Chapter One: The Threshold of Unseen Things

He glanced through the window; his gaze met the small stalls by the road. The atmosphere was beautiful and calm. At that moment, he realized why his mother had chosen Silver City.

The warmth and fresh breeze of the city spoke for itself.

"I can see you're interested." Jane declared, her eyes fixed on the road.

"It is quiet and ...nice," he replied softly.

Shortly after, they finally arrived at the front of a modest bungalow. They alighted from the car as the engine gradually came to a stop.

"Take your things inside. I'll hire some men to help with the rest tomorrow." Jane said.

He nodded then carried his backpack and another grey coloured suitcase filled with his clothes.

As he stood before the house, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. He knitted his brows as his hand began to tremble uncomfortably. His breathing also became shallow and that was when he saw it....A blurred shadow, standing guard before the house.

The suitcase slipped from his hand and he reached his hand to his temple.

"Evans! Evans! Are you okay?" Jane inquired as she walked up to him, holding him steady.

"We can't live here. Without entering, it's already draining my energy." Evans replied as he pulled away and headed to the car then slammed the door.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity.

"I saw something....

But I did not see anything. Are you okay? You are sweating." She replied, her expression worried.

You can't see what I saw, he thought.

"No mom, we can't live in this house."

"Come on, Evans, I've already paid for this place. It is as quiet and spacious as you wanted. We don't have much money left, finding another house is not an option." She said softly.

Evans stared at her for a moment then stepped out of the car. Without another word, he picked up his bags and followed her. He then watched as she unlocked the door.

As he stepped into the living room, he studied it calmly. It was spacious just as his mother had said but the walls were dull and unpainted. He knew his mother wouldn't have chosen this kind of house under normal circumstances but it is what it is.

His senses alerted him continuously.

Danger!

But he ignored it, raising an alarm won't help. Since it could not save his sister, what was the point?

"Come, let me show you your room." Jane let out warmly.

Evans nodded then followed her down the short hallway. They stopped in between two rooms which were opposite each other.

"This is my room and this is yours."

She opened the door and they walked in. The room was fairly spacious, almost the same size as the living room.

"And since you wanted a garden behind your room....here it is," Jane added as she walked to the window.

Evans walked over to her and stared outside the window. There was really a garden there but it has been neglected. The flowers had withered and the plants were dry.

"I will go and bring other things I can lift inside. Unpack your things, okay?"

He nodded.

As Jane left, Evans swept the room then dusted it. After dusting the surfaces, he began unpacking his things. He arranged his books neatly before reaching for his photos.

One of the photos fell from his hand. He bent and picked it up, and as his gaze met it, tears filled his eyes.

He slowly sank to the floor, gazing at the photo... he and his twin sister were smiling so happily.

What went wrong?

The memory hit him hard.

Unpleasant sight of a pool of blood.

Disturbing whispers filled his head as he shut his eyes.

He tried to shield himself but it broke through his defenses.

A bloody knife.

She had a bloody knife in her hand, her eyes were wide open, and her body....

His breath hitched.

She was naked.

She did not commit suicide.

She was raped and murdered!

He let out a broken scream as he scattered his books across the hard floor.

"I could not save her! My visions are useless!"

He dropped the photo and grabbed his head. Without thinking twice, he slammed it against the weak wall, trying to force the images out.

"Get out! Get out!"

"Evans!"

Jane rushed in and pulled him away from the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded that her gaze hardened as she saw the photo on the floor. "What did I tell you? Didn't I beg you to burn all her things? Come here, let me treat that."

"I don't want any treatment." He answered back firmly.

"You will only hurt yourself if you don't let her go. Can you try to forget...

"I can't forget her, Mom! She was my sister!" Evans yelled.

"She was your sister?! She was my daughter, Evans!" Jane screamed back. "She was my dear daughter and I loved her more than you even do. I birthed her and cherished her...do you think I don't love her?"

Tears welled in her eyes and her expression softened.

"Seeing her things would only make things worse. Didn't the doctor tell you that...

"To hell with the doctor!" Evans answered back angrily. "I am the one at fault. I saw her death coming, I saw it! But I couldn't do anything and now she's gone...and I'm not even allowed to look at her photo."

"Of course you can, but that was then," Jane said, her voice breaking. "She is gone, Evans. She killed herself...

Evans shook his head. "She didn't. I....I saw the vision, she didn't commit suicide.....

"To heck with your vision!" Jane snapped. "I don't believe in your visions Evans,I believe in you. You are not at fault and I don't want us to talk about Eva again. It brings me nothing but pain."

Silence filled the room.

Evans's eyebrow dropped slowly. "You can leave." He muttered. ",I will join you later for dinner."

Without another word, Jane walked out of the room.

•••••••••••••

Jane ate in silence.

She watched as Evans kept staring at his food.

She reached out and touched his hand but he shook it off and stood up.

"Please, excuse me." He said quietly then left.

Jane sighed heavily. Ever since Eva left them, sadness and stillness had taken over their lives.

She dropped the spoon then followed him outside, calling out his name until she found him in the garden. He was seated on an old bench, his hands folded on his lap.

Jane settled beside him quietly.

"When I gave birth to you and Eva, I was the happiest mother on earth." She began. "I took great care of both of you with everything I had."

"You never told us about our dad," Evans demanded.

"'That is a story for another day."

"Then I should leave." He stood up instantly. "Goodnight."

"Your father left me when he knew I was pregnant." She declared and Evans halted. "Since then, it has been the three of us. You guys brought light and hope to my life. I never saw you as a burden...you were angels."

Her voice trembled lightly.

"When I saw Eva like that...I thought it was over for me. I thought that my world had ended. You are all I have left, Evans. Please and please, don't do anything to hurt yourself. When I saw you bleeding earlier, I thought I was going to lose you too."

Evans pulled her into a fight.

"I am sorry." He said softly. "I did not mean to hurt you."

"I know sweetie." She whispered. "But promise me one thing, you won't bring up anything about Eva again. Don't talk about her."

Evans hesitated.

Is that possible?

"Alright, mom. I promise."

She withdrew from his embrace and kissed him on the forehead gently.

"Let's eat dinner and get some rest. You have college tomorrow."

"Okay."

Jane stood and both of them walked back into the house.