Innocence at its Worst

Beckoning - 6

Rhea wanted to skip school, but the voices in her head wouldn't let her. 

Go on. Out the door you go.

Rhea pushed the front door wide open, wishing she could ignore them. 

Go to school. See Levi and give yourself to him.

"That's just weird," Rhea mumbled. "No thanks."

Insolent child, we mean-- give yourself to him. Allow him to take you.

"Like soul eating? Sounds like fun, but seriously, no thanks." Rhea slammed the door shut, shouldering her pack. "Now, please shut up."

Why? Are you going to make us?

"I could," Rhea said thoughtfully. "There are ways..."

Are there? You can't rid us until you give yourself up to us. To Levi.

"Bet I could," Rhea said in a singsong voice. She smiled to herself, happy she managed to get them to be quiet for a little bit. She couldn't sleep at all last night because they wouldn't shut up! Rhea was crumpled on the floor in the classroom yesterday for a good twenty minutes before anybody showed up and helped her to the nurse. 

Today, she was happily eating lunch with her friends when she saw Brook running away to the bathroom and Charlie chased her down. Levi looked alarmed when he saw a boy watching them. Rhea sighed, wishing he watched after her like he did his sisters. She began to feel the presence of the whispers, immediately deciding to distract herself with Levi. 

"Hey, do you ever hear weird things?" she asks bluntly. Oops. I didn't mean to bring them up.

"Like what?" Levi looks at her curiously, his eyes shadowed from lack of sleep. Rhea sympathizes with him. 

"Like... voices?" Rhea reaches out on a limb. "They keep telling me to basically kill myself. Either that or release myself sexually onto you. Weird, right?" Rhea rambles. "Did I just say that aloud?"

Levi reddens, "Oh. Those kind of voices."

"I don't mean as in--" Rhea huffs. "Never mind."

Levi peers up at her, studying her closely. "Do they sound a little bit like darkness?"

"If darkness had a sound, it would probably be them." Rhea rubs her temple, a headache forming already.

Levi's eyes flicker to a corner of the room, then back to her. "Do they... ask you to do things?" he asks tentatively. Rhea bites her lip, suddenly not wanting to talk about it. He leans forward, staring at her intensely. "I need to know, Rhea."

She looks away, fidgeting with her fingers. "They won't stop," her voice breaks. She squeezes her eyes shut as the voices crowd in, pressing images of death and darkness into her mind. They show her unimaginable things that should never be seen by a human. 

Levi is torn between reaching out to comfort his lifelong friend, and telling her a false reassurance. He watches as a single tear slides down her cheek, squeezing his heart. He wraps an arm around her trembling shoulders and pulls her close, "I'll make them stop," he vows. "Whatever they are, I'll make them go away." He pointedly looks in the shadowy corner.

Hours later, Rhea was walking home by herself, wondering why Levi had suddenly decided to show any affection at all. She tried to piece it together, but came up with no good explanation. "Figures. Maybe he just felt bad," she says aloud. Rhea sighs; she hates it when people take pity on her. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself without everybody's pity. She just wants people to like her for being herself. 

You can't do that if you're hiding your true self. We bet you don't even know what you are.

"Yeah, and what am I?" she rolls her eyes. "A human?"

Close, but nowhere near what you can be. Join us. Give yourself up to us. We need you.

"Oh shut up." Rhea frowns, her hands in her pockets. She doesn't want to go home quite yet, but she knows that her dad probably hasn't returned from another one of his trips to the bar. She closes her eyes, returning to the horrible nightmares that plague her vision day and night unwillingly. 

A voice swims through her muddled thoughts, calling her back to reality. It calls her name, demanding her attention. "Rhea."

She blinks rapidly, returning to her body and mind. "Huh?" 

"Rhea, are you alright?" Levi was at her side, seemingly concerned.

"How did you get there?" she turns in a circle, looking about the now empty street, save for a lone parked car nearby.

"You've been standing there for ten minutes," Levi says almost sheepishly.

Rhea frowns, "Like I've been sleeping? Sleeping standing up? Weird." She shrugs and continues on her way. "What brings you to my humble abode? I mean-- soon. What soon brings you to my-- aw, you get the point."

Levi cracks a small smile, then turning serious again. "Rhea, I came to tell you about your dad." He gets straight to the point.

"What about him?" Panic overtook her, freezing her limbs and rendering her speechless. Levi wouldn't meet her eyes. "What about him?" she raised her voice.

"He's not coming back. Not for a while."

Rhea lowers her eyes, clenching her fists. She always knew something like this would happen, but not today. Not now when all she needed was a good night's rest or-- or something!

"My mom offered to let you stay with us until he--" Levi clears his throat. "Until he's able to come back," he finishes quietly. 

Tears well up in Rhea's eyes. "It's my fault, isn't it? I listened to the stupid voices and went to school today when I could have--- when I could have stayed home and-- and waited for Dad!" she turns away from Levi, sobbing uncontrollably. He probably won't be back for a long time...

You're right, the voices coo. He won't come back for you. Not yet. Not until you save everybody around you by giving yourself up...

"Rhea, I'm sor--" Levi began.

"Shut up!" Rhea screamed, clutching her head tightly, clawing at her skin and tugging at her hair. "Leave me alone!" She runs down the street, ducking into a dark alley. She hides behind a pile of boxes, blinded by her tears and madness. The voices whisper tauntingly, begging her to turn to darkness; begging her to return to them.