Animatronic Eyes

I did just that for the majority of the day. I tuned it out. I did my work, and looked forward to getting the slip signed. I pretended there was no problem, I pretended that Blake wasn't missing and that he was just gone. But after a while, the fake 'everything is ok' stint wore off and I felt the need to punch a locker.

Like the days before, I felt the dark presence hanging over me. I was constantly looking over my shoulders, narrowing my eyes at suspicious shadows and initially feeling watched. I talked to Jack about it, and he shrugged.

"Maybe it's just the work nerves or something." He offered during his lunch break. I nodded, not that I put much stock into this offer. It was far more than that, I felt it. Not just now, but always. I'd felt this every now and again when I was little. Even now occaisionally. Voices, noises and laughter, they all remained unexplained, and normally I'd put them off. But after what I experianced last night, I found it harder to shake off the feeling.

"I guess so..." I murmured absently. That's when Jess jumped towards up joyusly. "How's it going people?"

"I'm good..." I murmured warily.

"That's good." She grinned, and instantly, I knew something was up.

"What are you doing?" I sighed.

"Oh... Nothing." She waved her hand dismissvely.

I continued to watch her carefully, her sudden moodswings were putting me off.

"I talked to Mr. Miller, and he said we'd be done by six, so we could be outta here by six-fifteen. Be to the mall around..." She counted absently on her fingers "six-thirty. We'll be done by eight, does that work for you guys?"

Me and Jack nodded, I was secretly excited. It'd keep my mind vacant for a while, and I wouldn't have to think much. Besides, how long had it been since I'd gone out anywhere with anyone willingly that didn't involve a search mission or a ride to the grocery store?

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I wasn't sure if I was feeling ok upon exiting the building. My stomach churned and my mind felt a little unwilling to think. I couldn't bring up Blake's face in my memory, and it was worrying me a little. I put it off as me pressurizing the memory and any thought concerning his disapearance. I sat in the backseat of Jess's car, Cyrus rode shotgun and fiddled with the radio, Jack sat beside me in the back. I looked out the window as the streetlights were coming on and the sun slowly setting.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Dec, you ok?" Jack whispered to me.

I nodded. "Yeah..." I whispered back.

"Well, you look kinda pale, I was just wondering."

I put on a smile and nodded. "I'm ok, thanks."

I returned to looking out the window. Trying to stow anything that would give away my worry. I tried to contain the shaking forming in my hands and keep my teeth from chattering, even though it was plenty warm in Jess's car.

What the hell is wrong with me?... I thought, clenching my hands together. Gooseflesh never broke out over my skin, and I didn't feel cold. So I couldn't pinpoint what was screwing with me. I thought of calming things, maybe I was just stressed.

Oh, good! It seems I have found a way for this to work....

The voice deep, it echoed in the car. I looked around, stunned, to see if anyone else had heard it. Jess kept on talking about her collage assignments, Jess going on about some boy at her school. Jack had his chin on the shoulder of Cyrus's headrest.

I shook my head. It's all in your head...

Is that so? The voice laughed loudly, and it bounced off my skull, my headache getting stronger, I winced. if I'm such a big part of your imagination, how do you hear me? You creative little duck. Anyways, enough with the taunting, what I say now is very important, listen closely...

I swallowed hard, a dew of sweat was breaking out across my forehead in fear and stress.

I need your help, and I know you'll help me, because you're scared. Those shakes, twitching and sweating? You're thoughts blocked? That's all me. All it took was-

"Hey, Decsi, where should we go for dinner, and please don't agree with Jack on McDonalds." Cyrus looked over the seat at me, throwing a playful glare at Jack. I was grateful for the falling dark, no one could see the crazed look on my face.

"I, uh..." I paused, hearing the voice trying to come back. "I don't care, where do you guys want to go?"

Cyrus shrugged and began talking over options with Jess. I concentrated as hard as I could on what they were saying as it seemed to push back the voice. I worked on calming myself down, taking quiet, shallow breathes and descreetly wiping the persperation off my forehead and cheeks.

"Eh, let's just grab something at the mall." Jess suggested. Then the car was silent and I had nothing to hold on to. I concentrated hard on something. Anything to keep the voice out. That's when I realized how much harder it was going to be tonight to simply relax when I had to fight to keep my mind straight and under my own control.