Unseen - Story Idea

UNSEEN

Inspired by a dream

© 2012 Bonnie Watson

Unseen. You won't find it if you were to look for it. It's when you're not looking that it finds you…

Unseen. It wasn't on any map I'd ever come across. But I should know. I'd poured over every one I could find, enough to pass any History exam my senior year could throw at me. Made mom proud, at least. Yet high scores were the least of my concerns. Unseen was the last place Dad said was going, and he's been gone for years….

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In the dream, there was a brother and sister who were searching for something. The brother (who I've named Jacque) can translate any symbol by sensing emotion inscribed into the letter by its original creator. The sister (think I'll call her Erin, but she goes by Rin), can see what's beyond the surface to find truth. Sort of like seeing through walls, but not quite. There has to be something to see in order to do so. She can see what's called Unseen.

So what is Unseen? It's everywhere you go. Not like the Matrix. It can't control you. In the dream, Unseen resembled some type of ancient ruins or temple immersed in a beautiful world perhaps as it should have been for the world we see today. Unseen could be either the Past or Future of mankind. But it's technologies and supernatural abilities are starting to catch up. It's probably the improbable, things most people don't believe in anymore except religious cults. Now it's all about to change.

Jacque and Rin don't know it, but they're a part of the Unseen. Their father vanished long ago, only mentioning the word once, and was heard by Rin right before he left. For years, Rin's researched places she believed her father might have gone. Nothing has come close until one fateful day their inborn gifts suddenly activate, as Unseen seems to flux in and out of their everyday lives. Jacque learns he's the last surviving member of the House of Interpreters, the most feared and powerful of all Houses. Jacque can not only register emotion behind symbols, but he can pick up their withholding energy and release it at will. This is not only seen as a threat to surviving Houses, but causes a huge divide. An Interpreter will instantly pick up hidden meanings, and therefore have access to all evidence of wrong-doing for guilty parties. That's one reason Interpreters were quickly eliminated throughout history. The other was due to power, and misuse of it. 

Rin's ability to See, however,  takes a different turn. She knows her brother would never misuse his gifts. But she's convinced that something has upset the balance between Unseen and their modern lifestyle. Why did their father suddenly vanish? Why are there symbols with warnings not to read into them by their father -- warnings to turn back? Did he know they would eventually enter Unseen? Is he still trying to protect them even now? Rin's gift doesn't trouble the people of Unseen, as there are quite many with unique gifts of their own. 

As the two delve deeper into the world of Unseen, they realize that if they don't fix whatever's happening between the different Houses, it could ultimately change history for the modern day world as well...and erase it altogether!