Dreamless sleeps weren't completely unknown to Wakko, but it didn't happen often. Still, that strange voice hadn't bothered him for the rest of the night, and he was starting to feel cautiously reassured about the situation. It must have been just a weird stress thing. It wouldn't happen again, except maybe when he was worked up about something. Yeah, that was it. But just then, out of the darkness…
Wakko's eyes snapped open, and he sat up. Was he dreaming? He had to have been… it couldn't be…
But it came again, and his heart sank. He wasn't dreaming, and it wasn't stress. It was that same voice, singing the same wordless melody. Grabbing a pillow, Wakko turned onto his stomach and pressed it over his ears. But the voice came again, just as loud as before. Clearly ignoring it wasn't going to work.
Okay, think… why would you be hearing a weird voice no one else can hear?
There was the very real possibility that he was losing his mind, but was it possible there was another reason? And if there was, what was it? Slowly, Wakko pushed back the covers and slid out of bed. Whatever the reason was, there was no way he could keep it away from his siblings any longer. He had to tell them.
Wakko padded to the door and pushed it open. Their rooms were just down the hall, but before he could head that way, the voice came again. As if pulled by some invisible force, Wakko turned the other way and began walking with slow, hesitant steps. The voice came again… was it just him, or did it sound a little louder? He kept going, keeping his ears pricked. When it came again, definitely louder, he was in front of a pair of doors. Wakko turned toward them, and his heart gave an uneasy skip.
He'd only seen them once, but he recognized those doors. They led to their parents' chambers. Wakko had never gone in there, never thought he could bring himself to go in there. Why would the weird voice be leading him here? Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out a hand and took hold of one of the knobs.
For several moments, he just stood there, debating with himself. Was this really where the voice was leading him? What kind of answer could possibly be in there? As he stood, the voice came again, seeming to call him. Finally, Wakko took a deep breath and turned the knob.
He looked around the sitting room as he stepped inside; even though no one occupied these rooms, they were clearly well-maintained. Something stirred in his mind as he slowly moved forward: faint, hazy memories of the whole family in here. Playing, reading stories… Wakko felt his throat tighten as his eyes grew moist and he closed them.
His mother's soft voice singing as her hand stroked his head… his father smiling as he told them a story…
The voice came again, louder than ever, snapping Wakko out of his reverie. He turned in a circle, trying to pinpoint where it had come from. His eyes fell on a large bookshelf beside the large fireplace, unlit and cold. He walked toward it and stopped in front of it, scanning it up and down. Again the voice came, sounding almost like it was behind the bookcase.
How can it be coming from here?
Wakko began feeling around the shelves, unsure exactly what he was looking for. Then, as he ran his hand over the wood on the far right side, he felt something. It was the slightest indentation, one that would never be noticeable by sight. On a whim, he pushed on it. There was a faint clicking sound, and the right side of the bookshelf swung slightly open. Heart pounding with anticipation, Wakko pulled it open the rest of the way to reveal a doorway. After glancing behind him, he stepped inside.
The only light came from the open door, but despite the limited vision it was clear no one had been in this room for years, not even to clean. The faint light revealed a large desk near the far wall, and Wakko moved across to it, squinting to try and make out details. He could see books and papers on it, all covered with a layer of dust, but couldn't read anything on them. He was completely confused now… why would their parents have a secret room? What did they have in here?
Just then, the voice came again, louder than ever, and another faint light filtered through the gloom, seeping through the cracks of a drawer behind the desk. When he opened it, he found the source of the light: it was a four-sided amulet, glowing with soft white light, and carved in each corner were four diamond shapes, each one with a smaller symbol inside it. Eyes wide, Wakko slowly reached out and ran his fingers over the carvings, touching each of the diamonds in turn.
The moment he touched the last one a warm, tingling sensation came from his hand as, faint but clear, a symbol shone on the back. Four diamonds, exactly like the amulet.
Stunned, Wakko could only stare for a few moments. Then his shock was quickly replaced with alarm, and he yanked his hand back. Immediately, the symbol disappeared. Shoving the drawer shut, he bolted from the room, barely keeping enough presence of mind to pull the hidden door closed. Raking his fingers through his hair, he began pacing back and forth at a quick, frantic pace.
Okay, okay… first I hear this weird voice, then I find a secret room with a glowing necklace and then my hand starts glowing… why was my hand glowing?!
Up until tonight, Wakko had fully planned on keeping quiet about that voice, but now he was starting to get the distinct feeling that he was in way over his head. As much as he hated it, what just happened only confirmed what he had been thinking before… he couldn't keep this secret anymore. Heart pounding, he rushed back out into the hall and back the way he'd come.
The first room he reached was his brother's, and a sense of trepidation made him hesitate. What would he say? What would Dot say? Would they be mad? Well, Dot definitely would be… she didn't like having secrets kept from her, particularly by her brothers.
Don't be a baby… just do it.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out and pulled the door open.
…
He was right… Dot was mad.
"Hang on! You're telling us you've been hearing a weird, disembodied voice that no one else is and you didn't say anything?!"
Wakko shifted on his feet, unable to look at her or Yakko.
"I… I didn't wanna worry you."
"Well, it's kind of something we should be worried about, don't ya think?!" his sister snapped.
Wakko chanced a glance up at his siblings; it was no surprise that Dot looked furious, but it was the look on Yakko's face that made him feel even worse. Far from being angry, he looked as worried as Wakko had ever seen him. Not only that, but he looked hurt. When he spoke his voice was low, with a seriousness that he very rarely expressed.
"How long has this been going on, Wakko?"
The middle sibling bit his lip and looked down again.
"Well… I think since this morning," he said softly, bracing himself.
"What?!" Dot still sounded mad, but he could catch an undercurrent of worry in her voice as well. He rushed on before she could continue.
"I thought it was nothing the first few times! I thought I was just hearing things! But when it kept happening, I just… I don't know, I didn't know what to say. I thought I could deal with it by myself."
He thought he saw Yakko flinch just a little at those words, but Dot spoke up before he could.
"Except you don't have to!" She looked at him with that same hurt look. "We promised we wouldn't keep secrets from each other anymore!"
Feeling even more ashamed now, Wakko dropped his gaze to his feet.
"I know, and I'm sorry… I should've said something sooner."
There was a brief moment of hesitation before Yakko spoke, still using that quiet voice.
"It's okay… you did still tell us."
Wakko heard Dot let out a soft huff before she mumbled an agreement. After taking another moment to gather up the courage, the middle sibling spoke again.
"But… it's not just the voice. Something else happened."
With slow reluctance he told them everything he had experienced that night, from following the voice to finding the hidden room, from touching the amulet to the glowing symbol on his hand. When he finally finished, he took a moment to brace himself before looking up again. As he expected, both his siblings looked stunned.
"So…" Dot said slowly. "Do you think… Mom and Dad knew?"
Yakko frowned, clearly just as troubled at the thought as his siblings were.
"If it was in their room, they might have." He bit his lip before speaking again. "Maybe if we check it out, something'll tell us what all this means."
Wakko and Dot looked at each other, then back at their older brother. All three read each other's looks and came to a silent agreement. Yakko and Dot stood, and they all headed to the door… it wasn't as if any of them were going to be able to sleep now.