“I Was Born Quiet, But I Won’T Stay Silent”
Episode 1
In the morning at the Maren Household…
The sun cuts through gauzy curtains. The smell of toast and mint tea drifts from the kitchen. The home is small, lived-in, and full of love.
Calla Maren, 19, sits at the dining table with a thick ethics textbook open. She reads quietly, occasionally underlining something in the margins. The house buzzes around her.
Lena, 17, rushes through the hallway, adjusting her jacket and grabbing a banana off the counter.
Isabel Maren
Lena, finish your tea before flying out of here like a windstorm *softly but yelling*
Lena Maren
I can’t, I’ve got a student council meeting! And Coach already warned me— *yelling back*
Theo Maren
*appears out of nowhere* —That you can’t keep blaming traffic for being late. Try waking up when the alarm goes off.
Lena Maren
Says the guy who sets six alarms and still hits snooze! *rolls her eyes*
Calla Maren (FL)
He is older by thirty-seven seconds. Let him feel important. *softly without looking up from her book*
Theo Maren
Finally, someone acknowledges my throne. *grins widely*
Isabel Maren
You were born half a minute earlier. That’s not a kingdom! *yells from the kitchen*
They all laugh. Maya, 15, sits cross-legged on the floor by the table, sketching in her journal, quietly humming to herself.
Later that morning in the hallway…
Dr. Elias Maren, 52, adjusts the collar of his coat at the door. He reaches for his glasses and finds them in Calla’s hand. She’s already holding them out.
Calla Maren (FL)
You forgot these. Again. *says gently*
Elias Maren
And once again, you save me from walking into a class blind. Thank you, love. *smiling*
Calla Maren (FL)
Are you lecturing on ethics today?
Elias Maren
Always. My students think morality is a theory. I’m trying to show them it’s a practice.
Isabel Maren
*was passing by but stopped to say* Let them learn it from the way you live, not just the way you speak.
Elias Maren
*leans down, kisses Calla’s forehead, then exits into the day*
At midday in the Virell penthouse…
A sleek, high-rise fortress in West Velmont — all glass, marble, and steel.
Jaxon Virell, 20, sits shirtless in a leather chair, watching a replay of a fight on the wall-screen. He rewinds the footage, pausing when his opponent hits the floor.
Tayn, his friend and enabler, lounges nearby, sipping an energy drink.
Tayn Mercer (ML’s BFF)
You knocked him flat. That guy didn’t even swing right.
Jaxon Virell (ML)
He should’ve stayed down. But people like him — they always think they can climb. *smirking*
Tayn Mercer (ML’s BFF)
Think he’ll press charges?
Jaxon Virell (ML)
Please. His dad works for a court my father owns. *laughs*
That afternoon in East Velmont…
Theo Maren walks down a graffiti-tagged street with two of his friends. They laugh, passing a wall scrawled with the phrase:
“Power is the silence of the guilty.”
Friend 1
Did you see that hovercar blast through Market Lane? Nearly ran a guy over.
Theo Maren
Jaxon Virell. *already knows who it is*
Friend 2
You think he’ll ever get pulled off the streets?
Theo Maren
Not until someone makes him bleed. *grits his teeth*
That evening back at the Maren home…
The whole family is around the dinner table. Laughter is forced tonight. Calla picks at her food. Maya hums softly while sketching in her notebook.
Lena Maren
The city’s ignoring that accident again. The one at the tramline.
Maya Maren
It was Jaxon, wasn’t it? Someone posted a video. He nearly crushed a street vendor.
Theo Maren
He’s going to kill someone someday. And they’ll probably call it a “misjudgment.” *coldy*
Calla Maren (FL)
What will they say when that someone is them? *quietly*
The table falls silent. Isabel touches Theo’s hand, protective. Elias watches his son, concern written in every line of his face.
That night at the Virell home…
Celene Virell, 50, walks into the home gym. Jaxon is punching a digital training dummy, sweat dripping off his jaw.
Celene Virell
Another incident? *quietly*
Jaxon Virell (ML)
He got in my face. He hit first. *without looking at his mother*
Celene Virell
But did he deserve what came after?
Jaxon Virell (ML)
Does anyone in this city “deserve” anything? *bitterly*
Later that night, outside the Marens’ home…
The street is dark, fog from the ventilation grids curling around the curbs. Theo walks home alone. A black hovercar pulls up and stops inches from him. The engine purrs low.
Jaxon Virell (ML)
Theo Maren. The one with too much mouth.
Theo Maren
You should be scared of someone with something to say. *calm, unmoved*
Jaxon Virell (ML)
Or maybe you should be scared of someone with nothing to lose. *steps closer*
They fight. It’s fast, brutal. Theo manages one good punch before Jaxon draws a hidden stun baton and drives it into Theo’s chest.
Theo gasps. Falls. Doesn’t get back up.
Hours later at the Velmont General Hospital…
Fluorescent lights flicker. The Maren family is frozen in the waiting room. The doctor walks out slowly. His face says everything.
Doctor
I’m sorry…
He didn’t make it.
Isabel breaks. Maya starts to sob. Lena clutches her arm. Elias bows his head. Calla doesn’t move. Her face is unreadable. Her world just ended.
At the same time, in Jaxon’s bathroom…
Jaxon washes his hands. They’re red. He watches the blood swirl down the sink. Celene stands in the doorway, her voice barely above a whisper.
Celene Virell
You crossed the line tonight. *calm yet you can hear the anger in her voice*
Jaxon Virell (ML)
He hit me. *hollow*
Celene Virell
But only one of you survived.
At dawn, in Theo’s empty room…
Calla stands at the doorway, staring at his bed. His shoes are still by the wall. His charger still plugged in.
She picks up a photo of the two of them — twins, laughing, years younger.
Calla Maren (FL)
*in her mind* I was born quiet.
But I won’t stay silent.
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