[Conny]: And Hello again! I've gotten enough reviews to push me into thinking, "Maybe I should continue this one." Here is another...chapter? Well, I suppose that's what it is. I originally didn't plan on posting this Speak fanfiction. I had actually made another one, then had planned for that one... but I suppose I could post that one some other time? I'm not sure, really. Anyway, enjoy this fanfiction to those who has long awaited its appearance.

Disclaimer: The novel used belongs to its respective owner.

Speak - The Call

Ugh. Don't those girls get it? It's midnight. Does everyone really need to hear the pounding of that mainstream crud this late? What's with all the screaming? Are they drinking? Probably. I wouldn't be surprised if some guys found their way into the party. It's probably a sex party, one giant orgy.

Me: "How the heck am I supposed to sleep?" Just got back from break, but it's still time to party apparently. Great.

Underneath the bass's heartbeat, there was a ringing. It didn't go with the song. It was classical melody, a piano with added in violins. Wasn't that my ring-tone? I scrambled to find where I put my in-need-to-update phone. After digging through piles of clothes, I finally found the bright light in the dark. My eyes burned, but squirted to see the number. It's no one I know.

Should I answer? I don't normally answer, unless I know the person. Isn't it midnight though? With that raging stampede next-door? I flipped the screen, then held it to my ear.

Me: "Hello? Whoever this is, do you know its midnight?" There was a small, short breath. Sounded so relieved, though still timid.

Midnight Caller: "Melinda, oh…uh, Miss Sordino?" That voice is familiar, but far too quiet. It's a girl, definitely.

Me: "Just call me Melinda. I'm sorry, but…"

Midnight Caller: "Oh, oops. Sorry. It's Conny." Conny? The girl back at Merryweather? I didn't expect her to really call me.

Me: "Is something wrong?"

She was too silent. I almost called her name, but I didn't. Something felt wrong. I waited. And waited. I got up, getting shoes on. Maybe I should find somewhere more calm, at least to save my dying brain cells.

Outside, I find my usual spot in the courtyard. Just under the big ol' oak tree, I finally hear a small whimper. It makes me feel terrible, but what is there I could do for her? I'm miles away from comforting her.

Conny: [stuttering badly] "It's worse, Melinda." What's worse? I know it has to do with her older brother, but what exactly? Is he acting like IT did before? What is he doing? I shouldn't be so curious, I barely know this girl.

Me: "Conny, everything will be all right." What else is there for me to say? I can't tell her that I'll come out to help her. I can't say that her brother is just a jerk. I can't say anything, really.

Conny: "Melinda, I'm alone with Donnie." Donnie? Is that her brother's name? "My parents left me alone with him. They trust him." She's upset, scared…lonely. It seems she's vulnerable, so delicate.

Me: "Isn't there someone you can stay with? A friend, family…?" My family really wasn't helpful, but everyone's different. Maybe there was someone that could help her. Someone that was closer. Why does her sad puppy voice affect me so much?

Conny: "Most of my family are out of state, I don't really have…friends." This is just too familiar. Too sad, too depressing. "I shouldn't have called, I shouldn't-"

Me: "Hey, stop." She grew mute. "Conny, it's fine. If I had a chance to talk to someone-anyone-I would have reached out." She's already smarter than me. She actually took the chance to reach out, make a leap of faith.

Me: "How about you tell me what's going on?"

As quietly and quickly as she could, Conny gave me a brief summary of what she's been going through. Apparently, Donnie, her brother, loves to torture his little sister. It all began when they were children, when her parents were too blind to realize. They believed it was just playful teasing, but there was much darker intentions. It continued throughout the years, only getting worse. Once he's been able to have her alone in the house, just him and her…she started crying when she got to this part.

Conny: [sobbing] "He did so much… it hurts." She couldn't tell me exactly what. When I was in high school, I had to deal with the fact that I had been raped. That I was being tortured so subtly, so painfully. Conny's been going through this her entire life.

Me: "Conny, everything will be all right." My voice hasn't sounded so soft since I was her age. "Try talking to your par-"

Conny: "They won't listen!" She took in a quick breath. It was dead. I heard something, maybe the phone being moved, then slight thuds.

IT's Apprentice: "Who are you talking to?" IT sounded so irritated, so authority-thirsty. "Answer me!" He sounded closer, too close.

Conny: "N-No one." There was a loud slap, then a small puppy yelp.

Puppy Abuser: "Don't lie to me! Who the hell were you talking to?" Conny let a lie flow from her lips. She had been talking to herself. She had been writing and talking aloud. She was sorry for doing it. She was begging for forgiveness.

Me: [too quiet] "I have to help her." Somehow. How? Do I return to Syracuse? What about college? Should I make up some lie about my mother in the hospital? Or my dad dying? That'd only buy me a week at most. I need something more permanent. More long lasting.

Conny: "No! Please no!" Her voice could break glass. It broke my glass heart. "Please!" There was a laugh. So arrogant.

IT: "I suppose I will be nice tonight, dear sister." Malice laced his voice, yet he sounded so innocent. Maybe their parents only heard the sweet boy that spoke, not the monster within.

Minutes passed. Conny was sobbing, in near silence. I can hear the gasps for air, desperation wanting to escape it all and cowardice preventing the sweet relief. She must have remembered her phone, that I was still on the other line. Or maybe that I hung up. There was more background noise, from both ends. The rattling from her line and the conclusion of another stupid party.

Conny: "I'm sorry." How many times had she said that to people? To her brother? "It's late, I shouldn't keep you up. Sorry to bother-"

Me: "It was a pleasure to talk to you. You weren't a bother." This is just the beginning. In order to heal and recover, one must be stripped down to their most vulnerable and start over. This is Conny's turn to start all over. To let the world know that she's real and that she is changing for the good of herself.

Conny: "Melinda, I won't last a week with my brother." What should I say? It's getting a bit cold, I don't hear pounding music anymore. My feet carry me back inside.

Me: "Conny, you will last. If you have to call me every night, then do it." What else could I say? Go out and find a friend? Possibly a Martha? No, another Heather wouldn't help her. It barely helped me.

Conny: "Thank you so much. I don't know how to make this up to you." She really is a sweet girl, her tone is so sincere. I would have imagined years of torture would have hardened her heart.

Me: "You don't have to make it up to me, really. But it's getting late. I do have college and you better not be skipping school." I skipped school, it wasn't that great. In fact, the most I did was wander and think about everything. I made big realizations that day, but Conny shouldn't follow my footsteps. She needs to find her own path.

Conny: "All right. Goodnight, sleep well." We said goodbye and hung up.

I tried to sleep, but just couldn't. The girl that I remember seeing not too long ago is in my mind. Long, raven hair. Dark, umber eyes. On the short side of the spectrum. Lovely tan skin, anyone would be jealous of. But then I think of bruises all over her tawny exterior. Then have long, baggy clothes covering up the defects. Would her hair be down, or in the ponytail she had before? Does she wear contacts, or is it always glasses? Did I see bags under her eyes? A bit lip?

What am I supposed to do, really? What was I thinking when I gave her my cell phone number? Did I really believe that I could help this kid? She's another Melinda, while her brother is another IT, another AndyEvansBeast.

But didn't Mr. Freeman say that he reformed? That the beast was tamed? I still don't believe it. I would never believe it, but Mr. Freeman is a man to his word. If he trusts the beast, then there really no choice but to believe.

Can Conny pull through? Will she make it through and keep that innocent heart of hers? It's a crystal heart, pure and clear. The only problem with crystal is that it breaks too easily. Is it broken already?

Hope my teachers don't mind me sleeping in class. It's too hard to sleep with all of these questions in my head. It's too hard to get another Melinda out of my head. Another helpless zebra in the land of lions.

Can another zebra help?

[Conny]: And so... I'm thinking... do you, the reader, want more? If you do, say so! I want a few more others looking at this story and say, "What will happen next? How could you just leave it at that?" Also, if you want to see the first chapter of my other original character for Speak, then ask. Conny and the other character, Charlotte, are in different situations. Conny gets to know about CollegeMelinda, while Char learns to be friends with SophomoreMelinda. Really, if you want anything, just tell me.

Thank you for reading.