“I Was Born Quiet, But I Won’T Stay Silent”
Introduction
Author
This is my first chat story! Please support me!
Age: 19 (female lead)
Quiet, strong-willed, emotionally mature
Protective of her family, especially her twin brother
Determined to seek justice and stand up against corruption
Age: 19 (Calla’s twin brother)
Bold, passionate, fiercely loyal
Quick to confront threats to the family
Shares a deep bond with Calla
Age: 17 (Younger sister of FL)
Confident, outspoken, independent
Interested in social causes and school leadership
Looks up to Calla and often challenges her perspective
Age: 15 (Youngest sister of FL)
Thoughtful, creative, and sensitive
Loves music, writing poetry, and spending quiet time with family
Finds strength in her siblings’ courage
Age: Early 40s
Loving and resilient mother, the emotional heart of the Maren family
Compassionate, strong, quietly determined
Works as a community health worker
Creates a warm home environment despite hardships
Age: 52
Father of the Maren family; a respected university professor in ethics and philosophy
Wise, calm, and principled
Believes in logic and justice, but feels increasingly helpless in a broken system
A grounding force for his children, especially Calla
Age: 20
Charismatic, entitled, and emotionally volatile
Obsessed with power, image, and control
Struggles with insecurity under pressure from his father
Dangerous because he doesn’t understand the consequences of his privilege
Age: 60
Ruthless corporate mogul and patriarch of the Virell family
Cold, strategic, and emotionally absent
Sees people as tools or threats—nothing in between
Age: 50
Refined and soft-spoken, but morally conflicted
Torn between protecting her son and confronting the damage he causes
Withdrawn emotionally, but quietly observant of the darkness in her family
Age: 21
Calla’s fiancé and loyal supporter
Gentle, thoughtful, and studying law
Deeply loves Calla but struggles with how to support her through grief and danger
Quietly brave, and willing to fight for what’s right alongside her
Age: 20
Background: Comes from a wealthy but less powerful family in West Velmont. His father owns a defense tech firm that works under Virell Corporation contracts.
Personality: Opportunistic, sarcastic, and loyal to Jaxon—but mostly out of convenience and status.
Likes: Nightlife, fast cars, and being close to power
Dislikes: Being challenged or made to feel second-tier
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.
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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