Sophia

Chapter 8: What Is That?

"Sophia, do you have any clothes that need to be washed?" My mother asks as I look up from my book.

I have read my favorite book three times, but no matter how many times I read it, it always chills me to the bone. It is about a boy named Chad and his neighbor girl, Jill. They find an abandoned house a couple blocks over from their street. When they decide to go investigate further, they find out that there is something living in the house. Something that doesn't wish to be disturbed. This is exactly why I love this book.

Placing it on the bed, I push myself up to a sitting position so I can get up and retrieve my dirty jeans from the closet. "Yeah, hold on. I have a pair of muddy jeans from yesterday." I state while climbing off the bed and walking over to the closet door.

As I reach for the knob, I hear a whisper of a voice in my head that sounds exactly like Elijah's, "Sophia."

Stopping suddenly, I recoil from the knob and flinch as I hear him say it again persistently, louder this time, "Sophia."

His voice echoes throughout my head while I feel a sharp pain again, like I did before I became paralyzed. Still facing the closet, I hear my mother walk up behind me and then I feel a gentle tugging sensation. I turn to see a handful of hair in her hand that looks strangely like mine.

Looking at her face, I see the horror in her eyes as she states sadly, "Sophia, this is to be expected. The doctor told me that you would start to lose your hair eventually. I guess it is just sooner than later."

Shaking her head, I watch as she absentmindedly stashes it in her pocket and then glances up at me and smiles. "Now, where are those jeans?" She asks while trying to keep a confident smile on her face.

I already know that she is being as strong as she can be for me. This is her way of showing me that everything will be fine, even though I know full well that it won't. Nothing can change the fact that in a few months I am going to die. If I could take it all back, I would have never wanted to know. At least then my mom wouldn't be treating me like I'm fragile.

Clearing my throat, I return my attention to the closet door before I open it and reach down to grab the muddy jeans off the floor. Handing them to her carefully, I remark, "Sorry they are so filthy dirty. I slipped in the driveway yesterday and forgot to tell you about it until now."

When she takes ahold of them, she looks them over before laughing and replying softly, "You know, when I was little, I always jumped in the mud puddles. I guess I deserve this."

Shaking her head, she holds them by her thumbs and first fingers, while keeping them away from her own clothes. I guess she doesn't want to get the caked-on mud on her nice white shorts. Thinking about how that would look, a smile forms on the corner of my lips and spreads across my face as she walks out of the room carefully.

Deciding to take a shower, I gather up my pink sleeveless shirt that says Happy in big yellow letters with a smiley face in the middle and a pair of jean shorts from the drawer, before returning to the bathroom. As I walk inside, I start to feel like someone is staring at me and then I hear him again. At first it is just a whisper like before, but then the closer I get to the shower, the louder his voice becomes.

Wondering if he isn't hiding behind the curtain, I reach quickly for it and then pull it open. "Phew." I mutter under my breath before I reach over and turn the hot water on.

I am sure glad that he wasn't there because I don't know how I would have taken that. It could have gone one of two ways. Either, I would have run to get my mom, or I would have stood there completely helpless.

Stopping to calm down for a minute before I get undressed, I hear my mom walk back into the bedroom and raise her voice to say, "Dinner will be ready in a half an hour. I'm making spaghetti and homemade meatballs. So, I expect you to eat a lot."

Thankfully that food is coming soon, I reply happily, "Thanks mom. I am so hungry I could eat a horse." Before I pull my powder blue, cloud pajamas off and let them fall to the floor.

Glancing in the full-length mirror, I notice that I am getting too skinny when I see my ribs start to show. "No wonder why my stomach is growling. I look like I need to eat something." I say to myself in the mirror and when it talks back, I jump.

"Hey, Sophia." A quiet mousy voice says as I stare fearfully at the image before me.

Doubting my own sanity, I look down to see that I am still naked and hurriedly grab the towel from the rack before I cover up and step closer to the mirror. Hearing the voice again, I cock my head to the side and listen closely as it whispers, "Come closer."

Leaning over, I am within a few inches of the mirror when I notice something strange. The surface has changed somehow. On closer inspection, I see that it is moving just barely and reminds me of the consistency of Jell-O.

Daring to touch it, I hold my breath as I raise my hand and touch a finger to it. It feels cold and when the tip of my finger disappears inside for a second, I quickly withdraw it and sense that something wants to pull it back in. "Have I completely lost my mind?" I ask myself quietly before I hear my mom yell, "Dinner's ready." From the bedroom.

Realizing that I must have been staring at this mirror for longer than a few minutes, I quickly shut off the hot water and then grab my clothes. As I get dressed, I keep glancing at the mirror and can't help but to feel that there is something wrong. After I walk out of the bathroom, I hear that voice one more time as I reach for the knob to my bedroom door.

Hurrying out to the kitchen, I decide to not tell my mom about any more of my hallucinations. "It is for the best." I remind myself when I see her sitting at the dining room table, smiling at me.