***

As I got up that morning, the air was surprising not tense as I would've thought. Joey was quietly getting ready, as I did.

Time ticked slowly as the day went on, we didn't have to leave until 3:45 for us to set there on time. It was about 3:20 when we were both in the living room, quietly watching a show called Colleen's Corner.

The show dragged on until it was time to go. No conversations whatsoever sparked up in the mean time. The drive over is about 15 minutes.

***

As we arrived at "GMM"; which was the place of the building where group therapies, physical therapies, child therapies-- you get the picture-- took place. It was basically one giant hospital.
We were waiting in the waiting room; Joey's therapist, Hope, was going a little overtime with one of her patients.

"Joseph Graceffa?" One of the nurses, Ingrid, called out as she held her clipboard.
He glared at me once more before standing up.
"Here comes hell" he murmured as he walked over to Ingrid and followed her to Hopes office. I rolled my eyes annoyedly as he left. He wanted help, this is the help he gets, and he hates it.

He has to come here once every week and yet he still refuses and complains about it when he knew it was coming.

Some things I'll never understand about him.

***
Joey's POV

"Evening, Joey" Hope greeted as I walked in and sat myself down on the comfortable green couch with some pillows on them.

"Hi..." I muttered as I sat, awkwardly.

"So, Joey, updates. What's been happening? Better? Worse?" She asked as she took out her violet notebook and pink sparkly pen and looked at me from a few feet ahead, on her chair with curious eyes.

I didn't answer the question; just sat there and crossed my arms and looked around the room.
"Joey. If you make progress, you won't have to come anymore. To you'll have to bare with me until then, alright?" She said softly. I sighed deeply as I nodded with defeat. "So, how is your progress? What's happening with Nine?" She asked me.

"Hasn't left, hasn't stopped." I answered. She wrote in her book and looked at me again. "And what is Nine saying?" She asked me; looking down briefly at her book again.

"Don't even bother telling her; she's not going to believe you. Nobody believes you!" I heard Nine shout suddenly causing my heart to race, but go back to its normal rhythm.

"Joey? You alright?" Hope asked me. I nodded and rubbed my left eye. "I can't tell you" I quietly told her. She wrote down in her book once again. "How many voices are they, Joey?" She asked as she looked at me again.

Nine was the main voice. But there were other voices as well.
They would come at random times, but Nine was the one who came the most.

But I had 3 others as well. Jergo and Blue; they were always screaming at eachother. They would give me pounding headaches. And then Elora.

Elora would always whisper to me random things. Elora gave me disturbing thoughts and ideas.

But she would only come if I was sad. And Jergo and Blue would come if I was angry. And Nine came all the time and random times.

"Jergo, blue, and Elora" I answered. She nodded as she wrote it down. "What does Nine say to you?" She asked again.
"Horrible things" I murmured. "Come again?" She asked.

"He tells me things I don't like hearing" I answered.
Even when I was asleep, they would come into my dreams and I could see them. They were all so... Real.

But they were just as bad in my dreams as they were when I was awake.

Never stopped, never stopped, never stopped...

Thump thump...
Thump thump...
Thump thump...
***