Once again, Jezebel woke up. It wouldn't have been so bad if she lived alone, but she shared a house with over 20 different people of all ages. They all had some sort of genetic modification, from different DNA to enhancements to demons, this house had it all. Jezebel wasn't that social, in fact she barely spoke. On the other hand, her best friend could never stop talking. Or singing. Or playing music. Or-- literally anything, she wouldn't stop unless she slept. Which is why the room was filled with dead silence.
"Ugh... At least she's asleep now." Jezebel eventually got up out of bed and stretched, adjusting her mask. She stepped over Sonata, walking over to her dresser and picking out a band t-shirt and some black sweatpants. After getting dressed, she turned around to see Sonata just standing there facing the window. "Oh hey! You finally noticed me! Thanks for letting me sleep in here last night, the sounds coming from the room beside mine were...concerning." Jezebel slowly nodded in agreement and went to her dresser, grabbing her bracelets and bandages. She eventually went back to her bed and grabbed her tablet, reading the newest issue of her favorite magazine. There was a whole lot of silence, which was unnatural for Sonata. Jezebel halfway expected to just hear random guitar rifts and loud yelling, but she had no clue was the loud girl was up to. What she didn't expect was for Sonata to grab the tablet and stare her in her face. The eye contact became physically uncomfortable, and Jezebel looked away. Sonata stuck her face in front again, staring her down. "I have an important question. And I want you to look at me, because you never do. Jezebel closed her eyes, trying to get away from the contact. Sonata just sighed and sat up, asking the question anyways.
"Why don't you ever speak to me?"
That sentence hit Jezebel like a freight train. Multiple people have explained Jezebel's unnatural silence, including some of their closest friends. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, she physically couldn't. Speaking was complex and scary and her words could be taken the wrong way, it was too stressful. It was comfortable to stay silent. It was comfortable to be this way. As long as she had a select few who understood her and helped her, she was fine with being mute. She spoke at times she was comfortable, but that rarely happens. All she could do was keep her eyes closed and hope by a miracle that she would be able to answer this question. That miracle never came, because when she opened her eyes, Sonata was still there and was still staring. Panic started to set in, their eyes locked together, she couldn't move. It felt as if the walls were closing in the more she stared, but she couldn't pull herself away. Voices started speaking, the walls closed in more, her body felt as if it was covered in bugs, she couldn't breathe. Nothing made sense anymore, everything was warping in front of her, she couldn't feel her bed. She couldn't feel herself. This wasn't good, any longer and----
"Oi! Earth to Jezebel! Stop staring at me and answer me already! You've been just staring blankly for like 15 minutes now!" Sonata reached her hand out and grabbed Jezebel's shoulder. First mistake. Jezebel snapped out of her panic and grabbed Sonata by the leg, flipping her off the bed. She landed on the floor with a loud thunk, the sound echoing though the room. Sonata got up with a groan. "...What was that for!? You know, I've tried my hardest with you for months, and you don't tank to me! You could at least learn to communicate with me instead of throwing me off the bed!" Jezebel finally calmed down, and that's when it hit her: Sonata didn't understand a single thing about selective mutism, much less autism. Jezebel slowly put her hands up, trying to communicate through her eyes and hand movements. "Oh, so now you wanna act like a baby!? You know, you piss me the hell off! You never say what's wrong, you just stare off into the distance and then lash out at me when I try and help you! Are you fucking stupid!?" Second mistake. Jezebel put her hands on her head and looked down, her eyes tearing up. "Why can't I just say how I feel...? Why is this so hard...? Why does she hate me, what am I doing wrong? Does she not understand me still...? What is going on..."
Sonata walked back over to Jezebel and grabbed her by the hair, making her look in her eyes. Third mistake. "You aren't gonna just throw me off the bed and then try and make me pity you! You may be a mutant, but you aren't a fucking idiot! Both of us know good and well you CAN talk, you just DON'T!" She just smirked as Jezebel tried to pry her hand off of her hair. "Oh, does the little eye contact make you uncomfortable!? Deal with it! Pretty sure you can understand me, Jezebel! I know you speak English! Or do I need to say it in another language so your tiny brain can comprehend it!? EH!?" Jezebel had stopped moving at that point, tears running down her face and getting caught at the top of her mask. She was still holding onto Sonata's hand but had stopped fighting against her a long time ago. Sonata stared for a couple more seconds before it finally set in. She let Jezebel go and just backed away, eventually leaving the room and leaving Jezebel to calm herself down.
Jezebel woke up a couple hours later to find a note on her bedside table. It was from Sonata. She slowly took a shower, got dressed, ate breakfast, watched TV, anything to postpone reading the letter. But the time had come. She eventually picked up the letter and read it.
"Hey... I'm sorry I lashed out so badly at you earlier. I wanted to apologize in person, so meet me at the café across the street. I think I figured out a way we could communicate with each other." Jezebel closed the letter and sat on her bed. She really didn't believe in communicating properly anymore, but she was willing to try it once. She stood up and adjusted her mask before walking out her room and leaving the house, walking to the café and sitting down outside. 10 minutes later, Sonata came over with a tray of coffee, sweets, and a random notebook. "Hey. I uh...brought this for you. I wanted to apologize about what had happened." Jezebel slowly nodded and sat up, grabbing a small donut and pulling her mask away a little bit so she could eat. "So... I brought this notebook with me. I thought maybe you could write down what you think, so that you don't have to force yourself to speak. I-if that's okay with you..." Jezebel nodded again and grabbed a pencil, writing in the notebook for a couple minutes before handing it back over. Sonata read over it and looked back at Jezebel. "So... You have autism and anxiety, and an effect of it is you being mute? So...you physically can't talk?" Jezebel nodded. "And... the times you do talk is when you're completely relaxed and comfortable....right?" Another nod. "And when you go silent and start staring, that's you having a breakdown?" Yet another nod. "So the reason you flipped me off the bed wasn't because you hated me, but because you couldn't tell who I was.... And you always being silent means you're stressed out... got it."
Jezebel smiled under her mask, not realizing that Sonata noticed. "Jezebel... How many people have you told this to, other than me?" She put up her hand and showed 2 fingers. "So that's 3 people altogether.... Me, Zihan, and... I'm guessing someone you knew before you came here." Jezebel nodded and made the letters E and X with her fingers. "Oh, it was an ex... I'm guessing he was a jerk and made fun of you for it, huh..." Jezebel nodded again and took a sip of the coffee, taking her mask all the way off this time. She had fully calmed down and was surprisingly comfortable talking about this with her. "Wow... I've never seen you without that gas mask, you look beautiful...." Jezebel blushed at the comment, not noticing that Sonata was admiring her. She eventually looked up from drinking the coffee and raised her eyebrow, as if to ask what was wrong. "Oh nothing... I just think you're really pretty. I hope... I hope that all of this didn't make you think bad of me, I really do consider you my best friend." Jezebel looked away and smiled, forgetting she had taken the mask off. "Yo know, you should smile more often. You look even prettier when you smile."
Jezebel slowly looked up at Sonata, giving her a small smile and making her heart flutter. She then grabbed the notebook and wrote something down. 'You're Italian, right?' Sonata read the page and smiled lightly. "Yeah I am, born and raised for like 6 years. I can speak both English and Italian. Wait why did you as-" Jezebel lightly put her hand over Sonata's mouth and scooted her chair closer. Sonata pushed her hand away while giggling. She assumed she was gonna try and write something down. "Heh, take your time. I don't mind waiting." Jezebel gestured for her to close her eyes. She covered her face with her hands, still giggling. After a couple minutes, Jezebel tapped Sonata to signal her to open her eyes. She looked at the paper to see that it was blank. "Huh? Did you write something? I can help you learn it if you want, you don't have to say anything in Italian if it's stressing you out, It's really no big de--"
"Sei l'unica persona che mi sentirà parlare." (You're the only person who will hear me speak.)
Sonata's eyes went wide in surprise. Jezebel spoke. Jezebel spoke to her. Specifically to her. In her language. She couldn't be happier. If she wasn't sure before, she was now. She really did love this girl. She just needed to know if she loved her back. Sonata took a deep breath before speaking. "...mi ami?" (do you love me?) Jezebel nodded instantly before slowly reaching out her arms, as if to ask for a hug. Sonata eagerly accepted, hugging Jezebel lightly so that she didn't overwhelm her. They sat there in front of the café until it got dark and ended up taking a walk around the nearby park before going home. When they got inside, they went upstairs and went to Jezebel's room. Before she closed the door, she saw Zihan standing by the stairwell, giving a small smirk and making a heart symbol with his hands. Jezebel blushed and slowly nodded before going in the room, closing the door.
They both laid down the same way they had last night before Jezebel spoke again. "You...can sleep....h-here." She patted next to her on the bed and Sonata hopped up and laid down. "I love you, Jezebel. I really do.' She laid down and eventually went to sleep, while Jezebel laid there smiling to herself. ".....I....love you t-too." They both ended up falling asleep in each others arms, enjoying the cool air of the room.