Excerpt: Words

Prologue. Tessa's POV.
They have nothing to say to each other.
Well, Mollie never has anything to say. She’s mute. But she communicates in plenty of other ways, and all of them seem to be failing her. I don’t recall much of what happened the other night, between when we left the power station and Mollie ran off toward the pier. A single image of her stands out in my bleary memory of those moments: her heels dug into the ground, her body rigid, her eyes huge with terror. She was someone who had lost her masterful grasp of body language. And somehow that was almost more frightening than the inferno that had captured her attention.
I see far too much of that person in Mollie now. This time, I suspect she has chosen to freeze herself. It’s the only explanation I can think of. What I can’t figure out is, why won’t she acknowledge him?
In a little more than a month, they became friends. I think it’s fair to call them that. “Friend” is probably an appropriate title for me to give her in relation to myself, and for my sister. Mollie taught me to open up, and yet we never had a conversation on the subject. It was merely easy to be with her. I suppose it helped that she wasn’t from Perdita. Strangely, the fact that she was a stranger made it easier to trust her. For the first time, I understood that speaking had nothing to do with being outgoing.
I only wish she’d learn from her own lesson. Can’t she interact with him beyond a nod hello?
I remind myself that Mollie isn’t entirely to blame for the situation. Peter has full capability of his vocal cords. Now would be the time to use them. So what on earth is his excuse? I try to find some meaning in their actions.
He shifts his weight and licks his lips. She traces a circle in the gravel with her shoe. Their eyes meet for a second and then they avert their gazes. He grimaces. She blushes.
Beside me, my sister appears to have registered only a slight change in behavior between the two. The incident couldn’t have lasted much longer than thirty seconds – my perception of time is obviously skewed.
“So,” Keara begins “How are things on this side of the border, Mollie?”
I glare at her. She could have thought of a better thing to say to break the ice than that. She returns my glare, a look that says “I tried”.
Mollie scrunches up her mouth, making a decision. She shrugs. Peter turns to her, opens his mouth as if to speak, then hesitates. I wonder if I’m the only one who feels the suspense. He starts again.
“Have you heard about your sister?”
Mollie nods and then raises an eyebrow. She wants to know more. It’s a short exchange, but it’s a start. Their silence belies what is actually running through their minds. They have plenty to say to each other.
Then the front door opens.