Chapter 6 Too loud

''Is everything okay?" Shannon asks me after the woman leaves, and I'm clutching my chest.

"Yeah." I lie, not thinking that I can tell her what the hell just happened.

Because what did happen?

Am I going crazy?

Maybe the stress of what Howard tried to do to me and Glenda kicking me out, along with sleeping outside sent me into a manic episode or something where I'm seeing things.

"Do you want to leave early?" Shannon asks, the concern evident on her face. "You can maybe take a bath, watch a movie or something. It's the end of the day anyway, I can lock up by myself."

"Are you sure?" She's already doing so much for me, letting me stay at her place and all, the least I can do is help her with the cleanup and lock up.

"No, please go." She smiles her usual chirpy smile. "Plus, with you crashing at my place, I have someone to get up early with me. You can get to bed early tonight, and don't wait for me, I have another set of keys here."

I'm actually grateful, because I am tired from yesterday and last night. I still can't believe that's how my birthday ended, I've always had a shitty childhood, but last night definitely took the cake.

"I don't even have enough money to pay the rent this month."

I stop walking on my way to Shannon's apartment. Who said that?

"I hate this fucking traffic, I should've taken that other job!"

"That woman is so attractive, I bet she's already married, and I'm still single and lonely."

What the hell is happening inside my head? A headache starts at the back of my skull, and then suddenly a barrage of voices go off inside my head. Male, female, boys, girls, there are dogs barking and cats and....

The pain feels like it's blinding me, and I drop to my knees in the middle of the sidewalk. Thousands upon thousands of voices run through my mind. Feelings attack my body like weapons. Fear, happiness, maliciousness, agony, sadness, depression.

I can't.... I can't take it anymore.

I cover my ears with my hands, trying to stop it.

"Nevaeh." Amongst all the voices, I hear Shannon's clearly, and her hand is warm on my arm. "Come on, lets get you home."

I cling to her when she helps me back up to my feet, tears swimming in my eyes when I look all around me. There's a man walking towards us, looking at me like I've lost my mind.

"What happened to her? I hope she's okay." I can feel the concern he has for me wafting to me in colors of yellow and orange. "Such a pretty girl, too."

He didn't talk, his lips didn't move. So how the hell did I know what he said?

"I need to go to the hospital." I tell Shannon desperately. "There's something wrong with my head."

"You're okay." She rubs my back soothingly. "Lets go home, I'll make you some tea."

"No, you don't understand." I shake my head. "I'm hearing things, I think I'm sick."

I have seen many kids with mental illnesses in group homes over the years, I know a manic episode when I see one. I have to go to a hospital where they can give me a sedative and figure out what the hell is wrong with me.

"Okay." She pulls me with her. "I will take you as soon as you had some of my special tea."

All the voices in my head blur together into a screeching sound, and it feels like I'm going to die from the splitting headache that feels like it's going to chop my head off.

My hands are trembling when Shannon places a warm mug into my hands, and she helps to get it to my mouth. It doesn't smell like any tea I've tasted before. Instead, the scent of herbs immediately wafts up my nose, and calmness settles over me, the voice quieting down even before I take a sip of the tea.

"One more sip." Shannon tells me calmly, and I obey, taking two more sips, because the more I drink the tea, the quieter the voices become. I sip until it feels like my muscles are liquid, and I stagger back from her.

She drugged me. Whatever was in that tea somehow made these feelings that almost had me keeling over, stop.

"There you go, all better." Shannon's hands steady me, then she leads me to the couch like I'm a puppet. "Lie down, relax a little, and we'll talk in the morning."

I can feel her taking off my sneakers, and covering me with a light throw, something nobody has ever done for me. The care she has, shines out of her in waves, and my soul grabs at it hungrily.

Shannon loves me.

The thought enters my mind without any question, and I close my eyes in content.

"What are you doing here?" I can hear her voice talking, but my eyes can't open. I don't know if it's the tea or if it's the same thing that happened last night. "I said I will take care of her."

"Well, clearly you weren't doing a very good job."

Wait, I recognize that voice. It was one of the voices in my head from last night.

"Her power is coming in strongly, she has to go to Kingsveil." Shannon's voice again.

Kingsveil. That was the place Braydon mentioned yesterday. A university that invited people to attend.

Why is Shannon saying I should go there? I didn't get an invitation.

Who is she talking to? Or am I only dreaming like last night?

Only it doesn't feel like a dream at all. Even though my eyes can't open, I somehow know that it is real.

"Agreed." Another of the three voices from last night says. "We just had to make sure it was her before she received an invitation."

"And I've been telling the Supreme it's her since I met her." Shannon sounds frustrated. "Please, we need to get her there as soon as possible before she loses it."

Before I lose it.

Only, I think that is already happening.