Thalia looked around at the dusty old objects in the poorly lit room when she heard a very faint voice calling out to her. "Please," the voice whispered.
"Huh, Theo, are you whispering? Stop it; you're creeping me out," she said.
Theo gave Thalia a confused and concerned look. "What are you talking about, sis? I didn't whisper anything," he replied.
Thalia was just as confused as he was. "Well, if it wasn't you, then what was that voice just now?"
She walked over to an old mahogany case, her eyes scanning for a relic she desired—something at least legendary-ranked and combat-oriented. A green-lined sword with a bright yellow ribbon caught her eye, displayed in a glass case hanging against the wall across the room. Thalia glanced over at her brother and the vice-captain; the vice-captain was explaining something to Theo about one of the relics. Seizing the opportunity, Thalia strode to the glass pane and pulled the blade out of the case.
"Put that piece of junk down!" a voice echoed in her head.
Startled, Thalia dropped the blade, cutting her hand in the process. The sudden voice shocked her so much that she accidentally bumped into the case behind her. The boys looked over, confusion written across their faces. Thalia quickly raised her hands in a gesture of apology, mouthing the words "Sorry." They exchanged glances and shrugged, returning to their conversation.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath, holding her bleeding hand up to her mouth. She scanned the room, searching for the source of the voice. The dust in the dank old basement must be getting to her, she thought, until she heard the voice again.
"Sorry!" the voice giggled. "I didn't mean to make you cut yourself, and I knew that grumpy old man wouldn't be compatible with you anyway."
Thalia spun around, surveying the room, but the only ones present were the boys, laughing and pointing at an axe in the corner.
At the risk of sounding crazy, Thalia whispered, "Who are you?"
There was no answer. Frustrated, she sighed and placed her hands on her hips. I must be going crazy, she thought.
"It's not so much a 'who' but more of a 'what' am I," a soft voice replied. Once again, Thalia looked around the room, searching for the direction from which the voice came.
"I hate riddles. I'm not good at them and I prefer straightforward answers. I consider myself a no-nonsense kind of gal," Thalia whispered, still scanning the room.
"It's not so much a riddle as it is a conundrum. I can't exactly tell you who I am until you find me!" the voice replied eagerly. Thalia felt her irritation rising at the conversation.
"So what you're saying is that you have no intention of revealing who or where you are?" she asked.
The room fell silent except for the faint chatter of the boys in the background. The voice seemed to hesitate before responding. Thalia continued walking further down the aisle of wooden cases, as the weight of pressure she had felt earlier intensified, pressing down on her body.
"Stop it! Let her pass!" The voice rang out once more.
Suddenly, the heavy pressure weighing down on Thalia lifted completely.
"Thank you!" Thalia whispered, relief washing over her.
At that moment, she didn't care who the voice belonged to; she simply felt better. Although the pressure was still there, it was nothing compared to before. She felt almost weightless and energized, as if she could run a mile.
As she walked down the aisle, she glanced at each display case she passed. She sensed that everything inside them held great power, but nothing stood out to her as something she could envision using. She briefly considered turning back for the yellow sword she had first noticed, but she had no desire to face another reprimand from the mysterious voice.
"Stop!" the voice yelled out. Thalia froze dead in her tracks. She put her arms up to brace for a potential attack. However nothing happened, and the voice didn't speak again.
A minute went by and Thalia was still in a state of readiness, tapping into her reserves of electricity. When she realized there was no threat. She figured the voice must have been jerking her around.
"You must think this is funny, you little brat. When I find you, I'm gonna..."
Thalia said, holding her fist clenched in the air. No one was around her, and she started to feel a bit funny-looking threatening the air. So she took a moment to regain her composure and to brush the dust off her skirt. Thalia spun around and began walking back toward Theo and Vice-Captain Alexander.
"I'm under here, silly! Are you even trying to find me?" The voice said in a playful tone.
At this point, Thalia felt rage building in her chest, but this time, she was pretty sure she knew where the voice was coming from.
"Man, your dumb. Take a hint, lady."
Thalia moved with the speed and nimbleness of a cat chasing their prey. She quickly kneeled down and grabbed at whoever was bold enough to call her dumb.
Although it wasn't a who after all. It was indeed a what! The kid she thought she was grabbing was, in fact, a box.
"You're a box?" Thalia said, trying to hide her disappointment.
"No dummy. Open the box, sheesh." The voice said, mildly irritated.