“Dinner’s getting cold,” he said simply as he got up and Aaron followed with a groan. Together, the two left the cold night for the warmth of the fire and a family meal around the old dark wooden table. Everyone else was waiting for them and Adler quickly took his seat beside his sister.

 

Once Aaron was seated, their mother began to scoop out their dinner, stew, from a large pot. Slowly, the bowls of the eight family members were filled and as usual, Adler’s bowl was filled last. Taking it from his mother, he looked at his sister’s bowl right beside him. His portion was about half the size of hers. He didn’t want to notice it and so he looked away and hurriedly began eating.

 

“Mum,” said his older sister, Hannah, “I don’t have many peaches.”

 

“Take some from Adler,” her mother replied and Adler quickly moved his bowl away.

 

“I don’t have any,” he said but Hannah snatched his bowl from him and poked around in it until she found a very small peach that even Adler had missed. Happily, she took it and thrust the remaining stew back at him. With a low grumble, Adler took back his bowl and quickly finished his stew before any of his other siblings could steal anything else from him. He hated being the youngest at times.

 

His dinner wasn’t enough and Adler went to bed that night hungry. It made it difficult to sleep but Adler was alright with that. He could hardly sleep anyway. He kept thinking about the next day. He couldn’t wait to make his announcement. Soon, very soon, he could leave this place and make a place for himself. Soon he could be something other than just a Non-Speaker.

 

He couldn’t wait.