I've never been the kind of person people notice first
Not the loudest.
Not the boldest.
Not the one who walks into a room and changes everything.
I'm… quieter than that.
If you ask anyone in the village about me, they'll probably say the same thing.
"She's a calm girl."
"She keeps to herself."
"She's always thinking about something."
They're not wrong.
But they don't really know me either.
I notice things.
That's the easiest way to explain it.
Small things.
The way someone's voice changes when they're lying.
The way the wind moves differently before it rains.
The way silence can feel heavy… or peaceful… depending on who you're with.
I've always been like that.
Watching.
Listening.
Feeling more than I say.
Maybe that's why I don't have many friends.
Not because I don't want them.
But because it's hard to pretend… when you can feel when something isn't real.
I sighed softly as I sat by the window, resting my chin against my hand.
The sun was beginning to set again, painting the sky in soft shades of orange and gold.
My favorite time.
I like quiet places.
The river.
Open fields.
Anywhere the wind can reach me.
Crowds make me uncomfortable.
Too many voices.
Too many emotions at once.
It feels… overwhelming.
But the wind?
The wind has never overwhelmed me.
It understands me.
Sometimes, when no one is around, I talk to it.
I know how that sounds.
Strange.
But it's the only thing that never interrupts… never judges… never leaves.
And somehow…
It always responds.
Not in words.
But in feeling.
I pulled my knees closer to my chest, my fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of the necklace resting against my skin.
There were things about me I never talked about.
Things I didn't fully understand myself.
Like the way I always seem to know when something is about to happen.
Not clearly.
Not like a vision.
Just a feeling.
A quiet pull in my chest.
Or the way animals don't run from me.
Even the shy ones.
They just… watch.
Like they recognize something.
And then there's the wind.
I swallowed slightly.
Thinking about the river again.
About him.
That wasn't normal.
None of it was.
"I'm the reason you've never belonged here."
His words echoed in my mind again, softer this time… but deeper.
I don't know what I am.
Not completely.
But I know I'm not like everyone else.
I've tried to ignore it.
For years.
Tried to be normal.
To fit into a life that never quite felt like mine.
I help my aunt.
I do my chores.
I keep my head down.
I stay quiet.
But inside…
There's always been something restless.
Something waiting.
And now—
It feels closer than ever.
I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes for a moment.
If I'm being honest…
There are things I like about myself.
I like that I don't need noise to feel okay.
I like that I can sit in silence and not feel empty.
I like that I feel deeply… even when it hurts.
But there are things I don't like too.
I don't like how easily I overthink.
How I hold onto things longer than I should.
How I still wait… even now… for people who may never come back.
My fingers tightened slightly around the necklace.
"…I should stop doing that," I whispered.
But I knew I wouldn't.
Because hope…
No matter how quiet…
Has always lived inside me.
The wind slipped gently through the window, brushing against my face.
Soft.
Familiar.
And for a second…
I felt it again.
That same presence from the river.
Not close.
But not far either.
My eyes opened slowly.
My heart beating just a little faster.
"…You're still there, aren't you?" I murmured.
The wind didn't answer.
But it didn't leave either.
And somehow…
That was enough.