On a dark, steamy night, the full moon looked magnificent as Raven walked to the cemetery to visit her dead brother, Noah. She was visiting him at night because the dark was their favorite time of day to spend together. Although Raven was alone, she never feared the dark, but this specific day was different; she felt a certain vibe, the same vibe she felt when her brother died, a spine-tingling feeling that made her feel paralyzed with fear. On this night, she ignored the feeling and still visited her brother, even though she felt an unknown presence. She was not alone. 

Whatever it was, Raven couldn’t see it, but she still felt it. It may not be visible, but she knew something was there, and she couldn’t figure out what it was, so she ignored it. “Stop being so paranoid,” she said to herself.

When she arrived at her brother’s grave, she heard something rumbling. Her heart dropped to her stomach, and for the first time in forever, she felt terrified and wanted to get out of there. That’s when she felt a strong tug on her shoulder, holding her back. Goosebumps crept up her shivering arms. She was certain it was the presence of a ghost. Or was it?  

Then Raven saw a tall figure floating behind the bushes, blurry but real. It was…him. Raven screamed, “Help!”

A tall figure came out of the bushes. It was her brother Noah. But how? He died. Or did he? So many thoughts went through Raven’s brain that she couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Raven pictured him lying in the coffin at the funeral home, stiff and cold. Had she imagined it? Impossible! The vision was so real.

Now, in the cemetery, every time she blinked, he disappeared. His wavy hair blowing in the night breeze, his glasses reflecting her image back to her, it was all there one second and then gone the next. Raven closed her eyes and hoped for the best. It worked!  He was gone.

However, she smelled his scent, a distinct cologne, and it made her tear up. Slowly, she remembered her brother more and more. Although troubled, Noah shared his love of stargazing with her. The nighttime was their special bond. But she also knew that Noah had challenges that threatened his life, and now, they could threaten hers. She knew she had to leave before he came back. 

Raven sprinted home, her heart pounding through her chest from fear. She was covered in sweat once she reached her home, trying to catch her breath, her head felt light and her vision faded. “It’s okay,” she tried to console herself. “This isn’t happening. It’s a dream,” she told herself. Her mother came to the door. Her face was pinched and pale. She looked stressed and tired, with bags under her eyes and dry, cracked lips.  It was past Raven’s curfew and the annoyance on her mother’s face was evident. Raven tried to explain to her mom everything, but the old lady would never listen. Ever since Noah had died, she didn’t care for Raven as much. Her grief had eaten her from the inside out. Suddenly, Raven had a vision pass before her eyes. It was an image of her brother and mother standing next to each other, holding hands. Could that mean that her mother was about to join her brother in death?

The vision jabbed her in the temple, causing sharp pain. The visions always did that. She rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. When she emerged from the bathroom, her mother was waiting for her.

“Where were you so late?”

Raven was confused. She didn’t respond for a long minute. Then, she said, “Mom, please, don’t go to work tomorrow.”  She knew this was asking a lot because Raven’s mother was struggling financially and couldn’t lose her job. Her mother stared at her. “What? I cannot afford to lose my job. Is this one of your silly jokes?”

Raven, shocked, decided to go to sleep. She slept like a baby, so when the morning light, soft and gentle, seeped through her window, waking her up, she was hopeful. She slowly opened her eyes, but then quickly widened them in shock. Her brother, Noah, was hovering over her, smirking.

He was very much alive. His green eyes were intense and wild. His bony frame hunched a little as he made tense fists at his sides, exposing blue veins in his forearms.

“No…Noah?” she fumbled due to a loss of words. 

“Hey, little sis, how was your sleep?” His smirk looked even more evil. 

“How is this possible? You’re…you’re dead!” she whispered.

He grunted, “Only in your visions. Good thing I know how to change those.”

“What?”

“You’re not the only one with visions, little sis. I’ve had them for a long time Only, now I know how to control them, even in other people.”

Raven didn’t know what to think. Her brain felt detached from her body. She didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t anymore.

Noah reached his hand out, “Enough of that visions stuff. Let’s go make some breakfast!”

Raven hesitated before joining her hand in Noah’s. He pulled her out of bed and she followed him down the stairs. Maybe she was imagining it all. After all, she imagined that Noah was dead and he wasn’t.

 She crept down the stairs after Noah, her footsteps heavier than his. When she reached a landing, she saw blood spattered on the floor and her mother’s lifeless body in an unnatural position near the front door.

Raven screamed.

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “It’s not real.”

“What?”

“Nothing is real unless I make it real.”

“But…but, mom is dead!” Raven pointed to her mother’s lifeless body.

“I’m making you think she is, thanks to my powers.”

“What powers?” Raven was afraid of him. He was no longer her brother.

“From the stars. Our little stargazing outings have really paid off.”

Raven looked horrified, and she slowly started stepping back towards the door. Raven was now petrified of what her brother, Noah was telling her. She ran out the door and didn’t look back.

Raven started picking up her speed when she saw her brother coming after her. She kept looking back to see if her brother was there but he vanished, nowhere to be seen.

 She suddenly got a feeling that started to heat up her whole body. Raven knew she had to get rid of her brother before he did something dangerous.

Come on, Raven, think! She tried to encourage herself.

Raven got a brilliant idea. She could try to earn her brother’s trust and then once fully gained, she would stop him the only way she knew how. It would be painful, but necessary. But how? How was she going to manage all of this by herself?

Her brother, Noah could control her visions from mysterious powers from the stars. Maybe she could too? As she walked back to the house, Raven concentrated on her vision of a dead Noah. Every time the vision was erased, presumably by Noah, she forcefully put it back. By the time she reached her house, Raven was strong and sure. She saw Noah eating breakfast. He looked at her, concern on his face, but then he continued eating breakfast. It would be his last first meal of the day.