[ WP ] [ TT ] Your superpower is that your voice is layered with a 17hz sub-frequency , allowing you to create a sense of fear and general unease merely by speaking ; but you have no big aspirations like world domination or anything . You just like entertaining yourself by watching people squirm .

I sat in the center of the classroom on my first day of Junior year in high school. The first bell had n't rung yet, and my friends were gathered round, joking and laughing, swapping stories of their summer vacations. I smiled along with them, but was silent. There was a new kid named Jon; he had moved into town over the summer, and we were rapidly working to bring him into the fold and make him feel at home. 
 
 A particularly raucous bout of laughter went up from the group. I threw back my head, mouth open in a silent laugh. 
 
 `` Hey,'' said Jon, turning to me, `` I still do n't know your name yet. You've been quiet this entire time.'' 
 
 `` That's Resonance,'' replied Vince in my stead, `` He's sort of the silent type. A true man of few words.'' 
 
 `` Why's that?'' asked Jon. The rest of the group fell silent, awaiting my answer. 
 
 I spoke up for the first time that day, as loudly and clearly as I could. `` Do you really want to know?'' Jon visibly shuddered, and the rest of the classroom drew back. `` My voice strikes fear into the hearts of men,'' I explained. After a brief pause, everyone, save Jon, broke out laughing. 
 
 Jon looked at me, then Vince, then back at me, and asked, `` What the Hell was that?'' `` You heard Resonance speak,'' began Vince, `` but what you did n't hear was more important. His voice carries an second frequency, just flirting with the boundaries of human hearing. It lies on the edge of your range of detection, that you can barely hear and feel, but are n't consciously aware of. Most people suffer some sort of malaise from being exposed to it, though just how much and the variety of it can vary from person to person. Also, he can tone it down or amp it up to a certain degree. It is impossible for him to truly eliminate it, so I speak for him a lot.'' I let out a low, murmuring laugh, and Jon recoiled. That seemed like it might have taken things to far, so I tapped Vince on the arm and made a couple of quick hand gestures in his direction. `` Res says he's sorry, and hopes that you wo n't hold it against him,'' said Vince, interpreting my sign language. The two of us had been friends for a long time, and had taken up the language so that he could better act as my second voice. `` It's okay,'' said Jon, `` that's actually a really cool power. You just caught me off guard, is all.'' `` Keep telling yourself that,'' I said, causing Jon to cringe yet again. `` Do n't worry, it's a natural response to his voice. You're not a coward or anything, you just need to get used to him,'' reassured Vince. At about that time, our teacher walked in, so we had to settle down. The bell rang, and the year began. 
 
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 Homeroom and first period passed quickly. Second period was English. The teacher, knowing my special ability, called upon me to read an excerpt from our first reading for the year: Macbeth. I read the entire `` Is this a dagger I see before me?'' soliloquy in the most menacing tone I could muster, and the class was clearly shaken, even the teacher. Clearly he had underestimated my power, because he thanked me, then jokingly asked that I not say anything again. 
 
 Eventually, lunch rolled around. Vince and a couple of other friends had talked me into an excellent beginning of the year prank. We sat in the center of the cafeteria, and waited until the building was packed wall to wall. Fortune smiled upon us; we were in the middle of an autumn rainstorm, and everyone had taken shelter indoors. I gave the two of them a brief signal, and they covered their ears. I began to laugh, starting from a soft chuckle, and slowly raising in volume to a mad cackle. By the time my evil laughter had reached it's apex, the entire room had fallen into silence. That was all we had planned to do, but I saw an opportunity for some improvisation, and leaped onto the table. `` Students of Clearlake High,'' I boomed, `` I am Resonance, hear me speak! You shall come to know me by my voice! You shall learn to fear my words! Tremble before me!'' I punctuated my impromptu speech with another round of insane, maniacal, evil laughter. Everyone was clearly intimidated, except for one girl, sitting alone in a corner despite the crowd. She just kept on eating, seemingly oblivious to me. `` Thank you, that is all,'' I concluded as I stepped down from the table to chants of `` All Hail Dark Lord Resonance'' from my loyal companions. Numerous fist bumps and high fives were exchanged between us. What a way to start the year. 
 
 As we left the cafeteria, I felt someone tug at the back of my jacket. I turned to see the girl from before, who had been completely unfazed by my speech. `` What business do you have with me?'' I asked her. She cocked her head to one side, and raised her hands, quickly and adeptly making the motions of sign language. It was at that point that I realized she was deaf. `` I'm sorry, I saw you were making a speech, and it seemed terribly important, but I could n't hear you because I am deaf and I wanted to ask what you had said.'' Anyone who had attempted to say all of that would have been breathless after that sentence, but she did n't miss a beat. This was awkward. I considered my response. There was no easy way to explain my voice to her. I made up my mind, and signed, `` Oh, it was just a prank. Do n't worry about it, I had nothing important to say.'' 
 
 `` By the way, how did you know I knew sign language?'' I asked, changing the subject. `` I saw you signing to a friend in the hallway. Is he deaf too?'' `` No,'' I replied, `` We use it as a sort of code between us. Most other people do n't understand it, so we can have silent conversations unnoticed by those around us.'' That was n't entirely false. We had been known to sign to each other in class when the teacher was n't looking, or to use exchange messages that nobody else would understand. I had intentionally left out the part where I had him speak for me when I did n't want to make within earshot uncomfortable. `` Can I spend some time with you and your friend them?'' asked the girl. The question caught me off guard, and when I did n't respond right away, she continued, `` Not many people know sign language, so I do n't have many people to talk to.'' My hands remained idle. `` I'm not asking you to act as interpreters for me,'' she added quickly, `` I would n't want to be a burden. I just would like to have someone to share conversation with.'' I turned to Vince, who nodded. I looked back at her and followed suit before signing, `` We would be glad to hang out with you, and interpret if you need us to. That's Vince, and I'm Aidan, but my friends call me Resonance. Since it looks like we're friends now, you can call me that as well.'' `` Thank you,'' signed the girl, looking up at us with a smile. `` I'm Anita.'' 
 
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 The school year continued as normal. Vince and I spent our lunches with Anita for the first couple of weeks, before introducing her to our friends. She really was a nice girl. Vince did most of the talking for the three of us when we were in larger groups. 
 
 One week in October, Vince was out sick for a couple of days, so it was just Anita and I. Since she did n't speak, and I could n't without putting those around me off, it ended up being just the two of us for a short time. The second day of Vince's absence, Anita said to me, `` I notice that you do n't speak a lot, and when you do people around you seem uncomfortable. Why is that?'' I sighed. Explaining this would be inevitable sooner or later. `` There is something different about my voice,'' I signed. `` It is hard to explain. When a person speaks, they are vibrating the air at a certain frequency. The exact frequency at which we do so determines the pitch. When I speak, the air vibrates at two frequencies. One of them people can hear. The other is n't so simple. It stays between 16 and 18 hertz, and it makes people feel uneasy or afraid. I get a kick out of watching people around me squirm, but it would be inconvenient to do it all of the time. So, I let Vince do most of the talking. That's why I know sign.'' `` Well, I guess for once I am lucky I can not hear then,'' signed Anita with a smile. `` Yeah, I think that is why we get along with each other so well,'' I signed back. `` I speak and others fear, others speak and you do n't hear. We're certainly an odd pair.'' In hindsight, I'm not sure if rhymes carry the same weight without the phonetics, so my brief display of poetic wit may have been lost on her, but it did n't matter. `` You know, I'm like you in a way,'' I continued, `` There are n't that many people I can converse with. Not in the way I can with you and Vince. If I talk too much, it just becomes too uncomfortable.'' She put her hand on mine, then awkwardly pulled it away to sign, `` I enjoy our time together.''
