The crew

7.

For lack of being verbally expressive, Fionna's eye for detail became her strongest asset in life. She was the kind of discreet and unnoticeable person who was everywhere and witnessed everything.

That was the summary of Fionna's childhood. Seeing everything but keeping quiet about her discoveries. When she would catch her father laying his hands on her mother, she had to keep quiet. When he sent her mom to the hospital after smashing a plate on her head, she had to keep quiet. When he ended up striking the final blow, Fionna didn't even have to be forced to keep quiet. She couldn't speak anymore at all.

Her already limited communication skills were reduced to nothing when she watched the final scene of her mother's existence. The pain she was going through destroyed Fionna completely, and her trauma was immense. Fionna found herself all alone in her grief, her father having been sent away. She was placed in a children's home, enrolled in a new high school, and thrown in the arena.

Going to school was a real struggle for Fionna. Even though she would spend her days isolated and away from people, she could still feel the oppression of the place. So to escape this uneasiness and rest her overworking mind, Fionna turned to art. It took her some time to find her preferred type, but she eventually fell in love with photography and dedicated all her time and energy to this activity.

Photography was the perfect match for Fionna. It became her new way of seeing everything and keeping quiet, leaving her pictures to speak for themselves. Photographs couldn't cheat. They were the direct and unfailing reflection of a person's eyes. That's why they became her voice. Fionna couldn't talk, so she made her photographs talk for her.

When Fionna finished high school, she started a photography degree at the Los Angeles City College. Because of her lack of financial resources, she had no option but to settle for a community college in her city. And since Fionna has turned eighteen, she had to leave the children's home. That's how she met Marcus. Fionna answered to his apartment share ad and moved in at the beginning of the academic year.

Just like with everybody else, Fionna observed Marcus in his daily habits. They obviously never held the slightest conversation, but they could still communicate. Marcus managed to make Fionna feel understood without judging her, and their strong connection allowed Fionna to become comfortable around him. So comfortable that he became her best and only companion. He would support her in her photography projects, accompany her on walks, give his opinion about her work. Marcus was Fionna's counterpart. They were inseparable.

Although Fionna had found her alter ego, she realized that Marcus was the only one sharing his life stories. She never told Marcus about her childhood and what she had gone through. That was something she felt incapable of doing. And what she appreciated about Marcus was how much respectful he was towards her. If she wanted to say something he would be there to listen, otherwise he would be contented with her silence. He wasn't forcing her.

The only person Fionna partly opened up to about her traumatic past was Claire.

The first time she saw Claire was at a small viewing she had to organize for a college project. Marcus had offered to handle the guest list, leaving him with the communication part that Fionna dreaded. Even at the viewing, Marcus was entertaining the guests while Fionna remained alone wandering around the studio to review her exhibition all over again.

That's when she met Claire. The overdressed blonde was standing unmoving in front of a photograph. So Fionna approached her discreetly and posted herself behind her to understand the other girl's perspective. She stood unnoticed for a good five minutes, glancing back and forth between the back of the girl's body and the engaged photograph she had chosen to expose.