The Calling | The House of Voices #1

Six - Meeting

Meeting

Parish:

A strange, high-pitched sound pulled Parish out of his restless sleep.

Sitting up straight, he glanced around the room warily, only to find his roommate Sid still snoring in his bed. Funny, the boy thought, running his fingers through his sun-kissed brown hair. I could have sworn I heard something.

He was about to shrug it off and go back to sleep when he heard one of the doors down the corridor slam shut. Curious, Parish slipped off his bed, pulled on a baggy t-shirt and padded across the room. He cracked the door open and peered outside cautiously. No nurses in sight.  It was well past midnight, anyway. He didn’t really expect them to still be awake.

He slipped out of the bedroom quietly and left the door ajar. It would be easier for him to sneak back into the room that way.

A pool of moonlight spread across the floor through the thin curtain that veiled the large, single window that stood at the furthest end of the corridor. Parish cross the hall quickly and hid in the shadows, listening intently at the strange sounds that were coming from down the hall.

They sounded like sobs.

Deciding that the sounds were most probably coming from the girl’s bathroom down the hall, He crept along the passage, pasting himself to the wall. He was going to be in serious trouble if some nurse who happened to be prowling around found him. He had no reason to be anywhere near the girl’s bathroom, since the boys had one of their own on the other side of the hall.

But he decided to risk it. He needed to know who – or what – was making those strange sounds.

As he reached the bathroom door, he heard a sharp click before something barreled out of the bathroom and collided with him.

“Oof!” Parish staggered back as the stranger’s forehead crashed in his stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of him. As soon as he regained his balance, he opened his mouth to berate the person who had nearly knocked him over, but shut his mouth the instant he took in those bright hazel eyes.

It was the girl from the hall.

Running a hand through his hair uncertainly, Parish let out a laugh that sounded anxious even to his ears.

“Whoa.” He said, after clearing his throat. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

She tucked a stray lock of her – slightly tangled – brown hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I don’t think my tailbone can handle another fall.”

Parish chuckled as she tried to wipe a few tears from her eyes without him noticing. Unfortunately for her, he was very observant.

“Hey, are you alright?” He asked, bending down to look her properly. “I thought I heard you scream.”

She avoided eye contact. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” He countered.

“I’m just… feeling a little homesick.”

It was an excuse he could have bought, but deep down in the pit of his stomach, Parish knew that she was lying. But he didn’t push the girl to tell him the truth. They’d only just met, why would she possibly confide in him? She didn’t even know his name.

A light came on in his head. Forcing himself to smile as warmly as he could, Parish held out his hand to the girl and said, “I’m Parish, by the way. Parish Feltman.”

Her hazel eyes regarded him suspiciously for a few seconds before she finally shook his hand and returned the smile. “October Grimmes.”

A sudden chill crept along Parish’s skin. He bit in the inside of his lip in frustration, suddenly feeling very crabby.

“Why don’t you get back to bed before you wake everyone else up with your irritating sobs?” He snapped, jerking his hand away.

A small voice in his head sighed. He couldn’t control his mouth or his actions. The disease had taken over. He was experiencing another mood swing. He couldn’t even stop himself from feeling annoyed when October’s eyes widened in shock.

She didn’t know why he had suddenly started yelling at her. She didn’t know that he didn’t mean anything he said. All she knew was that the strange boy who had been so concerned about her a few seconds ago, was now itching to bite her head off.

“No one asked you to come out here. You could have just minded your own damn business!” October replied in an angry whisper.

Parish blinked in surprise. He was expecting her to respond the same way everyone else did – by asking him if he was insane. He definitely hadn’t been expecting her to snap back at him.

“I—” Parish stammered, trying to get the words out. He could feel the anger ebbing away slowly, and he was starting to feel like himself again. The mood swing was passing.

“Just forget it.” She took a brisk step away from him, turned on her heels and stalked down the hall.

“October, I—” He trotted after her, wanting to apologize for the way he’d acted.

She paused only when she reached her room door. 

“Good night, Parish.” She said dryly before slamming the door in his face.