I had never wanted to come here. The abandoned house stood lifeless among the old buildings of the rural town, its cracked walls and broken windows exuding the stench of mold and dampness that churned my stomach. Disgust coiled around me, as if every corner of the place was trying to push me out.
I stepped slowly, each footfall creaking on the worn wooden floor, my eyes darting left and right in revulsion. Everything around me seemed revolting: dust falling from the ceiling, small animals scurrying through the shadows, even the air felt heavy, constricting my lungs bit by bit.
Shadows were everywhere, stretching along the cracked walls and floors, moving slowly as if alive, silently watching me. I thought in fear: how am I supposed to live here? In a terrifying house like this, among shadows that never rest or vanish. It seemed as though every corner, every room whispered: "You are not welcome…"
My siblings, on the other hand, seemed in a different world. They ran through the house laughing, jumping across the creaking floors as if it were a playground. Noura caught the glint of sunlight through the windows and waved it through the air with abandon, while the others hid behind broken walls, shouting and playing.
And I… every step weighed heavier on my chest, and every glance toward the shadows convinced me further that staying here would not just be difficult… it would be true torment.
After long hours of cleaning, the house began to regain some semblance of order, though the smell of dampness and dust lingered in the air. My siblings sat on the rickety couches, covered by old blankets my father had placed over them, while he turned on the small TV that barely worked. The children quickly became absorbed in the screen, their loud laughter covering the house's eerie silence.
I sat with my siblings, glued to the television, following it intently as if the screen could pull me away from the unsettling reality around me. The colors and rapid movements were all I saw, and I didn't notice the shadows filling the corners of the house.
My father called my name softly from a distance, whispering several times, but I didn't respond, as if I hadn't heard him. After a moment, he stepped toward me steadily, reached out, and grabbed my hand firmly, pulling me away from the TV toward another room, leaving my siblings engrossed in their laughter.
He led me to a side room, away from the noise of my siblings and the television, and quietly closed the door behind him. I still felt uneasy being separated from the screen, but his serious gaze made me fall silent.
He stepped closer and spoke in a low voice:
— "Lift your head covering… and take off your glasses."
I hesitated for a moment, then obeyed slowly. I lifted the covering from my head, letting my pure white hair fall onto my shoulders, and my red eyes were revealed behind the dark lenses. I felt the weight of my parents' gaze on me for long seconds, as if they were trying to peer into every detail of my face.
Finally, my father said:
— "Can you hide your appearance? Try now."
I panicked. My eyes dropped to the floor, then I raised them to my anxious parents before turning my face away to stare at the gray wall in front of me. I paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and tried to focus despite my trembling fingers.
In an instant… everything changed. My bright white hair faded, returning to its old black as it had been before. The dreadful redness of my eyes vanished, leaving them dark, calm, as they had always been before the power altered me. I stared at my reflection for a moment, feeling a strange relief seep into my chest, as if I had reclaimed a part of my lost self.
My father smiled lightly:
— "It's good to see you're manipulating your powers too."
I furrowed my brows in surprise, looked at him in confusion, and asked softly:
— "What does that mean?"
He was silent for a few seconds, as if pondering how to explain, then gestured toward me:
— "Look at us… me and your mother. Can you feel our presence?"
I was silent for a moment, closed my eyes to focus, then spoke slowly:
— "Mom… I can feel her as if there's a strange aura around her, radiating something I can't describe. But you, Dad… I don't feel anything toward you."
My father nodded in affirmation and said:
— "That is what we call manipulation… hiding your power from the world and controlling it effortlessly. Only a few are born with this talent. So I won't worry about you, because I know you can control it already."
A heavy silence settled between us, as if the words spoken had weighed down the air. Then I broke the silence with a trembling voice:
— "I don't understand… why do we have these powers? Who are we?"
My father looked at me seriously, his eyes hard as stone as he said:
— "We are simply humans born this way. And the world must not know. And you too… never, ever use your power, no matter what. Do you understand?!"
I turned my gaze away, frowning, and muttered quietly:
— "Does everyone else see what I see?"
My father leaned closer, asking cautiously:
— "What do you see?"
I raised my head toward him, anger flaring in my chest, and shouted:
— "Shadows! This disgusting… atmosphere!"
— "Nariman!" my mother suddenly shouted, her voice sharp and filled with worry.
I froze for a few seconds, then spun around and ran swiftly toward the door, opening it forcefully and slamming it shut behind me, leaving the remaining conversation swallowed by silence.
My mother turned to my father, her face frowning, and said in a hoarse, worried voice:
"Don't anger her — she's the one you must never anger, and you know why."
My father sighed deeply, then suddenly raised his voice:
— "Noura! Come here quickly!"
Noura appeared, panting before speaking, her voice anxious:
— "What is it?"
My father pointed at her firmly:
— "Enter… and close the door behind you."
Noura swallowed nervously, looked at them fearfully, and asked hesitantly:
— "Did I do something wrong?"
My father stepped closer, his voice low but filled with threat:
— "Whatever you saw… do not tell your siblings, or you will be punished."
Noura raised her eyebrows in curiosity, unable to hold back the question:
— "But… why?!"
My father slammed his hand on the table and shouted:
— "I won't repeat myself!"
Noura gasped in fear, then sighed with a frown, averting her gaze and saying:
— "Fine…"
At school, Nariman always seemed absent-minded, her eyes fixed on places no one else could see. While the students focused on their books and papers, she watched the shadows moving slowly between desks and along walls. They crept closer and closer until she felt surrounded, staring silently, as if stealing her breath away.
She couldn't focus on any word or number, her hands trembling every time she held a pen. Her mind was consumed by those black gazes that never left her. Over time, her grades began to drop, her papers filled with mistakes, which she quickly hid in her bag before her parents could notice. But it didn't stay hidden long; her performance caught the attention of a teacher who didn't hesitate to complain to her father.
That night, her father called her sternly. She sat in front of him, his angry gaze weighing on her chest. He said sharply:
— "Your grades are bad, you're not focusing on your studies… what is this negligence, Nariman?"
She could no longer hold back; tears suddenly fell as she cried in a trembling voice:
— "I can't focus! The shadows don't leave me for a single moment! Why don't you understand?!"
As soon as she spoke, the windows shook violently, the doors rattled, and the glass cracked from the force of her reaction. Her father froze for a moment, then rushed toward her, grabbing her shoulders, his voice distressed:
— "Enough! If you don't want to go to school… fine! You won't be forced to go anymore!"
Nariman, tears still in her eyes, looked at him in disbelief, her voice hoarse:
— "Really?"
Her father exhaled slowly, placing a hand on his face as if trying to hide his irritation, then nodded silently.
But her mother's voice rose suddenly, anxious and upset:
— "Wait! Her future will be ruined if this continues!"
Her father turned to her, eyes calm despite the tension, and said firmly:
— "We will discuss that later."