She said the same phrase over and over again like a mantra. I figured it had to be meaningful, so I grabbed my phone and typed out what I thought was the most reasonable phonetic spelling.

Ahm nays inter fitch ay ray

Then the whispering stopped, and her body went back to normal, her head returning to upright and her hands crossing over one another, her feet relaxing. Whatever it was, it was over.

I slowly stood up, unsure of what to do. I didn’t want to wake her, and Tim was obviously no help. It felt wrong, but I took a quick picture of her on the couch to show to Jess and Melissa, so I wouldn’t have to try to explain it to them again, like I did with the pit accident.

I tiptoed away from the couch, and as I got to the front door, she spoke again.

“Thank you,” she said in a deep, gravelly voice, eyes still closed.

The hair on my arms stood on end. It wasn’t her voice. Something inside of her was thanking me, but for what?

For bringing me into our neighborhood.

I wrenched open the door and quickly shut it behind me. As I walked home, I pulled out my phone and looked at the notes I had typed.

Ahm nays inter fitch ay ray

I typed them into Google, and nothing appeared. I tried the phrase a few different ways, but still nothing. Whatever she had said, Google didn’t have the answer.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just dream language. Maybe she was having a pleasant dream about Bradley Cooper and it was none of my business what they were doing.

Yet, still something made me pause. Melissa’s parents, while grifters, had mentioned speaking in tongues when people were possessed. Could that be what Liz’s dreamspeak was?

I found Mark in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher. I was barely able to form the words to explain what happened.

“Should I try and talk to Tim again? I can’t believe he was such an asshole to you,” he said as he carefully shut a kitchen cabinet. He turned around and leaned against the counter, arms folded over his chest.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t think that would go anywhere. Whatever this is, it isn’t natural, and there’s no way he would believe me, anyway. He doesn’t even want to take her to a therapist or doctor. Remember, this is the guy who said that therapy was a scam.”

“True. But she obviously needs help. If things don’t get better, someone needs to do something.”

I had the feeling that whatever Liz had said meant something, but I didn’t know what. Unfortunately, I would soon come to find out.

CHAPTER
16