Reject's POV

"Michael!  Hurry the fuck up!" Luke grabbed Michael's arm and practically shoved him inside the car, "You don't need another jacket."

"Yes I do!" He struggled against Luke's grasp, "Just one more!  I need it!"

I tugged on Michael's sleeve, "Meds." I reminded him.

"Oh!  That's right!" He dug around in the glovebox and pulled out a little bottle.

With a few short taps, two small tablets were out and given to me.  I quickly swallowed them.  I've gotten so used to taking it, I don't even need water to help swallow my medication. 

Today we are leaving for Sydney, Australia.  Tour starts there in a couple days.  Tomorrow we're going to visit the parents of the boys and then they're going to play the first show of the tour.  From then, we're going to be on tour for the next three months.

"Alright!" Ashton opened the door and hopped into the seat next to me, "Let's go!"

Calum put on some Green Day for the drive and we sang along to the classic punk rock.  They all were surprisingly awake for 6 in the morning.  We had to leave early since it took about 15 hours to fly from California to Australia.  This is going to be my first time on a plane.

All the luggage was put in the cargo section of the plane, it was time for us to board.  My heart fluttered.  I can't believe I'm actually doing this.  I'm going to go flying.

"You okay?" Ashton asked me as he buckled himself in.

"I guess." I said and gripped the armrests, "I'm kinda nervous about flying."

"We've flown a million times.  You're going to be just fine." Ashton assured me.

I yawned.  I felt really tired all of a sudden.  Maybe it's because I stayed up until one in the morning drawing so I only got 4 hours of sleep.

"Go to sleep." He said, "You'll feel better afterwards."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was awoken to feeling bounced and thrown around.  My eyes flew open and I clung to Ashton.  What's happening?  Are we crashing?  Is everyone going to die?

"Sweetheart, we're just landing." Ashton put his hand over mine, "Sometimes it's a bit bumpy.  I can't believe you slept through the whole flight."

After the landing, we went to a little restaurant and ate some food.  It was about 3 PM.  I was feeling wide awake and pretty good.

"Are you okay with staying with Michael for the night?" Ashton asked me, "I've got some early morning commitments and I think it would be best for you to sleep in with Mikey and get over any jet lag you might be feeling."

"Yeah!" Michael gave me a high five, "Quality time with my little sister! We're gonna watch horror movies all night!"

"No you're not." Ashton grumbled, "Don't make me regret letting you take care of her."

"You won't!" The boy with bright hair promised, "We're going to have a fun- but safe and educational- time. Right Jasey Rae?"

I nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, exactly. You don't have to worry."

The boy's chauffeur gave us a ride to Michael's place, which was a pretty standard 2 story suburban house. On the way there I took in all the sights of Australia. It's gorgeous. The blue of the sky looked and felt entheal. So many different people were scattered throughout the city. I love it.

"Can we live here forever?" I asked Michael as he unlocked the house.

He chuckled, "I knew you'd like Sydney. Sorry love, the recording studio is in America. We've gotta stay there on our time off from touring."

"Please?" I begged, "I love it."

"You've only been here for 20 minutes." Michael opened the door and stepped in, "How do you know already that you want to live here?"

The inside of the house was just as plain as the outside. Michael and I wandered the rooms for a little bit; checking everything out. I guess he hasn't been here in a while either.

"Man, it's been forever since I've been here." Michael remarked, confirming my suspicions.

He rummaged through the cabinets and pulled out a box of microwaveable popcorn. I opened the fridge and looked around to see what was left in there. Just a carton of milk that had expired almost year ago according to the typed letters and numbers on the side of the box.

"I'm gonna go look around upstairs.  Keep an eye on the popcorn, okay?"  Michael jogged out of the room and I was left in the kitchen.

There was a little window above the sink that could give you a glimpses of the world outside.  Two little blue birds sat on the windowsill.  They were a pretty blue, almost an unreal color for a bird.  They cocked their heads and looked at me.

"Hi little friends." I said softly and opened the window.  They stayed on the windowsill.  Wow, they're really friendly.  Much friendlier than the birds in California.

I slowly reached my hand out towards the birds.  They hopped closer instead of away.  One of them perched itself on my finger.  I smiled. The bird chirped softly to me.  This is so cool, why can't we live here all the time?  I want to keep my bird friends.

"What are you doing?"

I turned around.  Michael had come back into the kitchen.  I looked back out the window.  The birds had disappeared.  They must have been startled by the sudden noise.

"There's birds." I told him, "There were pretty blue birds that perched on my finger.  Do you see them?"

He scoffed and shook his head, "There's no pretty blue birds here.  Rae, are you hallucinating?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so.  They were real.  Besides, I took my medication."

"Alright." Michael relented, "I guess you're right.  Now I was thinking that we could watch all of the Jaws movies.  How does that sound?"

I grinned and followed Michael to the couch where we sat down, a bowl of popcorn between us.  But I kept thinking.  Those birds were real, right?  They had to be real.  Why would they be not real?  I'm okay, I took my medication.  Those weren't hallucinations.  I haven't those in such a long time.

"I'm so glad we adopted you." Michael said as he scrolled through Netflix, "You've made us so much happier and don't you ever think any different."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I opened my eyes it was dark.  Really dark.  I managed to focus on a little red light a yard or so away from me.  It was the clock connected to the TV.  The time was 3:25 AM.  I heard soft snoring next to me.  That must be Michael.  I must have fallen asleep on the couch next to him.  I think we had finished the first Jaws and were halfway through the second.  Oh well.  I'm wide awake now.

After groping around for a little bit I found my phone and turned on the flashlight app.  I scanned around the couch, which was a mess of popcorn pieces and Michael Clifford.  He was sleeping in what looked like the most uncomfortable position with his legs and arms sticking out in all different directions and his hair flopped over his face.  I held back a giggle.  He looks so ridiculous.

I went over to the kitchen to get a drink of water.  My mouth felt dry, probably from all the popcorn I'd eaten.  I grabbed a cheap plastic cup from the bag on the counter and went over to the refrigerator to get some water.  But instead of water coming out of the spout, bugs and spiders came out instead!  I dropped my cup in surprise and stared at the refrigerator.

Is this real?  Am I hallucinating?   My mind started to spin.  What just happened?  Something felt different around my feet.  I looked down.  Instead of a tile floor, there was water.  I'm standing in water.  I climbed on top of the kitchen table.  I know something dangerous is in that water.

"Michael?" I whispered, hoping that he would wake up and explain to me what was going on.

No answer

"Michael?" I said louder, "Wake up."

He was still fast asleep.  I could feel my brain going into an all-out panic.  What is going on?  Why isn't he waking up?  What if he's dead?  I tried asking my voice what was going on.

There is no explanation.  You're just here.

Since They offered no insight, I decided that I needed to wake up Michael.  There was no way I was going to cross the floor.  I could see dark shapes moving in the water.  I don't know what they are, but I do know that they are meant to hurt me.

I felt around on the table for something that I could make noise with.  The only thing I could find was my phone.  I sighed and took a deep breath.  I guess I'll have to go phoneless for a little while.

The shattering of the phone made a loud sound, just as I had hoped.  I heard some movement from the couch.

"What was that?" Michael groggily said, "Rae?"

"C-Can you come here?" My voice was shaking. 

I could see ghosts coming from the walls.  They floated past me and whispered in my ear.  I covered my ears with my hands but I could still hear them anyway.  I've seen things before, but it's never been this bad.

"Of course." Michael flipped the lights on in the den. 

It was then that I could see all of the monsters and ghosts.  They clung to the walls and the ceiling waiting to prey on me.  One creature jumped up from the floor.  It looked like a shark but it was covered in sharp spikes.  I scooted farther back on the table.

"Turn the lights off." I told him.  I don't want to see all of them.

"Alright." The light in the den turned off and I was covered in darkness again, "Where are you?"

"The kitchen table."

I could hear his footsteps coming closer.  My insides were filled with relief.  Everything is going to be okay.  Michael is coming.  But when the footsteps reached the table I didn't see Michael.

I saw my father

"MICHAEL!  HELP ME!  HE'S BACK!" I screamed and backed so far away from him that I fell off the table.  I hit the floor hard, but I got up unhurt and ran.

From all sides I was attacked as I ran into the den.  Unseen hands pulled at my feet and hair, my shoulders were poked and shoved.  Finally, I fell back onto the couch and curled myself into a ball.  Everything outside of me was so loud.  Screaming, laughing, chanting, every word filled my head and stuck itself into my brain.

"Rae, it's Michael.  Your pal, your brother."  He said and sat on the other end of the couch.

"No you're not!" I shot back, "You're my father!  Stop lying to me."  I'm going to get beaten so hard for this.  How did he even find me?  I thought he was in jail.

"Jasey, sweetheart.  It's me.  I'm not your father." Michael's voice came from my father's mouth.

Now I started getting confused.  If that's my father, then why does he sound like Michael?  I hate my brain for doing this to me.

"I had four rubber bracelets on my left wrist this morning."  He said, "Feel my wrist, feel the bracelets."

The person next to me held his arm out.  I slowly reached out and felt his arm.  If it is my father, then he'll hurt me if I don't do what he says.

He counted the bracelets as I touched them, "One, two three, four.  I told you I have four bracelets.  I don't think your father would wear that many.  I'm Michael.  I promise."

"I don't know." I said flatly.  I really don't know.

"Here." He fumbled with his phone, "I'll take a picture.  Cameras don't lie.  They only take pictures of what is true and there."

There was a bright flash and then a phone was put in front of me.  There was a picture of Michael on it.  He was scrunching up his face and sticking his tongue out.  I looked over at him.  I saw someone who looked like a hybrid of Michael and my father.  One of the people I care about most, mixed with the person I fear more than anyone else in the world. 

It was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen

"You sound like Michael." I said quietly, "But you look like my father."

"Close you eyes." He said, "Listen to my voice.  I'm your brother Michael, no matter what your mind is telling you."

I squeezed my eyes shut and took several deep breaths in and out.  It's Michael, I kept telling my brain, he took a picture of himself.  Cameras don't make up things.  But my brain took my thoughts, chewed them up, and spit them back out.  It's never been this bad before.  Never.

"Wait, Rae.  Did you sleep a lot on the plane?" Michael suddenly said.

I nodded, "Yes."

"Fuck!" He swore, "We keep Dramamine in the glove box of that car.  Ashton must have packed up your medication before we left.  Fuck fuck fuck, the Dramamine made you tired but now you're hallucinating because you didn't take your schizophrenia pills.  This is all my fault."

"It's fine." I opened my eyes to make sure Michael was okay, but that was a mistake because something swooped down from the ceiling.  It swooshed by my ear and whispered something about how it wants me to die.

"No it's not fine!" His voice got angry, "You're seeing scary shit and it's my fucking fault!  I hate myself!"

Fear started to take over my mind again.  Michael yelled.  He never yells.  He's going to get angry at me, it is my fault after all.  If I didn't have this stupid mental illness then everything would be fine.  The boys have spent so much money on me, if they had just adopted someone else everything would be fine.  They deserve someone so much better than me.

"I'll call Ashton right at 6 in the morning and ask him to bring over your medication." He said, breaking the silence, "We'll schedule an appointment with the psychiatrist so we can talk about this.  It's almost 4 in the morning now, so we've only got two hours to wait."

Two hours.  120 minutes more of a ringing head and staying with eyes glued shut.

I don't know if I can do this

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

well shit 2500 words, this is a long one

i hope this made up for the horribleness of the last chapter