My throat became dry once again and for a minute, I thought I was going to get a stroke or a mini heart attack.

"S-I-I wa-" I stammered, terror stabbing my heart.

"What in Christ's name are you doing with a man?!" He thundered and fear coursed through my veins.

This dude is not a man, he's a boy!

My subconscious exclaimed because I wouldn't dare open my mouth to provoke the angry dragon more.

My blood turned to ice and I froze, toning down the volume of everything including my father's voice. Suddenly, I was sucked into a different place. It was eerily dark that I couldn't even see my own hands.

The sound of a light switch being flipped on made me jerk. It was white and so bright that it made my eyes sore. I winced with lidded eyes and a hand shielding my eyes from the blinding light.

Instantly, I was surrounded by four huge speakers that boomed–playing a heart beat, almost rendering me deaf. Involuntarily, my hand plastered itself on my chest and my eyes widened when I figured it was my heart that played from the speakers.

Where was I?

My eyes wandered around, but I couldn't see anything except for the whiteness of the place I was in and the four speakers. My heart leaped into my throat and beads of sweat formed on my forehead when I heard numerous whispers coming out of the speakers.

It was so loud it irritated my ears. I crouched down and used both my palms to press my ears, trying to block out the noise. The whispering continued.

"Hephzibah...mava yaca ya." These where the words I kept hearing from the speakers.

"Make it stop." I groaned, still closing my ears with my eyes shut.

"Hephzibah!" My eyes snapped open when I heard the angry voice of my father calling me from the speakers.

Hephzibah!

Hephzibah!

Hephzibah!

These words echoed in my head, causing me to close my eyes shut and press my palms to my ears again.

Abruptly, I was yanked out of my dwam by the firm hands of my father who was dragging me into his Mercedes. The security and people around fixed their gazes on us and my insides cringed. Father was always happy whenever he embarrassed himself and I outside.

The moment I was seated in the car, father banged the door shut and turned to face Mr adidas who stared in total shock with his jaw slacked.

"You." Father pointed at him, gnashing his teeth so hard I could hear it. "Stay away from my daughter."

With that, father spun on his heels and got into his car–he turned the ignition and the engine roared to life.

************

I feared for my dear life and struggled to swallow the lump in my throat. If Emi had come by herself, this wouldn't have happened.

Father breathed heavily and I didn't dare to look at his face. My stomach fluttered with fear and even with the air condition on, my hands were clammy and sweat slid down my back.

The car halted and the engine went off in front of my dorm. This time, my heart was beating with bass–I gulped, my eyes never leaving my laps.

My stomach clenched the moment I felt his eyes drilling a hole by the side of my head.

"Hephzibah," he said a little calmly, but venomous. "What were you doing with that boy?"

"He-he was only there to help me pass the gate." My voice was edged with fear. I interlocked my shaky fingers and locked them inbetween my hot laps.

"Why did you need to pass the gate?" He questioned.

"I left my pass with Emi."

"How did you leave your pass and where did you girls go to?"

"To grab a cup of coffee."

My gaze was still lowered and my vision was slowly becoming blurry with clouds of tears.

"What happened to your school's Cafe?" His baritone voice trapped my heart in the cage of fear.

"Emi suggested-"

"Silence!" He banged his fist on the steering and I shook, wishing I could disappear from the surface of the earth. "How many times have I told you not to be easily influenced?"

My tongue was tied because I couldn't answer his question. A thousand and one things were running in my head and I wondered what he was doing in my school.

"Answer me!" He snapped.

"So many times, father." I croaked, feeling heavy.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, don't let me hurt you."

I took my eyes higher to view his face just as he had instructed. His cheeks vibrated and this was a sign that he was extremely mad. Anger painted his face red and his jaw that was housed by black boxed beards was tightened and I feared that it was going to break.

"And you decided to throw my teachings away?" He held the steering with red knuckles.

"No, father. It was just a ride, why don't you trust me?" I searched for the answer in his eyes and my bowels churned.

"Don't you dare look me in the eye!" He spat and a drop of saliva flew to my face. I hastily took my head down. "I will smack you across the face if you've forgotten what discipline means."

My father was confusing. What on Earth did he want me to do? He was the person that asked me to look at him and now he was fuming over it.

"What happened in class today?" He asked after breathing heavily and staring daggers at me. "What was that nonsense video about?"

"I don't know, dad. Creepy things has been happening to me since the very first day you brought us," I said breathlessly. "I've been hearing weird whispering."

"Are you possessed?" He asked, slightly irritating me.

Was my father serious? How on Earth would the daughter of the man that acted like he was Jesus the second be possessed?

"Answer me. Do you know exorcism is real?" He adjusted the collar of his royal blue shirt. "I was summoned to the school because of your unusual behavior. Hephzibah, your first class and you're giving them a bad impression. Did I not bring you-"

"Dad, I'm not possessed." I snapped and regretted using that tone.

My father widened his eyes and I mirrored the shock on his face. Since when did I talk to my father in such a manner?

"Don't you dare disrespect me."

*************

After having an annoying conversation with my dad, I stormed into my dorm room and slammed the door shut. What was his problem? Why did he have to embarrass me like that?

What did he mean by exorcism is real? Was he trying to say I was being controlled by some demon from the pit of hell? No way!

I kicked off my shoes and plopped down on my bed. What the hell was actually happening to me?

I laid on my side and replayed what I saw today in my head. Suddenly, the smell of something decay rode the breeze into my nose.

"Ugh!" I squeezed my face and sat up. Where on Earth was that smell coming from?

I got to my feet and sniffed around, following the smell to Hazel's bed. I halted and my brows knitted in a frown. What did she leave to decay under her bed because the bed was covered in a check bed spread and there was nothing on it except for her pillows and blanket.

I crouched and bent my head to look under her bed. There was a brown box and a black tote bag. I sniffed the brown box and it smelt nothing like decay. I moved my head to the tote back and sniffed it. The smell penetrated my nose and made it's way into my stomach.

I pulled my head back immediately and coughed with tears forming in my eyes. What in God's name was that?

I got to my feet and adjusted my shirt. I didn't want to know what was in there. I shuddered and just as I was about to turn, there was a soft knock on the door followed by a familiar voice.

"Hazel are you in there?" She called, pushing the door gently. "I forgot the-"

She stopped in her tracks when she saw me and put on a foxy smile–there the dirty look was again.

"Oh, hi Zibah." She invited herself into the room and closed the door. "I forgot my bag here and I'm here to get it."

"Oh, okay." I shrugged and sat on my bed, ignoring whatever Mandy was doing.

My hands searched my bag for a Wattpad book that got published into a paper back sometime last month. I rubbed the green paper back with my fingers and read the title in my mind.

The artist's wife.

I was gassed because I couldn't wait to bury myself in the world of this awesome book.

Hephzibah!

A voice snapped in my head and it jolted me out of the imagination of having a handsome man like Gerald from the artist's wife.

My gaze went higher and saw Mandy holding the same tote bag that the awful smell was coming out from.

Mandy strode towards me and I blinked rapidly, trying to know if my mind was playing tricks on me. Was she walking seductively or was I just imagining things?

She glued her butt on the bed and grinned at me. "I love your eyes." She complimented, reaching up a hand to tuck a stray hair behind my ear.

Say what now?

She rested the tote bag in front of her and removed the red jacket she had been wearing. Her cleavage was now visible and she seemed to have moved closer to me.

"So, where are you from?" She adjusted her boobs and if I was a guy I would have been longing to fondle them. I shook the thought out of my head and chuckled nervously.

"Half Romania, half USA, Florida to be precised." I answered, feeling a little giddy and resisting a shudder.

"I'm from Texas." She beamed then bit on her bottom lip. She lurched forward and I unfolded my legs to stand, but kicked on the tote bag.

The bag fell to the floor and something unbelievable rolled out of the bag. My nose wrinkled in distaste with bug eyes.

Was that a...