An Eye Into The Other Side

Part 1

A blinding white swallowed everything.

"What is this...?" The girls voice was steady, but confusion flickered in her eyes. She raised a hand to shield herself from the glare, until another hand touched hers, gently pulling it away.

"My baby..."

The voice was warm, familiar. Her breath caught as her gaze lifted.

"...Mom?"

Her lips quivered, trembling into the faintest smile as tears slipped down her cheeks. She leaned forward, collapsing into her mother's lap. The woman said nothing, only brushed back the girl's hair, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and held her for a heartbeat. Then, like mist, she was gone, swallowed back into the void.

"Evie... Evie, wake up."

The muffled voice dragged her back.

"Genevieve Elliot!"

Evie blinked, peeling herself off her bed. In the doorway stood her aunt, Zara. Tears streamed freely down Evie's face.

"Sorry, Auntie. I didn't hear you," Evie said with a shaky smile.

Zara's expression softened as she crossed the room, brushing the tears from her niece's cheeks. "Bad dream?"

"Not bad... It was just Mom." Evie's voice cracked as she leaned into her aunt's chest. "I miss her."

"I know." Zara held her close, rubbing her back until the trembling eased.

After a moment, Zara gently pulled away. "I'll give you a few minutes to get ready. You've got school today."

"Okay..." Evie whispered, wiping her eyes before pulling herself up to change into her uniform.

A short while later, she padded into the kitchen and sat at the table. Zara set a plate in front of her. French toast with blueberries and honey, her favourite, along with a glass of cold lemon water.

"Hope it's good. I ran out of cinnamon," Zara said with a chuckle.

The smell alone made Evie's stomach rumble. By the time Zara sat down with her own plate, Evie's was already scraped clean.

"Holy shit-must've been good!" Zara laughed, nearly choking on her bite of food.

"It was. Not quite your best, but still delicious." Evie grinned, standing up. "I should head to school."

She grabbed her bag and shoes, only to open the door to heavy rain. Her shoulders sagged. "Ugh..." she groaned, snatching the umbrella.

Before she could step outside, Zara hurried over and pulled her into a hug. "Good luck today, dear," she said, squeezing her tight.

Evie nodded and stepped out into the rain, umbrella shielding her as she began her walk to her first day of private high school.

Zara lingered at the doorway, watching until Evie disappeared from sight. Closing the door, she sighed to herself. I hope this school will be better for her...

The town whispered about Genevieve Elliot.

They called her cursed, a demon in disguise. Some swore she could peer past the veil into the other side, the side of death. They weren't wrong. Evie could see what others could not. But no one understood why that gift had made her an outcast, despised in her own home.

Now, standing before a towering iron gate, Evie read the words engraved across it: WINSLOW ACADEMY.

Her fingers tightened around the thin student card she'd been given. Approaching the sleek scanner fixed to the stone pillar, she hesitated before pressing the card to its surface. A sharp beep echoed. Slowly, the gates creaked apart.

Evie froze, heart thudding. Then she forced herself forward, slipping through the gap.

The instant her foot crossed the threshold, the campus shifted. Figures flickered into existence, students chatting, strolling, laughing, none of them visible just seconds before. Her pulse skipped, but she shook it off. It wasn't the strangest thing she'd ever seen.

Inside, the halls stretched endlessly, polished and echoing. She found her locker easily; her name engraved neatly across the front: G. Elliot.

"Hi! You must be Genevieve Elliot?"

The voice startled her. She turned to see an older girl leaning toward her with a bright smile.

"Y-Yes?" Evie stammered, stepping back slightly, cheeks flushed.

"Perfect! I'm Eliana Winters. Your tour guide."

Evie blinked. "...Winters? Like the Winters family?!" The words burst out before she could stop them.

"Shhh!" Eliana pressed a finger to her lips, still smiling. "Yes. But don't make a big deal out of it. I'm just another student here."

The Winters family... I heard they funded this entire academy. Evie's thoughts spun. And their youngest daughter goes here...

Eliana straightened, her cheerful tone softening. "As you probably noticed already, this isn't an ordinary school. They told you it was 'elite,' right?"

Evie nodded slowly.

"That's only the cover. Winslow is hidden from the world; it exists for people like us. People with... abilities. They bring us here to keep us out of sight. They say it's to 'help' us."

Evie's brow furrowed. "So, everyone who's... recorded, with powers, is sent here?"

"Yes."

"...Wow." She hesitated. "So... your family sent you?"

"Yup!" Eliana's smile didn't falter, though her words cut sharper than her tone. "Didn't want to deal with the outcast of the family. So here I am."

Her brightness never dimmed, even as she admitted it. She spun on her heel, gesturing down the hall. "Anyway! Let's get on with the tour."

Evie clutched her books against her chest. "Um... what about classes?"

"First-year students and some second years get today off for orientation. The school's weird with tours before the year starts."

"Oh..." Evie turned back, carefully setting her belongings into the locker. She took one last glance at her name carved into the cold metal before following Eliana.

Evie drifted as she walked, her focus slipping from Eliana's endless chatter to the rhythmic sway of her curls. Her mind dulled, her eyelids heavy.

Then, something caught her eye.

At the far end of the hall, a figure hunched on the floor.

She squinted. At first, she thought it was a man collapsed. But the closer they drew, the heavier the air became thick, acrid, suffocating. The smell of charred flesh invaded her nose, hot and clinging like smoke.

And then the screaming began.

It wasn't distant. It was inside her ears, clawing at her skull, rising higher until it drowned out Eliana's voice completely.

The figure lifted its head.

The woman's face was melted, raw and blackened, one eye white and sightless while the other oozed tears of ash. Her skin peeled and split, flames licking along her limbs but never burning away completely. She writhed, reaching out with skeletal hands that cracked open as embers spilled from them.

The Scorched Woman.

Evie's stomach lurched. She hadn't seen her in years, and she knew what the soul meant. Wherever the Scorched Woman appeared, ruin followed.

Her legs locked. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. The wailing filled her chest, pressing the air out. She stared through Eliana, her vision narrowing on the burning figure crawling closer, clawing across the tiles with blistered fingers.

yEliana's voice barely reached her.

"Genevieve? Genevieve!"

Hands waved in front of her face, and with a jolt, the hall snapped back. The scorched woman was gone. Only Eliana stood before her, brows furrowed in concern.

"S-sorry! I missed what you said..." Evie forced a smile, but her face was drained, pale as snow.

Eliana tilted her head. "...You saw something, didn't you? A ghost?"

"...Yeah," Evie admitted quietly. "Her. The Scorched Woman."

Eliana gave a nervous laugh. "Yikes. That name alone sounds like a nightmare. What's she like?"

Evie shook her head quickly, as if shaking off the image. "...She's always the same. Burning. Screaming. She... brings bad luck. Every time."

Eliana leaned closer, curiosity shining. "Scary, then?"

"Not anymore. I've seen them my whole life. I'm... used to it." Evie tried to steady her voice, though her hands trembled at her sides. "But anyone else? They'd pass out instantly."

Eliana smiled despite herself. "Well, your face just now said otherwise."

Heat crept up Evie's cheeks. She looked away quickly, flustered. "Why am I blushing around her now of all times?"