Snow burned under her feet.
A white mountain stretched endlessly around her, the wind slicing past like invisible knives. A young woman—no older than twenty-three—ran without a sound. No gasps. No cries.Only her boots pounding against the frozen ground.
A gun glowed cold in her hand.
Ahead of her, a man stumbled through the snow, slipping, terrified. His breath came out in broken clouds, his voice cracking through the icy air.
"PLEASE—STOP! PLEASE!"
She couldn't hear him.But she saw his lips form every desperate word.
She raised the gun.
THUD.
A single shot echoed across the mountain.
The man's scream sliced the silence—and then the screen went black.
Pure darkness.Cold.Still.
A voice cut through the void—the author's voice.
That's not what happened in a few days.Or in a few months.That's what takes effort. That's what takes time to grow.That's hatred.
The darkness shifted.
And then:
It all started four years ago.
The room smelled like old wood and strict rules.
Evelyn Raine sat straight in the leather chair, her cold fingers resting on her lap. Sunlight from the tall window fell across the principal's desk, turning the dust in the air into tiny floating stars.
Principal Raven flipped through a thin file—Evelyn's admission form.Her sharp nails tapped each page.
"Evelyn Raine… twenty-three… born deaf…" Raven read aloud slowly, as if repeating it made the fact more real. "I've been a principal for twelve years, and I must say… I've never had a special case student before."
Her voice carried no cruelty, just curiosity layered with uncertainty.
The office around her was neat, almost too perfect—mahogany shelves lined with awards,a giant antique clock ticking a little too loudly,and a silver nameplate that shone:RAVEN BLACKWELL — PRINCIPAL.
Evelyn didn't react.She simply watched Raven's lips move, reading every shape.
Principal Raven leaned forward."So tell me, Evelyn… what made you choose this institution?"
Evelyn lifted her hands.Her fingers moved in the air—swift, clear, expressive.
Raven blinked."I'm sorry… I don't understand sign language."
Evelyn didn't sigh, didn't frown.She just reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook.
A quiet click—the sound of the elastic band snapping free.
She flipped it open.
The pen glided quickly across the clean page.
Evelyn turned the notebook toward Principal Raven.
On it, a single sentence.
On the page, in clean, straight handwriting, Evelyn had written:
"I want to live a normal life."
Principal Raven stared at the words for a moment, her expression softening—not with empathy, but with something more complicated. Maybe confusion. Maybe disbelief.
A knock came at the door.
Raven glanced up."Come in."
A peon entered quietly, balancing a tray with two steaming cups. He placed one in front of Raven, the other near Evelyn. The smell of strong coffee filled the room instantly.
"Thank you," Raven said.The peon nodded and left, the door clicking shut behind him.
Raven wrapped her fingers around the cup, warming her cold hands.
Then she exhaled.
"Evelyn," she began, choosing her words carefully, "even if I give you a seat in the Law department…" She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly."What will a deaf girl do there?"
The question wasn't insulting.It was blunt.Raw.Raven didn't hide behind politeness—she never had.
Evelyn watched her lips shape every word.Her expression didn't change.
No flinch.No anger.Not even surprise.
Just calm.Like she had heard this a thousand times before—even without hearing.
Her fingers slowly tightened around the notebook.
As if she already knew exactly what she was going to write next.
Evelyn lowered her eyes to the notebook and wrote again, her pen moving with steady confidence.She turned the page toward Principal Raven.
"I want to open an organisation that helps special people… like me."
Raven read it twice.
A slow nod.A small, impressed exhale.
"…Not bad," she admitted, leaning back in her chair.For the first time, her expression wasn't guarded.Just thoughtful.
"But," Raven continued, tapping her nail on the wooden desk, "studies don't care about what you want to do in the future."Her eyes lifted to meet Evelyn's steady gaze.
"They demand what you've already done."
The room felt heavier suddenly, the clock ticking louder on the wall.
Raven pulled the file closer, flipping a few pages with sharp, precise movements.
"Let's see your past results," she said quietly.
The truth about Evelyn's ability—her strength, her weakness, her story—was about to unfold.
Principal Raven adjusted her glasses and spread the report open on the desk.Evelyn watched her lips, her eyes calm and unreadable.
Raven's brows lifted slightly as she read.
"Well…" she murmured, "this is… unexpected."
She tapped the first line with her finger.
"Orphan. No guardians listed. No emergency contacts."Her tone softened just a little."That explains the hostel request."
She turned the page.
"Brilliant student," she read aloud."Top grades in almost every subject… even without hearing the lectures."
Another page.
"Good discipline. Never late. No complaints. No fights."
Raven glanced at Evelyn, curious."You're more well-mannered than half the staff here."
The next line made her pause.Her eyes widened just a little.
"…loaded."
She looked up."Is that correct? You… have a trust fund?"
Evelyn didn't respond with her fingers.Didn't write.
She simply blinked once, slowly.A silent confirmation.
Raven leaned back, exhaling.
"So you have no family… but you're brilliant, disciplined, and financially stronger than most students who come here."
She closed the file softly.
"This changes things, Evelyn Raine."
And for the first time since Evelyn entered the office…Raven seemed unsure of how to proceed.
Raven closed the file with a soft thud and rested her palms on it.
"I'll see…" she said slowly, measuring her words.Then, with a small nod, "You are admitted, Evelyn."
Evelyn didn't smile, but something in her posture eased.Just a little.
"You're a good student," Raven continued. "I just needed to know who would be your aid on campus."She flipped briefly to the last page of the form.
"You listed someone named Schwann."
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"He's seventeen… two years younger than you."
Evelyn watched the movement of her lips, expression neutral.
Raven thought for a moment, then nodded to herself.
"He can be allowed. There's no rule against an aid being younger."She stood up, smoothing her blazer."Well then, Evelyn Raine… welcome to our institution."
Raven reached for her key, signaling the meeting was over.
"Let me give you a tour of the campus," she said.
Evelyn rose silently from the chair, notebook in hand.
Raven opened the office door.The hallway outside was bright, buzzing with faint distant noise Evelyn could not hear.
They stepped out.
The door clicked behind them—and closed.
The tour was about to begin.But something far bigger had just started in Evelyn's life.