The Visionaries

Tommy always thought he was different. Even as a little kid, he could sense things no one else seemed to notice—flickers of light where there shouldn’t be any, strange shapes out of the corners of his eyes, whispers that seemed to follow him down empty hallways. His parents had brushed it off as an overactive imagination, but Tommy knew better. These visions weren’t just in his head.

By the time he turned twelve, the visions had become a constant. Some were beautiful—glowing birds that flitted through the air, casting shadows of colors he couldn’t name. Others were terrifying, dark figures with hollow eyes, looming at the edges of his vision, waiting for him in every shadow. He couldn’t tell anyone. Not his teachers, not his friends—if he even had friends anymore. People avoided him. Maybe they sensed the strange aura that clung to him like a second skin, the haunted look in his eyes.

Tommy’s days were a blur of fear and confusion, but the worst were the subway rides. Every day, after school, he would take the long, crowded train ride home. The tunnels seemed to amplify the visions, turning every dark corner into a nightmare. The figures would crowd in on him, their faces twisted in silent screams. He would sit in his seat, gripping the edge until his knuckles turned white, trying to keep his breathing steady, trying not to scream. No one else seemed to notice the monsters that stalked him, their hollow eyes fixed on him as they grew closer, step by step.

One day, it became too much. He was sitting on the subway platform, waiting for his train, when the visions descended on him all at once. The shadows grew longer, the lights dimmed, and the figures began to crawl from the corners, their skeletal hands reaching out. He backed against the wall, heart racing, as they closed in.

“Help… someone… help,” he muttered, but the crowd moved around him, oblivious. He was utterly alone. The figures were almost upon him now, their faces twisted with malice.

Just as the darkness was about to swallow him, a voice cut through the fog.

“Hey, you okay?”

Tommy blinked. Standing in front of him were three kids, about his age. A girl with short, spiky hair, her arms crossed over her chest, and two boys, one tall and lanky, the other shorter but stockier. They looked so out of place, so… normal, yet the visions seemed to shy away from them, retreating like fog in the sun.

The girl knelt down, looking him directly in the eye. “You see them, don’t you?” she asked, her voice calm, matter-of-fact.

Tommy nodded, too stunned to speak.

“We do too,” the tall boy added. “You’re not crazy.”

“You’re just like us,” said the shorter boy, grinning. “We call them Shadows. They’re not real, but they feel real, don’t they?”

Tommy stared at them in disbelief. “You… you see them too?”

The girl smiled and stood up, offering him a hand. “Yeah. And we know how to deal with them. Come on, we’ll show you.”

Tommy hesitated for a moment, glancing around. The Shadows were still there, lurking in the corners of his vision, but they seemed smaller now, less threatening.

“Trust us,” the shorter boy said. “You don’t have to be afraid of them anymore.”

Tommy took her hand, and she pulled him to his feet. The four of them walked down the subway platform together, and for the first time in years, Tommy felt a flicker of hope.

As they walked, the girl explained. “We all started seeing the Shadows around your age. It’s like our imaginations are supercharged, and sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. The trick is learning how to control it.”

“Control it?” Tommy asked, frowning. “How?”

The taller boy grinned. “We all have different ways. Mine’s speed. When the Shadows get too close, I move so fast they can’t catch me.” He held out his hand, and in a blur, a bright spark shot from his fingers and zipped through the air, scattering the shadows. “See? Easy.”

The shorter boy flexed his arms. “Me, I’m all about strength. When the Shadows get too close, I smash them.” He slammed his fist into his palm with a loud crack, and the dark shapes seemed to recoil, flickering and fading.

The girl shrugged. “I see them for what they really are—just figments, nothing more. Once you stop believing in them, they can’t hurt you.”

Tommy stared at them in awe. “But… how do I figure out what I can do?”

“That’s what we’re here for,” the girl said. “We help each other. We’ll help you figure it out.”

For the first time, Tommy felt something other than fear when he thought about the visions. He felt a strange sense of power building inside him, like a spark waiting to be ignited.

They spent hours in the subway, showing him how to face the Shadows, how to push back against the fear that had controlled him for so long. At first, Tommy stumbled, uncertain, but with their guidance, he began to feel the shift inside him. His vision sharpened, and he could see the Shadows clearly now, their hollow forms flickering in and out, less real than they had once seemed.

By the end of the night, Tommy stood on the platform, surrounded by Shadows. But this time, he wasn’t afraid. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reached out with his mind, pushing the Shadows away with a force he hadn’t known he possessed. They scattered like mist, dissolving into nothingness.

He opened his eyes to find the three kids smiling at him.

“Not bad,” the girl said, giving him a nod of approval.

Tommy grinned, a feeling of lightness washing over him. For the first time in his life, the Shadows didn’t seem so terrifying.

As they left the subway station, Tommy realized something important. He wasn’t alone. The visions, the Shadows—they were a part of him, but they didn’t control him. And with his new friends by his side, he knew he could handle whatever came next.

The world outside felt different now, brighter. The Shadows might still be there, lurking at the edges of his mind, but Tommy knew one thing for certain: they weren’t real. And neither was his fear.

He wasn’t afraid anymore. He was ready.

The Beginning