The Girl in the Window

Chapter Ten

"How can I bring something, or even someone, back home?" Athena asked her brother frantically. She started to pace back and forth as she wrung her hands. The pain kept shooting up her leg every time she put pressure on it, but she didn't care. There were more pressing issues in her mind at the moment. 

Easy, the voice taunted. Laughing echoed through her head. The more Athena heard the voice in her head, the closer she came to recognize the voice. She placed her fingers on her temples and started to rub in circles, trying to draw out the voice. She was afraid that her brother was right. She did bring someone home. 

Derek shrugged his shoulders, his eyes still locked on the shattered computer. He hadn't moved from his spot in the past couple of minutes. "I'm not sure, Athena. I read a book while I was in college. It said that the supernatural just 'invite' themselves into people's houses. They do it by clinging onto the said person, or an object." He saw Athena give him a strange look and shrugged. "I was bored."

Athena rolled her eyes and pushed away her chair to walk over to where the computer still lay shattered on the ground. "But how does it happen?" She knelt down next to the wrecked computer and reached out to touch the shattered screen. She kept her leg stretched out in front of her, she couldn't truly bend it the way she was wanting. How was she going to afford a new computer now? How did this happen? Why was this happening to her?

You know...

Shut up! Athena yelled at the voice in her head. She shut her eyes tightly, causing stars to dance in the darkness. The headache that was forming in her head made her feel dizzy and weak. 

"I don't know." Derek shrugged again. "I didn't exactly pay attention. As I said, I was bored and was just reading it for fun. I'm even surprised that I remember that part of the book." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't even remember the title of the book."

Athena sighed, ran her hands through her hair, and started to slowly pace around the room, again. "How do we make all this go away?" She closed her eyes and sighed. 

I could fix it. The voice sang out again in her head. A trill of laughter floated around. 

Shut up!

"What do you mean 'we'?" Derek whirled to her.

Athena spun around and looked at him. "You saw what happened, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did, but that doesn't mean that I'm a part of this!" he argued. He crossed his arms and gave her a pointed look. 

Yes, he is, the voice sang happily. 

Fucking shut up! she yelled to the voice, her voice dripping with venom. 

Athena laughed manically. "Yes, it does." She couldn't tell him about the voice. Not now. He may think that she's crazy, but he also might believe her. She was struggling internally about telling him. He was in this mess just as much as she was. The voice wasn't going to let either one of them go. "You were here when it happened, so you are a part of this mess! Who knows, if you go home, the supernatural fucking thing might follow you as well." She pointed to the broken computer. "Your computer could look like this!" She then pointed to him. "Or worse, Derek. You could look like this!"

I'm hurt, the voice veined innocence. I'm a thing now. How rude. Athena heard what sounded like a child blowing a raspberry echo through her head. 

Derek huffed as he rolled his eyes and walked away from Athena. He sat down at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands. "Then why don't you call Mr. Schneider and ask him what to do?" he grumbled. He gave Athena a look. "You have to explain to him anyway why he's going to get his report late."