The Girl Who Doesn't Speak

Chapter 12

Blue goes to take a shower while I clean up the kitchen. I found some Glad wrap in the draws and wrap up the leftover food, placing it in the fridge.

I had just finished cleaning everything when my friends returned.

"Hey, did you manage to get her to talk?" Rhett asks, taking a seat on the couch. Devon joins him.

I walk over to them. "No, I still haven't gotten her to talk."

"Seriously? Why is it so hard to get her to talk?" Devon wanted to know.

I shrug. "I don't know. All I know is she is running from something or someone, and doesn't want to reveal too much information on herself."

"Did she say what her name is?" Rhett asks.

I shake my head. "No, she still won't say who she is. She won't even write down her name on a piece of paper. There is this blue mermaid tattoo on the back of her neck. I named her Blue."

"Blue? That seems interesting."

"Yeah, she likes the name."

"Blue. I like it," Devon says. "At least it's better than preferring to her as 'she', 'that girl' and 'the girl' all the time."

"I thought the same thing."

"Why don't you bring her along to the gig tonight?"

"I don't know. I will ask her later."

"So how long is she staying here for?"

I sit down on the coffee table. "I don't know. She is homeless. I don't know if she will find another place to go. I don't even know what's going to happen when I move soon. My parents wouldn't allow her to live with us."

"No one says you have to move with your parents. The spare room is still available if you want to move in. Blue can stay here too."

I nod. "I will speak about it to my parents maybe tonight or tomorrow."

* * * * *

Blue stays closely to me as we walk into the pub with Rhett and Kaylie. The show hadn't started yet, and already there were a lot of people, ready to hear tonight's band play.

My friends head off to the bar to get themselves beverages. I turn to Blue, asking her if she wanted anything to eat or drink, especially when she had skipped lunch. She stares at me with a blank look. After a few minutes she shakes her head.

"Are you sure? You skipped lunch. You should eat something."

She shakes her head.

"Okay, well maybe later you and I can get something to eat. I'm going to get a drink. Would you like one? I will buy it."

Blue stares at me for a long time before nodding.

"What would you like? I'm ordering beer. Would you like beer?"

She nods.

I lead Blue to the bar and order us two beers. She smiles at me as I hand her the tall glass. Even though she may not talk, I guess her smile was to say thank you. We walk through the crowd and join Rhett and Kaylie at a table at front near the stage.

"So Riley, Rhett was telling me you came up with the name Blue," Kaylie tells me. "I like the name." She takes a sip of her beer.

I give her a half smile. "Blue actually inspired me with the name. Since she still won't say what her name is, just so we had something to call her by. I named her that. She has a blue mermaid tattoo on the back of her neck."