CTRL

III

ɴᴇᴡ ᴏʀʟᴇᴀɴꜱ
ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 2018

Onika woke up with a throbbing headache, the remnants of her dream haunting her. She could still hear the whispered voice, the chill that had crept through her room, and the eerie sense of a presence lingering. Was it another hallucination? Or had something—someone—actually tried to reach her?

She rubbed her temples, trying to push the fog from her mind. As she glanced at her phone, she saw a few messages from Lauren, a reminder from her dad to grab breakfast, and a missed call from Nasir. She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the screen, then decided to ignore it. She wasn't ready to deal with his manipulative games today.

Focus, she thought to herself as she dressed for the day. She chose a sleek black dress with lace sleeves, paired with gold hoop earrings and ankle boots that clicked sharply on the floor. She needed to feel strong, in control, even if everything inside her felt like it was slipping away.

Stepping out of her dorm room, she met Lauren in the hallway. "Morning, sunshine," Lauren greeted, with a playful smile. "How're you feeling?"

"Eh, better. Kind of," Onika replied, walking alongside her. "I had another weird dream last night."

Lauren's eyes lit up. "Was it about your mom again?"

"Yeah," Onika said, her voice dropping to a murmur. "But this time, I swear I heard her voice. It was like she was right there, whispering my name."

Lauren's face softened. "You're not imagining things, O. There's gotta be more to this. Maybe you're picking up on something... paranormal?"

"Or maybe I'm just losing it," Onika said, her thoughts drifting back to Nasir's condescending voice, telling her that she was overthinking, letting her imagination get the better of her. "I don't even know what's real anymore."

"Don't let Nasir get in your head," Lauren said firmly, grabbing Onika's arm. "You've always had this intuition, this connection. Maybe it's time to lean into it."

Onika managed a small smile, grateful for Lauren's unwavering support. "You're right. I just need to figure it out. It's like there's a wall in my head, and I can't see what's on the other side."

The two of them headed to their parapsychology class, the hum of student chatter filling the air around them. The familiar routine of campus life surrounded Onika, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed, like a thread was unraveling just out of sight.

As they entered the lecture hall, Dr. Monroe was already deep into his lecture. He was explaining the concept of latent energy, the idea that emotional and spiritual energy could linger in places, sometimes manifesting as ghosts or other supernatural phenomena.

"... and in some cases," Dr. Monroe continued, pacing across the room, "this energy doesn't just linger. It can interact, sometimes even respond to the living."

Onika perked up, her pen scratching across her notebook. Maybe that's what's happening to me, she thought, the idea sparking a flicker of hope. But her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She glanced down to see another message from Nasir.

What now? she wondered, feeling a mix of annoyance and dread. She silenced the phone, pushing it out of her mind. She'd deal with him later. Right now, she needed to focus.

After class, Onika and Lauren lingered by the door, discussing the lecture. "I liked what he said about energy," Lauren said, adjusting her backpack. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Like maybe your mom's energy is still connected to you, somehow."

"Maybe," Onika said, a hint of doubt creeping into her voice. "I just wish I knew how to reach out, how to get answers."

"Maybe we could try—" Lauren began, but she was cut off by a few students whispering and glancing towards the front of the lecture hall. Onika followed their gaze and spotted a new girl standing by Dr. Monroe's desk, engaged in a low conversation with him.