If Walls Could Talk

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The voice slid through the wall again.

"Hello?" It was still soft and hesitant, but it felt much more present than before.

Louis didn't know if it was because he was closer to the wall now or if the speaker wanted to get a response this time.

Louis lay still on his bed as the same calm that came over him before, when the voice had spoken, washed over him again.

"I know this may be uncalled for, but I just wanted to make sure you're okay." The speaker didn't wait for a response this time but sounded unsure if he should have spoken at all.

Louis, however, found comfort in the words of the mystery person. He couldn't reach out to Kara and didn't want to pester Sam; so, it was somewhat calming to know someone else cared.

Louis wiped his face, no longer crying. Staring up at the ceiling, he realised his vision was no longer blurry, at least, no blurrier than it usually was, and, after a moment of thought, Louis decided to respond.

"I'm fine." His voice was low and cracked slightly. He was unsure if the person on the other side of the wall had heard, so Louis continued with a clearer voice. "Just a stupid fight."

Louis was never too fond of lying, but he didn't know what else to say. He rolled on his side and closed his eyes when a response didn't come, hoping he would drift off to sleep. Usually, that was the final stage. After the sadness had died down, Louis became tired, but he could never fall into a restful sleep after a fight. Truth be told, he never fell into a restful sleep, no matter what.

"Didn't sound like a stupid fight," the voice said.

Louis opened his eyes and wondered if he was meant to hear that or not. The speaker wasn't wrong though, and Louis knew it. None of the fights he and his aunt had were stupid. There was always a good reason behind them.

"It's nothin'," Louis mumbled back, not sure if it had been loud enough to travel through the wall, but he didn't care if it was heard or not.

"Alright, I'm sorry for intruding, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

The voice sounded so sincere, and every time it drifted through the wall, Louis felt calm and at peace. He had no idea why and didn't know if it was normal for a voice to be able to do that. But he didn't care. Whoever this mystery person was, they were helping him feel better, and that's all he needed—someone to care.

"It's okay," Louis said, surprised to find himself smiling. "Thank you." His last words seemed to falter.

"No problem; what are neighbours for?" A light chuckle came through the wall following the words, and it was like music to Louis' ears.

It sounded so sweet and innocent, and it caused a bigger smile to grace Louis' face. He didn't know where the smile was coming from or how this stranger was managing to do this to him. All he knew was that he was enjoying the company. Even if, for all he knew, it was a ninety-year-old man. But Louis doubted that, given how youthful the voice was.

Louis didn't respond to the speaker on the other side of the wall straight away. He didn't know how. So, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering how this stranger's voice could calm him down the way it did.

"Uh, hey?" Louis called shyly.

It was better to talk than to be lonely. He would much rather hear the calming voice slip through the wall than be faced with silence again

"What's on your mind?" Louis could almost hear the smile come through the wall with the words.

He knew it shouldn't have, considering he could be talking to an ancient-looking human who found sport in killing people, but he couldn't help it.