I Can't Hear You

Chapter 1

Layla's POV

I sighed as I stared at the T.V. reading the captions as they appeared on the screen. I felt the vibrations of the floor as someone walked towards me. I looked up to see my mom glaring down at me. She looked pissed.

"Why the hell is there a C on your report card, Layla?" She signed angrily at me.

"I don't know, maybe because that teacher is an absolute idiot who never actually teaches us anything. He just sits at his desk, doing absolutely nothing." I signed. In this moment, I'm glad I'm deaf, because if I wasn't my mother would be screaming at me.

Before I knew what was happening, I was being dragged across the house by my arm. I let out a small whimper, or at least tried to considering my vocal cords didn't always work. I was pulled down the stairs leading to the basement and was thrown onto the crusty, old mattress on the floor.

"You don't get to talk to me like that!" I read her lips as she yelled. "Your father will deal with you when he gets home." She signed before storming out of the basement. I felt the vibrations from the door being slammed shut. I got up and ran up the stairs and pulled on the door, only to find out it was locked.

I sighed as I stomped down the stairs, sitting on one of the boxes. I wasn't going to sit on that disgusting mattress; it was molding and had dead bugs covering it. I don't know how long I sat there before light shown down from upstairs. My father appeared in front of me, looking pissed. His facial expression gave nothing away, his eyes did. Instead of their normal forest green, they were pitch black. I shrunk back into the boxes surrounding me as I watched my father sign.

"Your mother told me you got a C on your report card. Is this true?" He signed angrily. I nodded slightly, not really looking at him, only his hands. I didn't want to look him in the eyes.

A sharp pain shot through the back of my head as I started to see little black spots clouding the edges of my vision. My father then grabbed me by my hair and threw me onto the cold, cement floor. He continued by repeatedly kicking me in my stomach until I could no longer breathe. He pulled me up by my hair again and I read his lips as he spoke.

"You will stay down here until you can learn some respect!" Even though I couldn't hear him, I knew he was shouting. "I wish you had never been born." He threw back down, my head making contact with the cement, then stormed back upstairs.

I laid there coughing, completely shell shocked about what had just happened. My dad had never hit me or abused me. Just yesterday, we were laughing and talking. I curled into a ball on the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees, and cried.

I hope it will get better, I thought to myself.

But it didn't.

The next three years of my life were a living hell. I was turned into a slave by my own parents. I was constantly beaten for even the simplest of things.

Until, one day, something happened. Something that I didn't realize would change my life.

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I felt a small shock come from the collar on my neck, signalling me that one of my parents wanted me. Because I couldn't hear their calls, they decided to get me a shock collar. It wasn't too bad of a shock, just a little jolt to alert me. I walked up the stairs from the basement quickly.

"Yes, mother?" I signed, standing in front of her. I could smell the alcohol rolling off her in waves.

"Get me another drink." She said, waving her empty cup at me. I quickly walked to the kitchen, pouring her drink and adding ice. While walking back, a sharp pain shot through my whole body. I gasped as I fell to the floor, my entire body submerged in pain.