Chapter 4

Whill couldn’t hear. His best sense- gone. 

But he knew he was a Shaped.

The only reason he knew this was the banners that now hung on the walls with squares imprinted on them- the emblem of the Shaped.

He staggered off the platform, and ducked into a corner. 

Why? Why did I become deaf? A deaf Shaped- that’s a paradox. Shaped are supposed to gain enhanced senses, not lose them entirely! What happened to me?

His thoughts sped by, as he hid in the corner.

He sat down, his breathing turning quick and shallow. What is happening to me? Why me? I- he began to panic, curling up as the ever-present silence enveloped him, all sound gone. He couldn’t so much as remember what his own voice sounded like. All there was was silence. 

He began to cry, curling tighter. 

I wish I would have gotten something else. I don’t care that I got Shaped. I wish I was anything else. Dammit, I just want to hear again!

He cried in that eternal silence for a long time. 

It wasn’t until after he fell asleep in that corner when he stopped crying.

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Whill awoke in a soft, large bed. 

He shifted upright, and surveyed the room around him.

It was a luxury bedroom, the kind that only exceptionally rich Mused could afford. There were soft pillows, glass tables, bookshelves with limited edition books, and much more.

Was- was it all a dream? He wondered.

But the hope he had was short-lived. As he hopped out of the increasingly soft bed, he didn’t hear his feet hitting the hardwood floor. He didn’t hear his breathing. 

Whill was still shrouded in empty, complete silence.

He surveyed the room again. 

A finger tapped his right shoulder. He jumped, startled.

How did someone sneak up on me? That’s never- oh, yeah.

He swiveled around to see a tall, composed man standing in front of him. The man’s mouth was moving, and because Whill had no experience with lip-reading, it was complete nonsense to him.

“I… can’t.. hear you, sir.  I…. suddenly… went deaf… at the… shaping.. ceremony…” He mouthed the words carefully, unsure of what he was actually saying. He felt his face blush.

The man looked confused, and seemed to excuse himself, dashing out of the room.

Where am I?