Dead Silence

When I woke up, I had no idea of the impending dread the day would bring me. Of course, there really is no way of knowing. No, the sun rose just like it does every day its soft rays falling upon me from outside my window. The morning dew shimmered on the freshly cut grass.
A beautiful day indeed, but not for me. Such days were a luxury I do not possess. I can’t remember the last time I went through a day without pain. The soft spring breeze, the birds chirping happily, none of those things existed in my world.
These are the things we often ignored, just expecting to happen. The natural human pattern. Yet some where, this morning would bring tragedy. Someone’s someone died somewhere. Yet everyone else in the world would go on about their day, without as much as a thought for those people. Is it simply because they didn’t know the person, there for uncaring of what might befall them? Or is it just human nature to do so. The constant greed, and lust for more then what they have consume them every day, making their lives completely run by only what they want, instead of what someone else feels.

The lucky bastards, they don’t know how good they’ve got it. To be able to go on about their days, as if to think that nothing terrible would transpire. No not today, they’d think. I on the other hand, wish I could be so blissfully ignorant. I bare a curse. To the foolishly unaware, they might call it a gift, but it is no such thing. I can sense the presents of sprits, long departed from the world of the living.
Some are pleasant, and maybe just a bit lonely, like the girl that sits in my home room class. Others are angry and violent, some just don’t want to leave, others wanting answers, but they worse are the plain evil ones. They all want my help, and to communicate with me. There was a time when I use to wonder if anyone else heard these belligerent beasts. My mum was the only one I’d told; save my friend Jack.
She was alarmed at first, but assured me, that I was special; that nothing was wrong with me. Then why; and this I wondered for great some time, did she tell me to keep it a secret?
If there is nothing wrong then why hide? If someone wanted the truth then why lie?
As if that wasn’t enough of a burden, I can also sense the aura of the living. A random person walking across the sidewalk, one that no one would pay mind to. I can feel everything he’s feeling.

It’s this reason right here I hate school. Not just from the other broods, actually if I was any other typical high schooler I wouldn’t give a damn about them. Things become complicated though when you can feel every single one of them. If someone is sick, then I too feel the illness. Heart break, family drama, high school drama, you name it, I feel it. These emotions just flood into my brain.

I ran my tongue over my black metal snakebites. My limp body once again carried its self to the bathroom. I looked at the reflection in the mirror. My bright silver sapphire eyes dulled down, by heavy black eye liner. Raven black hair fell down over them in jagged lines. I grabbed the hair spray, teasing it up in the back, and then letting the razored ends fall over my shoulders and half way down my back and chest. I looked at my emaciated figure.
I never really have much an appetite anymore. I pulled on my black skinny jeans and tight band t-shirt before walking out. The floor boards creaked as I walked. We lived in the old part of London, England, this house being almost 150 years old. I live with my mother, after my dad died, and of course my cat, Rina and my dog Chico.
“Raphael, are you up yet?”
“Yes mum” I replied.
I despised that name. Everyone at school knew better then to address me as such. I was called Lilly. I don’t know why, seeing how I’m a boy and all, but they started calling me that after I wore a shirt that bore a lily on it. The name just stuck I guess.
“Uh, Raphael you’ll be late, to school”
“I’m going mum” I said grabbing my book bag and keys.
I hadn’t taken the bus since I turned 16 a few months ago. It’s a hay days for people’s emotions to escape from there proper bodies and invade mine.
The music came on blaring as I drove out into the street. The lead singer from one of my favorite alternative bands screamed the chorus. My mum loathed my music. She never seemed to grasp that sometimes it was the tone of the voice that makes you feel things.
I drove through the over growing trees and decomposing gates that lead to school. I parked my car and stopped the engine. A part of me didn’t want to face today, while the rest did want to see my friends. If I went what would be different? Nothing. What would I face again? The same thing as always. I could never form any emotional attachments to anyone, because I could sense everything they felt.
Again, to everyone else this may have seemed like a gift. To feel and know exactly what the person you cared about was feeling like, but trust me it’s no where near that. There is always that pain of knowing that everything is not okay. I’d never meet a person that I didn’t feel. Sure there were some that were weaker then others. Such as people I never met, might just be a thought in the back of my mind. And others, like my mum and friends, felt so real that I some times confused them with my own. But always something was there. No matter how insignificant.

My legs, on having been trained to ignore what my brain thought was best, walked me into the school. People are like little mice. They do the same thing over and over again everyday. Never once do they question why. But that’s what humans are like. Mice, simple minded and follow the same pattern.
It was almost time for first bell; hence there were a lot of kids in the hall. Walking in the door I felt a wave of emotion that hit me like a blow to the stomach. So many filled my mind.
Why doesn’t he like me? Doesn’t she know I like her? Two emotions from a boy and a girl came in strong.
A boy strolled up to me dressed in red skinny jeans and a black V-neck. His mink brown hair concealed his eyes and reached down to the end of his neck. Bright red highlights peaked through the brown. Two silver balls sat on his upper lip and a single matching ring on his bottom. I knew him of course as Jack, my best friend.
His thin but toned body stopped in front of me, a grin across his reedy lips.
“What’s up mate?” he said grabbing me around the neck.
We’ve been best friends since 2nd grade, and besides my mum the only other person who knew about what I could do.
“So did you hear the news?”
“You’re kidding right?” I could already feel it from him. Excitement over something and curiosity.
“Well, there is a new kid coming from Germany, everyone is so exited, I hear he speaks English real well” Jack spoke in his heavy British accent.
“Great Jack, that’s just what I want, another mind to invade my own” I could already feel the sprit of the girl standing next to me.
“Give him a chance” she whispered. She always wanted me to be happy, and enjoy my life.

“Aw man don’t be like that”
“Sorry, but you know how I am” the bell rang and everyone began dispersing and going into their classes.
Jack and I ambled down the empting halls, our boots clinking against the cold linoleum until we reached our first period, gym. We got into the locker rooms and began changing into our outfits. Jack’s shirt seemed to glide off his smooth stomach.
We both got dressed and headed out to the gym. That’s when it hit me. I hated gym, there was a boy and he had some kind of condition. He was out a lot, but when he was here, I always felt it. In the pit of my stomach it manifested it’s self as my own.
“You ok man?” Jack asked, looking concerned.

“I-I’ve got to go” I said running out of the gym to the bathrooms.
“Lilly!” Jack called after me.
I ran into the bathrooms. Splashing my face with cool water I felt my heart race. I looked at my pale reflection in the mirror. Calm down, calm down. I reminded myself. My heart slowed down a bit. God, why me? Why not someone else? I took a deep breath before walking back out.

“Ow” I said colliding with to someone.
“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t see you the-“What? I always knew when someone was there. I couldn’t feel anything, nothing at all.
The man just stared at me. He was a good six inches taller and had long light auburn hair that hung over his shoulders, and down to his upper back. His face was emotionless and his hazel eyes seemed vacant. His slim body was covered in a tight chained vest and his pants had chains on them too. Yet nothing emitted from him. Almost as if he were dead, but had no spirit.
“I’m sorry, it was my fault” he said.
His voice sent a shiver down my spin. Something was wrong with him, very wrong. He wasn’t right. My body didn’t react though; instead it seemed to be frozen, as if being controlled by another person, as if being controlled by his eyes.
“My name is Jezebel; I’m the new student from Germany”
“Oh- I’m Raphael, but everyone calls me-“
“Lilly” the name rolled off his tongue like a rain drop off a leaf.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you” he said turning his eyes towards mine.
“Are you ok, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” The girl’s spirit shivered beside of me. Get out of here, he’s not safe he’s-. She was cut off. Her ora changing to some one enduring much pain. What the hell is this guy?
“I’m sorry, if I scared you, but I’m nothing to fear” he said. I felt my body become mine again. Now his once threatening demeanor seemed charming and inviting. I felt drawn by some force.
“Do-do you need help getting to class”
“No I believe this is it, gym first period?”
“Yeah, that’s where I am”
“Oh, well we wouldn’t want the teacher waiting” he said with a chuckle.

“Lilly are you-“’ Jack called bursting out the door.
“Are you the new student?” he asked dead in his steps.
“Yes I am” Jezebel replied. Jack scooted closer to me, grabbing my arm.
“Come on Lilly this guy is weird can’t you feel that” he whispered.
“No, I can’t feel anything” Jack backed off. I could feel the terror in him rising.
“Jack, please”

“I’m sorry” he said masking his feels some.
“So you’re an empathy?” Jezebel questioned.

“What, how did you-“
“I can tell by the way you’re acting, in Germany I knew of one that lived near me, poor fella, he always seemed so distant”
“Yes, I am, an empathy that is”
“Well what do you feel from me?”
“I don’t know” I lied.

“Oh well, that’s probably a good thing” he said turning away. He wore a long black coat that flowed as he walked. Jack looked over at me.
“What the hell was that about?”
“I don’t know” I said.
I didn’t see Jezebel for the rest of the day. And believe me when I say that, I mean in any sense, see or feel. What was wrong with this guy? Why was he so different? I thought getting into my car.
A shriek erupted from the forests near the school; a crowd of people were conjugated around it. My stomach lurched, terror, dread, sadness, nauseating me, a passing. I raced over to the mob.
There in the central, lay the body of a boy. His abdomen had been eaten out, his entrails strewn about. The scene look like it was out of a slasher movie. The bright red liquid gushed out of his body, his torso laid open, revealing all of his organs. The flesh, or what was left of it, was torn apart with excessive force, enough to break every rib in his body. A panicked look was painted on his face.
The spirit though was gone, no sign of it, or even a life that had once been, almost as if it had been scared off by something horrid. I felt woozy and sick. Police cars now lined the parking lot. What the hell was this? It looked like an animal attack.
I couldn’t be over here anymore. I ran as fast as I could, trying not to cry. I ran over to some bushes feeling ill.

“LILLY!” a voice called. A voice I knew, Jezebel. He was no longer wearing the ominous coat. He had to be cold. He seemed to look more normal now, not so shady and all. The coat must have added to it.
“Lilly, you need to get out of here, it’s not safe for an empathy to be around the deceased so soon after their death, the spirit can over power you if you’re not strong enough” he said bending down to me.
“I-I” I said stuttering feeling weak.
“LILLY!” he screamed grabbing me as I begun to fall.
“Snap out of it” he said grabbing my face.
“I’m sorry” I said coming to.
Jezebel loosened his grip on me. The police were clearing out the crowd and making way to the body throwing a sheet over it.
“Second one like it, this week” one said shaking his head.
“What the hell is doing this?” the other said.
“Let me carry you” he said picking me up. He was stronger than he looked. His arms were warm, despite the lack of clothing he was wearing, and I felt compelled to close my drowsy eyes.