Screams

Six

Calliope couldn't fathom exactly what had happened to her. She didn't know if she were awake or dreaming, so the only option left to her was to run from the strange things that appeared before her. To make matters worse, the whispers filled her head, making her want to pull her own ears off.

There was nothing that Calliope wanted to do more than scream. She wanted to let loose a noise to scare away the monsters that chased her and silence the whispers. But she was keeping her lips so tightly pressed together, that she feared she would never be able to open her mouth again.

The strange images that haunted her could not possibly be real, yet they resonated with her. As if they held some hidden meaning that she should be able to fathom.

A man, with shoulder length black hair, was falling into the mist. A boy with red hair was staring at something with unseeing eyes. Another boy fell onto the floor, stiff and rigid. More and more images of death filled her mind, some she recognised, but most she did not know. The whispers hissed at her, forcing her to see what was before her.

But then everything went quiet, and Calliope was alone. Almost alone. In front of her stood a man who was all too familiar. Isaac Doge smiled down at his daughter, his dirty blonde hair was as straggly as she remembered and his dark brown eyes shine with humour, which matched the smile lines with crinkled his forehead and cheeks.

"Callie," he spread his arms, and smiled, "give me a hug."

Calliope didn't need telling twice, she hurtled into her father's arms, burying herself in his chest. Confusion was still overwhelming her, but she discarded that for a moment, due to the unbelievable happiness that she felt upon seeing her father. She felt safe in his arms, like nothing in the world could hurt her.

"Pumpkin don't cry," Isaac said, and it was only then that Calliope realised that she was crying. Hot tears were streaming down her face, and her breathing was coming in the form of sobs.

Isaac pulled out of the hug so that he could properly see his daughter.

"Papa I'm sorry," Calliope sobbed.

"No, don't you dare apologise to me Calliope Doge. Nothing that happened was your fault," Isaac told her sternly.

This confused Calliope immensely. Of course, it was her fault. If she hadn't screamed then Isaac would not have died. If she had been more in control, been able to stop herself, then none of it would have happened.

"The fault lies purely with me," Isaac said, causing Calliope to frown further, "I made you repress your nature, I told you not to scream. But you must Callie, don't hold back, everything could depend on you."

"I don't want to Papa," Calliope shook her head briskly.

"Oh, but you must," Isaac said, no hint of a joke on his face, "you are a banshee Callie. Don't push it down, embrace it."

"I don't want to embrace it! I just want to be me!"

"Your mother was a banshee, and you are half banshee, it is as much part of you as your hair colour. If you try to ignore or reject it, it will eat you up and could hurt people."

"So it is my fault that you're dead," said Calliope, "it was me, if I hadn't held it in then you would be alive."

"You were seven Callie, I don't blame you, not at all. I'm your father and I want you to be happy, and unless you embrace yourself then you won't be."

"Papa, I-"

But Calliope never got the chance to finish, as her eyes fluttered open in the hospital wing.

Happy Halloween!
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~Em xx