Amanda always knew her daughter was different in a sense. Emily never really made friends, she always had her imaginary friends and wouldn't talk to any other kids. The whole town knew Emily wasn't one hundred percent mentally stable. Amanda is a young mom only 33 years old, she has dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Amanda also is 5'6 and weighed around 150 pounds. And me, Amanda's daughter; I'm 16 years old with almost the same shade of brown hair as my mother only a tiny bit lighter. Unlike my mother, I have light green eyes that seem to pierce your very soul as some may say. I'm very light, even for my height of 5'2 and being only 125 pounds. As I have gotten older I've heard my mom say she is becoming fearful for me, does she think I'm crazy? I thought to myself sitting on my bed in the dark.
"
mom come here for a second" I yelled hoping she would hear me from the kitchen.
"Come down here, dinner is ready." my mom said with a sweet tone in her voice.
"Okay!" I yelled down the stairs.
"Emily! Get down here now!" Amanda yelled as if she didn't hear me. As I slowly creak open my door and descend down the dark stairway.
"Why are all the lights off?" I asked warily.
"Just come to the kitchen love." my mother said with yet again a sweet tone.
"Surprise!!!" All my friends and family popped out from the furniture.
"What is this?" I asked very confused.
"Sweetie this is your birthday party! Happy sweet 16!" she yelled making sure the guy I like could hear her. I can hear the Voices from the shadowy basement saying
"you will never amount to anything!" Why can't I just be happy! For once. I just wanted to be... I instantly got cut off in the middle of my thoughts by Wesley; the guy I like a lot.
"HEY! Happy birthday!" Wesley shouted.
"hey... thanks, Wes..." I said much quieter. But he still heard me.
"Umm... I got you a little something I'm sorry I know it isn't much but..." he seemed oddly shy.
"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything! Thank you!"
"It's a dream book, I know about your nightmares so you can write your nightmares in it and I might be able to help find out the cause of them," Wesley said with the biggest eyes.
"Thank you so much, Wesley! This means so much." After everyone went home I got told to go switch the laundry from the basement. I hate the basement. Sometimes I see shadows from behind the stairs. I hate being down here.
"Emily hurry up please" I heard my mom call down to me. Her doing so instantaneously snapped me out of my trance.
"Sorry mom, I'm coming." I ran up the stairs after switching the clothes from the washer to the dryer.
"Sweetie, your father would like to speak with you. If you'd like, go to the land line upstairs." For some reason, she seemed hurt. Like she had just gotten dumped.
"Hello?" I heard from the other line.
"Hi, Dad, what's up?"
"Um, your mom wanted me to tell you this..."
"What is it?"
"Your mother and I are thinking of getting a divorce." I couldn't believe that just came out of my dad's mouth!
"Why did she catch you sleeping around?" I said with a very nasty tone.
"Emily what has given you such a god damn attitude! I just wanted you to know." His voice started to crack, I didn't want to listen to him whine so I hung up. As a few minutes went by my mother came bursting into my room, she wreaked of sadness and anger all at once.
"What the hell is wrong with you Emily!" Amanda screamed. "Your father and I just think we are doing what's best, you had no right to imply that he was sleeping with other women!" She lowered her tone and now it was just the sound of silence and small sniffles here and there as my mom was now crying.
"Listen mom I'm sorry okay..." I tried to tell her over and over but she didn't stop crying. Then finally she snapped.
"You know what! You're grounded for a month don't even think about leaving this house and I mean it, Emily. I don't want to see you for the rest of the night!" She never snaps at me like that. What's her problem? I'm so tired it's now already midnight I was supposed to be in bed at 11:30.
As I was running down a long hallway attempting to get away from the shadows that were chasing me.
"Come with us Emily... we want you." I refused to believe my parents didn't want me. One grabbed me whispering in my ear all of the things I didn't want to hear, it slid so easily off of its tongue sounds like I'm not this things first victim.
"No!" I screamed thrashing as an attempt to get away. "Get off of me!" I used all of my strength trying to get away I could no longer speak.
"No one wants you, end yourself you only bring others pain." Was that true? Am I not wanted by anyone.
"Please just stop." were the last words I could get out before waking up in a cold sweat. Was it just a dream? I thought about it for a few minutes before my mom came in to wake me up for school. She saw I was already awake so didn't bother saying a word to me. I was ready for the day but not ready for the school day. Maybe I could skip the first and last period? I wondered to myself. Go get a coffee go out to eat, as I also recently got my license I could do whatever it is that I wanted. Okay, the second period is about to start come on Emily don't be late again. I got in the door just before my least favorite teacher closed the door.
"Almost late again are we?" Mr. Tanner asked.
"But I'm not... bite me." I snarled back at him glaring and taking my seat. As much as I hate most of the people in this school there is one person I find intriguing Wesley King. He wasn't very well known in the school but he did have a group of friends, mostly girls but who am I to say he can't have friends that are girls... that's all I am to him...
"That's it for today class don't forget to study for your science exam tomorrow" Mr. Tanner is so annoying. As I walked out of the room we exchanged a glare and went on with the day. It was now noon and the lunch bell rung.
"Hey Emily, come sit with me!" Wesley yelled from across the lunchroom.
"Okay, okay hold your horses" I joked with him. Lunch went surprisingly well no interruptions I could focus on getting to know Wesley. Before I knew it school was over and I was on my way home. I was in no mood to deal with my parents so I did go out for the night I know I'm technically grounded but what do they expect from me. As I drove down the highway I cranked my music to try to drown out my thoughts. Then I heard my phone ringing expecting it to be my parents I didn't rush to answer it. But to my amazement, it was no other than Wesley King. He seemed drunk.
"Hey!" he managed to slur over the phone. "Come over. No one is here." Why now. Of all times now really.
"Okay, I'll be over soon." I need to get him to lay down. What is he doing getting drunk Wednesday night? I don't care. I drove over there as fast, yet as carefully as I could hoping he wouldn't do anything too stupid. I pulled into his driveway he saw me and was running.
"Emily hey!" he yelled my way
"Hey, Wesley stop. Go inside I'll be in just give me a minute." I shouted back hoping he would listen but of course he didn't. He ran up to me stumbling over himself and kissed me!
"W-what was that for?" I asked very cautiously.
"Listen!" He whispered while all I could smell was vodka on his breath. "I've had feelings for you that have lasted a very long time... I just couldn't bear to tell you." Although he is in some drunken fantasy I don't mind.
"Let's put you to bed!" as it was now almost 7 p.m and I'm sure he will wake up with quite a headache. After he was asleep, which took an hour and a half! I got in my car and drove off to my house.
"Where the hell have you been!" I could hear my mom yell from my bedroom window.
"I was out!" I spat back. Although getting myself into more trouble probably wasn't the best decision. I didn't end up coming out of my room at all that night. But oddly enough my mom did decide to come in and apologize.
"Hey Em. I'm so sorry I treated you the way I did... it's just I'm not in the best place right now and I..." I instantly cut her off because I did not want to listen to any excuses.
"Mom I really don't care what you have to say right now okay?" I felt the tears start to build up in my eyes. "You think you're in a rough spot? How am I supposed to cope, you and dad are splitting up I feel so empty and the one person I thought would realize just ignored it." Now I had tears rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably.
"I-I don't know what to say..." she turned away from me. "I'm sorry you are hurting love. I really am," she said with a sincere look on her face.
"Just get out of my room. I need to think." She left looking back at me with pure pain on her eyes. I hurt her really badly. I don't even care anymore. Is this what I have become? I'm a monster.
"They hate you" it's words slid out of its mouth. "Don't you get it? End it now you can join us!" it said with a slur. "Remember us?" There are more of them. What are they? Who are they? Why can I see shadows but no features.
"Leave me the hell alone!" I screamed hoping whoever I was yelling at. "Just stop! Please leave me alone!" Tears now flooding out of my eyes rolling onto my cheeks and down my chin. I fell to the ground clenching my now bleeding wrists... what have I done to myself... As I drop the blade onto my legs but not shedding any blood. My mom came running into my bedroom as she heard the screaming she was horrified.
"W-what did y-you do?" my mother sobbed. "H-how could you do such a thing t-to yourself..." she was stumbling on her words.
"I don't know... Mom I'm so sorry!" I wanted so badly to go back in time as I know I will be punished. I was in a new room now but I don't remember waking up hmm.
"Well, looks who's awake!" called the nurse from just the other side of me, maybe four feet away.
"What. Where am I? I need to get home!" I tried to reason with this damn lady but she just kept telling me to calm down. Then she just was gone. Where the hell did she go? I was trying to focus on getting out of here. Wherever here was anyway. What. Why can't I move? Am I bound to the table?
"Hey! Get me out of here now!" I shouted expecting to be instantly released.
"Do you believe you are unwanted yet?" Are they back? What. I woke up again in a cold sweat with my mom hovering over my cold and unstable body.
"Emily. Are you alright? You passed out." Thank god. I'm okay. Then I look at my wrists and cringe.
"What happened?" I asked hoping for a different response than I knew what was true.
"You've been in a lot of pain and you broke in a sense and hurt yourself... I'm so sorry I couldn't have been a better mother" my mom was crying. Why would I put my family in so much pain? I heard a knock on my bedroom door it was open so I could see it was no other than Wesley. Why was he here?
"I called him." my mom said wiped away her tears winked and left the room.
"Hey Em. So I heard about what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't a very good friend. But I brought flowers... and I need to tell you something." oh no what was he going to say.
"Yes? What is it? And thank you for the flowers!" I now have butterflies flooding my stomach.
"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" He looked away worried as if I would say no.
"Yes!" I yelled "Yes!" I yelled once more making sure I wasn't dreaming. We hung out for a few hours then he had to leave as his parents wanted him to go home.
"He doesn't love you!" They snarled "No one ever could." I suddenly feel a brush of darkness and sadness sweep over me.
"He does want me... I hope..." I said in a whiny tone. My saving grace entered the room to calm me down and bring me tea, my mom. How come she loves me even when I seem to mess up the most?
"I love you, sweetie, please don't ever forget that." my mother seemed as if she had just lost me.
"How could I, you're always in my business!" I joked.
"Well what are mothers for of not to be snoopy little..." she got interrupted by the ring of a phone.
"Hello?" she said in a sweet tone. After maybe 5 minutes of being on the phone, she started yelling.
"I deserve all of this more than you do!" What is going on.
"Mom, what was that all about?" I asked being sure to avoid eye contact.
"Your father is being childish. He wants to go to court for half of everything."
"isn't he the one who left?" I questioned for a few more minutes before getting told to go rest.
"He did leave you to rot here with us." I heard from the darkest corner of my room.
"You broke them up!" it whispered, "You're the reason for them hating each other!" They don't hate each other. I hope they don't.
"No one wants to be with someone as ignorant as you!" It spat
"I am stronger than this! I have to be!" I yelled before feeling an instant release of my emotions. "I did it! I won!" I said quickly
"Your deeper in hell then you ever could have imagined!" it screamed. It felt like I just threw myself on a bed of nails and feeling every individual nail poke through every layer of skin.
"You win." as I set up a chair and rope that got securely tied to a hook on my ceiling what was meant for an indoor swing. After I set everything up I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote
I wish to you the best of luck. Please forgive me as I know I have failed you. I will always be watching you grow and love and hurt. You are never alone xoxo -Emily
I signed it and made sure it was visible. I grabbed my dream book read through all of my nightmares before standing on the chair pushing it out of the way and letting myself dangle until I had just enough air to whisper.
"Will the Voices stop now?"
With everyone in deep grief, I saw Wesley became a major drug dealer started doing cocaine, mushrooms, and heroin daily. My mother, Amanda went through with the divorce and ended up adopting a ten-year-old boy probably trying to try to fill a void she knew she never could. She still cries at night, I don't think she realizes that I'm here and I'm finally happy. I live with the Voices instead of trying to defeat them. I'm finally okay.
