The two of us step in unison toward the edge of the roaring river rumored to show wicked visions to any who step into it.

Its midnight blue waves are streaked with currents like white lightning under the height of the sun. The reflecting light glares at us. We are blind from fully seeing what’s on the other side beyond shadowy smudges of shapes we can guess at.

With a fleeting glance at me, Luke grabs my clammy hand. No time to wait or second guess. We have to move forward or be caught by what’s behind us.

He pulls me forward as he trudges into the vicious current of the river Ver.

He pinches his brows, planting a foot into the violent flow, its foamy fingers leaving a trail on his trousers.

Glancing up, my attention is snared quickly by two humans cast in shadows across the bend. “Wait.” I lock my knees to stay on the sodden shore.

I raise a trembling finger. They should be behind us. Not ahead. We left our pursuers on a goose chase a day ago, they shouldn’t have been able to pick up our trail this quickly.

Luke follows my direction and squints as a cloud passes over the sun, pulling us into its shadows beside the mighty river. We should be able to make out their appearance, but they remain shadows. One taller than the other, but both still enigmas despite our squinting.

His grip hardens around my hand.

“Have they seen us?” my whispered words are barely audible above the thundering current.

“I…I don’t know.” His breathing grows ragged.

The two of us are caught like prey before a hunter’s arrow. We need a way out before the strangers notice us, whether they were our pursuers or not. Everyone knows witnesses are just as dangerous. Their stories kill too.

A gasp escapes my lips as the taller figure grabs their companion’s hand before taking a step in our direction.

A chill runs up my spine as I track their movements.

The smaller person suddenly stops, pointing at us like we had just done toward them a moment before.

I step closer to Luke. They’ve seen us. “What do we do now?”

His jaw clenches as he studies them, silent and calculating.

“Cait.” His voice is tight, knuckles white around my hand.

He raises a stiff hand in greeting toward them. “Look at them.”

The figure that had pointed before takes a step closer to the taller one. They glance up at their taller companion before returning to face us again. My breath catches. It’s exactly what I had just done moments before.

The sky grows gray, the sun still hiding behind the clouds like it can’t bear to witness what is happening here.

My heart flutters as the taller figure raises a hand in greeting back to us. Are they responding to Luke’s greeting or is it something else entirely?

The river’s roaring changes into a whisper.

Silence rings in my ears as the watery whispers vanish.

Their echoing movements repeat in my mind. The motions of the two people match our own.

The waves still into a solid glass with no reflection beyond the gray clouds surrounding us.

A storm begins to push in from behind the figures across the river, drawing the wind into an ominous current around us.

“The River Ver…I didn’t think ‘Ver’ was meant literally. It means to see.” His small words become a final drop in the now still water, rippling toward the figures and shattering the stillness like a broken spell.

My brow furrows as I look at the river and the two figures, realization dawning.

“It’s us.”

We’ve run but the past is still greeting us. To pass through we must face what’s already been.

What else will the river Ver show us before it lets us cross to the other side?