Jenny's brother had finally arrived, and she was preparing to leave for her class.
Before stepping out, she glanced toward her brother's room. A part of her couldn't shake off what had happened yesterday—how he'd stared off into space as if seeing something invisible. Jenny didn't call him out on it, but deep inside, she sensed he had seen something she could not.
The thought haunted her: Do we both have abilities?
Could it be that her brother had inherited the same gift she possessed?
"Thalia, I'm leaving you at home for now," Jenny said to her younger sister.
Thalia nodded quietly while she continued washing the dishes. Jenny had yet to let their older brother in on what she had seen, mostly because he was still asleep.
"Sis, if you have time later, I want to ask you something," Thalia said, looking at her intently.
Jenny had something to talk about with her brother, too, but for now, she simply nodded in response.
"Take care," Thalia said, her voice calm yet laced with something deeper.
Jenny nodded back and left the house, walking toward the street to wait for a jeepney that would take her to school.
Luckily, the jeep arrived quickly, and she climbed aboard without hesitation.
What is it Thalia wants to ask me? Jenny wondered. Does it have something to do with our brother?
They rarely had deep conversations unless the topic was something serious.
Lately, her mind had been unsettled. She was seeing things—flashes of what was yet to come. Premonitions.
What terrified her most was that one of them had already come true.
She scratched her forehead, burdened by the memory of Thalia's schoolmate who had recently passed away. Jenny hadn't gone to the wake of the murdered child; she couldn't bear the weight of guilt.
It wasn't her fault, but the regret gnawed at her. If only I had warned Thalia...
Covering her face, she wanted to wake up from the nightmare that was now her reality. She hoped that whatever she and Thalia would discuss later might somehow ease the heaviness in her heart.
Soon, the jeep reached her stop.
"Para po," she said, tapping the metal bar, and got off near the entrance to her college.
There was still time before her class started, so she chose to head to the library to clear her head.
But even surrounded by books, Jenny couldn't focus. Not like she used to.
She soon left the library, deciding a short walk might help settle her thoughts. She kept looking at her watch, counting the minutes until class.
She sat alone at a study table facing the street, observing the traffic of students, professors, and passing vehicles. Laughter and chatter filled the air, yet none of it could reach her.
Then, suddenly, an ominous feeling struck her. A chill raced down her spine.
Her body instinctively told her: Leave. Now.
Jenny stood up. A familiar dread filled her. She had seen this moment before.
The car crash. I saw this in my dream.
Moments later, a car came speeding toward the exact spot where she had been sitting. A loud honk echoed through the air, followed by the deafening crunch of metal and a cloud of dust.
Jenny froze in place, her legs giving out. She stared in horror as people screamed and scattered. Some ran to help the injured, others simply stood in shock.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to move. Her knees wobbled as she made her way toward the railings for support. She moved away from the chaos, ambulance sirens growing louder as emergency responders arrived on the scene.
Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes and tried to center herself. She pinched her cheeks and swallowed again, her limbs trembling from the aftershock of what she'd narrowly escaped.
People around her whispered, some crying, others on their phones reporting the incident.
Even after reaching her classroom, the wailing sirens still echoed in her mind.
"—nny..."
"Jenny! Jenny!" a voice called.
She turned. It was her classmate, Saia, who looked at her with concern.
Jenny didn't respond right away.
"What happened to you?" Saia asked, confused by her pale face.
"There was an accident," Jenny finally said, her voice barely audible.
"Accident?" Saia repeated, not understanding.
"Yes, just now. A car crashed," Jenny muttered, still trying to grasp the reality of what she'd seen.
"Jenny... are you really okay?" Saia's brows furrowed in worry.
Then it hit her. The premonition she had seen—the vision of the crash—it hadn't just been a dream.
It was real. She had been there, even before it happened.
Why did it feel so vivid? So painfully real?
Jenny sat down, rubbing her temples, overwhelmed.
Saia stared at her, unsure of what to say. Then she held up her phone, showing Jenny a photo.
"It just happened. Before you arrived. A car crashed, right here."
Jenny's blood ran cold. The photo was exactly what she had seen earlier.
"How... how do you know?" Saia asked, eyes wide.
But Jenny didn't answer.
All around them, chaos unfolded—teachers rushing, students shaken. Jenny's hands trembled, but she clenched them into fists.
She didn't want this power. She wanted a normal life.
A life without premonitions.