Ocean Magic (PJO x KC x HOO)

2. The Voices In My Head Are Getting Louder

Are you awake yet?

I groaned, rubbing a hand across my face. For some reason, the blinds were wide open, sending in the early morning sunlight toward my eyes. My head pounded against my skull, and weirdly enough, I didn't remember what happened last night. Opening my eyes, I gasped in pain when I saw how bright it actually was. The pain in my head was searing, burning itself in my brain. 

Turning over in my bed, I buried my head in the multitude of pillows I collected over the years. Everything grew dark around me, but I heard the pitter-patter sound of Dad walking around the rest of the house. Something poked at my brain, trying to remind me of something, but for the life of me remember what it was. Whatever. This headache was going to kill me if I stayed awake. It was time to go back to sleep. 

I let out a sigh, pulling my blankets tighter around my shoulders. Warmth spread through the rest of my body, dulling the pain in my head for a second. Waves crashed against my mind, lulling me into a (false) state of sleep. 

While my eyes were closed, my mind's eye was wide awake. As the waves crashed against the shore of my mind, I watched as a young girl -- sort of my age -- rode the waves in the dark. The moon shone brightly, guiding her way, but something was wrong. The waves were too tall, the water too dark for her to continue on. She was sucked under the waves, dying to the sparkling water. 

Until something happened. A glowing light encircled the girl, raising her out of the waves. The shore was so far away, and yet, she made it back, where two people were checking on her. She was groggy and out of it, talking about a woman, a strange woman who was talking to her, but that wasn't right. There wasn't a woman out and about, so she was just plain crazy. 

But you aren't crazy, Ariel Murphy. I'm here. 

My eyes flashed open, and the weird state I was just in melted away like ice. Weight settled in my chest as I sat up in my bed, looking over at the tall mirror tucked in the corner of my room. From my bed, I was able to see myself peering over the edge of my messy bed, my hair looking just as messy. My eyes were ringed in dark circles, and there was a certain sparkle in my eye that was new. 

Testing the waters, I rubbed my forehead. The pain was gone, but it was still sore from whatever happened last night. I laid back down on my bed, grinding my teeth together. Geez, what's going on? I thought. I'm going crazy.

What did I just tell you? I don't like it when I'm ignored. 

A weird sensation passed over me when I heard those voices. In my mind's eye, an image was forming, one of a woman with long, dark hair. Her hair was parted down the middle, and there was a beaded headband sitting on top. Her face was still blurry, but her dress was made of rolling blue fabric. And then her face appeared. 

Dark, piercing blue eyes stared forward, and I just knew she was looking at me even though she was in my mind. Kohl wrapped around her eyes, making her gaze more intense. Black eyebrows sat above her eyes, furrowed because she was angry. Her slender nose led down to her downturned lips, and she was crossing her arms over her chest. She looked a little older than me, probably about twenty, but -- wait, what am I doing? Was I describing a random woman I saw in my mind's eye? 

This was crazy. I shook my head, trying to dispel the image, but the woman just shook her head. I don't know why I chose to inhabit you. 

What the --

I heard that you were the best person to inhabit since you're descended from the Pharaoh's, but this was such a waste of my powers. 

Covering my ears, I tried to ignore the voice whispering in my ear, but it was persistent. A scream was building in my throat, but something stopped it from erupting, which was a good thing since I didn't want to explain to my dad that I had finally gone off the deep end, that I was hearing voices in my head. Maybe he would have thought it was just a crazy teenage girl thing since he liked to blame my mood swings on being sixteen years old, but this was too wild to even explain.