My sister discovered a universal language, but she's stuck in a coma

My sister, Claire, is a genius. So is her boyfriend, Alistair. Growing up, Claire was one step ahead of everyone else. From the time she was a toddler, she could pick up anything she set her mind to. She was very kind, too. She could be mean if she wanted to be, but she always put everyone else first. I used to resent her for it, because it made me look bad. But she was a great friend to everyone.<br><br>In high school, Claire was part of an elite academic group that worked on special independent projects. She was in charge of a special project related to language. She spent most of her time in the science lab on campus. I don’t know exactly what she was doing, but I think she was trying to develop a universal language device. Claire and Alistair were always talking about the potential of it, but they didn’t tell me.<br><br>Almost a year ago, Claire and Alistair vanished from school. No one had seen them in weeks. Claire’s friends said she was acting strange before she disappeared. She was receiving mysterious phone calls, and she became distant. Then, she just vanished. They couldn’t find her anywhere. Some thought she had run away with Alistair. The school administration got involved, and so did Claire’s parents.<br><br>It turned out that Claire and Alistair were in a mysterious research facility, working with the government. They were told that they were going to change the world. Claire felt privileged and important. The living conditions were bad, and the “work schedule” was grueling, but she didn’t care. She was going to change the world. As a reward, she got to see Alistair sometimes, and they would have dinner together.<br><br>But something went wrong. Claire started hearing whispers in her mind. It was like someone was talking to her through telepathy. Sometimes, she could make out what it was saying, but it was usually a strange noise. At first, she thought she was hearing things, but then she realized that she wasn’t. Someone - or something - was speaking to her directly. It sounded like a combination lock turning. It was very annoying, but she knew she wasn’t going crazy. She just had to ignore it.<br><br>One day, while Claire was in the lab, the strange noise stopped. Silence. Then, someone spoke to her in a clear voice. It wasn’t her, and it wasn’t Alistair. She didn’t recognize the voice. The voice asked if she knew who it was. Claire said she didn’t. The voice laughed. Claire felt a shiver run down her spine. The voice said, “You don’t know me because you’re human. You don’t know me because I’m not from your universe. I’m not from your world. I’m not from your timeline. I’m not from your reality.”<br><br>Claire was silent. She didn’t know what to say. The voice laughed at her again. Then, Claire felt something strange happening. It was like a machine had been plugged into her head and was running amok. It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable and scary. Claire thought she was going to lose her mind.<br><br>When she regained consciousness, she was in a hospital bed. Her parents were crying next to her. Someone was holding her hand, and she could feel warmth on her cheek. She turned her head to see Alistair staring at her with tears in his eyes. She smiled weakly at him. She raised her hand, and he took it. They squeezed each other’s hands.<br><br>“Thank god,” Alistair said. “Thank god.”<br><br>“What happened to me?” Claire asked. Her parents didn’t respond.<br><br>“Claire,” Alistair said. “Do you remember anything?”<br><br>Claire nodded slowly. She remembered the voice, the strange noise, and the way she felt like a machine had been plugged into her head.<br><br>“Claire, listen,” Alistair said. “The government was experimenting on you. But they were trying to make it look like you were just learning a new language. They told you that you were going to change the world, but they didn’t tell you what they really wanted to do with you.”<br><br>Claire felt a cold wave run through her. She couldn’t believe what Alistair had just said. She was used as a test subject in a government experiment. But what did the government want to do with her? What did they want to do with her brain? She felt a surge of anger in her heart.<br><br>Alistair squeezed her hand. “Claire,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’m here for you. We’ll get through this together.”<br><br>Claire felt tears welling up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She didn’t want to lose her mind. She didn’t want to break down. She wanted to be strong. But she couldn’t control it. She cried out loud. Her parents were crying too.<br><br>Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Claire was told that she had been in a coma for almost a year. She couldn’t believe it. She was back at home with her parents, recovering from the physical and emotional trauma she had endured. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even Alistair. All she wanted to do was sleep.<br><br>One day, when she woke up from a nap, she noticed something strange. There was a piece of paper on her nightstand. She didn’t remember writing anything down. She picked it up and read what was on it. It was a bunch of symbols she had never seen before. They looked like hieroglyphics, but they weren’t. She didn’t recognize them. How did she write them? Why did she write them? She threw the paper away.<br><br>But the paper kept showing up. She would find it everywhere, even in places she had never been. She thought someone was pranking her, but she couldn’t imagine who would do that. Why would they want to prank her like that? It was pointless.<br><br>Then, something strange happened. She was watching a movie when she heard a voice speaking in a strange language. But she could understand what it was saying. She knew what the words meant. She knew what the symbols meant. The symbols on the piece of paper were a language.<br><br>She spent weeks studying the symbols. She wrote them down in a notebook. She practiced speaking them and listening to them. She even created flashcards to help her learn. She was obsessed with the language. It was like she had stumbled on a treasure trove of knowledge.<br><br>But she couldn’t tell anyone about it. She knew they wouldn’t believe her. They would think she was crazy. She had to keep it a secret. She had to keep it to herself.<br><br>Then, she realized something incredible. She could understand anyone. She could speak any language. She could write any script. She could read any book. She could listen to any song. She could understand anyone.<br><br>She could do anything.<br><br>She could change the world.<br><br>But she was still recovering from her ordeal. She was stuck in her mind. She couldn’t communicate with anyone. She couldn’t respond. But she could understand.<br><br>And that’s when she heard the voices. The voices inside her head.<br><br>Claire is still in a coma today. She’s stuck in her mind, unable to communicate with anyone. But she knows everything. She understands everything. She can do anything.<br><br>But no one knows.<br><br>And she can’t tell anyone.<br><br>Because she’s trapped.<br><br>In her own mind.