Sealed | ✔️ | Dialogue Story

39 | Voice

Sienna | Eric

Yo, you're still alive?

... I'm not even going to answer that question

But if you didn't, I would think you were dead and as a result I would not bother come find you in campus.

You're going to come find me?

Sure, but I'm coming with about 100 other people.

What?

Heheh the Music Department is going to come raid your Arts Department.

WhAT??!

Get prepared Erikpee, we're going to annoy the hell out of you guys ;)

Eric turned off his phone knowing that it would take a good 10 min for the music department to come across. But that didn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he thought about Sienna in the music department.

He remembered the first few times they had started texting, where he found out that Sienna hated music, singing and everything to do with that as a result of her being mute. But he also remembered that feeling of utopia when he heard her voice for the first time; a miracle that even the speech pathologists found hard to believe.

He had told her once how much he wanted to hear her voice and that seemed to be the beginning of everything.

They went everywhere after that. Eric would read every speech pathology article or book he could find in hopes for finding a method that they hadn't tried before. He would watch as Sienna formed silent words with her mouth but no matter how many times she tried, the words never made a sound.

And then suddenly in their final year of high school it was as if God heard their prayers. Sienna had woken with an audible gasp, a gasp that seemed as if it could form words, a sound. She had texted Eric immediately, calling him over to their house much to Leo's dismay and with Eric's help started forming a words from that day on.

Her voice was like sandpaper, rough, dry and unsteady. It was only one word she had said but that night called for the biggest celebration that they could manage. In his delight, Eric invited his family; the triplets Katie, Mary and Jane and his guardians Aunt Ann and Uncle Bob. Leo on the other hand called over their relatives and his workers at the shop.

At that time Eric learnt of the trauma that had caused Sienna to lose her voice. Once he had found out from Leo that Sienna had not been born mute, he had assumed it was from the stress and anxiety that came with her anorexia and desire to keep up with appearances but it was more than that. The sibling's parents had died in a car crash when Sienna was but four years old. She had experienced the accident after being picked up from daycare and when their parents were on their way to pick up Leo from school. She didn't remember most of the accident but from that day onwards she had stopped speaking and laughing.

Eric was jolted out of his thoughts by the slight buzz that reverberated off his table and through his body.

Ayy, we're almost there :)

His eyes widened as he realised that a good 5 minutes had passed.

Stay away, don't come any closer!

No.

Wait why?

Uhh... let me go out to get you.

Eric leapt off his chair and hurried out of the boy's dorm. He had let himself grow careless with the 10 minutes he had and had spent most of it daydreaming.

He found himself running through the corridors of the art department, fingering with a small box at the bottom of his jacket pocket. As he reached his destination, he took a moment to calm himself down, wiping off his sweat and smoothing out the creases in his clothes. He pulled out the bundle of flowers that he had bought earlier that morning and kept in his locker. From there he walked to where Sienna would be.

---

"Eric!" Sienna cried.

She wore her usual long skirt but Eric could definitely see the changes on her body. She had long since recovered from her anorexia and from overusing her dieting pills. Her arms were no longer pointed and bony but instead a healthy round shape and she delighted in showing this off by wearing a tank top with her skirt. She waved her arm in the air as she called his name again.

Eric faintly smiled remembering how Sienna's first word was his name "Eric".

She jogged up to him as he awkwardly tried to stand in a position that hid the flowers. Looking around, it really did seem Sienna had brought around 100 people. They stood in their own little cliques but started breaking away towards the inside of the Arts Department as they met Eric's eye.

Everyone on campus knew of the genius boy Eric Perez and his outspoken girlfriend Sienna Park and from their point of view, they could see the flowers and knew what he wanted.

Eric internally groaned.

Why did Sienna have to bring 100 people?

It was as if the heavens wanted to prolong his embarrassment.

He was about to do something he before never thought would happen. But he as doing it now and he brought out the flowers and pulled out the box.

"Yo Sienna... uhh... well, will you marry me?"

And she was speechless for a second before glaring into Eric's eyes and blushing. Both of them had grown conscious of the people that watched them.

"Well?" Eric muttered hopefully.

Sienna took a step forward, slightly punching his shoulder as she leaned in towards him.

"What's with this crowd? Did you plan this? Wait but I brought them..."

She sighed internally wishing that Eric had picked a more appropriate time and place before whispering her reply.

"Of course it's a yes!"