Page 7 of Beginning Fate

“Hi,” I said to the girl who had been staring at us and her two friends. “Are you all going to be freshmen, too?”

To include Kylie in the conversation, I signed to her while I spoke aloud to them and then continued signing to translate everything they were saying back.

“Yeah, we are,” the girl said. “I'm Autumn. This is Oscar and Jett.”

Kylie waved her hand irately. “I can read lips, remember? You don't have to do that.”

“I'm only trying to help.”

“She looks pissed,” Jett said.

“Is she okay?” Oscar asked.

“Yeah. She would just rather do all of this on her own.”

They all smiled and nodded.

“Does she read lips?” Oscar inquired.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

He gave her a little wave.

“I'm Oscar,” he said deliberately as he over spoke the words on his lips and very slowly signed each letter to her. “I don't know anything more than the alphabet. Sorry.”

Kylie giggled.

“K-Y-L-I-E,” she slowly signed each letter back to him.

“Kylie?” he asked.

She nodded and smiled warmly at him.

My heart nearly swelled with pride, but I also felt sad knowing that the little girl I'd spent my whole life raising was ready to fly on her own.

“That's cool. Show me how to spell my name next,” Jett said.

Oscar carefully swooped his pinky and then laughed as Jett tried to duplicate it but didn't quite get it right.

Kylie reached out and physically walked him through each letter as Oscar relayed them to her.

“Way cool,” he confirmed.

My sister smiled and started to relax.

“Welcome incoming freshman class,” a man at the podium said.

I knew immediately it was the dean. I'd been in constant communication with him the last few weeks as I prepared for this.

“Parents and family members, we're going to ask you to stay here while we assemble the students into small groups to prepare for the campus tour.”

As Kylie started to walk away, I followed.

She scowled at me over her shoulder and then turned to communicate.

“I don't need you to follow me. Parents and family over there,” she signed.

“Wow. You could read his lips from here?”

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