Silence (29 page)
SONG
—
Stella
—
I stand before him. Give him everything I have. For the first time in my life, I know that dreams are for today, not for someday. They are for here. And now.
I wait for him to say something. To say the words I have longed to hear. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t move.
We are close enough to touch. But we don’t. Our hands remain at our sides.
Finally, he speaks. “Are you sure?”
I hear him. I am sure of it. I’m not reading his lips. I am really hearing him.
Only there is no stutter. No stammer. Just Hayden’s beautiful voice. In my ears.
“Yes.”
He is silent again. Thinking. Torn between his past and his present.
“Hayden,” I say softly. “The past is behind us. We can’t change it, no matter how we may want to. And we have no way of knowing what tomorrow may bring. All we know is today, this moment. Be in the moment with me. Trust your heart. Trust me.”
Hayden reaches for me then. Pulls me close. Holds me like he will never let go. I cling to him.
Giving and receiving.
And then he says the words. The ones I have longed to hear. Three words.
“I love you.”
I don’t know if I hear them, or if I read his lips as they move against mine.
But I know I understand.
And in the silence between the words, I hear music.
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading
Silence
. I am so grateful to you for taking this journey with Stella and Hayden. I hope their story filled you with hope.
I want to thank my agent, Stacey Glick, for being with me since the beginning of my career. You have always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you for reading and rereading countless drafts of Stella’s story and for working so hard to make this possible.
Thank you to everyone at Shadow Mountain for embracing
Silence
and falling in love with Hayden and Stella. Heidi Taylor, your enthusiasm and appreciation for this story is a writer’s dream. Chris Schoebinger, thank you for believing in
Silence
and seeing its potential. You have both given me a home at Shadow Mountain, and I am eternally grateful. Lisa Mangum, thank you for your encouragement and honesty and for sharing a love of the beauty of language. Annette Lyon, thank you for your insightful and thorough copyediting.
For the beautiful layout of the book from the cover to the subtle chapter headings which so embody the story, many thanks to Richard Erickson. A big thank you as well to Heather Ward for coming up with a gorgeous cover design. Thank you to Rachael Ward for the stunning typography. And thank you to Karen Zelnick and Michelle Moore for the publicity and for making all the marketing of the book run so smoothly and for always making me feel so welcome. Ilise Levine, I am so thankful for your insights and your support with sales and marketing. You have made it possible for readers to experience this story. Thank you for all your hard work. I appreciate everything you have done for
Silence.
I had help with my research on the book from some really generous people who responded when I asked and received nothing but my thanks in return. Any mistakes are truly my own.
Rosalind Cook, thank you for answering all my questions about sculpting in bronze and for teaching me about the Lost Wax Casting process. Jennifer Howard, M.S., CCC-A, and Erin McAlister, AuD., CCC-A, from the House Clinic, thank you for helping me with research on Stella’s injury, her cochlear implants and her recovery. Lauren Crosby, M.D., and Jennifer Snyder, M.S.N, P.N.P., thank you for talking through head injuries with me and answering my medical questions about Stella’s resulting hearing loss, surgery, and recovery.
Thank you to all my writer friends for all your critiques and pep talks, but especially, Sydney Salter, Suzanne Morgan Williams, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, Cynthea Liu, Susanna Leonard Hill, and Cynthia Leitich Smith.
I also want to thank Jimmy Powell at Stellar Media Group for my beautiful website and Laron Glover at Ninth Moon for her lovely designs.
A special thank you to all the teachers and librarians who have supported my work. Thank you for sharing my words and for making a difference in the world, one student at a time.
A giant hug and kiss to my entire family. Thank you for your love, encouragement and prayers, for bringing everyone you know to my book signings and being the first to buy my books. Your support means the world to me.
Thank you to my daughters, Ava and Caroline, for believing in me, for reading everything I write and for sharing this dream with me.
Most importantly, I thank God in whom all things are possible.
Reading Guide
1. Stella has a very specific dream—to sing on Broadway—and she fears that her deafness will prevent her from achieving that dream. What do you dream of doing? Is letting go of a dream a bad thing?
2. Imagine if you lost one of your senses. How would you react? What would you miss the most? What do you think you would learn from that loss?
3. Hayden and Stella both struggle because of their disabilities. In what ways do they turn their disabilities into strengths? How can you take the things that are difficult for you to do and turn them into strengths?
4. Hayden shows Stella how to find happiness by utilizing her other senses—sight, smell, taste, touch—and as a result, Stella discovers other talents she has besides singing. What hidden talents do you think you might have that you would like to develop?
5. Hayden’s silence was self-imposed because of the trauma he had suffered. If you have suffered a traumatic experience or abuse, it may be hard to speak out about it. Is there someone close to you that you would trust to listen to you and who could help you?
6. Hayden’s grandfather uses his sculptures to speak for him, and Stella finds her voice in poetry. What are some other ways people can communicate their feelings? Do you have an outlet for expressing yourself?
7. Stella decides to forgive Lily, even though she knows things will never be the same between them. Would you forgive Lily if you were Stella? In your life, is there someone you would like to forgive?
8. How important do you think popularity is to Stella at the beginning of the book? How does this change after her accident? How important is popularity to you?
9. Stella and her sister, Emerson, become extremely close after the accident. Emerson makes Stella feel better just by being in the room with her. How do you think Emerson helps Stella the most? Do you have a sibling? Are there times when your sibling has made you feel better just by being there?
10. Stella is inspired and humbled by Marisol, her Rainbow Girl, because of Marisol’s courage and grace. Stella wants to make a difference. Is there someone in your life who inspires you with his or her courage? What can you do to inspire others? How can you reach out to someone in need?
11. The beach is a place of healing for Stella just as the plant nursery is a place of peace for Hayden. Share some details about how the beach and the plant nursery help Stella and Hayden. Where is your place of peace or healing?
12. Do you think Stella and Hayden would have fallen in love if Stella had not hit her head at the pool? How can we be more open and accepting of the people in our lives?
About the Author
Deborah Lytton
is a writer and actress who began her career in front of the camera at the age of six. She graduated from UCLA and Pepperdine University with a degree in law. Deborah lives in California with her two daughters. She is active in the writing and blogging community and is a member of SCBWI.
