Cursed

Chapter 1: Lani

       Everything has a sound. Something to distinguish it from all other creatures and objects on the earth. The birds chirp and swish through the air, while insects buzz and tap. The leaves clank together when the wind comes and plants pop and crack as they grow. But these are sounds that no one hears. Well, no one except for me. And maybe you're thinking, oh that's so cool! You've got super hearing! Not cool. Why?  Because people are LOUD. The endless chatter is enough but the sounds your body makes unconsciously? Well, let's just say I'd rather not know that Jenna James gets indigestion every time the school cafeteria serves roast beef. But that's not the worst part. Worse is what people will say about you when they think you can't hear. Like how much of a freak I am. Which, they're right, but still. Rude. 

     But even that doesn't compare to the worst of it. The times when my hearing goes completely out of control. It's like a speaker with a knob that controls volume. When your hand slips and turns the volume up super loud. The sounds around me amplify suddenly and nearly deafen me. It used to only happen once every few months. Or when I was really stressed. But now it happens once every few days. Not to mention when I'm stressed. Though, it's only happened at school once before. Until today....

     I walk through school with my very fancy, very expensive, noise cancelling headphones. The bluetooth kind so that I don't look like a total dork. When you've got super hearing a good pair of headphones is pretty essential to daily life. But suddenly I stop, nearly causing a minor hallway accident in the process, and my breathing quickens. I'm starting to hear a whining from the technology in my headphones. Which only means one thing. I'm about to have an ear episode. Not now! I mentally plead with the universe. But it's too late. I rip my headphones out to stop the terrible whining from getting any louder. The voices of the people all around me magnify and I wince, but its still better than the screeching my headphones were making. Though I can still hear it faintly as I try to put my headphones back in their case. But my hands are shaking hard as the noise gets louder and my ears ache. That's when I hear it. A whirring sound from the ceiling.

     At first I'm confused as to what this sound could be. Then it hits me. The bells. I start to  scramble to take my headphones back out, definitely prepared to take the whining over this catastrophe, but I'm too late. The minute the ringing starts I crumple to my knees. I've been subject to some terrible noises before, but this pain is by far the worst. For a minute I forget where I am and I'm completely convinced that someone is hammering a very sharp nail into my eardrums.  When it finally stops I find myself curled in the fetal position clutching my ears. Through my blurred vision I see a few people surrounding me. I try for a weak smile and then an aching pain in my ears brings me to unconciousness.