Chapter 4 Whispers in the Silence

I flipped the light switch, and the sudden brightness made me squint. As my eyes adjusted, I let out a sigh of relief, letting go of the fear that had gripped me.

'God, you scared me.' I said, my voice shaking slightly.

'You're late.' Mom said, staring blankly at the fireplace.

'I'm cold. I think I should go take a shower.'

'You're late again, Emily. You promised.' She said in a serious tone.

'I'm sorry. A friend had this party and I just had to attend it,' I lied.

'Parties or not, you shouldn't stay out this late.'

'Mom, it's 7pm,' I protested, in a whisper.

'Is that supposed to be an excuse?'

'Is that supposed to be an excuse?' I mouthed, mimicking her.

'Emily, what's going on?'

I remained silent, feeling a familiar sense of frustration.

'You know, ever since your dad left...'

'Are we really doing this now? For God's sake, I don't care if dad left, and I don't care what you felt when he left. You're not the only one with issues.'

'Emily, you're 16. You don't know anything about issues.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Blah, blah blah...'

She scoffed. 'You know what? I'm done. God knows I tried. I tried to get you therapy, I even moved so you could get over him, and move on with your life... I tried everything. But it looks like you enjoy being unhappy!'

I paused, staring at her in disbelief. 'Can't you just pretend to care about me? Because all you do is fill out dumb paperwork...'

'Well, it's that paperwork that puts food on the table!'

I went silent for a while. 'It's not always about money.'

I retreated to my room, clutching my lucky pillow tightly. It was a gift from my dad on my 8th birthday, and it still remained my most treasured present. Whenever I held it close, I felt a deep sense of peace, aliveness, and good fortune.

As I sat there, I let my emotions overwhelm me. I thought, I sobbed, and eventually drifted off to sleep, the pillow still clutched in my arms.

Suddenly, I jolted out of my sleep, having only slept for 15 minutes. Yes, I had another one of those weird dreams.

They're not just dreams, they're debilitating nightmares that haunt me everytime I close my eyes. They're so terrifying that they leave me acting possessed, prompting my Mom to check up on me every single night.

The nightmares started a week after I moved to Florida; a week after I started school, exactly one week after I realized that I didn't really fit in. I managed to keep it a secret for an entire month, until it became unbearable for me.

It had been three months, yet the dreams hadn't stopped yet. And I was getting really worried.

Mom thought I was insane. Louis didn't believe me and...oh, those are all the people I have in my life.

Louis had been treating me differently since I got to Florida – he no longer treated me like his best friend. Maybe I never was.

I sat on my bed at midnight, watching a show I was totally uninterested in. It's funny how I suddenly lost interest in it when it used to be my favourite show.

I slowly turned off the TV.

I found myself fixated on the door knob, staring blankly at it as if willing it to reveal some hidden truth. My eyes welled up with tears until they streamed down my face. I was crying, but I didn't even realize it until it had become uncontrollable.

Wait, was I actually crying? I was – for the first time after my dad left.

What is wrong with me? I thought, feeling a sense of detachment. But the tears kept flowing, as if I'd been holding them back for far too long.

I reached for my dairy and began to write until morning.

It was 7:45 am already.

I sat at the dinning, taking intermittent sips of my now cold coffee.

'Hey honey.' Mom said quickly, moving towards the refrigerator.

'Mom?'

'What are you doing? Aren't you late for school?'

'Yeah. I don't feel like going to school today.' I said, hiding my surprise.

She pouted. 'Aw. But look at you, you're all dressed up.'

'That was before I changed my mind.'

She paused, then inhaled deeply, 'What's going on with you, honey? Are you okay?'

My face crumpled a bit because I felt really cringy. 'Yeah, why?'

'I don't know. Don't you think you've been acting a little weird lately?'

I didn't reply.

'And your nightmares, they're gone. I haven't heard you scream in three days.'

'That's because I haven't slept in three days.' I muttered.

'What?'

I was silent.

'Okay, baby. I have to go to work now, see you when I'm home.'

Few minutes later, I stood up, grabbed my bags, and headed out the door to school. My earlier resolve to stay home had vanished.

I rushed back inside, walking over to the fridge, where I found the lunch money and a note from Mom. The message was straightforward: 'You're grounded. Go to school.' I couldn't help but chuckle at the blunt reminder.

I came home from school early that day, I didn't want to be 'double-grounded'.

But I was so weak and tired, I needed to rest. I slumped on my bed, flinging my bag to God knows where.

I jolted awake at 8pm, my head throbbing with a fierce headache. I had been asleep for only 5 hours, but it felt like an eternity.

I slowly sat up. I was on the floor! And my dress was half torn.

What happened?

As I sat up, my gaze drifted to the camera on my ceiling. I had been secretly recording myself the whole time, despite Mom's explicit instructions not to.

I watched the footage, horrified by my own actions. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I shook my head in disbelief.

'No, this is not me.'

School again.

Wednesday's math class dragged on, with Mr Walter's lecture fading into the background. I found myself captivated not by the equations on the board, but by the man himself.

His hands gestured emphatically as he spoke. And I watched, transfixed, as his lips moved. But I wasn't listening, my mind had already checked out.

Then I remembered the nightmare. It had led me to go to school that day even though I didn't want to. I mean, it's not only consuming me, it's controlling everything I do.

I groaned within me, feeling a bit nauseous and uncomfortable. Suddenly, I felt a surge of frustration deeper than I have ever felt before.

'Tonight,' I vowed, 'I would go to the lake and uncover the truth, no matter what it took.'