Imagine this: you're lost in a cave.

It's not a dark cave, you can see perfectly clearly. Clear enough to notice a wall with markings on it.

You know, deep down, that these symbols tell you exactly how to escape, but before you could ever follow their instructions, you needed to learn to read the language. A language you've never heard in your life.

And what if you had no native language? You didn't know English, or Spanish, or German, or Japanese. This symbol didn't mean apple. It meant that little red fruit that tasted sweet. In fact, it didn't even mean little, red, fruit, or sweet, because you don't know those words. Only the sensations related to them.

How many people do you think could manage that? Less than 25 percent.

And how many people do you think could learn the language well enough to read a book written in it, and take a test about the book with answers written in that tongue? Less than 5 percent.

Because that is what it's like for a deaf person to try and learn their native languages.

It's all letters with no meaning.

There's no "a makes the ahh sound,". No sounding out "cat" into "bat" into "mat". Just symbols that somehow make words. And words that make no sounds.

Sounds difficult, doesn't it?

Over 75 percent of the deaf community is illiterate. And less than 5 percent can read at a 12th-grade level.

So, by the time Annabel Torez was in high school, she already felt like a genius.

At least, that's how she felt before. Until the moment she was there, standing outside the massive building, having second thoughts about life in general.

"Don't worry," her cousin signed to her. "Follow me,"

Anna smiled gratefully and nodded.

He really didn't have to lead her around the way he did. Take care of her as much as he did. But that was Ethan for you. Star of the football team, always looking out for his teammates.

Actually, according to him, he wasn't even the star of the team. That title belonged to someone named Cole.

So not only was he sweet, he was modest, too.

Anna allowed herself to be led down the massive hallway. It wasn't actually that big, or grand. In fact, it was pretty shitty, even for a hallway. But everything seems larger than life when you're afraid of it.

Especially when she was sure there was no way she could've done this on her own.

Everything around Annabelle was odd. Girls with too much makeup on, guys standing too close to those girls, and those girls pretending not to notice.

Why does it seem like everyone is lying to each other, without even saying anything?

Anna wasn't even sure she could fight her way through the crowd with a sword.

It was Ethan ahead of her that parted the sea of testosterone and perfume, in a sort of graceful dance of acknowledgment. Patting people he knew, waving at people he didn't. All the while, never pausing his journey forwards.

She had no idea what her cousin was saying, lip reading was still a work in progress, but it didn't seem to matter. He said something different to everyone. And everyone seemed to feel a little more special afterward.

It was times like this that made Anna wish she could hear and talk.

I feel like I only get to experience half of the magic...

Ethan tilted his head, slightly, to check if she was still on his tail, and immediately ran into a large oak door in the middle of his route. She felt collision as much as everyone around heard it. She felt their laughter as well.

Ethan laughed at himself and signed to Anna: "This door is always open,"

Anna nodded, and smiled back. She didn't really know what to say. The rest of her senses were still overwhelmed by the world around. She walked up to Ethan as he approached a locker, and gestured towards it.

"This is yours," he signed. "I'll open it,"

He showed her the list of numbers that came with the lock, and demonstrated the process.

"Now put books in-"

Anna felt a large collision over her shoulder, similar to the one from Ethan slamming into the door, earlier.

Ethan called out and walked past her.

Anna turned and laid eyes on the young man leaning against the door he'd just ran into. Blond hair fell over his cockeyed sunglasses, long pale fingers scratching the door's nameplate in frustration.

This guy was obviously having a day.

Ethan patted the boy's shoulder, and gestured at Anna, as to introduce her, but instead, he merely pulled his phone out without a glance in her direction.

Well, that wasn't very nice.

Ethan looked equally taken back by his friend's lack of courtesy, but didn't press the point.

They talked a moment longer, and Ethan patted his chest, in a friendly manner, causing the stranger to flinch again.

He was quite jumpy, Annabelle noticed. Then something else caught her eye. In the reflection of the boy's sunglasses, she didn't see anything. The phone he was staring at, wasn't even on.

Something was definitely fishy, here...

Just then, the mysterious, ever important, door, swung open, and out stomped a tall, thin, woman. Her heels were long, her collar was crisp, and on her face, was an aggressively clear look of disgust.

Ethan slid next to his friend by the door, to clear the way for the teacher. He smiled at her, but his companion stared straight down to avoid eye contact. Then, in such a rush to enter, he almost plowed straight through her cousin.

Ethan came to wait his turn next to Annabelle, and signed "That was my friend, Cole. He had an accident. Now he's weird,"

Anna nodded. Very weird. Maybe he just didn't want to talk to anyone. Maybe he was hiding something. But one thing was for certain.

He was kind of cute.

Cole exited the office, and stood off to the side to let the two of them pass. Anna waved a little, shyly. But didn't even receive a glance in return. And just like that, he was gone. Touching the walls and disappearing into the crowd.

She stared after him maybe a little longer than she should have, because when she turned around something had obviously happened.

Ethan was freaking out, and the older man looked defeated.

"He even wouldn't look at me," the older man said.

He seemed to talk slow and distinctly. Maybe this was someone she could practice her lip reading skills with.

Okay let's see... He just... stood there... and wood... No... Okay, maybe next time. He's talking too fast now. Also she might have been focusing too hard, because the coach started giving her uneasy glances.

Ethan pointed at her and rushed out the door, motioning for her to wait as he rushed after his comrade.

After a moment of silence, she turned to the older man and waved.

He said something that probably started with "Hello," so she signed to him:

"I'm deaf,"

He gave a sigh almost loud enough for her to hear, and placed his forehead on the desk.

Yeah, that tended to be the reaction.