//------------------------------// // The Flashback // Story: Why I'm Loud // by RayDawn //------------------------------// "Hey Vinyl!" Tavi screamed to me and I turned like a robot, with no control of my actions. Fucking dreams! My mouth moved like it always does, but sound came out. "Hey Tavi!" I dreaded seeing Tavi. This was that day. The day everything changed. "You all set to go with my parents and me?" I smiled a crooked smile. "Yes, but it's my parents and I." Tavi corrected me. "Whatever. Let's go!" I ran out involuntarily and to my parents, which made my heart sink. I've missed you two. I thought, as if thoughts would get through to my dreamworld. "Okay." Tavi then walked after me and we got inside of the car. It was a black four door Honda. "You girls all set?" My father's deep voice nearly boomed. His voice was loud due to projection training after years of professional on-stage theatre. "Uh huh. All set." I said nonchalantly. I sat in the back on the left and Tavi on the right. "Are you sure?" My mother spoke. She had a soft voice, not as soft as Fluttershy, but close enough. "Yes. We haven't left out anything." Tavi said matter-of-fact like. I groaned. "We haven't left anything out this time! Honest!" I was still a bit salty after a scolding from my mother when we forgot our sunscreen to the beach. I laughed internally watching this. I was such a brat! My mother gave me a look and then returned her eyes to the road. My dad was driving. I sighed and looked at Tavi. She was smiling like a goof at me. I let out a pout and started to chuckle afterwards. Tavi has always known how to calm me down... We drove for what felt like an hour, but was actually half of that and we arrived at a bowling alley. My mom had decided to let Tavi and I come here because of our good grades, and Octavia's parents agreed to let her. She was my best friend after all. We played two games. During the first my dad won and during the second Tavi won. I did downright horrible in the first game, but Tavi encouraged me to continue and taught me some tricks. I didn't do aweful, but I wasn't an all-star. I got third and my mom got last. Looks like the women in my family weren't meant to bowl. Though, I was only nine, there were years for me to find my talent. Tavi was a year younger than me, but she was better than me in lots of things. School being the most prominent. I had A's and B's-this year-and she had straight A's, like almost always. "Let's play some arcade games now!" I said. I absolutely loved Deadly Kombat, but Tavi didn't like it because it was brutish. "I'll just watch instead." Tavi took a seat next to me and watched. I was better than her in games. I played for a good while and then I was sucked back to reality by a shoulder tap. "What?" "Did you hear that? It sounded like someone!" She whispered to me. "Relax Tavi. It was probably just your head." I stayed glued to the screen. "I'm gonna check it out." Tavi got up and left through a door labelled "exit." "Kay." I said not really paying attention. You should've stopped her! I cried on the inside. I was playing, but then I ran out of money, a good two minutes after Tavi left. "Tavi?" I said. She had my money. I repeated her name and saw the door. Right. She went out. I thought to myself. I got up and left to the door. I then opened the door and, almost immediately, heard voices. It was the muffled voices of a man and a...little...girl? Strange... I thought to myself as I rounded the corner, not sure what to think. I froze at what I saw. I saw an adult shove a girl in a bag and corner Tavi. "HEY! What are you doing!?" I yelled angrily at him. This caught him by surprise and he turned around and Tavi screamed. "Vinyl! RUN!" She was really worried for me. The man spoke up in a voice that contradicted his small stature. "Looks like I got two for the price of one!" He said and it disgusted me. He walked menacingly to me and I looked at Tavi and nodded. She shook her head no, but it was too late to stop me. "Come with me little-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as I rushed forward and crash my foot to his men's parts. He yelled in pain and dropped to his knees. "Tavi! Go! Now! Call for help!" I waited for Tavi to leave and then I turned and ran. As my foot lifted itself it was grabbed from behind. I fell on my left ear. "You little BITCH! You may have cost me my freedom! Now, I will take yours!" He grabbed me, but I started screaming at the top of my lungs. He put his hand on my mouth, but I continued squirming. back then, it was like I was in a nightmare, funny how it turned into one. I bit into his arm. "AH! Little whore!" He threw me down and picked up a rock. He grabbed me with his left hand and lifted the rock with his right. He swung and slammed it into the area in front of my ear and I crumpled to the floor. "VINYL! WHERE ARE YOU, BABY?" My parents screamed in distress. The man fumbled in his pocket and took out a black gun. I saw it and tried to yell for my parents. My lips moved, but no sound came out. But that wasn't the end of my nightmare. My parents rounded the corner and saw the man and I. "VINY-" A gunshot interrupted my Dad, which was closely followed by a second one. "Vinyl..." Then, my parents fell dead, with their faces looking towards me. I screamed, but a unnatural and foreign sound came out. It was like a scream, but with no words intended. It scratched my throat and the man looked at me. "This all went to shit..." He looked at me intently. "No witnesses..." He raised his foot and slammed it on my left temple. He ran out and I stared at my parents. Every second felt like hours as I silently sobbed. I was fading out of consciousness and I heard sirens, cop and ambulance sirens. I saw Octavia run in leading an officer and when she saw the scene she got on her knees and started crying. A paramedic came and checked my parents, shaking his head no on both. Then, he approached me, checked me, and his voiced reverberated through my skull. "We got a live one!" Tavi then got close to me when they placed me in a stretcher. "You saved...my life...Thank you." She had tear streaks down her face and her eyes were bloodshot. I gave her a weak thumbs up and an equally weak crooked smile. I started closing my eyes and Tavi's face turned from sadness to horror. "Nonononono No!" Tavi said as they dragged me away and I faded into unconsciousness. ... I woke to bright white lights and a steady beeping. I also woke to an immense pain in my head, throbbing temple, and memory of my parents. I let out that foreign scream and a nurse ran in. "Yah okay, darlin'?" She had a thick country accent. My lips moved, but no sound produced. My face fell to my hands in tears and the nurse ran to me in a light hug. "I'll that as ah no." She let go of me and became objective and professional again. She was a nice and caring person deep down. "Do you want me to call anyone?" I shook my head as I thought of mt parents, but nodded after thinking of Tavi. "So... yes?" She was confused. It was obvious. I nodded again and she left. I tried talking again, but it didn't work. Fuck! Why doesn't my voice obey? I looked at the ceiling in defeat and the nurse came in with a small black phone. "Who do yah want to call?" She said. Unaware of my situation, I used a hand motion to mimic writing on paper. "Yah want paper?" She said, while obviously confused. I nodded and she got me it. I immediately began writing. Can I text instead? I wrote to the nurse. "Ah don't see why not." She said to me while she proffered the phone to me. I grabbed the phone and texted Octavia. Tavi! It's Vinyl. Tavi responded. Oh my Faust, Vinyl are you okay? I thought about my predicament. I don't know. I just woke up. I need to get over there now. I'll tell my parents. I really want to talk to you. That line struck me in the heart. I don't know about that, Tavi. I was worried. Don't worry. My parents said yes and that they want to thank you! Thank me? Why would they do that? I was confused. You don't remember? You know what? I'll tell you in person! Bye! I could tell that she left to come here so I didn't bother responding. I didn't know what to tell her, well, write to her. ... Tavi arrived with her parents and immediately hugged me, which also immediately hurt, but I couldn't say anything about it. "Vinyl! Thank you for saving my life!" She squeezed tighter. What? I saved your life? I thought and tried to say. Instead I backed away, rose an eyebrow, and pointed at myself. "You don't remember? At the alley. I was gonna get caught, but you stood up for me and got hurt instead of me. They caught the dude, by the way. He also..." Tavi's voice cracked. "Killed your parents." "We are paying for your medical fees." Mr. Melody interjected. "I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter." I raised my hand and dropped my wrist then arms as if to tell him it was nothing. I smiled a crooked smile. "Wait. Speak up, dear." Mrs. Melody said. Her words made my heart stop. I grabbed the paper I had and wrote down: I don't think I can. "What do you mean "you can't?" Tavi said. Then as if on cue the doctor came in and addressed me. He had a grim face, full of pity. "Hello. Shall I call you Vinyl or Ms. Scratch?" I made put up one with my fingers. "Okay then. Do you want to hear the good news, or the bad news first?" I shrugged. "Good it is. You didn't receive as bad as damage as would be expected. The bad news is that even though you didn't receive as a major damage as expected, you have permanently damaged the Broca's Area of your brain. We did all we could, but in the end all we could do was stitch your cuts up and bandage your head." It was then that I noticed the bandage that wrapped around my head like a bandanna. "What does that mean, doc?" Tavi said in tears. The doctor kept a straight face. "It means Vinyl could be mute for the rest of her life. She might not be able to produce sounds with her vocal chords. She can produce sounds that don't need vocal chords, but it will sound different." The doctor then took his leave. "She'll be good to go in little over a week." Tavi then muttered "where? The orphanage?" She was disappointed in the outcome of these events. I save her life and then I end up an orphan and a mute. "Actually, Octavia. Me and your father have been talking about where Vinyl will go after this and..." She paused and let Mr. Melody continue. "...We want to adopt you Vinyl." They looked at me hesitantly. No way! They want me to be their adopted daughter, now that my parents were dead. I was taken aback. "If you want to..." Said Mrs. Melody. I paused again and nodded. I cried and held onto Tavi, my new sister. "I can't wait for you to be out of here. Sis." Tavi said. I closed my eyes and thought to myself. I may have lost my family and my voice, but life has given me back a new family. Hopefully it can give me a new voice. One that is free and exotic and full of energy. One that shows how loud I truly am. One that I can use to help people. One that makes me stand out, in a special way...