The Calling | The House of Voices #1

Thirty Three - Listening

Listening

 

 

October:
 

I ended up falling asleep later that evening and missing the basketball match I promised to join. I don’t know at which point during the day I fell asleep, all I knew was that one minute I was rushing through the climax of the book and the next, I was waking up in the middle of the night to the collective sounds of Kara’s snoring and my own tummy’s rumbling.

I’d slept all through dinner.

Yawning widely, I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Squinting against the dim moonlight that shined into the room through the gap in the curtains, I pushed my open book off my chest and onto the bed. I was about to roll over and resume my slumber when my stomach growled again. Louder, this time.

Maybe I could sneak into the kitchen and rummage the fridge for something to eat?

I stood up and padded quietly over to the door, maybe doubly sure that I didn’t make any noise. Kara was sleeping soundly in her bed, and I didn’t want to wake her up. I eased the door open softly and, sparing her a quick glance to make sure she hadn’t stirred, I slipped out of the room and closed the door gently behind me.

Pleased with my stealth, I walked quickly down the hall. I didn’t have to put too much effort into being silent since I was only wearing socks and my feet made minimal noise on the hardwood floors. However, I made certain that I didn’t step on any loose floorboards; didn’t want a groaning floorboard to send me to my doom.

Okay. A little dramatic, but I’d been reading a spy novel the entire day. I was excused.

I tiptoed down the staircase, my fingers trailing gaily along the smooth banister. I remembered how, on a night very much like this one, Sid had once double dared Kara and me to slide down the banister. We’d taken the dare, of course, and thankfully hadn’t gotten caught.

I was just a couple steps away from the second floor – the doctors’ floor – when I was suddenly gripped by a strong sense of unease. It was an eerie feeling, unfamiliar; and it took control of my whole body in one quick second. As I stood frozen on the staircase, one hand still on the banister, I thought I saw something stir in the corner of my vision. Turning slowly, I noticed something glittering in the distance, a thin beam of moonlight bouncing off some unknown reflective surface.

My legs started moving on their accord, stepping softly onto the landing of the second floor. The uneasy sensation hummed in my head, each beat getting louder and louder with every step I took. It urged me forward, insisting that I investigate the subtle movements in the darkness.

I crept along the corridor, pressing my body against the walls. As I moved deeper into the shadows of the office hallway, the sound of muffled voices met my ears. A woman’s and a man’s. I paused for a second, frowning. There were only two people it could possibly be; Larky and Darren. I was puzzled. Larky never stayed over at the Institute. She lived close by so that she could pop in and out whenever she pleased and had the habit of leaving straight after dinner. It had to be well past ten in the night. What was she still doing here?

Now motivated by my own curiosity, I edged closer to Dr. Larkson’s office, from where the sounds were coming from. I’d almost made it to the door when, out of nowhere, a hand snaked out of the shadows and grabbed my own.

I don’t know how I did it, but I somehow managed to keep myself from screaming.

Heart hammering away in my chest from fright, I peered into the darkness angrily. After a few seconds of blinking, my eyes adjusted to the light – or lack thereof – and I was able to make out a face staring back at me.