Chapter 2Broken Frequencies: The Price of Silence

I started first grade with a device tucked behind my ear.

To make me feel less like an outcast, my mom found a hearing aid decorated with little strawberry stickers.

But no matter how she tried to hide it, the thin wire was always visible.

The kids noticed. They always noticed.

We moved to a new apartment complex shortly after.

That’s where my mom met Mrs. Parker, who lived on the same floor.

Her son, Liam, was in my grade. Same school, same class.

Our moms became fast friends, taking turns with the school run.

That’s how I met Liam Parker.

From the very beginning, I was afraid to look him in the eye.

He wasn't the friendly type.

Even as a young boy, his gaze was icy and sharp.

When our moms walked us home, chatting behind us, Liam would always march five paces ahead.

He didn't want to be seen with me.

To him, I was a freak.

The only kid in the whole school with a wire coming out of her ear.

I was an anomaly, a glitch in his perfect world.

At school, I had no friends.

Liam was the opposite. He was the golden boy, the natural leader.

Even when he was being a brat, the teachers and the girls loved him.