You Will Be Found (A Lumity AU)

The Mute

Chapter 1

A teenage girl sat silently in a waiting room as a receptionist filled out papers. The girl's leg was shaking and her arms were pinned stiffly against her sides. She made sure to keep her eyes on her feet because the fluorescent lights hurt her eyes. After what felt like an eternity to the girl, a door opened on the other side of the room, and a woman came in. The girl looked up at the woman, then she immediately looked back down, as eye contact made her uncomfortable. The woman spoke.

"Luz Noceda?" The girl, now identified as Luz, slowly stood up, still keeping her eyes on the floor. The woman beckoned her into the office beyond the door. Luz obliged and followed the woman. When she entered the office, Luz stalked over to a chair and sat down. The woman sat on the other side of the desk.

"Hello, Luz. I am Dr. Kikimora, I am one of the main clinical staff for the school board. It's nice to meet you." Luz thought for a moment, then quickly looked at the doctor and spoke.

"It's nice to meet you too." She said quietly. Then her leg started to bounce again and she played with the sleeve of her black hoodie. Kikimora picked some papers up from the desk and shuffled through them. Luz took this moment to try and see what the woman had, as it was probably about her. Kikimora must've noticed this because she explained what they were.

"These are reports from your teachers. They tell me how you're doing in classes." Luz nodded, grateful that the woman was speaking softly to her, loud noises scared her. Kikimora continued.

"I see that you haven't been doing very well at Glandus High. You are barely passing classes with C's and D's." Luz sighed in shame. School was hard for her, as she was too distracted by the bullying from the other students, with them cornering and beating her up almost every day, making her have to hide the cuts and bruises with long sleeves. The bullying had eventually led her into such a deep depression that she would barely even speak anymore.

Not that anyone would notice, she didn't have any friends, and her mother was never home because she was always working at the hospital. But why did her grades matter? She was a freak, undeserving of good grades and she was too 'dumb' to succeed because she had autism, ADHD, and anxiety. She had been told this so much, she believed it herself.

"But, action has been taken." Luz glanced back up at Kikimora, who had a soft look on her face. "Your mother has taken the necessary steps for transferring you to Hexside High, the sister school to Glandus. We know of your struggles, and Hexside has an amazing support program for that. There are also many students there who would be willing to help you with your schoolwork. How does that sound?" Luz wasn't sure. She knew of Hexside, as it was only about three miles away from Glandus. Even though she was hesitant, it seemed like she didn't have a choice.

"Okay, I'll try it."

:::::::::::::::

Two Days Later

Luz fidgeted with the string of her hoodie as she waited at the public bus stop. It was warm outside, with the sun shining brightly in the blue sky. This usually put Luz in a good mood. Unfortunately, she was surrounded by complete strangers, and they were loud. She didn't like it. When the bus arrived, she boarded and told the driver where she needed to go, showing them her bus pass. She found a seat at the front. No one sat next to her, which Luz was fine with. She pulled her hood up and just stared out the window, taking in the new route in case she would have to walk home. Hexside was farther from her house than Glandus, about three extra miles.

The bus made multiple stops, the seats filling fast with each one, making this ride even more unbearable for Luz. They were very loud, and she didn't like the material the bus seat was made of. She took deep breaths and reached into her backpack, taking out her favorite book, The Good Witch Azura. She hadn't started it yet today, but she didn't even need to open it to know what it said, as she had the whole thing practically memorized. Luz just found the book comforting. She pulled her legs into the seat and put her head between her knees, trying to block out the noise.

The bus dropped her off at a stop near a public park. Pulling her phone from her pocket and checking her map, Luz made her way to the school. When she arrived, she couldn't help gaping, It was huge! Much bigger than Glandus, and much prettier. This was where the kids who lived in the nice areas went, and it was no wonder they did.

The school was a tall white building with multiple towers and pillars. There were large patches of grass all around, with pathways between them. Kids were sitting around under the trees socializing with each other. Luz couldn't believe that this was a high school. She checked her schedule and realized that class didn't start for fifteen minutes, maybe this would give her time to find the front office. Too nervous to ask anyone for directions, Luz shoved her hands in her pockets and stiffly walked to the large front doors.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed them open and walked inside. Noises filled her ears, but she forced herself to keep from covering them in fear of being labeled a freak on the first day. Luz chewed on her hoodie strings to calm herself down. Okay, she thought. Let's find the office.

It didn't take her very long to find it. It was very large and there were signs in the halls pointing to where she needed to go. Luz walked up to the secretary's desk. The secretary was a short man, maybe in his late thirties, with a goatee and thin-framed glasses. He looked nice enough, but Luz still didn't feel comfortable talking to him. He seemed to notice the girl's tension though, and he spoke.

"You must be Luz Noceda." Luz nodded, staring down at her feet. He smiled softly.

"I'm Mr. Harris." Luz waved awkwardly. She reached into her satchel and pulled out the paperwork that Kikimora had given to her for her support system. Handing them to Mr. Harris, he looked over them with a careful eye before nodding to himself.

"Okay, Miss Noceda. It says here that you will be needing to have extra time on tests, and at least one study hall a day. There is more, of course. But we'll have you meet your counselor later this week." He stood up. "May I see your schedule?" Luz nodded and handed it to the man. She liked him so far, but she didn't feel like today was a day for talking, especially since she was in a new place.

"I see that you have English with Mrs. Halle. I will show you where to go."