The High School Transition of Akiyama Ayumi

Chapter 10

"Mom?" She called as she wobbled down the stairs.

"You are up early, Ayumi," her mother said.

Her mother looked on worriedly as Ayumi, dragging her feet subconsciously, made her way to the fridge.

"Ayumi...did you sleep well?"

"Um, n - not really," Ayumi replied.

"Did you...sleep?" Her mother asked concernedly.

She did not reply, but simply poured herself a glass of cold water cooled by the fridge.

"Do you want something warm to drink instead?" Her mother asked.

She shook her head. "No, thank you," she told her mother.

"Is something bothering you?" Her mother went on to ask as she takes a sip of water.

"Um...I am just not feeling very well, that's all," she said. "How am I to say that I have been hearing voices?" She thought.

"Oh dear..." Her mother muttered, and walk to her, placing a hand on her forehead. "I don't think you are having a fever," her mother told her gently. "Where do you feel unwell?"

"I - I don't know...I mean, I just - feel unwell," she replied. "I - It's nothing much, mom."

Her mother sighed. "Why don't you take the day off from school today, and rest at home? You look a little pale, actually..." Her mother's voice trailed off at the end, with a tone of anxiety and worry.

"It's okay, mom! I - I can go to school!" She said quickly and too loudly, startling her mother a little.

"You should stay at home, Ayumi," came her father's voice.

"Dad..."

"Didn't you say you are not feeling well? If that's the case, it's better for you to rest at home," her father told her. "You have my permission. Don't worry."

"Ah, no...it's not that. I - I - " Ayumi tried to tell him that she was concerned about another matter, but knew not how to put it.

Her father added, saying, "your mother and I will be worried if you don't get some rest, Ayumi."

"That's right, darling...will you rest at home today?" Her mother asked again.

"A - Alright..." She replied, knowing it would be hard to change her parents' minds.

~*~

She sat in the living room, staring at the television screen, but not paying attention to the show at all. Her mind was focused on what happened during the night. "Ayumi...Ayumi..." The voice kept playing in her head. It was as if she heard it again. Terrified, she raised her knees to her chest and hug her legs.

"I...don't want to stay at home today..." She thought. "How can I go back to that room in this state? What if I hear the voice again?" She kept thinking, "who exactly is it? Should I tell mother? What will she say? Why is it the voice keeps calling my name? What exactly is going on? I am...going crazy?"

A cold chill ran across her spine at the thought of her having gone insane.