Silent

By lunchtime, Silas was just about ready to throw the towel in and go home. All his classes to date were complete and utter wastes of time. Not to mention boring. The calculus they taught was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago, as was the Spanish class that Thea had insisted he take with her. His biology class was just a boring repetition of his earlier years of education, with a few pieces of new science thrown in. And Violet hadn’t been in a single one.

He had hoped that the two of them would have more than one class in common, to give him another chance to make her talk, considering his first attempt had failed so horribly.

Why won’t she talk to me? He fumed to himself. Was she a mute, perhaps? No, he didn’t think so. He knew she could talk, he didn’t know how, but he knew. He just didn’t know why she wouldn’t. Perhaps it was a social thing? Maybe she was socially impaired?

He was deep in thought as he made his way to the cafeteria to meet up with Thea and Alistair, almost walking straight past them. It wasn’t until Alistair tugged on his coat that his train of thought was derailed, pulling him back to the present.

“Sorry,” He grinned sheepishly, as his friends rolled their eyes. “I didn’t see you.”

“You were thinking about that girl, weren’t you?” Thea huffed.

“No…” The young mage replied. The others stared at him pointedly. “…Maybe.”

Alistair shook his head.

“Why?! What’s so special about her?”

Silas shrugged casually, staring down at the floor.

“I don’t know.”

Thea rolled her eyes again.

“Well, while you’re figuring that out, I’m getting something to eat, I’m starving.”

Pushing his thoughts aside for the time being, the three of them walked into the cafeteria and joined the lengthy queue of students. As they waited in line, Silas’ thoughts drifted back to Violet, as he gazed around the cafeteria. He spotted her at the door of the cafeteria, a container of some home-made lunch clasped in her hands, and watched as she made her way through the tables. He noticed that she deliberately avoided the table where Natalia and her posse sat, instead making an almost direct beeline for a table in the very back corner of the room, closest to the windows.

The table was empty, but for two other students sitting at one end, chatting nonchalantly while they ate. When Violet reached the table, she greeted them with a small wave, before sitting at the opposite end of the table by herself. The two students returned her greeting and continued their conversation. Occasionally, one of them would ask her a question, and she would answer them with an expression or a nod. Silas watched on, fascinated by their exchange with Violet.

After the three mages had gotten their lunch, they glanced around for somewhere to sit. Natalia caught their eye and grinned, waving them over. Silas immediately turned his eyes away, searching for somewhere else to sit. Violet looked up as his sights fell on her, the smile on her face suggesting they would welcome at her table.

“Thea. Alistair,” He murmured, gesturing towards Violet’s table.

“Thank God,” Thea sighed, relieved. “I thought we’d be stuck sitting with that bitch.”

Alistair laughed and the trio carried their trays through the cafeteria to where Violet was sitting. The two students sitting at the end stared up at them with guarded expressions, before looking at Violet, who smiled reassuringly, and returning to their lunch.

The three mages plonked themselves down on either side of the teen. Violet looked at Silas with a guarded, but warm, smile.

“Don’t worry,” He said. “I’ve learnt my lesson for now, I can wait.”

The teen next to him smiled and rolled her eyes, spooning a mouthful of lamb stew into her mouth. The four of them sat in comfortable silence while they ate. Thea and Alistair had no need for conversation out loud, they had been bonded for over twenty years and, as such, their mental connection was strong.

Meanwhile, the two students at the other end were talking about books. One of them, whose name was Jerry, was trying to convince his friend, Lewis, that he should read a particular fantasy series. He wasn’t having much luck and instead turned to Violet.

“Violet, you’ve read the series, right?”

She nodded.

“And you liked it?”

She nodded again, vehemently.

Lewis shook his head. “Just because you’ve both read it, doesn’t mean I should.”

Violet tilted her head, looking at him pointedly.

“See!” Jerry said, gesturing to her. “Even she thinks you should read it.”

“Ok, ok!” Lewis replied, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’ll read it if you two get off my case!”

Violet grinned at the two boys and they went back to their conversation. She turned to Silas, who was staring at her and raised her eyebrows as if to say ‘what?’

“Nothing,” He mumbled, a small smile on his face as he ate.

When lunch was over, the three mages pulled out their timetables. Alistair and Thea had Art class, and set off in search of the art room. Silas, meanwhile, had a study period. He looked at Violet as she slung her schoolbag across her slender back. She glanced down at his timetable. She grinned back up at him, pointing excitedly to his timetable before pointing to herself.

“You have a study period right now, too?” He asked, hopeful.

Much to his delight, she nodded and motioned for him to follow her. The two of them through the school to the library. As soon as they walked through the doors, Silas could tell that Violet came here a lot. She led him to a table in the furthest corner of the library, running her hand along the spines lovingly as they walked down the aisles.

They sat down and she pulled out her textbooks, immediately beginning a history assignment that was due in two weeks. But, Silas didn’t feel much like studying, he had other plans.

“So, Miss Violet,” She glanced up at him through long lashes. “Can I expect to hear from you anytime soon, or should I get used to the silent treatment?”

She smiled widely, shaking her head at him. Why was he so obsessed with hear her talk? She couldn’t understand him.

“So that’s a no?”

Violet ignored him, continuing with her history assignment and hoping that he would drop the issue for now and let her study.

“You’re not even going to ask how my first day has been going so far?”

Violet sighed heavily and looked up at him. It was clear from his smug expression that he wasn’t going drop this anytime soon. But she didn’t want to speak, she wasn’t ready to speak to a boy she had really only met that day. Even another mage. She looked down at her books, frustrated. Then, suddenly, she grabbed her notepad and tore out a blank page, before scribbling something on it and shoved it towards the young man opposite her.

V: Fine. How has your first day been so far?? She had written in small, neat print.

Silas chuckled. “So you won’t talk to me, but you’ll write to me?”

Violet nodded curtly.

He chuckled again and shook his head, before scrawling a reply and handing the paper back.

S: It’s been terrible, except on the occasions I have seen you, which have been the highlights of my day. How has your day been so far?

They continued their written conversation for the rest of their study period, in-between actual studying.

S: Can I ask why you never say anything? Silas wrote, hesitantly handing back to piece of paper.

[i}V: Sure you can ask.

S: But will you answer?

V: Maybe.

S: Why don’t you ever say anything? I’m sure that you can speak, I just want to know why you don’t.

V: I have my reasons.

S: Which are?

V: Personal.

“That’s not an answer,” Silas argued. Violet rolled her eyes and wrote something on the paper before shoving it back to him.

V: I never said I would answer, I only said I MIGHT.

Silas let out an exasperated sigh.

“You are honestly the most frustrating girl I have ever met, do you know that?”

Without looking up from her studying, she raised an eyebrow, a small smile on her face.

“But, you can talk, right? Like, if you wanted to, you could?”

Violet nodded once, her hand not pausing as she wrote.

“But, you won’t talk to me?”

Violet paused her note-taking to ponder his question. Biting her lip, she grabbed the piece of paper they had been handing back and forth and wrote her replied, handing it back to him.

Not yet.