Mute Musician (Ziall Horlik) AU

Chapter 1

Zayn's POV

My eyes immediately seemed overwhelmed as I tried to take in just how beautiful the campus of the University of Oxford was. I never thought I would make it here. I actually never thought I'd make it anywhere in my life, but I guess I proved myself very wrong. I didn't even think my audition to get into this school went well enough to get me in this school. I just remembered how my fingers were shaking as they played the black and white keys of the instrument I would probably die for.

I started playing piano after Doniya and I moved in with our grandmother. She had an old thing in the living room, and one day I found myself just sitting at the thing pressing down what sounded good together. My grandmother heard me and begin to teach me how to read sheet music, which was really easy. Everything of it just made sense. Piano was the only thing I was really passionate about. It was the only thing that I tried hard to learn and perfect because I just wanted it to be as easy as talking is for everyone else. By the age of nine I was able to just sight read all my music I was given and play it without any practice. My sister always told me for never saying a word, I sure made a lot of noise at the piano. Honestly, I don't think she minded because she could finally get something more out of me than what I gave her.

Doniya has really been the only person in my life that I love and trust. She's been there for me since the beginning. I'm not sure what happened to our parents, I was too young to remember and I didn't ever find it in me to ask. At one point, we lived with our aunt and her husband for so long that I thought she was actually my mum. Only a few days after I mentally decided she was my mum, she sent me and my sister away to live with our uncle who was from our mums side. He got fed up with the fact I didn't speak in a week and sent me and Doniya somewhere else. I didn't really care where we were sent to live, I just knew my big sister would take care of me. She read to me at night and tucked me into bed. When I needed something and didn't have the words to ask for it, she knew exactly what I needed. She was the one that actually pushed me to auditioning for this school. I didn't think I would was able to afford it, but my audition spoke for me in a way and got me here so I didn't have to pay anything. Doniya was going to school in Bradford, she was in her second year of studying behavioral science, but she really didn't want me to just settle for going to school in Bradford. She wanted more for me, but I didn't think more was possible.

"Zayn, you're classes should be in that building. You have an English class a bit away, but that's near one place that you can eat so you can just head there after breakfast." Doniya pointed out as she looked at the campus map and my class schedule. I looked at the very large, nice building and nodded because I knew that was probably the music hall or something. I was taking an English class just because I needed one more class that wasn't anything to do with music. That was always an easy subject for me, other than the class discussions, but I took the class anyway.

I honestly didn't know why I didn't talk. I remember I used to talk so I know I'm capable of doing so, but I just stopped one day. I don't remember if I just thought it would be easier to not speak or if there was something that happened, all I know is it happened. I never really feel the need to speak, so I don't. I just stay quiet and watch everyone else around me. However, people labeled me as mute my whole life. With that lable also comes the lable of retard. I'm not at all mentally disabled. I can process thoughts and I think just like any eighteen year old does. I'm a regular guy, but I just down speak. Instead, I let the words that I don't really want to say come out on the music I play. The only person that really ever gets me to speak is Doniya. It's always a few words every couple months or if she's upset about something I just tell her I love her and it makes it better most the time. This quietness just chose me, I didn't really choose it. I do embrace it and just let that be part of who I am. It's just not always easy to make friends.