Through Their Eyes

Back to the Past

Emby stared at the text on her phone. Coming to the realization that these are the same words she read on the same day from 7 years ago. If Jason hadn’t sent that text and stood Skylar up then she wouldn’t have been at that cemetery that night of prom.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she sat frozen in her room, unable to move. The air smelled faintly of rain, just like any regular day in Frightwood. But there was something else.

A faint crackling hum.

It was coming from the mirror.

Slowly, she looked up. The reflection stared back at her but her reflection’s eyes were black. And when Emby blinked, her reflection didn’t. It only smiled.

“Not again,” she whispered. “Not again…”

The hum grew louder, like a thousand whispers overlapping. The mirror rippled like water, and for a fleeting second she saw Skylar. Pale, trembling, and trying her best to reach out.

“Don’t let it happen again,” Skylar’s voice echoed through the glass. And then she was gone.

Emby stumbled backward, clutching her chest. Her breathing grew ragged. She could still feel the cold from Skylar’s reflection. This isn’t just a loop, she thought. It’s breaking me. Outside, the town's clock tower tolled seven times. But each chime lingered too long. Echoing and overlapping until the sound turned into a shrill mechanical wail.

Reality was starting to glitch.