Not a Whisper

Toria walked into the classroom and sat down at her desk with her usual grace. No one so much as glanced at her. That was fine. She didn't mind. She just sat quietly with all the others as the teacher talked. She took notes, and made tiny doodles in the margins.

The rest of her classes were quiet, and still no one looked her way.

Or at least, they didn't when they thought she'd notice.

She could hear the whispers as they tried to talk without getting noticed.

The scritching of hastily-scrawled notes, the crinkle of the passed messages, and the noise of the receiver's reaction.

But it didn't bother her at all. It was easier to study when no one was chattering at her.

Come lunchtime, she went to tuck up in her usual, unpopulated space by the wall.

She glanced up as a tray clattered next to hers. Some new girl. Huh.

She refocused her attention on her food, only to be interrupted when she noticed the girl was waving at her.

She made gestures. I'm Lumen. She smiled.

Toria, she hesitantly signed back.