VOICES

"What should I go with now?"she looked seemingly disturbed before a man's voice echoed through her mind. "Don't think too much. Just go."the tone was so cold and harsh.

She didn't have a choice but to pick up her red handbag from the couch before closing the door behind her. Her father was waiting for her outside. The moment she stepped out of the house, her father couldn't wait but to start the car. "I hope all goes well."she sighed.

"Wow. My daughter looks extremely beautiful today."Zalvin said.

"Thank you Dad. You too look very gorgeous." It was a fact anyway.

Zalvin had dressed in a black coat with a long sleeved white shirt and a gentle black trouser.

And ad for Maya, she had put on a white long dress with a long slit in front that almost exposed her thighs out.

She had applied heavy makeup to the extent that her lips were dropping and glittering red on her glowing baby face!

She was in red heels, not forgetting her red small handbag.

"Thank you for choosing this dress for me. It's the best."Maya said.

"I didn't choose it. Your aunt did."

"Oh! She has a good taste you know." Talking about her aunt, Maya could tell whom they meant since she had only one aunt.

"Won't she come to celebrate her niece?"

"No dear. She said she won't make it to come over that's why she sent this dress for you."

"I miss her so much."

"I'm sure she misses you a lot. Let's go dear."

Staring at her father for some time, Maya felt like telling him about the situation but she couldn't bring herself to ruin his mood.

Zalvin looked extremely happy. Reaching the city, Maya rushed out of the car. She wanted to walk around and slay like a queen for some time.

Her father couldn't say no to her simple wish. He used to treat her like a princess. But that day, even queens can't be treated like that. "Oh my goodness! This care is too much!"

After taking meals in Mega hotel, Maya went shopping, bought all her heart's desire and returned for lunch where she received a surprise that she had no idea about.

She didn't know that her father had called her best friends, Martha and Anna over. The three of them had organized a secret party for her.

Seeing them around brought so much happiness in her heart. If there was something she wanted at the moment, it was to feel that moment.

You can't believe that all her negative thoughts vanished away and were erased from her memory.

All she did was enjoying the moment to her satisfaction.

Evening came with so much stars in the sky. That could've been a great moment for Maya and her friends but her dad had booked tickets for the movie.

It was approaching 11pm when Martha asked father to take her home. Her father was a strict man and you know all that.

"Let me drop them home and get back to you, right?"

"Alright. But please don't delay."

"Of course not."he kissed Maya's forehead before he drove off. The day went so cool that she smiled all day. She wished she could live that moment forever little did she know that destiny had something different in store for her.

Guess what! Like he promised, Zalvin returned back sooner than Maya expected but he was drunk.

"How did you get drunk father?"she asked if smelling wine on him.

"Martha's dad insisted that I should take a sip. You know we've been friends for years now and I couldn't refuse hi."

"Oh, now I understand. When he asked you to take a sip, you took the whole bottle instead, right?"

"It wasn't just one bottle, I took three of them if I'm not mistaken."

Wait! Was he praising himself or what.

"Good job father."Maya sighed since she couldn't do anything to him.

"Does this mean we'll sleep in the car on the street? Why did you have to drink too much. I've heard that your Cash is over as well. How are we going to get rooms now."Her mood was ruined. "Forget about the money, where can we find unoccupied rooms at this hour of the night?"

"Why do you worry when Dad is here. We don't need to look for rooms because we aren't sleeping here. I'm drunk but I can still drive. You see I've driven this car for a month now, I can control it so well even when I'm sleeping."

He was praising himself so much little did he know that accident awaited for them.

"Remember I don't need glasses to zoom the road like you."

Now he was hurting her. She didn't choose to have long sightedness.

Talking about her eyes and glasses was like hitting her in the wounds.

Making fun of her situation wasn't good at all! "I can't believe I'm back in my usual world. How soon!!"she wondered.

Maya wanted to stop her father from driving while drunk but for some strange reasons, she felt like she had been paralyzed.

Words couldn't come out of her mouth. It felt like all her brain had drifted away.

For a moment she felt like a statue. She couldn't remember what was happening anymore till she heard him start the car.

"How did I get in. I hope he didn't intoxicate me!" That's when she remembered she wanted to say something few minutes ago. But what stopped her? She didn't get it.

When Maya noticed that her father, Zalvin was driving recklessly, she asked him to move aside and let her drive but her father was too stubborn to give in.

"Dear Lord, please let's reach home safely."

Maya's eyes were closed when she heard some sound of something bursting.

On realizing, their car was off the road. "Are you okay Dad?"she hurried to ask. "I'm perfectly fine. I hope you didn't get hurt."he said, sounding normally.

Wait! A moment ago he could hardly utter out a word but now.... he was speaking perfectly. "What's happening! Are you sure you're fine Dad?" Maya was shocked by her own question.

"I'm fine, why?"Zalvin could understand.

"Aren't you drunk anymore. Are you sobber?"

"Drunk! What are you saying?

The confused expression on his face was enough for Maya to realize that something had possessed him. But why? She wondered.

"I asked you a question dear."he couldn't let it be.

"Don't you really know that you've been drunk some minutes ago?"she said in a reminding tone.

"I don't really understand. Did you drink?"

"Come on Dad. You know I don't take hard drinks, don't you?"

"I know but.... you're behavior right now is giving me reasons to doubt you. I hope you didn't taste on alcohol when I was away."

"Forget about all that. First tell me how you got drunk. It's important please father."

"Maybe you're right because I don't remember picking you from the cinema Hall. And this place, the accident, I don't remember anything.

What's happening with me?"

"I'm sure they're behind this!"Maya suddenly said."Who's doing this?"

"It's nothing."she lied again. That man's threats didn't let her say anything to her Dad even if she wanted to.

Fighting the urge to go and check what they crashed that almost took their lives, Maya heard her Dad start the car again.

"I hope what we just crashed didn't get so much hurt.

"But that sound, it might have been a little lion. Why am I even thinking about this. It's still my birthday. I have to remain positive till midnight.

Since Zalvin was back in his senses, the journey didn't take too long before they reached home.

Zalvin was still parking the car in the garage when he heard Maya screaming on top of her lungs. "Daddd!!!!!!!"was all she could say out of so much fear.

"What's the matter?"he asked, running to her rescue.

Without saying anything, Maya pointed at something that looked like an animal.

Yes! It was indeed a crashed dead she wolf

"This! Why's it here and how..."

They didn't have any other choice but to take it out of their compound and dump it away.

After a week had passed by, Maya started to believe that everything was normal again and she would never hear from those invisible creatures little did she know it was just a beginning.

The incident which they took so lightly, was about to mark the beginning of a new chapter in Maya's life.

Silence in the city due to the snowing which confined all the melodious birds in their nests making them to forget about singing.

Maya was feeling the moment after her father had left for some work. He was a businessman.

She was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes when she heard like someone breaking through the window.

Just like a concerned girl, she thought of checking out.

Fear and panic came her way when she saw how messy the room she just organized a while ago was. She had arranged it properly.

Checking on all the windows and doors, none of them was damaged.

"It's possible that I'm imagining things here."she breathed as she walked back to the kitchen. It was then when she heard someone breathing from her back.

"Who's it?"she asked, her eyes wandering around but still she wouldn't take the matter lightly. She had a knife in her hands.

"Wow, how brave!"a new male's voice spoke from the other room. She could hear his footsteps coming to towards where she was. "Stay right there. Don't come any closer."she warned, threatening with a knife.

"I'm not here to play games with you young girl."he said. The coldness in his voice was evident that he was there for something bad.

For a moment it felt like he was in front of her as she could really feel his presence.

"Has he come to kill me? What if he...."she thought and turned the gas off right away. She couldn't afford taking risks.

"Nice move! Who told you that I'm here to kill you." This time he was talking softly but still Maya didn't bring herself to trust him after all he was invisible. "Why did you come here then?"

Feeling like she was in the space, Maya realized that the strange mad was carrying her. "Put me down."she cried but Mr Invisible wasn't ready to listen.

She tried her best but failed since he was so muscular and stronger than her.

She had never moved in space before. She never knew that something like that could ever happen in real life.

She was both scared and worried but she enjoyed viewing the city from above.

"Wow. My life is turning into a fantasy! I don't know this man yet nor his intentions for me but I must say that this is the most amazing tour of my life."the second part of her was talking.

It was like he could read her mind because when she decided to concentrate and muster up the direction from home to where he was taking her, he fluttered very far in the sky that it was impossible for Maya to see anything below them.

Feeling dizzy, Maya suddenly fell asleep as if she was in her bed.

Maybe it was part of his plan that she shouldn't look where he was taking her. On opening her eyes only to find herself in the dark. "Is anybody there?"she called out and soon she saw a deam light coming.

Yes she was inside the old house, everything in there were dusty, all covered and entangled with cobwebs.

She realized she was tied up when she tried to move her hand but couldn't.

She wanted to walk away thinking someone with the light might harm her but still couldn't move since she was all tied up with chains and ropes.

"Did he think I would run away. Why tie me up with all these chains?"she wondered.

"Who are you and why did you hold me captive?"

She couldn't see him but she was certain that he was the one holding the candle.

"Why are you even invisible. What happened to you. I hope you aren't a ghost.

I think I know why, you must be scared of me, aren't you? You know I wouldn't spare you if you showed me the real you."She was only provoking him so he could be visible before her.

Maybe it would help her if she were to escape as she would be knowing from whom she would be running.