The next day I wasn't plagued by the headaches. I had a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time. I wonder why that is. Could it be because of her? Eleanor, you do so many things for me. The day went by normally. I decided to walk home with Eleanor that afternoon. Alvin and Simon knew why. They couldn't stop smiling. I hope they're happy. I hope that's why they were smiling.

"So, no headaches today?" It was hard to concentrate on her. Her very touch set my mind to wandering. We held hands as we walked through the park. I could only think of her touch. After a long pause, I answered her.

"Yeah it's been a great day. I'm not feeling bad, and I get to spend time with you," she smiled at me and we got closer to my house. Maybe I had over-estimated the chance happenings of my psyche. I guess I had only been sleepwalking. I had been really tired as a result. The sleep deprivation would explain everything. The silver lining of this fiasco? Eleanor. After years of sexual tension and subtle flirting, it's finally happened. I couldn't be happier right now. For the first time in days, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. WE got to my house, and I opened the door for her.

"Dave?" she said. She must be mistaken. Dave wouldn't be home for another two weeks. I walked into the door and put my backpack down. It was Dave.

"Hey Ellie, Theodore."

"Dave?" Why was he back? "what are you doing home?"

"I called him here." We looked over. A man in a white coat was sitting in the dark foyer. He stood up and I could see his face. It was ragged with years of experience, "Theodore, is it?"

"Yes, who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Martin. I've heard about your neurological problems. I'm here to help you."

I looked at Eleanor, she was looking at the floor, "No, there's nothing wrong. I'm fine! I'm completely sane!"

He stepped near Dave and stood next to him, "There's no reason to be startled. I'm going to help you."

"You, no-" What the hell! Eleanor, why have you betrayed my trust like this, why so quickly? I knew it wouldn't work, you would eventually betray me, but it's only been a few hours. I can't go to a mental hospital, what will the world think? We'll be ruined. I won't be able to do anything later in life without being known as the crazy one.

"What are you afraid of Theo?" Dave said. He was acting strangely, "We just want to help you."

"There's nothing to help," I turned to run, and Eleanor grabbed hold of me, "Ellie-"

"Teddy, I love you, and that's why I have to do this," she pulled out a large needle and stabbed me with it.

"Damn," I breathed. I grabbed her arm and slapped it away. She let go of me. For a second we just stood there and stared at each other.

"Are you going to let me push the plunger down?" She had a weird look on her face. What were her intentions? Does she really want to help me?

"No, I'm not," I pulled the needle out and ran out the door.

"Theodore, you won't escape," Dr. Martin said as he started to chase after me. He was floating off the ground; at least, I think he was. I couldn't see his feet; they were obscured by his jacket. I looked forward. The sky was dark again and it started to lightly rain. I turned corners, I ran until I thought I couldn't run anymore. I came to a courtyard. Why were there no cars around it? Where was I?

I couldn't see Dr. Martin anymore, and the rain had stopped. This weather is starting to confound me. In front of my was a beautiful garden in full bloom, and, in the center, was a fountain. I ran up to it and started to drink from it. The water was so fantastic. I jumped in. I was savage. I was an animal.

"Theodore, you need help," Dr. Martin had found me. What am I to do? "Look at yourself, you're insane. You look like an animal!"

I looked down at my reflection in the fountain's waters. I had changed into something I didn't recognize. I was shaggy and unkempt. My fur was completely matted and disgusting. What was I?

"We just want to help you," Alvin said as he appeared from the shadows.

"We love you," Simon said.

"You need to get better," Jeanette had appeared.

"And we can help you," Brittney came in behind Jeanette.

"Please Theodore," Dave said as he came in.

"Teddy-"Eleanor was the last to come. They were surrounding me on all sides. They started to get closer, step by step. I fell backwards into the fountain. They all had needles. Large, terrifying needles. What was in them?

"We are going to help you," When Dr. Martin finished his sentence, they all stabbed me. I screamed, and found myself in my bed, screaming. I was in a cold sweat. It was 5 am. It was so early. Tuesday Morning started like the last, a waking nightmare.

It wouldn't have made any sense to go back to bed at that point, so I just started my day. It was still dark outside, well, twilight. The sun was just barely rising. I walked downstairs and went to the kitchen. I wasn't really fully awake at that point, but somewhere in the middle of awake and sleep. My feet felt the cool tile in the kitchen. I flipped on a light. The white light was so intense; my eyes weren't used to light yet. I walked over to the cupboard and grabbed some cereal. I turned, and something went across my vision. Something out of the corner of my eye, like a shadow.

"Hello?" I said softly. I couldn't hear anything. Nothing was moving in the house, so why do I feel like I'm being watched. I could feel something, something was looking at me. Its eyes were warm on my chest, but I couldn't sense what direction it was coming from. I put down the cereal and walked out of the kitchen. I turned the corner and faced the stairs. I crept closely to the stairs and put my face inches away from them, "Is anyone here?" I asked. There was no response. I sat for a second until a faint knocking startled me.

Who could possibly be here this early? I slowly walked towards the door and looked through the peephole. I opened the door, "Good morning Ellie. What are you doing here?" Eleanor has here. I checked my watch, "You are aware that it's five thirty in the morning, right?"

She laughed and walked inside, "I know it's a bit unreasonable for me to be here, but, after you told me everything that was going on I thought that I should be here early in the morning," My sanity is lucky to have her helping me now, she leaned in and hugged me. She looked up, still hugging me, "so, what's for breakfast?"

Ellie and I sat and talked in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Nothing too extravagant, just cereal. We didn't want Simon or Alvin to wake up and bother us; we needed to talk about my condition, "I just feel like I'm starting to get paranoid. I'm losing my grip on reality," I said between chewing.

"At the very least you still understand that something is wrong and you haven't given into your hallucinations yet. How have they been recently?" she asked.

"My hallucinations? Well, I had some before you came today."

"What were they?"

"Nothing, just fleeting shadows in the corners of my eyes."

"It's interesting that you say that," she stood up and started looking at things around the kitchen. I wasn't sure what in the world she was doing, but she was examining all the electronics intently, "I was having the same thing happening to me when I sat down here."

"Are you serious?" Maybe I wasn't crazy and this was coming from outside my body. Actually, I'm not sure which would be better, being crazy or being… attacked by something outside my control.

"Yeah. A physicist recently found out that if something, anything, that vibrates at the right frequency can make your corneas resonate. Now, it's not going to damage your corneas, but it will make you think you see things in the corners of your eyes," she put her ear to the ground, trying to find the source of the vibrations.

I stood up and grabbed our dishes, "that's amazing!" I exclaimed, "I'm glad I brought you on board, you seem to know a lot about my problems. Maybe we can solve all of them."

She gave a weary smile, "Thank you Theodore. Now, let's go see if we can find the source of the vibration," Although she didn't sound terribly confidant, it was better than anything I could muster up. I she was putting on the strongest face she could, and yet, it was still doubtful? Am I condemned to being messed up? I put the dishes in the sink and started around the house. We got to the living room and stopped. She was in front of me, and, without turning around, she said, "Say anything if the visions get more prevalent. I'm sorry I can't see them."

I understood the science behind it, I'm confused as to why she wouldn't be able to, "Why won't you be able to."

She laughed and turned around. She put her hand up to her eye and started blinking, "I just found out last month before you guys got back," she pulled out a contact, "I have an astigmatism. My corneas are slightly warped, making it so that I can't see as easily, and changing the resonance frequency of the aforementioned corneas."

I was shocked, "When did you get so smart?"

She laughed and put the contact back in her eye, "I'll take that as a compliment, not an insult."

"It's because I'm just so darn cute isn't it," I gave her a fiendish smile.

She got closer to me and pulled me towards her, "That must be it," I started to lean in to kisser her. As I slowly closed my eyes I pulled back, "What is it?" She asked, concerned.

"I just saw one," fleeting, in the corner of my eye fled a shadow. Dancing. Playing with me. I couldn't let it get the better of me. I closed my eyes again and listened. Something that was doing this must have been making a noise.

"What are you doing?" I guess closing my eyes was a bit odd at that part. Possibly because I had such an intense look on my face.

"I'm listening. Vibration means sound."

"The frequency is under your hearing registry," I opened my eyes.

"I guess you should lead then."

She laughed, "I'll head this mission then," We walked towards the basement, me closely following behind her, "Most of these cases have noted that things like heating units are usually the perpetrators. Let's head to the basement then.

We walked slowly down the stairs. My headaches settled back in. It was intensifying as we got lower. Something caught my eye, "to our right," she nodded and turned right. It happened again, "They're becoming more frequent."

"Then we're getting closer," she said with conviction. We got to the back of the basement to a door. She opened it. It was a small closet with the house's heater in it. She grabbed a hold of one of the pipes, "do you see anything?"

"Well yeah, I can see the heater, you, everything!"

She rolled her eyes, "I mean the shades!"

I laughed, "Not at the moment."

"What about before I grabbed the pipe?"

"I did but not right before," she let go of the pipe and they were flanking me on both sides, "Oh yeah, they're back."

She took grasped it again and they disappeared, "Then here's the problem."

We spent the twenty minutes tightening the pipes until they disappeared. With every turn of the wrench, we would stop and check. After a while, they finally disappeared. She was an exorcist, casting out my demons, literally in this situation.

"Theo?" Alvin was calling me from upstairs. I took my phone out of my pocket and check the time. It was 7:30 and we needed to leave for school, "Where are you?"

"Can you go distract him for a second? I'm going to clean up," I said to Ellie. She shook her head and went upstairs.

She ran upstairs and literally ran into Alvin. He looked shocked when she appeared from the basement, "Ellie," Alvin said, regaining his composure, "What… What are you doing here? Where's Theo?"

"I'm just," she remembered the secretive nature of her business with Theodore, "I spent the night last night."

"What?" Alvin was completely floored, "How did… What is… Fuck, I don't even care as long as you're using protection," He walked away muttering things to himself. He went in to the kitchen and grabbed his backpack, "Haven't you two been together for less than twelve hours?"

Eleanor looked away, "Well, you know, you're brother and I have always been really close, and… stuff. Our love was—" she paused to think of the right words, "Already present when we officially started seeing each other. I guess it, uh, got the better of us."

Alvin walked back towards her, "Well, whatever. It's not my place to judge," he sighed, "Are you two driving separately today?"

"Yeah, He wanted to drive alone today," she wasn't sure how he felt about the driving situation but that wasn't really the biggest of his problems. Now Alvin thinks they've been having sex. It's not as bad as it could have been though. Everyone at school was so apathetic that nobody cared who was with whom. It wouldn't spread outside of their siblings.

"Cool, I'll see you in Econ then," Alvin walked out the door and Eleanor let out a large breath

"Theodore!"

I had just finished putting everything away and yelled back, "What? I'm coming!" No reply. Alvin must have walked away. I ran to the stairs.

"Theo!"

I ran up the stairs to Eleanor, "Calm down, I said I was coming!"

"I must not have heard you," she responded, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I looked around. It was just me and her, "Where's Alvin?"

"He just left, why?"

"Oh, well," he wasn't there? How did I hear him yell? "Nothing," I laughed nervously, "Let's just go."

When we got into the car, she explained the lie she had told to Alvin. It, at the very least, was pretty air tight until the Chipettes were told about it. I don't know what we're going to do then. The headache. It was in full swing, "So, what are we going to do when your sisters question the validity of the lie?"

She looked up at the roof of the car, lost in thought, "Well, I can just say I snuck out after they went to bed. They didn't see me leave this morning, I was awake too early. If they say otherwise, it's easy to counter with they must have been mistaken. Why would we try to validate having sex? They won't question us too much after all that."

"You're right. After we give the story, they won't try to poke holes in it. They aren't there to know about our love life."

"Exactly, we're going to be fine," she smiled, "I'm sorry I had to use such a vulgar topic to cover our asses."

"Don't worry, whatever works. I don't want to this to get public."

"Why not?" she asked, "I understand that it can't get public because it would tarnish our image, but why not tell everyone."

I sighed, "The way I see it now is that they can't help me, so why get them worried. I rather have them thinking I'm too perfect than screwed up."

"Then why not, at the very least, she a psychologist?" She said, "Doctor-patient confidentiality protects you from it being revealed by anyone that works there. Anyone, that includes receptionists."

We stopped at a stop light, "I considered that, but then I thought about something else. Look around you to everyone that's walking around," I motioned outside, "Look at them. Do you see anything peculiar?"

She looked around intently, "No, they're just random people."

"One," I pointed outside, "Two," I pointed again, "Three, four, five, six. There are six paparazzo on this street corner right now. Although I have doctor-patient confidentiality, that's not what I'm worried about. At any given time, one of these vultures could see me walking out of the place and take a picture. Worse, he can misconstrue it into anything he wants. Remember that time Dave fought the paparazzo every month when he was dating again," I started to drive again after the light changed, "I can't risk it. After the tour, after we're done, I can get everything taken care of. Just a little more time."

"You're risking a lot for us," she said, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't, don't worry."

We got to school a tad bit late. It was fine; I really didn't want to be there today. My first class today was a philosophy class. I hadn't done the reading the day before; it's going to be a tough day. I got into class and sat in the back. My teacher wasn't happy, but I shrugged it off. We started to read and I could hear something. It was, it was a ticking.

I looked up and I could hear the clock ticking from ten feet away. It was loud; every tick was like a gunshot straight to my head. My headache was intensifying. I looked through my bag and I found it. The vicoden. I didn't want to take it. I had to. I grabbed it and quickly threw it back into the bag. I took the pill, dry swallowed. It roughly made its way down my throat. I while later I could feel the euphoria take over my body. The ticking stopped. I exhaled deeply.

"Theodore Seville?" My teacher yelled.

"Yes?" I responded.

"Can you explicated line 15-27?"

"I can't," I smiled, "It's all throwing me for a loop."

"So let me get this straight," We were all sitting at a lunch table we had to ourselves on occasion. Brittney looked somewhat angry as she was interrogating us. Jeanette was despondent, out in her own world. Simon was focused, but simply gathering information. Alvin was aloof, "You snuck out last night to have sex with your boyfriend, with whom you haven't even celebrated one day with."

"Yes, that's right," Eleanor said. It was like she was on trial and I saw the defense attorney.

Brittney glared at us, then smiled, "You're such a ho!"

I sighed and Eleanor quickly fired back, "Whatever, at least I knew Theodore for longer than twenty-four hours before giving it up," Eleanor smiled, "What's your pre-requisite, Brittney? A pulse?"

Alvin started to shout laughter, "Damn, she got you!"

"He has to be hot too!" She looked over to Alvin, "And you, Alvin. You're worse than me!" They started to playfully argue.

"So, where do you go now?" Simon asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you've gone as far as far gets without fetish."

"I hardly think that's any of your business!' I said, exasperatedly.

"I guess it isn't. Just be careful," Simon got up to leave, "You coming Jeanette?"

"Hmm? Yeah I guess," Jeanette got up too.

"Where are you two going?" Eleanor asked. The bell started ringing and it shocked my head. The pain was piercing.

"Well the bell dictates that we go to our next class, which we have together," he started walking away and waved, "I suggest you go you two."

"Yeah," I said. Alvin and Brittney had already left. I looked over to Eleanor, "You want to go?"

"Let's bounce!" she said, laughing. I was taking in her face. She's so beautiful, and her smile, is just one of those great thing. I got a little lost in her eye, "Theo?" she asked.

I snapped out of my trance, "Oh yeah, sorry," something fleeting caught my eye. A shadow was behind her. It turned the corner and kept moving. I got up and started following it, "Ellie, I saw something. It was running behind you," she got up and started following me. I started running down the vacated hallways. I would catch a glimpse of it as it would turn corners, but nothing more. The headaches were starting to get worse.

"Where is it going?" She asked as we were both running.

"I don't know yet. I'm going to find out." Twists and turns until it lead me to the gym and then the pool. We were on the deck and I looked at the other side of the pool. I looked around. I couldn't see it; it had disappeared, "It's gone."

"Damn."

"Ellie, I don't know if I can handle being at school for the rest of the day. I'm going to head home, if you want to come with me."

"Yeah, I don't have anything serious to do today."

"I'm just too tired. The headaches are really starting to get to me."

She hugged me from behind and I dipped my head down, "Then let's get home and take a nap.

We left without much difficulty. I had a press pass for the school newspaper which let me leave whenever I wanted to really and I just said she was with me. In reality, our status would have probably let us leave, but this was so much easier. We drove home talking about random things, but the sounds were killing my head. She told me about her day, the test she took, the creep that was messing with her, everything. I love every second of it. I can tell she was trying to promote an air of normality in my life, and I loved her for it. Sadly, every healing word she was saying was hurting me at the same time. I couldn't tell her that of course. I wanted her to keep talking. I wanted us to be a normal couple who was leaving school to spend time together, not a man who's on the verge of a psychotic break and his girlfriend he doesn't deserve.

She was talking about the teacher she hated when I interrupted her, "Ellie, what if I'm crazy?"

Her face went sullen, "Do you think you're becoming crazy?"

"I do. I'm scared. I don't want to lose my grip on reality. All we really have in the world, the only real constant in our lives is the idea that we exist and this is real. I feel like the scariest part of being crazy, especially schizophrenia, is losing that link to the world we knew. I feel like my link is disappearing and now two different realities are colliding."

"Teddy," she rubbed my arm, "I think because you're able to sit through and rationalize all parts of your condition, you can't be crazy. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. You are doing new things, trying to fight this, trying to lead to a new future. One we get done with the concert, we'll get you help and move onto our normal lives."

To be normal. I wish. I wish I could just be a normal person. I wish I didn't have to care about the last concert. It was coming up quickly. I hope I can hold out until then. I hope I can stay well.

We got home and went up to my room. I jump into my pajamas; I felt that there was no real reason to not go out. She changed into one of my shirts and some of Alvin's athletic shorts. They fit her better than mine. We climbed into bed. I hope that Simon and Alvin didn't come home and find us. I really didn't want them to think that we were not just sleeping together, but sleeping together, savy? So it goes, they'll think what they want to think. I'm just glad Dave isn't around.

"Goodnight Teddy," she looked apprehensive, "It's alright if I call you Teddy, right?"

I smiled, "it's fine," I gave her a quick peck, "I would give you more, but I really am tired."

She smiled, "I understand. Later, for sure though."

"For sure," she leaned into me and I embraced her from behind. We fell asleep spooning with the sheets only covering half of our bodies.

"Welcome to my office, Theodore," I was sitting in an office. I didn't recognize it at all. It felt so real. I could feel the velvet on the red chair I was sitting it. I rubbed the armrests. It was so soft and smooth. I looked around me. The walls were an eggshell white, and the windows overlooked a city-scape. I looked around to the voice when a light turned on. It was exposing another chair across the burgundy desk, "Winston," he clapped his hands twice and a man appeared at my side. He turned around in his chair. He was wearing a black pinstripe suit and a Black fedora. He had on glasses, but he had striking green eyes. His hair was jet black and gelled into a faux-hawk, "Would you like a drink? Maybe a Cigar?" Winston held up a tray with cigars and a few bottles on it.

I was stunned. I must be dreaming, but what's going on? "No thank you," Winston walked over to the man and handed him a cigar and poured him some cognac, "Alright, who the hell are you?"

He laughed, "I'm sure you know me well. I'm you Theodore." He put his left hand on his face. He tugged at it and it popped off like a mask. Underneath it was my own face. My face was underneath his, "See?" he put on his own face again, "Well, I'm you, but I'm a bit different. I'm you, but not you. I'm my own individual."

"Are you these things I see? Are you my headaches?" I yelled at him. I stood up but Winston appeared behind me and restrained me. He forced me back unto the chair and held me down by my shoulders. I was squirming and wriggling but I couldn't get away.

He stood up and readjusted his suit to get out all of the creases. He came over to me and leaned over me, "Theodore, you're right. I'm that little voice in your head. I'm the disembodied shouting. I'm the shadows in the corner of your eyes. I'm the creeping feeling that you're being watched. I'm your dreams. I'm your fears. I'm everything, Theodore."

"If you're me, why are you doing these things? We're one in the same, aren't we?" He smiled and Winston started pushing my chair over to the window. He snapped and the glass disappeared. I could feel the cold breeze bursting into the office.

He walked over to me and leaned in over my shoulder, "Teddy, do I need a reason?" He put his hand on the back of the chair. Winston left go of me and he pushed me off of the chair and out of the window. I started to fall. The buildings around me were flying by. I looked down. The ground was quickly approaching. I sure hope this is a dream.

I jerked back awake in my bed. Eleanor was awoken by my fast movements, "Teddy, are you alright?"

I swallowed heavily. I was breathing heavily and I said, "I just had a bad dream."

She sat up with me, "What was it about?"

My breathing slowed down, "My mental problems were manifested as a man. He's real, and he's living inside my mind. He threw me out of a window."

"That's terrifying!" She grabbed my torso and held unto me.

"The worst part is, when I asked him why he was doing all of this," I let out a small tear, "He said he didn't need a reason," The entity that was destroying my life was seemingly doing it for no reason. How am I supposed to fight that? I feel like I have no place to escape now. I can't sleep and no what's real. I can't be awake and know what is real. I have nowhere to go. I grabbed my phone from the end table and looked at it. It was 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The concert is this Saturday. I have one more week to fight this. I grabbed my backpack and took a Vicoden to quell my headache. I wonder when I'll see him again. I wonder when I can end this whole thing.