming them all. They told about how they were voted best high school couple and showed pictures from there homecoming and prom. It really truly was magical to Claire back then, but that was all shattered now. What was a mere 7 year old child do?

                “I’ll just go get Claire and we can all sit down and eat.” Dinner. One of the most awkward times of day for Claire. Everyone around her was talking loud enough to miss a fire alarm, well to Claire at least. She didn’t speak one work though, didn’t make one sound. Even her chewing, unlike most young children like herself, was silent. The Silent Child. One would think Claire would get used to the silence, but she didn’t she loved it actually! It proved people a lesson. A lesson that Claire Clark, better known as the silent child will share as she tells her amazing story.

Hey! So I replaced Ice Escape with this. I really like my idea for this story. It’s really different than Fate is Just a Word and Every Rose Has It’s Thorn so I hope you like this a lot J Anyway! The next chapter will be up sooner or later. I am going to try and make this story with long chapters! Enjoy!

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Liss~