The mother and son were only a few steps from their lawn, but James's thoughts had stalled. If his exhausted eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he would have sworn the man who just passed had vicious yellow eyes, a chilling replica of the image in his nightmares.
He had to know. "Did-did you see that? The man that just passed?"
"What? What man? I didn't see anything," Serena replied, one eyebrow arching in concern.
"Ah, never mind," James sighed, slapping his forehead in frustration.
"You know what, we need to talk about these things you've been seeing and the constant dreams—or should I say nightmares—you've been having," Serena said, her tone suddenly clipped with annoyance.
'Right! Now I'm hallucinating,' James thought bitterly. 'Can things ever get better?' He asked himself rhetorically.
They reached the doorstep, and with a slight twist of the knob, the door swung inward. A girl with a shock of brown curly hair burst out, arms flung wide.
"Jessie! We were only gone for an hour, and here you are acting like we were gone for a year," Serena laughed, squeezing her daughter in a tight embrace and pressing a huge kiss to her forehead.
"He keeps acting like a guy with a stone heart. You can't even hug your little sis," Jessica teased, jabbing her brother in the side.
James merely shrugged, his stoic demeanor an iron shield. It wasn't hatred; he simply didn't show affection easily.
"Let's not forget we have some chatting to do. Go freshen up while I make lunch," Serena reminded.
With that, brother and sister headed to their rooms.
Minutes later, the small house was densely saturated with the vivid, comforting aroma of fried veggies.
"Lunch is ready! Come out of your holes," Serena called, a vibrant smile replacing her worry.
On the dining table, two plates of savory fried potatoes and scrambled eggs lay waiting. The Craig siblings sat and quickly immersed themselves in the meal.
"Why... why aren't you eating, Mum?" Jessica muffled, a spoonful of potatoes halfway to her mouth.
"Be careful! You're going to choke," James said, a rare, wicked grin touching his lips.
"I'm fine for now, dear," Serena replied to Jessica before sending James an irritated look for his comment. "You might want to congratulate your brother. He's officially a student of Braxton High."
"Really, bro? Congrats! I knew you'd pass! Now, I'd like to see the look on that loser, Jeremy's face."
"Please, I don't want to hear that name!" James exploded, his sudden fury betraying a deep, painful history with this Jeremy.
The siblings quickly devoured the meal, ignoring the earlier turmoil and leaving Jessica with the chore of dishes.
"Now, let's talk," Serena declared, all trace of warmth gone.
"Please, Mom, you've said this ten times," James groaned.
"I know you once told me about this grey blur that relentlessly haunts you," Serena continued, her face utterly straight and serious. "Tell me, what's changed? You've been unstable for days. Is it the same constant thing?"
"There have been no changes, Mom. It's the same thing over and over. Only lately, it's been constant... ceaseless. I hardly sleep, and I'm terrified, Mom," James replied, his soft, trembling voice finally cracking the wall of his composure.
"Ah! I wish your father were here now. I know he'd solve this in a heartbeat. He's a genius, after all. But fear not, son. Once I accumulate enough, we'll see a therapist. I truly wish I could stop this trauma now," Serena replied, her voice calm, yet underscored by distinct notes of frustration and devastating sadness.
She moved to embrace him, but James abruptly stood up, his face scrunched in a mask of pure rage.
"I don't know why you bother about that man!" James shouted, his voice echoing. "He's been gone for ten years! Ten years, Mom! And what did he leave for us? An old box with a rickety stone! What are we supposed to do with that? Sell it for millions? He doesn't care, Mom!"
"He is still your father, James! He left that thing for you because he deemed it important, and we will meet him again!" Serena screamed back, a single, hot tear finally betraying her control and rolling down her cheek.
James let out a harsh scoff, spun on his heel, and rushed to his room, slamming the door shut so violently the very walls of the house shuddered.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Jessica rushed back to the dining area, hands dripping with soap and water, only to find her mother slumped and crying uncontrollably.
In James's room, the teen was leaning against the door, his body shaking, tears also streaming down his face.
After three agonizing minutes, he knelt, reached under his bed, and pulled out an old, heavy metal box.
A deep, diagonal line ran across its middle, making it look like two halves joined together. The surface was etched with cryptic symbols—halved upright and upside-down triangles, and a halved moon—vivid only when the box was closed.
Dials covered in strange symbols were fixed to one side; the box required a specific, secret combination to open. With four precise, memorized dials pushed, the lock clicked.
The combination was revealed to him when he was just five. Moments before his father left.
The memory jolted afresh in James's head, but he dismissed it and focused on the task at hand.
The box opened, revealing a single object: a white, crystallized stone that pulsed with a faint glow.
'I don't know why you gave me this rock,' James thought, his tears blinding him. 'All I know is there's this tingling sensation whenever I hold it. I wish you were here to see how your children have been coping. Will you ever come back?'
Just as he was about to close the box, a tear dropped directly onto the stone.
Unbeknownst to James, the tear had a profound reaction. The stone immediately shone blindingly bright, illuminating every angle under his bed, even as he had hastily closed the box and shoved it back into the darkness.
Outside, standing alone on their lawn, was the man in the elegant suit—the same man with the faint yellow eyes.
Sike! It was no hallucination.
The man, his neatly gelled jet-black hair gleaming in the daylight, stood utterly still, staring intently at James's window.
"I can feel it. I can sense the power. Finally..."
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It's building, I know. But I won't give it to you yet. 😏
Take that cup of tea and sip it. Hehehe!
As usual... like it? Give it a Power Stone.