Tobias Erin Rogers

It was hard being a proxy with a disability. You had selective mutism, so you couldn't speak in certain situations, which sucked. Eventually, you created a porcelain mask with a voicebox that helped you speak without your voice stopping mid-sentence. Sure, the voicebox made your voice sound a bit crackly and sounded as if it were playing through a broken record player, but it still worked! And even though you had many close friends that you trusted, you never let them see under your porcelain mask. You peacefully sat on your bed while you read a book. It was quiet and calm. Suddenly, though, your peaceful moment was disrupted. You sighed and watched Toby, your best friend and another proxy, barge in through your bedroom door and close it. He groaned dramatically and flopped down on your bed; he started to ramble on about his most recent victim who was being ableist towards him for having Tourettes. Toby said it pissed him off. He went silent for a couple of minutes before speaking, "Hey, duh-dude. Cah-Can I see wuh-what's under your mah-mask?" He glanced up at you and tilted his head curiously.