I look at Casey intently while she climbs back on the picnic table. She looks up to flash me a short smile before taking out her drawing supplies. I blink a few times in an attempt to comprehend what just happened, but I can't wrap my head around it.

Did a 6-year-old really voluntarily give up her chocolate ice cream?

I look at the waiting line and it has only gotten longer, a part of me wants to stand in line to buy her all the ice cream she wants but I also know that we have more animals to see.

I offer her my ice cream but she declines, focusing back on her drawing. "Which animal would you like to see next?" I ask Casey. She turns a few pages to show me an Elephant. She seems to really like Elephants.

"Alright then." I state before I finish my ice cream. Once I'm finished she shows me her drawing. It's a drawing of me and her standing in front of the ice cream shop.

She hands me the pencil without hestitation. "Ice cream shop?" I ask her, which she simply nods to. So I write it down at the top of the page.

I'm about to hand her book back but she shakes her head. I guess we're not finished yet.

"Casey?" I ask her as I point to her drawing. She shakes her head.

"Lizzie?" I ask her, but she shakes her head again. What does she want me to write down?

I hum in thought before trying a few more suggestions, all earning me a no. I'm getting a bit desperate and I notice her getting a bit frustrated.

"Well I'm just going to write down what I think you are." I say in the end, writing down the word kind underneath her.

"I think you are kind." I smile as I hand it back to her. She seems to think about it before slowly nodding her head. I chuckle at the fact that she finds it an acceptable answer.

After she packed away her supplies, we both stand up to go see the other animals. Her expressions are priceless. She keeps pointing out different animals with the biggest smiles on her face.

When we reach the porcupines, she takes out her sketchbook and points to Scarlett. "Yes Scarlett is a porcupine." I joke making her purse her lips in thought before giggling. After a few more hours of enjoying the Zoo, it's time to go home.

We're walking past the ice cream shop, on our way to my car, when a teenage girl blocks our way. "I'm really sorry to disturb your day, but you're THE Elizabeth Olsen right? Could I maybe have a picture with you?" The girl asks nervously as she looks between me and Casey.

We drove further away from town to visit another zoo than the rest of the class is currently at. That apparently also comes with more attention, as it seems like I'm a bit more known in this area.

"Of course." I smile kindly, making the girl squeak. Another woman walks up to us to take the picture with a digital camera. After the picture is taken, we make some small talk before we bid our goodbyes. I look down to apologise to Casey, but my heart sinks in my chest when I realise she's nowhere to be seen.

I take a look around, making me realise she is not even near me anymore. I decide to search the ice cream shop, running around while calling out for her, but she doesn't reply. Of course I don't expect her to actually reply, but a wave or walking up to me would be nice.

I run out of shop, panic starting to overtake my body. I try to swallow it away, knowing it will only make the situation worse, but it doesn't seem to work. I lost someone's kid in a crowded zoo.

Maybe Miss Brook was right, god how is she supposed to find her way back to me? She can't ask around. What if someone took her? Can she even scream? She can laugh and make a few animal sounds, but I don't think animal sounds will help her out in the Zoo.

Tears start to blurry my vision, until I see the girl from earlier running up to me. I wipe them away in an attempt to hide my panic. "Are you by any chance looking for the little girl?" The girl questions, out of breath since she ran her way towards me. I nod, not trusting my own voice at this point. "She's one a bench over there"

"Casey?" I question her but the teenage girl just shrugs. She motions for me to follow her and I do so. Not much later, I see Casey sitting on a bench, peacefully drawing while swinging her legs.

I stop dead in my tracks as relief takes over my body. "Thank you." I mutter to the girl next to me who just smiles at me before walking away. Casey needs to know that she can't run away like this. I take a deep breath, trying to put on my angry voice even though I don't feel angry. All I feel is relief, but she doesn't have to know that.

I'm finishing the last bit of my drawing when a hand suddenly rips the book out of my hands. I look angry as I follow the book, ending up on Lizzie, making me even more angry. "You can't just run away like that." She says in an angry voice, but it's slightly trembling.

I cross my arms as I look away from her. She is the one who left me alone in the first place. Some random girl walked up to her and she completely forgot that I existed, just like everyone else does.

I see her sit down next to me from the corner of my eye, so I move my back towards her. "Casey please look at me." She pleads, but I just shake my head. Why would I waste more of my energy to someone who will leave me the first chance she gets?

"We should head home." She says softly, so I stand up from the bench, walking back the same way we entered the Zoo. Lizzie soon catches up, walking next to me. Without any more conversation, we finally reach the car.

Once she buckled me in and closed the door, I look outisde of the window. I can feel her eyes on me before the car starts and she drives away.

I know I need to focus my eyes on the road, but I can't help to take as many glances as possible at Casey through the rear view mirror. She stays in the same position, arms crossed as she looks out of the window.

Even though I'm used to silence around her, this silence is different. It's deafening. So when we reach a red light, I turn on some music on my phone without realising the Disney playlist was still on.

I don't bother changing it, knowing Casey enjoys it. A small smile creeps on my lips as I look through the rear view mirror again, seeing her slightly bop her head as she hums along, this time completely in tune with the music.

This is the second time she's hearing these songs and she already knows how to hum them. From my short time of knowing her, I discovered that she is a really fast learner.

The drive back to her home seems to take forever. The second I parked the car, Casey unbuckles her seatbelt and opens the door. Thank god there isn't any traffic, but I take a mental note to child lock the car doors next time.

I attempt to ignore the fact that she tried to get away from me as fast as possible, but it stays in the back of my mind. She knocks on the door and moments later Mia opens it.

"Hi Sweetie, how was-" She starts, but Casey just barges past her. Mia looks at me with a questionable look, making me smile weakly at her. "Come on in Darling." She smiles warmly as she steps aside.

• • •

After explaining what happened, Mia sighs deeply as she fully turns to me. I take a sip of my tea while she speaks her mind.

"A week after Casey was born, her mother left her. My son, Casey's father, was devastated, but he was a good father. He took his responsibility when he had to, resulting in a very special child. Casey was the light of his life, of our lives." She smiles weakly.

"Every parent thinks their child is special but I knew right away that Casey truly is special. I've never met a child who learns so fast."

"She actually was an early talker." She chuckles at the irony. "I don't know what my son did to her and a part of me wishes to never find out. But something in her changed. He went to jail for it and that's when I took her in. She hasn't spoken a word since."

"I spend most of my money to visit as many specialists and doctors as possible. All kinds of possibilities and diseases were discussed. In the end they said that they couldn't figure out what was going on, that something must be mentally preventing her from speaking. But I know the truth. I've known since day one." She whispers the last bit, making me even more curious.

"What do you know?" I ask her cautiously.

She takes a look around her, making sure nobody else can hear us before leaning in and whispering to me.

"She chooses not to speak."