“Who is it?” she asked someone, yet no answer was heard.

However, it wasn't a familiar voice, it was more of a melodious echo as if her own voice echoed inside a vast cave.

‘Maybe being schizophrenic is my new thing now’ she thought to herself, losing interest in finding more weird things to add to her freak list.

She sighed, it was an emotionally stressful day after all, mentally as well, overthinking the things James might conclude from the new information he had acquired. 

It's not that like she intended to confess to him anyways but the fact that if he had a small chance of liking her, now there was none whatsoever.

She wasn't one to take initiatives really, after all, if it wasn't for Serena's enthusiastic self, she wouldn't have had her group of friends now.

“It’s all thanks to Seri” she would always say, whenever someone asked her how they got to be friends.

Today, however, she blamed Serena's blabbering mouth for the situation she was in, she trusted her with a secret, and she was just ready to spill the beans to the only one who shouldn’t have known.

'But wait, what if she told James that the crush was actually him?' the passing thought enticed her anxiety and made her panic, he may not talk to her ever again then. 

Now searching for her phone, Melanie was cursing under her breath with her heart racing at the mere thought of that happening, she reached her back bag then she noticed a hint of gold in her view.

“NO” She Jumped out of her bed and towards the mirror looking at her eyes to make sure, but there they were, golden irises staring back at her.

Scared of herself, the emotions increased inside her, not really helping her situation, “NO” shouted at her own reflection while suddenly knock was heard from her door.

“Melee… Are you alright in there?” her mother asked, worried.

“Y- Yes, mum… I’m fine, don’t worry” she cursed that damn stutter.

“You don’t sound fine, I’m coming in” her mother said declared.

Panicked, she looked frantically around her for a solution, urging herself to think faster, not noticing the fact that time had stood still, leaving only her moving.

‘Calm down’

She heard it clearly this time, "who's there?" she asked, panic subsiding and replaced with curiosity.

‘I'm here to help, so maybe later I could answer that’

“Deal, then what should I do weird voice inside my head?!” She asked with a hint of sarcasm, not believing that she was actually talking to a voice in her head now... Oh, the irony.

‘Close your eyes and inhale slowly’ Melanie followed, something stronger than urge was telling her to listen to that voice and just follow instructions.

‘Exhale with the same pace while focusing on your eyes’ the voice said, ‘Open your eyes’.

Melanie blinked then she gazed at her eyes right away, they were no longer gold.

'Later' the voice disappeared.

“NO, WAIT” Melanie shouted, right when time flow was restored, and her mum entered the room.

“Why?!” her mother exclaimed.

“Nothing” Melanie answered.

“Really? You didn’t sound so good, let me check on you” her mother requested.

“I’m fine, mum... ” Melanie smiled warmly at her loving mother, noticing the slight worry in her tone.

“But sweetie, your face is red, let me see” her mother went forward to place her hand over her forehead.

“Mum, I’m really fine you don’t have t-”

“I knew it, Melanie Deacon, you have a fever” her mother announced, interrupting her.

“Mum it’s fine, I-… wait! I have What?!” Melanie asked, confused; she never had a fever before.

“You have a fever, now could you please change your clothes and get into bed, while I go get you some medicine?” her mother said with a raised eyebrow.

“I have a fever?!” Melanie placed her hand over her forehead, her mother rolled her eyes, questioning the sanity of her daughter before exiting the room.

“Here Melee, take this” her mother returned minutes later, handing her two pills to swallow.

“Thanks mum” Melanie smiled, swallowing the medicine.

“I know it's still early but come, let me tuck you in, you need to rest” Her mother said with a tiny smile.

Melanie got into bed, her mother placing a kiss over her forehead as she lied down.

She needed the sleep, she never got enough of it anyways.

Her mother left the room watching her drift to sleep…

“Mommy”

The little girl called, she was sitting in her bed feeling cold and afraid, her extremities trembling. The door to her room then opened revealing a blur of a full body.

“Yes, sweetie~” she replied with the sweetest voice.

“Mommy, tell Wina a stowy, Wina can’t sweep” the little 3-year-old requested, feeling warmth creeping into her bed.

“Aww my little cute Rina can’t sleep?” the little girl nodded ever so cutely, “then mommy will tell her a cute story just like her” the woman giggled pinching the bridge of the little girl’s nose.

“Yaaaay, Wina's happy” the little girl giggled and clapped, scooting over to make room for her mother.

Suddenly a ‘Bang’ was heard before her mother moved, the sound echoing through the room alerting both the girl and her mother.

“Rina… don’t move, stay here for mommy, okay?” the woman requested as she placed a kiss over the girl’s forehead, the girl nodded slowly with feeling the hint of warmth disappearing, replaced -yet agian- with fear and coldness, turning her insides upside down, whilst her mother went out of the door.

After a while the little girl found herself curious about the bangs and broken glass sounds that came from outside her door, she slid out of her bed and reached the door to her room pushing it slowly…

The sounds died down, turning into a lonesome, fearful silence.

It was pitch black outside the room, yet the girl went out... she took two steps then her legs were caught in a sticky liquid, she couldn’t see what it was but suddenly a broken lamb started flickering and buzzing...

Everything was painted red…

She was walking in pools of blood that stained the walls and even the ceiling, she didn’t even think about how the blood got up there and just kept walking with her heart beating a non-familiar beat that she never got to feel before.

“M- Mommy”

She walked through the bloodied hallways, her heart heavier than her own footsteps.

“D- Daddy”

She called as she reached the stairs, but as she went down the last step, her little foot touching the bloodied floor…

A hand emerged from the blood and gripped into her little foot…

She screamed for help, but her voice died in her throat as the hand took the form of a human body with blood dripping from every inch of it, towering over her petite trembling figure...

“Didn’t I tell you to stay in your room?”

the figure said with a scary smile, right before devouring the little girl who failed to escape him and was shaking her head vigorously, screaming…

“no”

“No”

“NOOOO”

Cold sweat, deep breaths and a heart racing, almost breaking out of her chest...

That was how she'd wake up countless times a week for the past 7 years, it seemed like a prominent memory, a traumatic one that she tried so hard to remember but to no avail.

Just one thing stood out to her despite everything though...

Rina

She remembered the way it sounded coming out of the little girl's lips, how graceful and unique it felt.

′Rina… What a beautiful nickname’ she would always think.

Melanie sighed as she got out of her bed and went down-stairs, it was somewhere between 8 and 9 pm, her father would definitely be home, so she decided to go greet him and leave her worries back in her room, reaching the living room to found both her parents cuddling on the couch, watching a movie.

“Well, well, well” Melanie let out with both arms folded playfully and teasingly to a certain point.

“Melie, don’t get us wrong we were just-” her father said, pushing her mother away and sitting up.

“We were just what Thomas?” her mother asked, rolling her eyes at her husband.

“God, Tara, are you okay?” Thomas asked, finally realizing what he had done.

"You think?!" Tara shot back, reaching out a hand for him.

“I’m sorry, I really didn't mean to” Thomas apologized, holding back a laugh, while Melanie giggled, and they all broke into a fit of laughter.

“Make room for me” Melanie said playfully as she sat between her parents, squirming to make herself space and they both giggled.

“How do you feel now sweetie, better?” her mother extended her arm to feel her forehead for fever.

“Yeah, I’m fine mum” Melanie smiled warmly.

“Am I missing something?” her father asked, confused.

“She had a fever when she got back from school today” her mother answered normally.

“A… what now?!” her father exclaimed with wide eyes.

“I KNOW, RIGHT!” Melanie shouted, looking at her father they were both now in their own world.

“Why are you being like this?” her mother asked.

“She never had a fever before, I feel like I’m witnessing a miracle” her father explained teasingly.

“You do realize that you are being excited for her getting sick, right?” Thomas looked at Melanie blankly, she too copying the gesture, “like father like daughter, I swear you both are going to be the death of me" Tara sighed.

“She loves us” Melanie said her father, playfully.

"She does, she's too prideful to admit it though" Thomas replied.

"I see what you two are doing" Tara shot back.

Melanie went for hug that her mother couldn't help but return as her father brought the blanket to cover them so they could have a family movie night.

Melanie was happy, so happy that all her anxieties and worries evaporated into thin air and this feeling, this moment, was engraved in her heart forever.