• As I lie down, I can feel someone watching me. I don’t know who and I don’t know where that person may be. But I can hear them whispering my name. Just like the many nights before.
    The whispers were getting louder and louder until I could bear it no more. I finally opened my eyes and turned on my light. I search my room for whoever is calling my name, but as I look around I see nothing. Nothing but my dark room, filled with junk from school and food from that night. I don’t hear anything but the light snores coming from my parent’s bedroom, and my brother’s dreams playing in that mind of his. I lay back down thinking it is all in my head. I smile to myself wishing that I didn’t let my friends talk me into watching ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ with them. Sitting up I turn off my light, still a little anxious about that movie, I lay back down to go to sleep. But now I hear the voices again, calling me.
    “Cassandra…. Cassandra, come home. Where you belong, come home Cassandra”
    I close my eyes tighter now wishing that the voices would go away. I try to concentrate on my brothers’ dreams instead of the voice that is calling me. But I feel like I am being watched by who ever is calling my name. They are just watching. Watching and waiting, waiting for me to ‘come home’. I don’t understand that. I am at home. Where I am safe and loved unconditionally.
    I live with my mother and father, and my brother Nathan. I used to have an older brother named Daniel but he moved out a while back. Nathan and I are twins, we look exactly the same (for fraternal twins that is). The only thing that is different between us is our personalities. He is a complete jock, and he is one of the smartest people I know. I, on the other hand, am not so lucky on the coordination. I can’t do any type of sports without hurting myself or other people. But I love to sing, I suppose that is my talent, but I am not sure. Also, I can read peoples mind’s, thoughts, and dreams. It’s like a voice in my head, but when my eyes are closed I can see what they see. I have tried to tell my parents but they called me crazy. Well they told me that I have a wild imagination. But their thoughts told me that I was crazy.
    It is always the same voices calling me over and over again. There are two men, they try to sound seductive but it sounds so fake. There is also a lady ho always uses a motherly or sisterly tone with me. Sometimes I wish she were my family instead of the ones I have. I realize that I should be grateful but I hear their thoughts and they wish that I was never born. So I should be able to wish for a different family. Shouldn’t I?
    But tonight. Tonight was someone else calling me. This voice was talking to me like he has known me for a long time now. The way he talked to me made me feel safe and protected. Well, I felt this way until he said,
    “Cass”
    I have not been called that since my brother Daniel lived with us. But he ran away three years ago. I have not seen nor heard from him since then. I was 13 at the time and he was 18. Daniel had promised me that he would come back for me. Before he left, he gave me a hug and whispered in my ear ‘You are special Cass. Don’t let anyone tell you other wise’. Then he left. Daniel hasn’t come back since then.
    “Cass” the man whispers. “Cass. You have grown into an intelligent, beautiful woman. Yes, indeed you have Cass. It is time now. It is time.”
    What in the world was he talking about? Time? Time for what?
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    I reacted upon instinct the next morning. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. On the paper I wrote a short note to my family that I would not be home for a while. I told them I would be at a friend’s house, and not to worry about me.
    On the bus to school, I had a plan. My plan was that if, by some miracle, I heard this voice calling me once again I would follow the voice to where ever the man may be. I needed to find that man. Find out how he knew me, and my brother for that matter. I just knew he had known my brother because no body had ever called me Cass since my brother had left. Thinking about my brother made me think about when he left us. His words finally sunk in.
    How in the world did Daniel know? Me being special? Different from other people. He couldn’t have known that I could read peoples mind. This all just started the day after my birthday last week. So how in the world could he have known that I was different, that I was special?
    So, that is why I have decided that I am going to go after the man with the voice. The one that knows me… Knows my brother.
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    *RING*
    The final bell rings for the end of the day. There were voices in my head, but not the voice that calls me home. I was surprised to hear myself sigh. The whole day I had been praying to hear his voice calling me, but it never came. The first time that I have ever wished for the voice to call me home, it never came. But, even more surprising than the sigh was the fact that I felt like my heart had been ripped out and has been torn to pieces. I am not sure what I was expecting. To hear the voice and then to find out that it was my older brother Daniel this whole time? No. I knew that, that would never happen. I started to think that maybe, just maybe, that the voices were really just in my imagination.
    As I was getting onto the bus moping, I saw two kids. They seemed to be brother and sister. The little sister was teaching her older brother how to play hopscotch. I smiled and started to laugh as I remembered my brother trying to teach me how to spit. But whenever I had tried to spit I would end up drooling all over myself. I had started to laugh without realizing it until I heard the voice. The one that has been calling me to him.
    I stood perfectly still hoping that I hadn’t ruined the moment. I was silently praying that he would call for me once again. After two minutes, which seemed like and eternity, he finally called me again.
    “Cass… Where have you been? You should really come home now”
    I felt like the whole world was on hold. That it was only me and the voice, no one else existed. It felt like my whole world was complete, just by the sound of his voice.
    “Cass” he whispers again “Cass, where are you. We need you”
    All of a sudden I felt someone watching me. I froze in my place. Listening for the thoughts of whose ever thoughts were watching me. Then I heard them.
    What is she doing? Why is she standing there like a crazy person? Wait till I tell ma and dad! Ha they’ll love me even more!
    Ugh! It’s Nathan! How am I supposed to get away now? I really want to find that voice!
    Hmmm… Maybe I should say hi and get a move on.
    I slowly, turned away from the bus and walked slowly away from Nathan and the bus.
    What is she doing? Is she running away? Maybe I should stop her.
    Then I made a run for it. I sprinted as fast and as far as I could. To get away from Nathan and get to the voice as fast as I could.
    Ha! She is running away! Should I stop her? No way! Mom and Dad will be so thrilled that she is gone! Now it can be just us three from now on!
    His thoughts faded as I got farther and farther away from him. Everyone else that I had passed ignored me, but I could still hear one voice. Luckily, that is the voice that I wanted to hear the most.
    As I got to the end of the roads, I paused thinking about which way to go. Should I go into the forest? Or shall I keep going along the road? It is so frustrating not being able to hear anyone right now! Then I would know which way to go. Finally I sat down on the ground and started to pout.
    I know that that sounds really immature but that is what I did. I had no idea where to go. I had two ways I could go and there was nobody to lead me.
    Finally I heard the voice. I laughed with joy, I was so thrilled that I was finally had some sort of voice to lead me. The voice that I was looking for.
    “Cass. Over here. This way! Come to us!”
    I jumped up, and as fast as I could ran into the forest where they were calling me. I sprinted this way, and that way avoiding branches and bushes. I was getting so tired, but I knew that I had to go on. As I was running toward the voice I tripped and fell over a tree stump. The voices that were calling me were fading as I was drifting into a deep unconscious sleep.