Chapter Seven

Mike's last words before he left floated somewhere in my brain. 'You'll see'. To hell with that.

"I remember clearly telling her not to..." April and Cole were looking more and more guilty as I raised my voice an octave higher with every word until I was practically yelling but I couldn't care less.

"......" I furrowed my brows in confusion. I'm pretty sure I just finished saying something.

"........ ... ..... ….." What the actual fuck is going on? April and Cole were looking at me like I just grew an extra foot out of my neck. To them, I was moving my mouth and gesticulating wildly without making a sound.

"Sam? Are you alright?" April attempted to move closer but Cole held her back and mouthed. "It might be a trap."

I deadpanned. "........." She's my cousin, idiot. You expect me to hurt her?

April brushed off his hand. "Sam, talk to me, what's wrong?"

Why do they not get it? I can't talk!!!! I literally lost my speech. I think April finally caught on. "Cole, go get a doctor."

For the third time in a week, I could feel consciousness slipping from my grasp again. The last thought that crossed my mind was Oh come on.

I woke up to a bright light right in my eyeballs. "Are you kidding me?" Wait a sec.

"I can talk? I can talk! I can …...ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" That scream was fit to rouse the dead.

In my defense, I just realized that in my elation, I just danced off a cliff to my certain death. Speaking of which, shouldn't I be falling, like a couple thousand feet right now.

"Yes, you should."

That voice.

"You, you $#@%#@#. You stole my voice."

"No, I didnt."

"Did too."

"Nope, I've witnessed you play this game with your cousin and I am not going down that path with you. Moreover, I warned you to keep your anger in check."

"So what if I loose my temper? How is that your problem?"

"I told you. Alex prayed for me to help you manage your anger."

"Okay." I furrowed my brows in thought."How do I find this Alex?"

"Why?"

"So I can tell him to please stop praying for me then I can show you the door out of my freaking life."

"She's a she."

"Who's a she?"

"Alex. Also, it doesn't work that way."

"Then how does it work?"

Mike sighed like I was being slow. "So, as a believer, you pray to God with faith and he answers it in his own time. God decided to answer Alex's prayer for you."

"Believers? So what's that, like a cult?"

"No. Anyways, I've been assigned to help you with your temper in response to Alex's prayers."

"So basically I'm stuck with you."

"Basically, yes."

I sighed in resignation. "Okay, so how is this gonna work?"

Mike sank into a couch which seemingly materialized from nowhere. I've gotta ask, how do you comfortably sit with wings that are as tall as you are.

"Oh I'm sorry. I thought I was the lunatic who thought he was an angel."

"Will you quit being childish?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't help it. Any ways, anytime you loose your temper, you loose your voice."

"And how is that supposed to help me manage my anger?"

I think I'm getting a bit loopy cause a plate of grapes once again out of the blues and I didn't even blink.

"You're a businesswoman, Samantha. Your voice is priceless to you. At meetings, seminars, press conferences, you need to relate with others using your voice."

"Yeah, yeah. I see where you're going with this."

"Oh really? Good. See ya."

"Wait a min…."

…..And I'm back.

Looking in the faces of very worried April, Cole and Aunt June.

"What day is it?" I asked.

"Tuesday." April answered.

"And the Primas?"

"In two months time." Cole replied.

I'd better make this deal work then.

After a long, long examination and a series of tests by the doctor, they came to the conclusion that I was fine and that my temporary loss of speech was due to stress.

Not like I could tell than that an angel seized my voice because I had lost my temper. If I did, I would be undergoing a different set of tests right now, psychological ones. So, yeah. We're going with the stress story.

The moment the door closed behind the doctor, April, Cole and Aunt June all launched into tirade of endless apologies. They probably felt guilty, thinking that they induced the 'stress' that led to my loss of speech.

"....I just wanted to say..."

"Guys."

".....We're so sorry for…. "

"Guys."

"....it was your story to tell….."

"Guys."

"...We shouldn't have forced Mom to tell..."

"Guys!!!!!"

Everyone stopped. I wiped imaginary sweat off my brow. Phew, finally got them to stop.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. You guys are family. I shouldn't have kept

something so important a secret from you. Moreover, I'm sure you guys meant the best for me. So, I'm sorry for getting angry and overreacting. Please, forgive me?"

Next thing I knew, I was covered in several layers of hugs. After enduring for a while, I was forced to speak. "This is all very sweet of you guys but can we like…. stop?"

"Don't be silly, my child. We all know somewhere down there, you can't resist hugs." Aunt June replied before they all did something I hadn't even thought possible, tightened the chokehold.

"Can't…..breathe."