Let’s be real — the mindset of a teenage girl is often complex and difficult to comprehend for many. Though this might be the case, it’s seen that parents generally make every possible effort to understand these complexities of their teen. At the McKinley home, something weird started to take place, and Darren was at a total loss about what was happening to his daughter. This inexplicable situation wasn’t only concerning for Darren, but it also began to befuddle the doctors and child protection officers involved. They couldn’t have anticipated quite how serious the conditions involving their teenage girl would turn out to be.
Meet the McKinleys
Darren McKinley, along with his new spouse Pam and his teenage daughter Natalie, dwelled in the guesthouse of his parent’s property. Although the space was ample enough to sustain their lifestyle, it wasn’t necessarily the perfect spot for them to lay down their roots permanently.
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Darren had a dream of relocating his family to a better house, ideally, a place that wasn’t within the shadow of his parent’s residence. He had been diligently storing away money to move out, but for the time being, they had to stay where they were. Life was all right until Darren began to spot something weird happening inside the house.
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Child of Divorce
Darren had just witnessed his daughter, Natalie, enter her 15th year of life. His pals had told him that this age would be a tricky period for both of them to navigate. The belief was that girls at exactly this period seemed to imagine they had all knowledge of the world, and this could often translate to a bit of sass when it comes to their folks. Nevertheless, this challenge wasn’t something Darren felt he wouldn’t be able to tackle.
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He was not ready for the impact of his split from Natalie’s mom. He made every effort to be there for Natalie, but the situation took a new turn when Pam entered their lives. Unbeknownst to him, this was going to modify everything significantly.
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Growing Quieter
Darren and his daughter Natalie had always been a tight-knit pair, sharing an unbreakable bond. He was there for her, catering to her needs in all possible ways. They had a deep connection that witnessed a shift when his new wife, Pam, entered the picture and started living with them. Their once simple and close father-daughter bond experienced a change with this new addition to their family life.
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Despite Darren’s firm belief that nothing would be different, Natalia steadily started withdrawing into her shell. At dinner times, she was less engaged and avoided any interaction with Pam as much as possible. At the start, Darren passed it off as typical teenage behavior, but the more Natalie became silent, the more worry started to gnaw at him.
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Just a Phase
It had been fewer than twelve months since Pam moved in with them, but Natalie’s behavior had remarkably altered. Instead of lingering in the common areas of the house, Natalie quickly retreated to the sanctuary of her room right after school. She would stay secluded there for most of the day, with dinner being the only reason to set foot downstairs.
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Darren thought that social media was perhaps the problem. He’d read stories about teens becoming victims of online bullying and other such problems. He was unaware, however, of how the impending events were far more serious than what he was assuming and would make his current worries seem almost ordinary.
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A Healthy Distance
Being sure of how they felt about each other, Darren was careful not to pressure Natalie into opening up about her personal life. He made a point of sharing his own emotions with her, hoping this would make her feel comfortable to confide in him, but his plan didn’t seem to work. Natalie remained silent.
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In the end, Darren chose to confront her about what was happening, but all she gave him was a vague response saying that she still wasn’t comfortable with the rest of their home. He picked to let it be, believing that if something was truly amiss, his daughter would bring it up with him. Before long, Darren was going to learn that such faith wasn’t sufficient.
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Summer Break
As the days grew warmer, the family began to store away their cold-weather gear and, instead, donned shorts to stay comfortable at home. It was on one of these balmy mornings when Darren, perched at the kitchen table, noticed Natalie descending the staircase. His attention was swiftly captured by the sight of a large bruise marking her leg.
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Despite his best efforts, he found himself unable to avert his gaze. Curiosity stirred within him, prompting him to question how she acquired the mark. Her response was a simple shrug and a claim of ignorance, “I have no idea.” Yet, her casual indifference didn’t quench the inkling of unease that was brewing deep within him.
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Everything Seems Normal
To anyone looking in from the outside, the McKinleys seemed to have it all. Darren was always putting in those extra hours at work to build up their savings for a new home. But no matter how busy he got or how tired he was, he always found the energy to spend time with his wife, Pam. And he always made a point to hang out with his daughter whenever life’s little chances presented themselves.
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Truth be told, Darren’s worries were growing with each passing day. He couldn’t always keep a watchful eye on Natalie, which troubled him deeply. One particular night, he found himself jarred awake. His wife wasn’t in bed, and there were peculiar sounds echoing through the house. Nonetheless, the moment he left the comfort of their bedroom to explore, the noises mysteriously ceased. What exactly was transpiring?
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More Than One
In the following weeks, Darren noticed an increasing number of bruises appearing on Natalie’s legs. As soon as the old ones began to fade to a soft yellow and vanish, fresh ones materialized next to them. Darren brought up the subject again, but Natalie couldn’t meet his gaze when she explained to him that she found them upon waking up.
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The father was growing more anxious each day. His sleep was getting interrupted frequently at night. Initially, he blamed his concern about his daughter’s unusual behavior for his sleep trouble. But when strange noises kept waking him up consistently, he decided it was time to solve this baffling mystery.
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Getting Suspicious
Amidst Darren’s bewilderment and worry, he found himself doubting the only other person present in the house. Overwhelmed by fear and apprehension, he ended up blaming his spouse, suggesting she might have something to do with the mysterious marks that had shown up on Natalie’s legs.
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Pam felt herself reeling. It was unbelievable that her husband could even entertain the thought of accusing her of any harm towards his little girl. She was emphatic that she had no part in it, and she made sure he knew just how grave his allegations were. After sharing a year of wedded bliss, she believed her husband would have had more faith in her than this. Regrettably, his sense of doubt did not dissolve, even after he offered an apology to Pam.
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The Facts
Darren was aware that the relationship between his daughter and Pam wasn’t going smoothly; he’d hoped that as time passed, they’d find a way to fix their strained connection. However, the way Pam cared so little about their predicament caught Darren by surprise.
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He took a moment to ponder the evidence before him. Pam denied having any involvement in the appearance of the bruises. Natalie herself expressed confusion about their origin. The girl, who was in her teenage years, preferred to stay indoors. She had no interest in venturing out to social gatherings, participating in sports, or engaging in romantic activities. Her time during the summer holiday was largely spent in her room, absorbed in books or busy with her craft projects. The mystery persisted – how was it that these unexplained bruises kept appearing?
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Always Tired
In the forthcoming weeks, Darren started noticing that his daughter’s bruises were not the only strange things happening. She seemed constantly fatigued, and her sleep pattern had become unusually irregular – she would retreat to her room early at 8 p.m. and wouldn’t emerge until noon the next day, sleeping far longer than usual.
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The dark circles under her eyes had grown more noticeable, and she barely touched her meals. This exhausting condition held sway over her mood as she began to lash out at Pam and her father with increasing frequency. Darren found himself struggling to understand her uncharacteristic behavior – he felt like he barely recognized the girl he saw before him. Even Pam, who was usually so understanding, was starting to show signs of worry.
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A Health Problem?
Instead of thinking it’s just normal teen stuff, Darren started thinking that Natalie could be showing signs of a health problem right in front of them. Pam, too, believed it might be time to seek a doctor’s advice for their daughter.
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Darren had booked a medical appointment for Natalie, assuring her it was just for her routine annual health checkup as so she wouldn’t harbor any suspicions. But unexpectedly, this average appointment was about to thrust even more queries upon the family.
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The Results
After performing the usual checkups and a few additional ones at Darren’s request, the physician invited the uneasy father to his office to discuss the findings. Darren’s heartbeat quickened until the doctor assured him that there was nothing to worry about. All the tests that the physician conducted turned out totally regular results. Natalie, his teenage daughter, was in good shape health-wise.
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Image is for illustration purposes only: Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels
Although relieved that his daughter seemed to be medically fine, Darren couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was not right. The mysterious bruises on her body, in the lack of any illness, suggested a much more unsettling cause.
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A Discussion
So caught up in his thoughts about what the results might mean, Darren failed to see the wary expression that crossed the doctor’s face. With no clear answers to resolve their worries, Darren and his young daughter had no choice but to leave the doctor’s office in silence, making the journey back to their home together.
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Image is for illustration purposes only: Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels
As soon as they made it inside the house, Natalie quickly headed upstairs. Darren, on the other hand, decided to sit down with his wife. He filled her in about the doctor’s discussion, and they found themselves wrapped up in a deep conversation for several hours. They were considering various other options when their thoughtful discussion was abruptly disrupted by a determined knock at their front door.
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An Unexpected Visitor
Upon opening the door, Darren was met by a pint-sized woman filled with authority, standing there on his porch, with a clipboard tucked under her arm. Her name was Ms. Wood, she announced, representing the social services department, with a serious expression adorning her face.
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Exhausted from the long day, Darren struggled to understand why there would be a visit from a social worker to his home. He managed to gather his thoughts enough to ask her the purpose of her visit. “I’m here to speak with your daughter, sir,” she responded, requesting to be let inside his house.
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Digging Deeper
Ms. Wood declared that she was present to investigate an alleged situation. This situation involved Natalie McKinley and her parents, reported by their family physician who had noticed the numerous marks scattered across Natalie’s legs.
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Image is for illustration purposes only: Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
Darren was in utter disbelief when he found out the doctor had reported him to social services. He assumed that the doctor had a strong understanding of his character, enough to believe that Darren would never, under any circumstances, raise a hand to harm his own child. Nevertheless, he was aware that to someone looking in from the outside, the bruises could appear differently. It was now up to Ms. Wood to speak directly with little Natalie, only then could she discover the real story.
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A Private Conversation
As soon as Mrs. Wood decided to head up the steps, Pam came by and was taken aback to find a social worker present in her house. At the same time, Natalie also emerged to check on what was happening. The social worker then introduced herself to Natalie and Pam, and provided them with a brief summary of her purpose. Once she had done this, she asked if she could have a private conversation with Natalie.
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Pam was so angry about this invasion of privacy that she stormed off, abruptly leaving the room. In the meantime, Darren found himself restlessly marching back and forth in the hallway downstairs, fearful and hopeful at the same time. He was waiting for Ms. Wood to have a private conversation with Natalie. His mind raced with the possibility that, maybe this time, the social worker could gently persuade his daughter Natalie to reveal the truth.
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In Tears
Time seemed to drag on as Natalie and the social worker continued their discussion. At length, the door opened and Ms. Woods came out. Her face bore the same expression as before, however, what distressed Darren was the sight of Natalie trailing behind her, tears trailing down her cheeks.
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Darren suppressed the urge to shout at the social worker. With as much kindness as he could muster, he asked her if she needed anything else. Her response was to simply state that she’d be getting in touch soon before promptly leaving them. Turning to his tearful daughter, Darren’s mind was swirling with question after question.
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a Desperate Dad
As he hugged Natalie, Darren found his mind filled with confusion about his daughter’s tears and her words to Ms. Woods. Natalie, in the grips of her sobs, tried to relay their conversation. She echoed her earlier explanation to him, “I told her what I told you, dad,” she sobbed. “Every morning I wake up with marks and I don’t know how they got there,” she went on, her voice heavy with emotion.
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Even though a wave of relief washed over Darren at the revelation that she hadn’t divulged anything beyond his existing knowledge, he acknowledged they were no closer to deciphering the mystery. Odd and inexplicable events were clearly afoot. His determination didn’t waver; he wasn’t about to back down. Out of the blue, a brilliant thought sparked in Darren’s mind.
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An Idea
Darren was watching as his home life crumbled around him. His little girl was really upset, with strange bruises popping up at random and a constant feeling of being worn out. Then there was Pam, his wife. The bond between them felt stretched and thin ever since Darren suggested she may have something to do with what was going wrong in their lives. It was crucial for him to solve this mystery, to understand what was truly happening.
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Image is for illustration purposes only: Photo by Alan J. Hendry on Unsplash
He made up his mind to buy a night vision camera, cunningly placing it in Natalie’s bedroom to discover the truth behind the odd noises and unexplained bruises. He hoped this could give him some answers. But he was unprepared for the shocking discovery that was looming.
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Setting Up the Camera
Behind Natalie’s desk lamp, Darren tucked the camera. It gave a perfect view, showing each corner of the room. There was something peculiar going on, something unexplained, and he was set to uncover the truth. He was firm in his decision that this was the only available course of action.
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Image is for illustration purposes only: Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
The mysterious source of the bruises was yet to be uncovered. Darren couldn’t ignore his growing suspicion about his wife, even though there wasn’t any solid evidence to support his doubts. The camera was ready, all set to unravel this mystery that had been slowly consuming their lives for several months now.
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Starting Off Normal
When Natalie showed up for breakfast bearing yet another large, noticeable bruise, Darren became extremely anxious to review the video footage from the previous night. Once Natalie left the dining area and retreated to her room post-breakfast, Darren decided to inspect the recorded video. The father fixed his gaze on the footage, patiently observing the scene of his daughter comfortably in bed engrossed in her reading.
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Natalie, not even bothering to set her book down, had dozed off. She remained unmoving in the same spot for around half an hour, and everything seemed perfectly normal. But then, all of a sudden, Darren noticed something that made his heart skip a beat.
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Something Strange
Darren observed as his child, who had been in a peaceful slumber just a moment ago, suddenly sat up. He found it hard to pull his gaze away as he saw his daughter behave in a way that was so unlike her usual self. Darren was struggling to comprehend the strange scene that was unfolding right in front of him.
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Even while being unconscious, Natalie’s body started to wiggle and squirm. It was almost as if she was trying to crawl without actually getting up off her back. He was looking, but he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His eyes must be fooling him because he couldn’t recall ever seeing anything quite like this before.
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Can’t Look Away
The movements kept on going. Now, Natalie was wildly shaking all over her bed, forcefully hitting her legs against the wall and the bed’s metal support. It seemed utterly odd and, no doubt, extremely unpleasant for her. Darren cried out for Pam to come and check the video footage along with him.
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Taken aback by the video, both Darren and Natalie’s mother felt a chill of horror. As they watched Natalie struggle and convulse, they were shocked to discover such a terrifying thing was happening inside their own home. Darren assumed once he learned the cause of his daughter’s injuries, a sense of relief would wash over him. Instead, it spurred greater fear in his heart. Unhesitatingly, he dashed towards Natalie’s room.
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No Memory
With a loud bang, the door swung open, revealing Natalie comfortably sitting on her bed, deeply engaged with the pages of her current book. When asked by her father, she confidently assured him that she had absolutely no memory of any events that transpired while she was in her state of slumber.
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Image is for illustration purposes only: Photo by Will Tarpey on Unsplash
That’s the moment Darren hurried back to the medical professional, the doctor, bearing the video he had taken. He was hoping that if earlier examinations hadn’t revealed anything strange, this video might suggest some new tests to be run. Puzzled, the doctor dedicated his full attention to the footage. It was something he’d never experienced before. He decided to seek the opinions of several other doctors. However, they all echoed his sentiments – they’d also never encountered such an unusual phenomenon.
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More Tests
When the family doctor couldn’t come up with answers, he suggested they see a neurologist. In order to evaluate the lady’s brain function, the neurologist thoroughly checked her nervous system and advised a full polysomnogram. This test would let him see what kind of electric signals her brain was producing while she was sleeping.
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Darren’s mind was like a maelstrom. Thoughts of things as bizarre as sleepwalking to something as frightful as demonic possession occupied his thoughts. The video footage that he saw had unnerved him to such a degree that he had thrown all realistic considerations out the window. Around the same time, the brain specialist had confirmed that there were no signs of tumors or injuries to his brain. But then, she noticed something out of the ordinary.
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Temporal Lobe
Looking deeper into what the screen showed, there was some irregularity in Natalie’s brain. The EEG monitor showed this unusual activity coming specifically from her temporal lobe. The doctor, keen to make sense of this, jotted this observation down. He was considering the possibility that Natalie was experiencing temporal lobe epilepsy.
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However, the medical expert, the doctor, was not immediately sure. Natalie’s actions while unconscious did not match the usual characteristics associated with this type of epilepsy. So, left him wondering – what was triggering such a peculiar kind of seizure?
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A Diagnosis
Upon examining the EEG and MRI scans, coupled with a careful review of Natalie’s video footage, the physician confirmed her diagnosis as tonic-clonic seizures. Previously referred to as grand mal seizures, these seizures come in two main stages: the initial phase where sudden rigidity of the limbs is observed, swiftly followed by a period whereby repetitive, jerking movements can be detected.
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The doctor suggested that Natalie start taking anti-seizure medicine and also gave advice about other ways to manage her seizures in the future. Darren finally allowed himself a deep breath for the first time in many months upon hearing the definite medical verdict. He wrapped his arm around his girl, Natalie, and they left the medical office, with him feeling a newfound sense of peace and relief washing over him.
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Looking to the Future
When Darren spotted unusual marks on his little girl, his family was on the edge of breaking up. Despite the fact that his daughter failed to provide him with answers he sought, he had no intention of abandoning her. There are barely any emotions that match the potency of a father’s love, a sentiment Darren McKinley clearly demonstrated towards his daughter.
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We are really happy that the puzzle bothering the McKinley household is finally put to rest and Natalie found the support she required. We hope for nothing less than the very best for the Mckinleys as they look forward to managing the future with Natalie’s diagnosis in mind.
