A woman drove in the darkness. Though it was almost pitch black out, she hated having her lights on; she didn't want to be seen. Music was playing on her radio, but she did not sing along. She kept looking in the rearview mirror like she would see a car following her. She prayed a car was not following her. It was the reason she had barely stopped to rest over the last few days journey. It was the reason she slept in her car and kept a notebook at her side. She hadn't spoken since she left home. She couldn't speak, she was scared what would happen at home would happen here. She was scared that there would be many cars following her instead of just one.
She drove until she reached the police station at dawn, and with her notebook in hand she walked in.
"What do you need, ma'am?" Asked the officer at the front desk behind bullet proof glass.
She wrote down six words and put the notebook against the glass.
"Is there trouble?" He asked, lifting his sleeve to show her a tattoo. She didn't know what he meant by that, but she nodded. He understood, just like she was told they would.
"Go straight back." He told her, truly looking at her now. She looked very young and very scared. Her blonde hair was in a messy braid down her back. She wore a sweatshirt with a school's name that he had never heard of on the front. She had on black square framed glasses. She was small, and her body hidden by the sweatshirt. She was definitely not from around here. Her face was not one that was easily forgettable. "The Sheriff's office is right down there."
She mouthed the words, "thank you," before doing what he said. The door was open, but she knocked, announcing her presence. There were two desks in there. One had a blonde woman who was a little taller than her and skinnier than her with her hair and makeup done and made her feel like a slob. She was looking over a file with a pen poised between her thin lips. At the other desk sat a tall muscular man who was on his computer. They both looked up to see the girl.
"Hi, can we help you."
She held a finger up before taking her notebook, flipping the page and then writing in big letters, "Sheriff?"
"That would be me." The man said, standing. "Sheriff Wournous."
The woman looked at the other woman and frowned.
"This is my partner, Detective Parker." He told her. "How can we help you?"
She flipped the book over and wrote one word, "Trouble."
"You can't speak?" He asked.
She pointed to the woman and nodded, and then pointed to him and shook her head.
"You can talk to her, but not me?" He asked.
The woman nodded.
"You have a trouble?" He asked. "Are you from around here?"
She shook her head.
"Did the guard bring you in?"
She looked confused as she shrugged and shook her head.
"Okay," he said. "How do you know it doesn't effect her?"
The girl sighed before writing on her notebook and handing it to him.
"She says her trouble doesn't effect women." The Sheriff said, but he said it like he was trying to convey more than what he said. "Parker, can you talk to her?"
"Of course." Parker said, standing up. "Come with me." She gestured for the girl to follow her out as Nathan gave her back the notebook.
She took the girl to an interrogation room and closed the door.
"Thank you." The woman said.
"What's your name?" She asked. "Please sit down." She took out a small notebook to take notes.
"I'm…my friends call me Kat." She said.
"Well my friends call me Audrey." She told the girl"When did your trouble come along?"
"I was assaulted at work. The next morning whenever I sang men would follow me like it was a siren song." Kat laughed without humor. "My parents didn't even tell me it could happen. It ran in my mother's family."
"But you can talk?"
"I haven't tried to talk to a man since I started getting stalked. I don't want any more people following me around."
"But does your speaking voice effect them?"
"I don't know." Kat told her. "I stopped speaking, and when that didn't break the spell my mother told me to come here, that I could be helped here."
"How did you get here?"
"I drove from Georgia." I told her. "I graduated two weeks ago, and left my job two days ago."
"Was there someone following you?"
"Yes, a police officer named Harvey." I told her. "I worked for a newspaper, and they sent me to interview him after he got shot in the line of duty during a school shooting. He asked me to sing my favorite song and I did. He'd been following me around ever sense. I've never felt more terrified than being followed by a police car for a week and it's not for your protection."
"Did he follow you here?"
"I don't think so. I think I lost him around Virginia." Kat told her, though she looked out the window, as if expecting to see the man she seemed so frightened of.
"Maybe we should find out if you can speak." She said. "But how long are you expecting to stay?"
"I have no where else to go." She said. "My mother said I can't come home until it's under control. If I can't control it I will find somewhere to work here, I guess."
"We do have a newspaper if you want to check out there." She said. "And a hotel up the road."
"Do you have a gym here?" Kat asked.
"Yeah." She said, looking confused. "But you can't live at a gym."
"But I can in my car. I don't have that much money." Kat shrugged. "I can rough it. I'll shower at the gym. At least until I can get on my feet."
"You mother told you that you can't go home but didn't give you money to get on your feet?"
"I have a thousand dollars to my name." Kat told her, sitting back and crossing her arms. "I have a reasonably comfy back seat and all my worldly possessions in my car. I'll be fine."
"Okay, but before you leave I want to see if you can talk." She said. "Do you know how to undo the siren's song trouble?"
"I have to have sex with the person effected." Kat told her. "You can see why I'm hesitant."
"If I bring a guy in here and you talk and they are put under your spell, will you undo it?" She asked.
"Depends on what they look like." Kat replied.
She paused. "Okay." She got up from her seat before looking at her. "What about recorded voice?"
"They have to be in my presence for it to take effect. So recordings and phones don't let it work."
"Good to remember." Audrey said. "I'll be right back. Do you want anything? Coffee? Water? Tea?"
"Tea would be amazing." Kat said. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry I'm being like this. I haven't slept in the last few days."
"I get it." She said. "And if you see that cop I'll give you my number so you can call me. If a cop from Georgia comes here, if you give me your number I'll make sure someone calls you if I don't."
"I'll take you up on that offer." Kat told her. "Thank you."
"No problem. Now, I'll be right back." Audrey left, leaving the girl alone. The next thing she heard was: "Who's willing to have a trouble tested on them? Don't worry, it can be reversed." Then there was silence. Out the door she heard talking and Audrey came in with a paper cup with tea inside, and put it on the table in front of her. Behind her was a man even taller than the first. His face was very long and he had tan skin. He had long dark hair pulled into a ponytail and deep set dark eyes.
"I'm ready to be the guinea pig, I guess." He said, but he then looked at her. "Well, you're not from around here."
Kat took the hot tea between her cold hands to warm them. "What makes you say that?"
"Because I know everyone in this town." He said. "So what are you going to do to me?"
"She just did." Audrey said. "Do you feel any infatuation with her?"
"I mean, I'm wondering who she is, and what's going on. Does that count?" He asked.
"I have a trouble with my voice. If I sang right now you would never leave me alone." Kat told him. "Got me in some trouble at home, so I was sent here to get help controlling it."
"Trouble at home. Ha, that's funny." He said. "So how do you snap people out of it?"
"We have sex." Kat tilted her head to the side, confused. "Audrey didn't tell you?"
"No, she didn't."
"Naughty, naughty." Kat took her notebook and wrote her number on the corner along with her name and her trouble and ripped it off before handing it to audrey. "If I don't get back to you within an hour or so I'm probably in the the trunk of a cop's car."
Audrey handed me her card. "I'll call down to the newspaper and tell them you're coming around one this afternoon. I'll text you the address."
"Thanks." Kat said. "I hope I don't have to stay here too long, for everyone's sake."
"You don't have the worst trouble." Audrey said.
"Yeah, we had one guy that kept killing relatives so he could keep on living."
"Well, it's not that bad. But for me it's the worst." Kat told her. "Before this I was a singer and guitarist in a band that was just starting to get big in town."
"What was it called?"
"The Siren's Song, funnily enough." Kat laughed without humor. "By the way, I drive a dark blue Mercedes CLX three-twenty if you get any calls about someone being creepy in their car or something."
"That's your car? I thought I was hallucinating when I came in." The guy said. "By the way, I'm Duke."
"Kat." Kat said, shaking his hand. "Now, I gotta go. I'm going to go looking for a job this afternoon and I need to shower."
"Do you know how to get to the hotel?" He asked.
"Actually the gym. But that's what smartphones are for, right?"
"What?" He asked.
"She's sleeping in her car." Audrey said. "Roughing it."
"Well, good luck with that. You don't seem like the type of girl to handle that long." He said.
Kat rolled her eyes before closing them and swallowing the rude words she wanted to reply with before opening her eyes. "So nice to meet you. So happy I don't have to fuck you." She looked back to Audrey. "Thank you so much Detective. I'll see you around." With that the girl left.
"What did I say?" Duke asked.
"She hasn't slept in three days, give the girl a break." Audrey said. "So why were you here?"
"Well…"