What's happening to me?

Rhyme subconsciously slammed her alarm clock on her bedside table, hating the annoying thing's way of disturbing her rest. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, pushed the covers off of her, and grabbed her hat off the bedpost. Her hair had almost completely grown back after the surgery they did three months ago to relieve her brain of the blood that had gathered after the trauma. Not much longer and she'd look normal again.

'Still' she thought, 'will I ever be normal again?'

She walked past her brother's room, the latter still dead to the world. Walking down the stairs, she wished her mother good morning before starting to make her breakfast.

"So," her mother asked as Rhyme sat down at the table, "what are you and your brother doing today?"

"We're going to hang out with the others," she managed between bites. "Walk around, window shop, maybe get something to eat."

"Do you need any money?"

"No, mom, I'm fine."

"Let me rephrase that. Do you think your brother will need money?"

Rhyme snorted, trying to keep her food in her mouth, and nodded in reply. Her mother grabbed her purse and fished out some money. "When you go upstairs, wake him up and give this to him."

"Yes ma'am." Finishing her breakfast, she went back upstairs, quietly walking into Beat's room. "Beat…" The creature moaned. "Beat, it's time to wake up." It moaned again, turning over to avoid the voice beckoning him towards the light. "Beat," she said hitting him, "GET UP, you lazy bum."

"Huh, what?" Clouded over distant eyes looked at her. "Rhyme, wha'cha want?"

"Mom says to get out of bed." She held out the money, which he took not fully grasping what he's doing. "This is for today; be sure to pay her back this time."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling over.

"Fine," she huffed, "be that way. I'm going to take a shower." She spun on her heel and left the room, but not before maliciously switching on the light. With her brother growling at her from down the hall, she locked the bathroom door behind her. Turning on the water, she winced at the pain from the scratch. It's been three days; the Noise had only plagued her nightmares in short glimpses the past couple nights, but they're still there. She pulled off her pajamas and gasped as the cold water hits her, instantly clearing her head of the phantoms that haunted her dreams.

Standing under the steady stream of water, she fingered the wound. 'It's nothing,' she told herself, but no matter what she said, nothing could explain how it got there in the first place. She bit her lip and started to cry. "What's happening to me?" she whimpered.

Suddenly, excruciating pain, like a brand being stabbed and dragged against your skin, tore down the back of her leg. Leaning on the wall to keep from falling, she watched the water turn blood red and her breathing accelerated. Panic built until she can't hold it. She screamed.

"Rhyme!" Someone twisted the knob furiously, then slammed against the door. Beat tumbled into the room, the lock broken. "Rhyme, what happened?"!

"I'm bleeding!" The curtain began to pull back. Almost losing her balance, Rhyme managed to keep the curtain shut and pushed her brother away. "What the heck are you doing?!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

"Beat, go get mom!"

"But I can help…"

"Beat, I'm naked; get out of here!"

"BWAAAAAAH!" Covering his eyes, her brother ran towards the door, running into the door frame in the process, screaming for their mother the entire time.

Mind racing, Rhyme turned off the water and grabbed her leg, blood squishing out between her fingers. Footsteps raced up the stairs and her mom broke into the bathroom, Beat standing behind her, still holding his hand over his eyes.

"Beat," she ordered, "go and get clothes for your sister. Something she can slip over her head."

"But Mom, I wanna help…"

"You are helping. Now go." Her brother ran towards her room as her mom parted the curtain and handed her a towel. "Let me see." She looked at the wound, then at her daughter, her eyes betraying her calm exterior. "Keep pressure on it. Beat, where are those clothes!?" Beat fumbled into the room. "Good, now call an ambulance. Hurry!"

Rhyme struggled to pull on the dress Beat brought, but somehow managed. Her mom took a towel and tied it to her leg in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Beat slammed into the doorway again. "The ambulance is coming."

"Alright, help me get her downstairs." Her brother picked her up in his arms. She winced as his arm brushed her injury with every step. Sirens grew louder as the ambulance turned onto the street. "Get her outside." The door opened and the three of them rushed out to meet the emergency vehicle.

"What happened?" one of the paramedics asked.

"She's bleedin' real bad."

"She cut herself…it's really deep."

Paramedics took her from her brother's arms, got her into the ambulance, started working on her, all before she has time to process what's going on.

"Rhyme!" She looked up past the paramedics to see one of them holding Beat back. "Let me go. I gotta be with my sister."

"Beat!" The boy looked up at her, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I'll be alright. I'll see you at the hospital."

"Don't leave me, Rhyme. Don't do it."

"You're not going to lose me, Beat. I promise." And before she could say anything else, they closed the doors and rushed her to the hospital.

Sorry for not updating this sooner...life's been hectic with starting school and work and all that wonderful stuff. But fear not: I will update this story weekly (I just have to figure out when).

Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. Parts I like, others I don't. I'd really love to hear how I can improve, or if I did relatively good.

Thanks.