Mute By Choice: The Silent Wolf

4 - Mute By Choice

Little Whinging, Surrey, UK

December 23, 1989

So... Lilah Harrison.

It felt odd being addressed by a name, even if it wasn't the one I was born with; for seven years, I'd only ever been called the rudest of names by the Adams;

Idiot. Moron. Useless. Worthless. Girl. Rat. Good for nothing. Waste of space.

Not even Alessia or Annabelle had known what my name was; Alessia would call me Kala, deriving the name from one of her favourite flowers— the Kalmia polifo... or whatever. She said the colour of my eyes reminded her of them and had decided to call me as such since her mother had been the one to forbid me from ever speaking, and I wasn't allowed near anything pointy or sharp, and apparently, that included any writing supply, therefore, they could never find out what my name was. Annabelle would merely call me whatever her sister would choose.

I'd never taken a liking to anyone so quickly, even less someone around my age. For the most part, that had been because I hadn't really been around anyone my age up until last year. Before that, there was only Annabelle, but she was the daughter of my former captors. Because she was the youngest, Alvah did her utmost best to keep her away from me. Never really stopped her, but either way, we never got to spend so much time together during those seven years; I was a mute slave, after all.

And then I met Miss Kathie, and it felt like the walls around me were slowly, but surely, beginning to crumble.

Moving in with the Harrisons had been quite the abrupt change of scenery. I was somewhat forced to release my grip on Miss Kathie to go with them, but my grip merely switched person; I was soon far more attached to the Harrisons than I could ever have anticipated. This longing and need to keep them at my side, I found rather worrisome; Mrs. Merilyn was so sick, it was only a matter of time before she left us.

She and Mr. Arnold were two sides of the same coin; one was nothing without the other. I could only find a sliver of fear within me at the thought of what would become of him when the time would come that he would lose her.

What would become of me? I'd vowed to myself that I would not care, for anything or anyone. I'd vowed to myself because I knew I would otherwise get hurt, one way or another. But my human emotions were too volatile for me to push to the back of my mind; I may no longer physically be able to convey what I felt, but that did not mean I did not feel at all.

And then I met Harry, and all my vows were thrown completely out the window.

It's been months now, that I've known him. Months that I've been with the Harrisons. Soon, I would have my second birthday to relish in this recently acquired freedom. And yet, with every day that passed, I feared more and more whatever lurked around the corner. Though this little, yet spacious house in Privet Drive was slowly becoming a safe haven, I felt there was more to this place than what met the eye. Was it a war? Was it supernatural?

Though I found refuge in my new, considerable family, and first, considerable fr— tolerable acquaintance, the fear remained of what awaited over the horizon.

Just as we got out of school and prepared for the upcoming celebration that was Christmas— 've got no idea what that is; didn't celebrate that with my pack, and I never celebrated much of nothing with the Adams either (I mean— slave, remember?)— for, from what Mr. Arnold had told me, it was his wife's favourite holiday.

"Oh, okay. That sounds nice."

It would've sounded a hell'a nicer had I known what a holiday was then, when he'd told me.