The Third Word

Chapter 18

Stace didn't call back to ask why I hung up abruptly. I knew she cared the least, but I had no other choice because she was the only friend that I knew of.

Are friends really like that?

I didn't know because I didn't have one for long.

"Gross." I said, smirking at my reflection in the mirror while combing my hair. I had to take a bath, but my paranoia wouldn't let me. My hair were greasy as fuck. All I ever cared about was my parents and studies. I never once put on makeup or wore fancy clothes. That's who I was. A simple girl. And I liked that about me. I liked being myself. But, that, as Stace said, ruined my love-life. Not that I was desperate to have a boyfriend, but I never got asked out by anyone, which was embarrassing.

Couldn't blame others when I myself was nervous to talk to guys.

After eating a sandwich, I sat down in the living room to watch TV and eventually fell asleep after muting the audio because it was causing more pain in my ear.

While I was asleep, I heard something.

A whisper. My name was being called in a monotonous tone, so plain, in such a deathly manner, again and again.

I heard Gwen... Gwen... Gwen  thrice and I woke up, startled.

"Who's there?!" I yelled out of shock and looked around the hall, in the kitchen, under the couch but found no one.

"It's just in my head." I sighed and sat down on the couch when I heard it again.

Panicked, I ran to the landline and called dad.

Please pick up.

The phone was ringing but dad wasn't answering.

I re dialed and he finally answered.

"Dad when will you be back?" I asked as soon as he picked up.

"Until evening. Why? Is everything okay?" He asked.

"What happened Gwen?" I heard mom ask me.

"I'm fine..." I wasn't fine. I was scared of being alone in the house and was hearing strange noises. I just couldn't bring myself to tell them to come back home. It was as if something was preventing me to say 'help me'.

"Please get me...(out of here) some snacks when you return." I said, finding it hard to speak, as if something was gripping my neck and not letting me speak, altering my words. And if I dared to provoke it, I thought it would snap my neck like a twig.

"Sure. Take care okay? And if you feel pain in your ear then call us. Bye." Dad said and hung up.

"Bye...dad."

He hung up but I was still holding the phone close to my ear. I wanted to say something. I wanted them to return. Something was going on with me.

"Gwen..." I heard the whisper again, coming through the phone. I dropped it and fell back on the cold floor. My back hit the hard wooden door, my palms against the cold surface and eyes were frantically searching every corner of the hall to find something.