Without a Sound

Celia, Gerard, and Adam led Mikey and I to the dining room. The table was already set, and it looked like they were trying to feed fifteen giants instead of four adults and a child.

Seeing the look on my face, Celia laughed. “Honestly, Charlotte. Will food in large quantities ever cease to amaze you? We eat a lot, but not this much. You can take home the leftovers.”

I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. I recognized all the food. Salad, yams, mashed potatoes, steak, green beans, pumpkin pie… Somehow I knew that normal people from whatever time I was from didn’t eat that much on a regular basis. “Is it a holiday?” I asked, not believing there could be any other reason for it. Acknowledging what season it was, I added, “Easter?”

Gerard smirked, saying, “No, you just missed Easter, unfortunately. We had leftovers for a week. Celia just didn’t want you to think she’s a bad hostess.”

I opened my mouth to defend her.

Before I could say anything, Celia exclaimed, “Of course I wouldn’t want you to think that! However, not only do I want to keep my reputation, but I kind of wanted this to be a welcome… into our little family.”

I was speechless. I felt like my heart was forcing its way up mu throat. They were being way nicer than I deserved after barging in on them before, and Celia even sounded like she sincerely like me. “Thank you,” I finally managed to choke out.

She nodded dismissively, and we all sat down. Gerard even smiled at me. I noticed that Mikey seemed a little stiff. He didn’t look angry or even upset in the least, but I thought I detected a pinprick of discomfort. I had no idea what was up.

The food tasted even better than it looked, if that was even possible. Everything was sweet or salty just where it was supposed to be. I let Celia know, and she just laughed.

Gerard grinned and looked at her adoringly. I felt that strange feeling I didn’t know or appreciate that much: envy. Not because Gerard loved her, but I was jealous of the love in itself.

Adam was surprisingly quiet. Even though most of the time he acted like a six-year-old, there were certain moments when I detected something else. There were specific times when there seemed to be something… older about him. He was not exactly more mature; it was more like he was more grown up.

Once I caught Mikey looking at him. Really looking at him. I realized Adam was about the same age as Sylvia was when she was killed. I wondered it that bothered Mikey at all. I think maybe it did, but I doubted he would ever admit it.

When we were finally finished eating, wrapping up the leftovers, and clearing the dishes, we all filed into the family room. This included little Adam. But I seemed to detect that some things couldn’t be discussed around him. Apparently he was too young.

After a few minutes Celia sent him to go take a shower. He pouted, but he didn’t argue like I would’ve expected him to. He was amazingly well behaved.

Once he was gone, though, it seemed like nobody knew what to say first. “He’s adorable,” I said to break the silence.

“Thank you,” she replied, looking very appreciative.

“How old is he exactly?” I asked out loud, wondering how close to Sylvia’s age he was.

“Six years old.” I was surprised that Gerard was the one to answer. “Well, I guess he’s closer to seven now,” he admitted with a troubled expression. Was the asking himself why children got so old so fast?

I nodded, making an effort not to look at Mikey. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the expression on his face.

Celia leaned forward in the chair she was sitting in and asked curiously, “How old are you exactly, Charlotte?”

I raised my eyebrows. “If I recall correctly, it’s impolite to ask that,” I answered jokingly. “Is it still that way?”

Celia blushed deeply, and I felt bad. “Well, yes,” she stuttered, “but I was just wondering, I didn’t mean to –”

“It’s alright,” I assured her. I held up my finger as a gesture for them to wait, and they all watched me close my eyes tightly. Think, I told myself. Come on, I know this. I know how old I am! When my little pep talk to myself didn’t work, I started saying number out loud, hoping I’d know the right number if I said it.

“Twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, twenty six, twenty seven.” My eyes shot open. “Twenty seven! I think I’m twenty seven.”

None of them said anything for a long time. Mikey was looking at his feet, Gerard was looking at Mikey, and Celia was still looking at me. At last, she nodded. “Do you have any idea how old you are technically?”

“Not a clue,” I admitted honestly. “But since we’re sharing ages…”

“Physically, I’m thirty one,” she answered without complaint. “Technically, I’m almost forty eight,” she whispered to me inconspicuously with her hand over her mouth.

“I’m thirty two and almost forty nine,” Gerard put in, nodding to me.

We all looked at Mikey, who had taken his seat right next to me. He looked deep into my eyes before he muttered, “I’m twenty eight and forty five years old. I think that technically, Charlotte, you are between seventy and ninety years old, but I’m not really sure.”

I nodded. Deciding this was the right time, I turned to Celia. “Thank you so much for finding me and taking care of me until Mikey got home,” I said gratefully.

Celia rolled her eyes. “You’re welcome. Really, it was no problem. I don’t know if you need as much ‘taking care of’ as Mikey thinks.”

He glared at her playfully.

I ignored their staring competition and glanced at Gerard. This was going to be a little bit harder. “And thank you, Gerard,” I began, “For going to get Mikey.”

Mikey nodded at Gerard like he was thanking him too.

Gerard didn’t respond at first. I think he was looking for the right words to say. “It was my pleasure, really. You two are worth it.”

So the ice had officially been broken. Even Mikey looked more at ease.