Voices. That's all he heard now. Whispering dark promises, and screaming when he ignored them. He wanted them to leave him alone. Just because he was a shadow charmer didn't mean he wanted to have evil ghostly servants.
"My lord, please! We will serve you gratefully." one of the voices hissed.
"Shut up! Leave me alone!" Seth whimpered, trying not to wake Kendra. The last thing he needed was his oh-so-perfect sister to wake up and find him talking to himself. She'd definitely go and tell Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen that Seth was going insane.
Of course, that'd be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it? The problem child, the delinquent case, the disobedient one, going crazy and talking to things that don't speak. Nevermind he could hear them. Nobody else could, so he must be lying.
"My lord, please. We're so hungry! Just let us out, and we'll serve you for eternity... Unlimited power and respect. They'll never doubt you again..." the voice promised silkily. Seth shook his head, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.
He gripped his hair tightly and started rocking back and forth on the bed. "No... No no no no leave me alone..." he begged. He didn't want this. It was cool at first, but then the wraiths came. Hearing voices nobody else can is strange, even at Fablehaven.
He stayed like that for hours, nearly pulling out his hair. Tears leaked out of his eyes in a steady stream. Eventually, the sun rose and light shone into the spotless attic bedroom. Seth stilled.
He climbed out of bed and silently padded to the window. He looked outside and saw fairies flitting around the bushes, showing him that he hadn't slept. Again. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. They weren't letting him sleep now... If this went on much longer, the rest of his family would start to worry. And it didn't help his parents were supposed to come get them soon. How would he explain this to them? What if they walked in on him arguing with the wraiths?
Seth groaned and dragged a hand down his face before heading to the bathroom to wash up. There was nothing he could do for the circles under his eyes, but he could at least reduce the swelling.
He heard Kendra moving around as he was getting dressed. He ignored her and pulled on his favorite camouflage shirt and a pair of jeans before heading downstairs. He wondered how long he could play his strange behavior off as being tired...
Downstairs, Seth sat at the table and put his head down, exhausted. He must have fell asleep, because Dale had shaken him awake. Seth looked up, bleary-eyed. "Woah, Seth, you okay?" Dale asked, sounding concerned. Seth just nodded, looking away. "Alright… Well you let me know if you need anything, alright?" he said. Seth managed a weak smile and a nod. The voices were louder now that he was closer to the basement.
Dale left soon after that. Seth walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of milk. Downing it in one gulp, he washed the cup and looked outside. The fairies were flitting around the yard, keeping it green and vibrant even in the approaching autumn. He sighed and put the cup away. He wanted to go into the woods, but decided against it. There was nothing useful about getting in trouble.
"Please, my lord, come visit us." a new voice hissed. Seth shook his head. He wouldn't succumb… No matter how far into the madness he already was.
It's been three weeks since then. Seth hasn't slept more than a couple hours, and Kendra was starting to notice. She kept giving him strange looks when she thought he wouldn't notice. He was forgetting where he put things, snapping at people, lashing out at the satyrs… It wasn't him. His days he spent in the treehouse, his nights curled into a tiny ball on the bed.
He's started turning to pain to dull the voices. That little habit started when he accidentally sliced open his finger on Kendra's razor in the shower, and the voices had gone silent. His new discovery caused him to try it again, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. That little pocketknife in his emergency kit gained a new purpose.
He made the first cut three days ago. Blood welled up and dripped slowly down his arm. He was fascinated by the deep red liquid. The voices were silent. He cracked a watery smile and washed off the blood.
He started wearing long sleeves all the time. Nobody commented, as it was getting colder. His parents didn't realize he was becoming quieter and more withdrawn. He barely spoke anymore, and didn't participate in pickup games at school.
He had to up the amount of daily cuts to five to keep them quiet. His wrists were scarred and sore, but the voices were quiet. That was good, at least.
Seth was late today. He had been curled up on the floor, trying to silence the voices. Before he could make the first shaky cut, his mother had knocked sharply on the door. It startled him badly enough that he dragged the knife sloppily over his wrist. "Seth, hurry up! You're going to be late!" she called, before walking away.
Seth sighed in relief as the footsteps receded. He quickly and carefully rinsed off the cut and wrapped it in gauze. He pulled on his shirt and stuffed the knife in his backpack.
He walked out of the bathroom, acting as normally as possible. He couldn't let them know he was slipping. He'd do this himself or not at all.
He slung the backpack over his shoulder and kissed his mother on the cheek before running to catch the bus. He tried not to put pressure on the cuts. He met up with his friends and got on the bus.
He was sitting outside the school counselor's office. He had fallen and his sleeves had slipped up. The students and some of the staff all saw the bloody gauze on his wrist.
~Flashback~
Seth was walking down the hall, chatting with his friends. He tripped over an outstretched foot and went sprawling on the ground. The cut reopened and started bleeding again. Amidst the laughter of his fellow students, he started picking up his books. As he stretched his arm out to grab another notebook, the sleeve of his shirt slipped up.
The hall went dead silent. Seth realized too late that he had used his bandaged arm. The bleeding arm. He paled and hurriedly grabbed the book and stuffed it in his backpack before pulling down his sleeve. A teacher pulled him to his feet and sent him to the counselor's office.
~End~
And here he was. Outside the one place he had prayed to never end up at. The door opened, and he was ushered inside. The door closed behind him, and he could faintly hear the lock click.
"Seth, do you know why you're here?" the counselor asked. Seth shook his head, but otherwise stayed silent. The voices were loud enough for all of them. The lady sighed. "Seth, I can't help you if you don't talk to me." she said, sounding disappointed.
"Sorry... It's just... I don't need help." he said, deciding against telling her at the last second. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Seth, if you refuse to cooperate I'll have to report this to the school principal. And I'm sure you don't want that." she said sternly, glaring lightly at him over her glasses.
He looked away. "I'm fine." he hissed angrily, standing up and walking out.
"Hey, Seth? Can I talk to you for a second?" Kendra asked, poking her head around his door. He looked over at her from his position on the bed.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever..." he replied passively, looking back at the ceiling. She'd probably ask what was wrong, get frustrated, cry, and give up on him. Just like everyone else who wanted to 'talk' to him.
"Seth... You've been acting weird lately. And don't try to deny it, I've seen it. Dale's seen it, we've all seen it. What's wrong, Seth?" she said softly, sitting next to him.
"It's nothing, Kendra. Honest." he replied, managing a weak smile. She glared at him, mouth set in a thin line.
"Seth, I just want to help! I know something's wrong, and I know it probably has something to do with the basement. You can tell me." she snapped, voice softening towards the end.
"Kendra, I told you, I'm fine. I'm dealing with it, so don't worry." he hissed, turning to glare at her.
"You're my little brother, Seth! Of course I'm gonna worry! Hell, you haven't gotten a detention or a call home in three months! It's not like you!" she said, standing up suddenly. He sat up and looked at her.
"What, so now I'm in trouble for not getting in trouble?!" he said defensively, feigning anger. He was trying to act normally to get her out, but he felt numb. He wanted the help but... He didn't know how to ask for it.
Kendra sighed. "Seth, don't... That wasn't what I meant." she said. He could tell she was losing ground. Time to go in for the kill.
Silently apologizing in advance, Seth sneered. "Then what do you mean? Just piss off, Kendra. I don't need your help. Not now, not ever. Now get out." he snarled, feeling the guilt weighing in his stomach.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Fine... Just... I don't know why I even tried to help you. You're obviously a lost cause..." she choked out, glaring at him before leaving and slamming the door behind her.
Seth turned over and wiped his eyes. "Sorry, Kendra..." he whispered to himself.
He's back at Fablehaven now. Cutting isn't helping anymore, not now that he's this close to them. He went through the days like a zombie, barely leaving his room. "Seth? Can you come down here for a minute please?" his grandmother called. He debated ignoring her, but he missed company. He sighed and extracted himself from the blankets, shuffling downstairs.
"Yeah?" he asked, slumping into the chair. He briefly wondered what Grandma, Grandpa, Dale and Kendra were all doing there, but he dismissed it and focused more on keeping out the wraiths.
"Seth, what's wrong. You're not yourself, and don't you dare try to say we're wrong." Dale said, taking a seat across from him.
"I'm fine, honest!" Seth replied, not meeting his eyes. He flinched when a hand grabbed his wrist and pushed up his sleeve.
"Seth... Did you do this to yourself?" Grandpa Sorensen asked, voice low and dangerous. Seth didn't answer, instead trying uselessly to get his arm back.
"Seth Andrew Sorensen!" he snapped, gripping the wrist tighter. Seth let out a pained whimper.
"Okay, yes! I did! But it was only because the w-" he started, cutting himself off. He couldn't tell them. They'd hate him and lock him up for good!
He heard a sharp intake of breath. "Seth... The wraiths?" Kendra asked, looking at him with pity in her eyes.
No! Stop looking at me like that, I don't need your pity.
He nodded mutely. "I can hear them, all the time. It doesn't stop, all the begging, and pleading... They won't shut up! They just WON'T! I'M SICK OF IT!" he said, voice starting in a mumble but ending in a shriek of hysterical laughter. He wrenched his arm back, gripping his hair. "Don't look at me that way! I know! I know this is bad! I know I'm evil! It's not like I can help it! I've been trying so hard but it's not working." he hissed, eyes wide. Broken giggles still erupted from his throat every now and again, but they were mixed with sobs now.
"I just want to go back to normal. When I didn't hear them even four states away..." he whimpered, dropping his head. There. His secret is out now, what'll they do with it?