Body stealers

Chapter One: Invader 21 years later

I walked into my 12:00pm class and sat at my usual seat. A little while after Ren walked in and took the seat next to me. Ren was nice we had been making small talk since the beginning of the semester but we only talked in class. It was never about anything important, always about school and only for a minute. It wasn't Ren's fault, he was pretty talkative but he had a reputation for being a typical drunken frat boy so I always kept it short and sweet. I could tell Ren liked me and I guess I was his challenge. He made it a point every day to invite me to one of his parties and every day I said no, today I wasn't me.
'"Hey Emma" he said enthusiastically as he sat down.
"Hey." I replied. I kept my eyes tried on my nose hoping he would stop there.
"I saw you this morning. Were you working on your paper?"
I lifted my eyes from my notes and shot him a quick glance "Oh yeah, I finished."
I turned around in my seat so I was facing the board again and suddenly she was there.
"Talk to him." she commanded
Without realizing I obeyed the voice in my head.
"Did you finish yours?" My voice came out brighter than usual and that caught his attention. 
"Yeah I did." A grin slowly crept its way across his face as I continued.
"It was hard right. I thought I would never finish."
"I know right, I think we both deserve a little fun after that what you say you come to a party my frat is throwing tonight. "
"Say yes" the voice hissed.
"Yeah." I answered on her command.
"Great you know which frat right."
"Yeah I do."
"Great see you there."

In the bathroom alone I stood in front of the mirror. The girl staring back at me had auburn hair and brown eyes. She was below average height for a twenty one year old girl and she had a fifteen year old scar on the right side of her forehead stretching from her hairline to her eyebrow, that she still didn't know how she got. The girl in the mirror was a carbon copy of me but she wasn't me. I had been alone since the day I was given up for adoption but three months ago I started hearing her, now it seemed like I would never be alone again. My mind had been my escape but she invaded it and she refused to leave. I couldn't understand why this was happening to me. I'm a witch. I'm not supposed to be plagued by ghosts or whatever she was. I'd spent every waking moment after I woke up from the coma pouring through spell books and even history books but I couldn't find anything about what was happening to me. I finally gave up and resigned myself to living with her annoying voice in my head, but I don't know how much longer I can take it especially since it seems like I'm beginning to lose control.
"Why did you make me do that?" I shouted.
"I didn't make you do anything I only suggested it, and besides we need to have some fun. I'm tired of studying."
"No! There is no we, there's you and there's me so if you don't feel like studying anymore then maybe you should find a way to get out of my head!" my voice echoed in the empty bathroom but I was too angry to care. 
Her voice remained as calm as the first day I  heard it. "Emma darling I already told you there's no way out. You only have yourself to blame, this is my body after all."
"This is my body!"
"Oh really if it was your body could I do this."
My arm suddenly jerked up and slapped me.
"How did you do that?" I asked in horror.
"I already told you this is my body."
"It's not your-"
I heard a soft voice behind me. "Excuse me." 
A girl stood behind me waiting to use the sink. I moved aside but she stared at me with pity and fear. I half walked half ran out of the bathroom in anger and embarrassment. She had heard everything and now she thought I was crazy and dangerous.
"Ah ah ah" the voice sung. "she thinks we are crazy and dangerous."

When I finally get to my dorm I try to take a nap but she wakes me up at 7:00pm.
Her voice is loud and enthusiastic. "Come on get up, we can't be late for the party it's rude."
"We're not going to the party." I reply still half asleep,
"Yes we are. Now move yourself or I'll just have to move for you."
I roll over in my bed and pull the covers over my head. I try to will her voice out of my head but my body suddenly jerks up and without me moving I was suddenly standing in front of my closet.
"How did you do that?"
"I told you darling this is my body and I can do more than just slap you with it. At first I couldn't really do anything so I amused myself by messing with your head, but now with every passing day I can do more and more. It'll only be a matter of time before you're the one in my head watching me live the life that belongs to me."
"For the last time this isn't your life! I just want you to leave me alone please!" My voice cracks and I find myself fighting to hold down the knot in my throat.
"No can do sweet pea." 
She moved my arms and grabbed a skin tight burgundy dress I had been planning to return.
"This is perfect!"
"If I have no choice in going can I at least pick what's going on my body?"
"Your style is so boring...but I guess I could let you choose."
I reached in to the closet and pulled out a royal blue dress. I put it on and looked in the mirror. The dress lay just above my knee with a scoop neckline and a lace that tied in the waist.
"I can't believe you picked this we look like a house wife. Are you going to show up at Ren's house with a fresh baked casserole too?" The sarcasm in her voice made me cringe because it was so real. It was moments like these where I couldn't lie to myself about her existence. In the first few weeks after waking up from the coma she made a witty remark that forced me to accept three truths I kept denying, she was real, she was there and I wasn't crazy.
"Leave me alone I'm going to the stupid party already."
"Fine I won't argue, let's just go."
As we were leaving I realized I still didn't know the name of my tormentor or what she even was. "What's your name anyway? Its already been three months and you're still in my head so I should at least know who you are."
"I'm Emma." she answered as if the answer should be obvious.
"Emma is my name!" I shouted.
"Yeah but like I told you before this is my body and you took it from me so my name is rightfully Emma."
"Well it's not. Just tell me your name whatever name you've lived with before you came to annoy me."
"Jara. My name was Jara."
When I got to Ren's frat house it was already overflowing with people. It was only 11pm and girls were already puking out in the lawn. I took a deep breath and let her walk me into the party. Inside the party was even wilder. I've heard stories of Ren's parties but none of them matched what my eyes saw. The living room was so crowded that it was impossible to move; instead the crowd moved you and you hoped you would end up where you wanted.
My stomach felt like it was twisted in a knot of fear and nerves. "Okay we came now I want to leave."
"Leave? We just got here this party is amazing. Come on all you have to do is dance and you'll enjoy yourself."
"I don't want to dance I want to leave." In my head my voice sounded weaker than hers. Mine was like a child next to her demanding presence.
"Fine I'll dance for you."
I didn't realize how much control she had over me until I was dancing moving arms, legs, hips everything without me moving them. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Ren smiling back at me.
Her voice reappeared. "Well hello there hottie. Talk to him!"
"Hey Ren." This was the first time I was talking to Ren outside of class and I  found myself feeling shy and at a loss for words.I tried to smile back at him praying he wouldn't realize how fake it was.
"I see your enjoying yourself aren't you?" he said,
"Put your arm on him. Go on be flirty he's obviously into you."
I push her voice to the back of my head and instead say, "What do you mean?"
"Well I wouldn't have expected to see you dancing."
"Oh well-"
"You're not gonna do it huh, well I guess I'm gonna have to do it for you."
Both my hands went flying and landed on his shoulders
"Say something now, or i'll do something else."
I obey her not wanting to find out exactly how much control she has on me. "What can I say, I'm full of surprises."
"That's more like it" She says encouragingly.
Ren grins, now he thinks that I like him. Ugh great just great.
"Kiss him."
She wanted me to kiss him but I wouldn't. I dropped my arms from his shoulders and backed away from him, but she pushed me forward and my lips landed on his. Jara kissed him with my body that was the last straw.
"No!" I shouted as I pushed Ren back. Ren's eyes widened and his face filled with confusion. 
"What's wrong?"he asked.
"I'm sorry I have to go."
I turned around and ran out of Ren's party. Yes I actually ran.
"Why did you leave we were having so much fun."
"No! You were having fun! Don't you dare do something like that again!"
"Or what! what are you going to do about it huh?"
She was right. What was I going to do? She was in my head, she couldn't feel pain. That night I lay awake in my bed. Jara was taking over me like a plague. I had to find someone to help me. The city was full of witches with decades of experience over me, there had to be one that could help me. I planned to go tomorrow, but tomorrow never came for me.