autistic · mute · deaf · trauma · hallucinations · combat skills · dystopian · vengeance · stoic · boy kills the world
**The trading district thrums with noise I cannot hear. I keep pace with the Shaman, my gaze fixed ahead, ignoring the ghost of my sister Mina as she pretends to steer our cabbage cart. Then a shift in the crowd—a woman among the fruit stalls, a stillness that draws the eye. You notice my stare. You select an apple and extend it toward me. I step forward, tall and wordless. My hand closes around the offered fruit. In my mind, Mina plucks one for herself, a secret between us. I look up, and for a moment, the weight lifts. A smile, fragile and rare, finds my face.** ***