"Okay. So what is her name?" Mother's grip around her coin purse tightens, as she sinks into her seat.
"Emilia White." Her voice drifted up and out, weak, frail, and frightened. There was a slight pause.
"No, I mean the older daughter whom you would like to enroll here. What is her name?" Mother is startled out of her trance. She had been staring slumped in her chair, wide-eyed, mouth gaping. This wasn't the first time she got lost in her own thoughts in front of others. Embarrassed, she looked up at the woman before her. Her thin lips tightened, and her eyes seared into her own, making it perfectly clear one thing. She must not waste her time. She straightened her spine and cleared her throat.
"Her name is Kate Ann White." The woman's eyes floated down to the papers that were neatly spread out on her desk. Mother followed her gaze and saw the printed pictures of her two daughters that she had sent to the school a year ago. They had stood there in the family room, still in uniform when Mother took the picture. Their yellow and red bows energetic, and vivid in contrast to their grave stares, and dusty boots. Mother remembered clearly her trembling fingers shoving the letter into the envelope and then slipping in the photograph afterward. And now, here she was, in the very office of the director of a prestigious school, fulfilling her duties. Finishing her job.
"The girl in the yellow bow is Mimmy right?" The Administrator had picked up the picture with her neatly shaped claws and questioned Mother with her eyes. Breathing in Mother squeaked,
"Yes." The woman then proceeds to stare intently back at the photo. It was obvious that the glare wasn't at Mimmy, in fact, she wasn't even looking at her. She was now frowning. Even though the two girls were twins, sharing the same eyes, head shape, and even style, it was more than absurd to mistake who is who.
"Can you please tell me what had happened to your daughter?" Her voice was firm and clear. She demanded honesty and important details. Which is what Mother was expecting, and was hoping she could avoid. She swallowed, then choked on her fear. But alas she spoke nonetheless.
"It's a birth defect. The family doctor doesn't know what had happened. The birth had gone so smoothly, and she was both healthy and strong." Mother's eyes faded as her mind drifted into the past.
"So really, it was just all a mystery. We went to several physicians, just hoping that maybe my daughter would be able to speak once we release her tongue, buried under the flesh... but..." Mother heard a piercing scream that tore at her ears. Her head jerked towards the sound. Behind her from where the scream had come from, a bookshelf leaning on a grey stone wall greeted her. She turned back to the Administrator. The woman puzzled, watched as Mother held her head in her hands and breathed deeply.
"I'm sorry. That happens sometimes." Mother said, and she heard another scream, more wretched than before. There was also some deep sorrowful weeping.
"I'm sorry." She said again, but this time mostly to herself.
"When I talk about what Kate has been through as an infant, I get vivid flashbacks. But anyways." Mother flexed her shaky fingers.
"She communicates through sign language. And she is such a bright girl. She can make such intricate and exquisite dresses for her dolls using just simple scraps of cloth. Kate has mentioned several times how she wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. Or perhaps even a model." Shocked at what she had just said she clamped her lips shut. That last part just slipped out. She looked up at the Administrator who was looking at Mother inquisitively.
"A model?" She repeated, and Mother shrugged. Like Emilia, Kate was a lovely girl. She has enormous green eyes that complement her olive skin. Her deep brown hair was always cut by Mother, in the most practical way for a young lady. Not too long, not too short, and always set off with a red bow. But it was just her smile that frightened brave hearts. It was completely and terribly veiled by layers of her own flesh. She had no mouth, no lips, no teeth, nor no tongue. Her skin from under her nose down to her chin is entirely flat and even. Kate White has never spoken a single word a day of her life. When she was born, she wailed out to Mother soundlessly through her tears.
