Scenelet

[x-wallflower-.livejournal.com]

Just a small scenelet. Character development mostly.



Laurie had always loved foreign language films, although she rarely watched them with subtitles turned on. In fact, she rarely watched them at all. Instead, she'd lie on the couch or on her bed and simply listen to the words, eyes closed. It wasn't the meanings or the images that counted, just the sounds and the tones.

In this way, she had also grown up liking 'books on tape', or hearing her mother sing as she cooked dinner. Sometimes she had to force herself to keep her eyes open in class if a teacher's voice had a particular tone to it, or she'd find herself asking someone questions in an effort to get them to continue talking.

If you had asked her why, she wouldn't be able to explain it. Although she would certainly try, perhaps explaining that it was like having the best massage in the world and then being left in a dark room to simply be, or like the silkiest, softest fabric draped across your brain. Not realistic explanations by far but the best she could come up with on short notice.

It was for this reason she often found herself lingering outside the dorm room corridors, listening to conversations within. It wasn't the words that were important, although you could learn a lot listening at doors. It was just the sounds, the feel of people.

Laurie had never pretended to be normal.