Whisper's Deception

Screaming Silence

November 1918

Preble, Ohio

Darren had never liked how his last name translated to flowers; it was unmasculine. But Bella always saw the beauty of it; she saw the beauty in everything and everyone, unlike her brother. To have the surname Flores be a part of her was almost sacred. It was the last link to her father, who would not be in the parade today. Thousands gathered outside to carry the American flag and toss confetti for the returning veterans. The Great War was finally over, and the lucky families hugged their returning heroes. Bella still knew her father was a hero, even though he could not return to her. If she had learned anything, she had learned that each time someone left her life story, someone new entered.

Bella peered out the window watching the hoards of people march by. She tried to be happy for them, but she couldn't shake the burning feeling of jealousy. The frayed curtains swung back to cover the sunny scene as she and turned back to the dark house. Her brother sat on the floor doodling in his notepad. The two of them tried their hardest to act as if it was just another day, but they both knew that their mother was crying in her room.

Bella tiptoed past Darren and peered over his shoulder, watching his pencil leave light grey streaks across the page. He turned around and peered up at his older sister. "What's the matter, Bell?"

"Nothing, I just enjoy watching you draw."

"You're blocking my light."

Bella stepped to the side. "Sorry..."

His pencil hovered above the page, frozen as if Bella was preventing him from thinking. "You can go now."

Bella playfully kicked his ankle and headed towards her room, choosing to ignore Darren's fake winces of pain. She retreated to her room, the corner of the house she had to herself. She closed the door and started humming to distract her from the fact that the house was awfully silent. She smiled at her small pepper plant on her windowsill; the small life form depended on her, even if no one else did. She got on her knees so she was eye level with the plant. "Hello lovely, you're doing great! Spring will come in no time, just you wait."

She sat on her bed and immediately started humming again to push away the cold silence. The house never used to be dead silent; father would keep it alive. In his absence the house felt empty; she wondered if maybe she truly was alone. The ringing in her ears drove her mad. She opened a window despite the chill it brought inside and listened to the outside world. The band played, the firetrucks honked, the crowd cheered. She longed to be out there, searching for her father among the others.

Maybe she could be.

The floors creaked as Bella crossed the hall to the master bedroom. She hesitated before knocking on the door, afraid of the mess she might be walking into, but persisted anyway. At first, the only response was the sound of another tissue being pulled from the box. Her mother cleared her throat. "Yes?"

"Mother, what time will we be having dinner?" She held her breath listening for a response.

"In two hours I suppose."

"Alright."

And with that, she dashed downstairs and put on her coat. Darren turned around and squinted at Bella in confusion. "If Mother asks," she said, "tell her I've gone down to the neighbors'." Before he could interrogate her, she had silently slipped out the door. The chill from the November air was a shocking change from being inside for so long; it blew through her bones, waking her up. It felt like a refreshing splash of clean air after weeks of suffocating.

Beyond the driveway was an entirely different world. So many sounds filled the air; one would have to yell to speak to the person next to them.

It felt like there were millions of men in long coats and women with fuzzy hats. She squeezed past the crowd and almost got whacked with a sign that said 'Welcome Home Doughboys'. She slid between the cracks in the crowd until she reached an empty space outside the post office. A handsome man sat alone on a bench under the dormant tree, and he looked lost in thought. A single strand of his straight black hair swayed slightly with the breeze where the hair gel missed. In the town of chaos, he was a silent shadow. Without knowing, she was suddenly sitting next to him, but off to the side so an awkward air bubble floated between them. She glanced at him and quickly looked at the sky so he wouldn't catch her eyes drinking in his complexion. A small clunk averted her eyes to the ground to see a pipe roll across the grass and stop at her feet.

"Sorry, that's mine." Now the man had a voice to match his dark figure. "Well, not technically, it's my uncle's...I don't smoke."

She handed it back to him shyly.

His hollow expression lit up when locked eyes with Bella. He held out his hand for a handshake, the only proper introduction.

"I'm Murad." His attempt at a friendly smile came out as more of an awkward smirk. As if his face muscles weren't used to forming a smile.

"Nice to meet you," Bella said. "I'm Bella."

"Bella, that's cute. My first kitten's name was Bella Bean."

She chuckled and stared down at her shoes, not sure how to act. "Do you live around here?"

He nodded. "I recently moved here with my uncle. I'm working at the post office, for now, it's pretty boring. Not the town, I mean...just my job."

"No it's okay; this town is usually boring. Well, it was until recently, you know? But yeah, I've lived here my whole life."

When she glanced back at him, he hadn't averted his gaze.

"What?" She asked curiously.

He shrugged but still stared at her.

"There's something about your eyes... they're...sad. I don't know I can just see...nevermind."

How could this stranger see right through her?

"Maybe you're right, but they're simply eyes, nothing special."

"Pardon me if I'm being intrusive or weird, I just tend to notice these things."

He removed his hands from his pockets to glance at his pocket watch and shoved his hands back quickly to the warmth. "I should be off now. I'll meet you here tomorrow same time."

He wanted what? Maybe she misheard him.

"Wait. Come again?"

She was too quiet, and now he was already lost to the sea of strangers.

Bella snuck back inside, expecting rage from her mother, but returned to a static hollow household. Darren was draped across the couch from an exhausting day of coloring. She grabbed a handful of crackers, figuring that would be enough. She wouldn't bug her mother any more about supper; she knew better.