“I Was Born Quiet, But I Won’T Stay Silent”
Episode 2
In the morning after the funeral at the Maren household…
The house is silent. Not the peaceful kind — the heavy kind. Curtains are drawn. Tea sits cold on the table.
Calla sits on the sofa, dressed in black, her hair tied back, face pale. Her eyes are swollen but dry. Across the room, Isabel folds Theo’s hoodie silently, holding it to her face before placing it in a box.
Lena leans against the doorway, arms folded. Maya curls up on the couch, blanket over her knees, staring into nothing.
Mr Maren walks into the room, carrying a sealed envelope. His face is blank. He holds it out.
Elias Maren
The coroner’s report. They won’t press charges. Not enough evidence.
Lena Maren
Not enough evidence? Theo died in the middle of the street.
Isabel Maren
Because of him. Because of Jaxon Virell. *quietly*
Calla Maren (FL)
He did this. *voice barely audible*
Calla Maren (FL)
(I didn’t cry the way I thought I would. It didn’t feel like pain. It felt like pressure. Like something was trying to climb out of me, and I kept pressing it back down.)
In the evening at the Virell estate…
Magnus Virell sits in a high-backed chair in his library. He sips a glass of dark liquor, reading a political journal. Jaxon stands in the doorway.
Jaxon Virell (ML)
It’s done. The police dropped it.
Magnus Virell
Of course they did. I made the call myself. *without looking up*
Jaxon Virell (ML)
So that’s it?
Magnus Virell
Yes. Unless you make it worse.
Jaxon Virell (ML)
I didn’t mean to kill him. *tightens jaw*
Magnus Virell
Then next time, don’t get caught. *coldly*
Isabel Maren
There shouldn’t be a next time. *enters the room quietly*
Magnus Virell
*ignores her*
Jaxon Virell (ML)
*looks away*
Isabel Maren
*just stares at both of them*
At night, in Theo’s empty room…
Calla stands at the doorway. She hasn’t entered since he died. Now she takes a step in.
On his desk: his notebook, his old music player, a list of unfinished to-dos:
“Call city about sewer flooding”
“Pick up Maya’s sketch order”
“Text Evan back”
Calla Maren (FL)
*touches the notebook*
Calla Maren (FL)
(You left so many things unfinished, Theo.
And now I’m the one standing in the silence you left behind.)
The next morning at a café in West Velmont…
Evan Sterling sits at a table, waiting. Calla arrives late, pale and distant.
Evan Stirling
You didn’t have to come. *gently*
Calla Maren (FL)
I wanted to. I needed to.
Evan Stirling
*reaches across the table, takes her hand*
Evan Stirling
Say something. Anything.
Calla Maren (FL)
I hate him… *quietly*
Calla Maren (FL)
I didn’t even know I could hate someone this much.
Evan Stirling
Then we’ll do something. We’ll fight this. Together.
Calla Maren (FL)
Everyone keeps saying we can’t win. That no one touches the Virells.
Evan Stirling
That’s what makes them weak. They think no one dares to speak. But you can. And I’ll be right beside you when you do. *firmly*
Later that evening in the Maren kitchen…
Lena slams the fridge shut. Isabel gives her a warning look. Tension is thick.
Lena Maren
We’re just supposed to act like nothing happened?
Maya Maren
I don’t want to talk about it.
Lena Maren
You don’t get to shut it off. He was your brother too!
Calla Maren (FL)
Stop. *firmly*
Calla Maren (FL)
We’re not falling apart. Not because of him. That’s what Jaxon wants. Silence. Stillness. Obedience. *softly*
Calla Maren (FL)
*turns to her dad*
Do you still have the contact from the media?
Elias Maren
Yes… but they’re afraid to report anything against the Virells.
Calla Maren (FL)
Then let them report me.
Calla opens Theo’s notebook again. She turns to a page of scribbled ideas — speeches, quotes, protest slogans.
She begins to write on the next blank page.
Calla Maren (FL)
(If no one will speak, I will.
If the city has forgotten his name, I will make them remember.)
She writes:
“Justice for Theo Maren. A voice silenced by power.”
In a dark room, Jaxon Virell scrolls through his social feed. He freezes on one post — a simple black image with white letters:
“Justice for Theo Maren.”
#IWillNotBeSilent
Jaxon Virell (ML)
*stares blankly at the words*
Jaxon Virell (ML)
She’s not afraid of me. *soflty*
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