The Four

Chapter 3-Change

       Ella woke up abruptly. Her first reaction was to slam her hands on the sides of her head. Everything was so loud, like the air made noises as it moved.
  She groaned sliding off the bed, as she went to get the Tylenol off of her nightstand.
  Ella could've swore she was on hang over. She had never been drunk before, but she had seen it in movies, and this is just what she imagined it to feel like. Constant noise.
  She took two pills, and sat back in bed.
It was odd, the noise didn't hurt, but it was just annoying, and uncontrollable. Ella just wished it would stop.
All around her she felt like she was at a party, she heard people talking and laughing. Birds chirping, dogs barking, and even the tv downstairs playing a commercial toon.
   Suddenly Ella decided she would do something about it. She went out of her room and down the hallway, heading straight towards the tv. When she got to the living room she saw her mom sitting on the couch. This was a normal occurrence, her mom drinking coffee at 9am, with the tv on. That's usually what Ella would wake up to.
  "Please" Ella said cuffing her hands over her ears, "Can you turn that down," she asked almost begging.
Ellas mom frowned and grabbed the remote turning it down slightly. It did nothing for Ella, all of the noises still rambled on inside her head.
  "Are you okay?" Her mom asked setting down the remote and standing up. Ella nodded slightly, still with her hands over her ears, "Yeah, I just didn't sleep much." She said before heading back down the hall and going back into her room.

    For what felt like hours she still heard the noises. She laid on her bed trying to make them stop by grabbing the whole comforter and burying her face into it. She even got some lawn mower ear buds and tried them.
Nothing worked.
  Finally she sat up, she couldn't just lay in bed all day. There had to be something she could do to get any peace.
    Instinctively she grabbed the remote and turned on her small box tv, sitting on the dresser. It buzzed for a minute before clicking to a news channel. For awhile she focused on the tv. The noises in her head were tuned out now. Ella assumed that whatever had happened was over, that her hearing was normal.
   Soon she realized that was not true. Anytime she would unfocus from the television everything would go back to being noisy again.
"What is wrong with me," she groaned laying back in her bed, now hearing all of the noises coming back.
Ella stood up and walked to her window. Outside was no one. Just trees. And believe my when I say she could hear every noise coming from them. When the leaves would rustle up against each other, and even when they would hit the ground.
  Then Ella heard talking, she focused on it for a minute, it sounded like a couple.
Somehow she could tell directly where they were. About a block away, and they were walking on the sidewalk.
Ella frowned stumbling back. Somehow she could focus on anything, and be able to hear it. Ella immediately ignored this, because that would be ridiculous, but deep down, she felt that unsettling feeling of change.

-

    Freddy grabbed his coat heading out of the front door and straight to his car.
  His mom was making him run errands to get some bread and milk. Somehow they were out of it, even though it felt as though they just bought some yesterday.
Freddy assumed that his little brother must've ate it all. He was growing, but he was also a pig.  So the combination of the two was not good.
  Freddys little brother was just turning 10 years old.  Tommy was a very unique sibling. Or that's how Freddy saw him anyway. Tom was weird. He was into comic books major time, he didn't enjoy any sports, and he was very antisocial. This made Freddy think he was a weird kid, even though ironically he was friends with someone who acted just like Tommy, (Antony).
     I mean I don't blame him. Freddy was raised by a father who told him that in order to be a man, you have to act like one. That means no skimping around. You had to play a sport, and don't ever let anyone be above you. Those were the rules, and those were strongly forced on Freddy, his father focused all energy on Freddy, mainly ignoring Tommy.     Believe me, Freddy counted Tommy as lucky, because he didn't have to deal with their dad as much. Of course, if Freddys dad was still alive he would be busting Tommy out right now, probably calling him a 'useless fairy' or something of the sorts.
     Freddy walked inside the small grocery store, heading straight to the bread isle. He would rather be home, or with his friends right now, than at the grocery store. He was slightly irritated that his mom made him go out at 9 o'clock in the morning. Instead of her going, she decided to wake him up, and made him go.
    Sighing he grabbed a loaf of bread and made his way to the milk isle.
    He was about to head to the refrigerators when he noticed people standing around them. Most of them he noticed from school. They were all leaning against the doors and talking.
  That slightly irritated him more. He just needed milk, then he could go home, instead he was going to have to confront people from his school, at 9 in the morning.
   Freddy walked over to the group and opened the door to the fridge, hoping to get away with not having to talk to them. That of course didn't work.
"Freddy." One of the kids called, while Freddy sighed taking out the milk and placing it into the cart. Slowly he turned around to face the group, putting on a happy face.
"What're you doing here?" Another kid asked walking up to him. Freddy slightly frowned, what did they mean by that? This is the town grocery store.
  "Just running errands." He said trying not to seem too uninterested although He definitely was.
   "At nine?" A kid asked, "Aren't you supposed to be at football practice pretty boy?" The kid mocked. Freddy immediately recognized him, he was the guy who tried to make it on the football team last year, news flash: he didn't make it. Freddy now knew why he was being sour towards him.
   "Okay, you know what?" Freddy asked, "I need to get this home, See you guys on Monday." Freddy said, trying to escape this awkward situation. He slowly tried to walk away but was interrupted by the kid speaking again.
  "Your mommy send you to the store?" The kid asked, "Why didn't your dad go?"
Freddy stopped moving for a minute and turned to face the kid.
   He was already not in a good mood. Now he has some jealous punk, trying to wound him up.
Instead of backing off, the kid got closer to Freddy, "Oh yeah, He's dead, right?" He said smiling.
  That was an immediate trigger for Freddy.
Of course, he didn't like his dad that much, but people like this, thinking they could just say whatever they want, and get away with it. That was the issue.
   The lights in the store started flickering, and all of the kids, except Freddy, looked up.
    "I'm not in the mood," Freddy snapped staring the kid down. The kid glared back, slightly confused by the lights.
  Freddy felt everything, the electricity in the air, and the buzzing of the devices around him. He felt out of control, yet calm.
   Freddy snapped out of whatever trance he had been in. The lights stop flickering, and Freddy frowned to himself for a minute before he walked away from the group.
   Had that really been him? No. No that's irrational.
  Deep down he felt it. A strange feeling. He felt changed