If you're a rereader... FOR THE LOVE OF PLOT TWISTS, PLEASE STOP SPOILING IT!!! I know you're excited, but it's really upsetting to spoil the entire plot for new readers. Thank you. love you.
- Sian
The voices started only six months ago. He was sitting at the dining-room table enjoying dinner with his family when a deep and unfamiliar voice intruded on his thoughts. He couldn't hide the sudden shock which poked his family's attention. Of course, the voice didn't stop. it was not making sense and because he was so confused and scared, it only grew louder.
With Scott being a psychologist, he knew there was something immediately wrong with his son, even when Jacob tried to cover it up. He has always been a shy and quiet character and he has always struggled with expressing himself.
Scott knew his children like the back of his own hand and he knew Jacob was struggling.
Scott was able to take his son to work with him and have a work colleague treat him as one of his patients for a while. He would never call him that which is why he passed him onto a trustworthy friend. It was best if he did not work directly with his son. Jacob needed his parents more than ever. His dad needed to be a father, not his psychologist.
Eventually, Jacob told his family about the voice and they have been very supportive, but it was hard for Grace. She felt that maybe she had been too harsh with her timid child.
Jacob's symptoms were unusual because he didn't have any. He was completely normal. He felt unusually himself and nothing for him had changed other than hearing a voice. Grace even wondered if he was doing it for attention, but he was not the kind of teenager to crave attention and he seemed truthfully scared of what was happening to him.
Grace wanted him tested on a number of medications but not a single thing worked. Jacob saw several specialists and still, nothing could help him.
Now, half a year later, the voice was still in their son's head and Grace hadn't found anything that could help.
Jacob hurried towards the car, not wanting to be late. William had taken the front seat, only so his dad could talk to him privately. He had told him to look out for his brother today. When everything happened with Jacob, William felt like it was his job as being his older brother to look after him. The most important part was that he should never treat Jacob any different.
"Have you got everything?" Scott asked when his son shut the door.
"Yeah."
"Alright, let's go," he beamed and allowed William to choose some music.
* * * * *
When they arrived outside the college, William saw his friends and jumped out of the car, but Scott stopped Jacob.
"Hold on a second." They both waited until William had gone before turning around. "I just wanted to ask. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"
Hesitating, Jacob nodded to say yes. He hated how his parents worried about him like this, but in reality, he was worried about himself too.
Scott understood that his son has had trouble making friends since he has started college. He distanced himself from everyone and stayed private and reserved.
"I've been thinking about prescribing you with some sleeping tablets. Now that would mean talking to Flynn, the psychiatrist, but I want to discuss it with you later about your own thoughts on it."
Jacob sighed and looked down at his hands. "I don't want them," he whispered.
"I know, but it's not fair that you're struggling to-"
"I'm fine." He climbed out of the car, silencing their conversation.
Scott watched his son pull up his hood and walk away. He was definitely going to call him later. The last thing he wanted was to get a call from college, telling him that his son has had a breakdown, again.
It did get overwhelming for Jacob. When he tried to concentrate, all he could hear was a deep male voice dominating his thoughts.
As he approached the main entrance, he pulled his hood down and walked inside. He had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to go home already and his lessons hadn't even started.
People were hanging around in groups, chatting and catching up on what everyone had been up to at the weekend. Jacob kept his head down and stared at the ground until the voice he was getting used to spoke above his own thoughts.
"Rough morning?"
He clenched his jaw and tried not to think about answering it. The voice spoke like it was someone who could see him and that messed with his mind more than anything. It would make him anxious and he would catch himself glancing around as he slowly lost the trust in everyone he saw.
Quite obviously, it was nobody. This voice in his head was a creation of his imagination. Just because nobody knew what was wrong with him didn't mean that he wasn't unwell. Jacob knew that he wasn't right in the mind to have a voice in there that wasn't his own.
"You look tired."
Jacob rubbed his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that morning and stood outside the classroom, waiting for the teacher. At least fifteen other students stood in the corridor too, but nobody noticed him.
"You need a coffee. We should get one together sometime."
"You don't exist," Jacob thought back and linked his fingers together so he didn't fidget.
"Don't I?"
He sighed and tried to ignore it by adjusting his gaze to somewhere new. He looked up but caught the gaze of someone else. It was a tall guy standing only a few meters away from the room. He was with five other males, all as big as him. But this guy was looking directly at Jacob, making him feel really uncomfortable.
He diverted his eyes at lightning speed.
"Cute."
He mentally cringed, hating how it felt like the voice was judging him. What worried him the most was how unpredictable it had been in the beginning. Everyone thought it would start to say bad things or persuade Jacob to do bad things to himself or others. But the voice talked to him like a friend. It was supportive and had humour, sometimes. Jacob still disliked it being in his head because of how crazy it made him feel. It wasn't normal and he definitely knew that.
"I'm sorry, I know I'm a disturbance but there's nothing I can do."
Jacob leant against the wall and crossed his arms. He kept his gaze down, just in case that guy was still watching him. Maybe he knows he's a freak.
"You're not a freak."
"Of course I am, I'm having a conversation with a different voice in my head," he snapped back.
"It's not your fault."
"How?" he was getting a little irritated. "You're in my head."
"Take a breath, don't work yourself up."
Jacob's palms were getting sweaty. He wasn't supposed to respond to the voice and hold a conversation, but sometimes he couldn't help it. He uncrossed his arms and began to fidget. Breathing in a lot of air, he tried to relax.
A group of around ten people wandered down the corridor, chatting happily and looking rather lively for a Monday morning. Among that group of people was William, Jacobs older brother but he spotted his friend before he spotted him.
Jacob looked up when he heard the door to the classroom open. For a moment, he considered turning the opposite way and walking to somewhere quiet so he could keep himself together. Before he had the chance, his brother caught him hiding in the shadows.
"Jacob, hey," he smiled and walked over. "Are you in this class? I am too. We can sit-" he noticed that things were not quite right. "Are you okay?" Jacob was able to meet his eyes but only for a second. That was enough confirmation for William to know he was struggling. "Do you want to call dad? I can take notes for you. Or we can ditch college and go far a walk?"
Jacob shook his head and sighed once more.
"Um, I'll be fine. I just need to calm down."
"Okay," William patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's sit at the back. Don't bother taking notes, you can look at mine later."
Jacob nodded and followed him. He felt grateful to have such a supportive sibling as they made their way to the back row. William greeted someone and sat down on the last two chairs. Jacob sat on the end and sank into his seat, concentrating on how much sleep he was going to have when he got home.
"Oh, by the way, I talked to the tutor about partnering up for the project and he said you can work with us," William murmured as the teacher prepared his powerpoint at the front of the room.
Jacob was about to nod until he narrowed his eyes.
"Us?" he questioned quietly.
"Yeah, my friend will work with us too. Don't worry, he's easy to get on with."
He watched William turn and tap the guy next to him, making him turn. But when he did, Jacob recognised him as the guy who was watching him earlier.
"This is my brother, Jacob," William introduced.
"Hey," the man spoke with a deep voice and an intrigued stare. "I'm Hunter, it's nice to meet you."
Jacob's lips curled into the smallest smile he had ever performed before dropping his gaze back to the desk and sinking his body further into his chair. He could feel Hunter studying him until the teacher began to talk. As he did so, Jacob fiddled with his coat sleeves and lost himself in his thoughts.
Niggling in the back of his mind, there was something about Hunter's voice. Something oddly... familiar.