I held Austin’s hand when we left the hospital, and we got a taxi back to the venue. When I saw the busses I felt the urge to just run inside and hide in my bunker again, but I stayed next to Austin. He noticed that I squeezed his hand a little and he looked at me, and he squeezed it back. Then I saw Ian and Spot, they hurried over and they looked at me. I stopped and hid a little behind Austin. I didn’t really want to see anyone right now.

- - -

Ian’s POV

I noticed that she held his hand and when we came over she looked a bit sad and hid behind him. It hurt a little to see her like that.
"i’m sorry Ian, but she needs to be alone today" Austin said.
"Are you okay?" I asked, and ignored Austin’s plea. But it seemed that Mairin didn’t hear me. She just looked down and her eyes was teared up.
"She lost her hearing in an accident a few months ago because of a bleeding in her brain, she got it back though but it seems she lost it again" Austin said and glanced down on her. I froze and so did Spot. We stared at her. Deaf? Was Mairin… Deaf?

I was back on the bus and I stared into the air. A bit surprised from what Austin had told me. Suddenly I felt an even bigger connection with her. Which was quite weird but I did. We had more in common then I thought. With a sigh I got up and walked over to the bathroom, and I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked like anyone else if you just looked at me. But… When you pulled back the hair over my right ear you could see a big scar. from the top of my hair down to the back of my jawline. Over my ear. I had no hearing at all on my right ear and very little on my left, after my father had attacked me while I was a child. I swallowed when I recalled the memories. Shivered a little and turned to my left. I didn’t have a scar on my left side. There I looked normal.
"What are you doing?" Spot asked and I jumped a little. I looked at him and he looked back at me. Then he sighed.
"You’re thinking about what Austin told you before, about Mairin" he said.
"I had no idea she was deaf, or was… am…" I said.
"Are you thinking about the past as well?" he asked and I nodded. I picked out the hearing aid I had in my left ear, and the one I had in my right and everything became very muffled. I let out another sigh and put them back in.
"I guess I have more in common with her then I thought" I said.

- - -

It’s so quiet. Again.
Why?
Why is it so quiet?
Why did it happen to me?
Why should I be the one that can’t hear?
Why should I be the one?
It’s so quiet. Too quiet.

I was lying in my bunker, staring into the wall and just listening to my thought. It wasn’t all fun. Listening to the negative thoughts. It wasn’t even my voice who “said” them. I heard it in an unfamiliar voice. Like someone else was speaking in my head. Giving me bad thoughts. Am I going crazy? Or is it normal to hear another voice?

I was sitting outside the bus while all the Mice was doing soundcheck. I had decided to not hide and get a little bit of sun. Get some D-Vitamins. And just like that I saw that Ian popped up and walked towards me. I swallowed and closed my eyes. I wanted to be alone. I didn’t need someone that would not be able to communicate normally and only through texts. But he crouched before me and to my surprise he raised his hands and signed a simple “how are you?”, and I just stared at him.
"Do you speak with your hands?" I signed and he smiled, and he pulled back his hair a little. I saw a scar and I gasped a little. He smiled a little and handed me a letter. I looked at him and he nodded towards the letter.

Mairin

Right now you’re probably wonder about my scar. This letter will explain it to you, and why I can speak in sign language. When I was about 7 years old I woke up in the middle of the night and wondered why my mother was screaming. Tired, but curious, I walked out from my bedroom and looked for her. Only to find her in the living room with my father. Half dead and struggling for her life. My father had found out that she was cheating on him, and with that he didn’t want anything to do with her anymore. That included me as well. I was half her. Half my blood came from her. I think I don’t need to tell you what happen when my scar is enough proof, but one thing is for sure. When my father attacked me it caused me to lose my hearing. Seven years old it was easy to adapt to it. And that is the reason why I can speak sign language. Also it’s the reason why I know find myself more interested in you, and want to know you even better. We have more in common then I thought. Then we both thought.

I stared at the letter and I teared up. Ian was sitting next to me and looking at people walking past us, or looking at the sky. Waiting for me to finish. Then I looked at him and he looked at me, and he gave me a small smile. I stood up and he looked really surprised, and I just pulled him up and I hugged him. I hugged him with all I got and I could feel that he got even more surprised. Then he relaxed and he hugged me back, stroking the back of my hair. I could feel him smiling, and I couldn’t help but to smile myself a little