The Definition Of Normal-are you haunted by the voice?-

The Voice

There was the voice . the voice I alone hear. The cold, whispery, penetrating voice. The voice which chills me to the bone, sends shivers down my spine.

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My friend looks at me, concerned. Her green eyes radiate warmth and I trust her !ore than anyone else, yet I can't tell her my secret. She wouldn't believe me, would look at me puzzled. We walk on, her shooting me looks when she thinks I can't see. I push the voice out of my head and hum to my favorite song, fiercly trying not to let it take over.

Suddenly, clear, loud words ring in my ears,different to the murmer before. "The time is near!" A wave of dizziness washes over me, a slicing pain throbbing in my temples. I sink to my knees, Maddie's voice seems far away. Black spots swim in front of my eyes, fuzzy lines tinge the edge of my vision.

I let go and sink into endless darkness...

Invisible bonds tie the voice to me. I can't get away. I twist and turn in the dark. I strain to open my eyes but they seem to wheigh a tonne. I give up and sink back, down onto the shadows in which the voice roams.

A bright, piercing light shines above me and I squint against the sudden change. When my eyes regain focus I attempt to move my head. It's so heavy, like 100 bricks. I can't even move it the slightest distance. A feeling of claustrophobia sends a note of panic into my mouth. I pinch my lip untill the telltale bitter taste of blood fills my mouth.I try to move my fingers but it is as if they have lost all feeling. I will my head to move to the side. I bidges half a centimetre. My eyes dart quickly, processing a small cramped room, bare and stark white.

A lady, maybe a nurse, enters the room through a door beyond my vision. She walks around to me. Lifting my bed into an upright position she introduces herself as Amanda. Her eyes are brown, filled with worry, her light brown hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail, her face kind but wary. The smile on her face is cautious, forced. I think she is as scared as I am.

Amanda tells me that I was in a coma for two weeks!!! The medicine which makes me paralyzed should wear off soon. They have no idea why I fainted and was so distraught. Well, I know. The voice had tormented me while I was unconscious. It weaved itself through the blackness of my helpless mind. Flashbacks of my panic attacks , believed to be an effect of stress.

Images of my childhood, riddled with terror drifted through. The pictures were hazy, but the fear, the uncertainty were crystal clear. My 5th bday party, when my mother had died and the voice made its first appearance. I had stood frozen in shock, the noise of the well-wishers seemed far away. In that instance, the voice was a mere murmer. I barely could hear it. But then it grew.

Each time the voice grew louder and more persistent. It filtered through my dreams and nightmares, normal daily life. It turned school into a hidious,dreaded chore. I would tune out, captured by the voice, weaving its trap around me.

 That same year, my father turned to drink. He wasted away, beatme, turned me out on the streets for weeks on end. No  matter how many times the police turned up on the doorstep, no matter how long he spent in jail, he only grew worse. For hours on end, he yelled at me, untill his voice grew hoarse and he collapsed from alcohol. When the half empty glass hit the ground, I would turn and sprint outside, tears blurring my vision. 

Students would stare at the bruises staining my arms, the purple tinge around my eye, the dried blood on my hands. I was an outcast, alone on the outside. Madison was my only friend, the only thing keeping me from escaping. Even then, she sometimes wasn't enough.

She didn't understand, I had to keep the voice a secret. She only knew of my father, my loneliness. No deeper. She was the only thing keeping me grounded, riening in my sanity. She would hold me as my body wracked with uncontrollable sobs, the voice talking in my ear, growing louder and louder, more intense. As the voice shrieks my name. Samantha!