一：現實

School begins on a fairly average Tuesday.

I reach there without any problems. I haven’t bumped into anyone, haven’t tripped nor have I even stood in the way. I am feeling oddly proud of myself as I climb up the eight steps to the main door, above of which has a banner reading “Mdm Li Chun’s School For The” The last two words are so faded that I can’t even pick out the strokes, but I know what’s missing because that is what I am here for.

The automatic doors open as I near, letting a gust of warm air out onto the freezing streets. Usually the air conditioner is turned on, but the winter weather has been getting to the students (and the two receptionists), so the heater is on. It’s a little cranky though, and sometimes it blasts out cold air and sometimes it’s so warm I swear even the two little turtles Mdm Li keeps in the reception area are sweating.

I bow my head down slightly to acknowledge Weiming, the nicer of the two receptionists. He smiles back, pushing his glasses up and plops a stack of files down on the desk. Although Ruimin (an evil thurty-two year old who insists on making my life miserable) is a clean freak, Weiming never listens and does what he wants. His rationale is “It’s my desk too, not just hers!”

I feel admiration.

Yihui is waiting for me on one of the soft brown sofas, the kind that sinks down the moment you land on it. I smile and walk over to her.

She manages to shift her hefty pile of books on Philosophy and World History over to the corner, then scoots over and pats the middle seat. I sink down, grateful to rest after a half-hour walk. Granted it was the long way and there was a shortcut, but the long route was always so much prettier in winter, with snow that was actually white and not stained by dirt.

She strips off her thick wool coat and lays it down on her books. She’s still wearing a long-sleeved shirt though, so the heater must be working properly at least since the temperature is around 8 degrees Celsius outside now. Usually Yihui would be just clothed in her tank top by now if the heater was spouting out hot air again, and her coat if it didn’t work at all. She’s usually my gauge for what to keep on.

I open my mouth, but Weiming comes over and pushes us into the small room we call class. We are just about to protest when the door slams shut and in our faces there is a small note that reads “純姐要來了！“ and almost immediately we clam up, suppressing giggles and both of us look like we are having spasms as we try and fail to hold back our laughter. No matter how much we tell him, Weiming always thinks we’re scared of Mdm Li.

True, with her grey hair pulled back in a tight bun and a sallow face, she does look like a nightmare teacher. But when it’s just Yihui and I, she gives us tiny little Bai Tu sweets and drinks of Oolong tea, which I hate so she gives me Milo instead. She insists we call her Chun Jie because she feels old when she’s called Madam, and Chun Jie literally translates to Pure Sister. She is the mother we never had.

So when Chun Jie steps into class and sees our horribly contorted faces, she lets out a sigh, but a small smile is on her face. It’s almost as if she’s saying “What am I going to do with you two?” But the honest truth is that she can’t get rid of us, because we are the only two students in her class.

Reality settles back on me as we sit down on the chairs, the uncomfortable kind where you have to sit straight or you feel like something’s trying to invade your back. Yihui dumps her books unceremoniously on the floor and takes out our handbook. I dig around in my backpack before I finally find it hidden under the papers I am saving.

The awful reality, I realise as Chun Jie begins to maneuver her hands in a series of quick motions, is that we are deaf.

Kind of the first chapter, I guess? Not really relating to the story though...