The Way of Seeming

There is something strange in the woods of Ohioville. For decades there have been stories, whispers begun around the fire and carried on the wind. But they were only stories. Until the night Wesley Hannah disappeared.

For fifteen years, Dawn has lived in the shadow of her twin brother's disappearance. Despite various attempts at therapy, as well as prescription antidepressants, Dawn is still haunted by visions of her brother. They are ever-present in her life, and they get worse around her birthday.

This year, however, something is different. Dawn's nightmares are starting to consume her. She's seeing visions of Wes while she's awake. A mysterious stalker has appeared out of nowhere to torment her. And the many years of walls Dawn has built up to keep even her closest friends from learning of her secret, are starting to wear down.

It begins on the way to a birthday celebration; Dawn is summoned to the hospital where her mother has been institutionalized for twelve years. What little progress her mother has made seems to have been for nothing as she begins to cry out her lost son's name as if she sees him standing next to her and she cannot reach out to him. Only this time, Dawn sees him too.

Not wanting to consider that she may be suffering from the same kind of disorder as her mother, Dawn continues to deny anything is wrong and withdraws further into herself. Her best friend and room mate, Raine, grows increasingly worried about her friend. Raine harbors a deep affection for Dawn, something that goes beyond mere friendship, and it tears her apart to see Dawn slipping away. When she eventually learns the truth about Wes, she is deeply saddened.

But Dawn soon realizes she isn't alone on her journey. At the Elea Helloween Bash, she learns from Raine's friend - the perpetually drunk Celina - about an experience she once had on the very same road Dawn lived on: Kelly Road, otherwise known as Mystery Mile. The trauma of the experience prompted Celina to take up alcohol, and her life has been in tatters ever since.

The only one capable of reaching Dawn is James, who went with Celina to Mystery Mile and who experienced something similar. James believes that what they saw there wasn't real, but in fact their own preconceptions brought to life. They saw only what they expected to see, because one's preconceptions determine one's reality... one's way of seeming.

For a short time, Dawn seems to find some peace... until one of these friends dies tragically. Dawn finds herself struggling to understand James' words and soon becomes convinced that her brother isn't dead at all, but still waiting for her to come find him. She begins a final, fatal journey to her old house deep in the heart of Mystery Mile. James' words prove true as she finds exactly what she expects to find... but perhaps in the end, it's nothing like she expected. Dawn fights for her sanity and her very life as everything she ever thought was real begins to unravel.

Genres: Drama, Horror, Suspense