CHAPTER THREE: Where Reflections Begin to Lie Together
679 Words
Emilia didn’t wait for night this time.
The fear had followed her into daylight, clinging to her thoughts like something alive. By the time evening study ended, she knew she couldn’t carry it alone anymore.
“Tessa,” she said quietly as they returned to the dorm.
Tessa glanced at her, instantly noticing the difference. “Okay that tone means something is wrong.”
Emilia hesitated, then shut the door behind them.
“Promise you won’t laugh.”
Tessa folded her arms. “I won’t. Now you’re scaring me.”
Emilia swallowed.
“It’s the mirrors.”
Tessa blinked. “What about them?”
“They’re not right,” Emilia said, her voice tightening. “They move late, sometimes early” and last night, she paused, her chest rising. “It spoke to me.”
Silence.
Tessa’s expression didn’t change immediately, but her eyes sharpened. “Spoke, how?”
“It said my name,” Emilia whispered. “In my voice.”
Tessa stared at her for a long second.
Then she laughed soft, uncertain. “Okay that’s creepy. But maybe you were dreaming?”
“I wasn’t asleep,” Emilia said quickly. “And today it’s not just me. I saw Naomi’s reflection lag. And some others they don’t match at all.”
Tessa’s smile faded.
“You’re serious.”
Emilia nodded.
A quiet tension filled the room.
Tessa walked slowly toward the mirror by the wardrobe. She stood in front of it, studying her reflection carefully.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then she lifted her hand.
The reflection followed.
Perfectly.
Tessa let out a breath. “Looks normal to me.”
Emilia stepped closer. “It doesn’t always happen. That’s what makes it worse.”
Tessa turned to her, searching her face. “So what are you saying? Something is… inside mirrors?”
“I don’t know,” Emilia said. “But something is wrong.”
That night, they slipped out.
The corridor lights were dim, the school quieter than usual. Emilia’s heart pounded as they move to the library.
Maxwell was already there.
He stood near the glass cabinets, his posture tense. When he saw them, he didn’t look surprised.
“You told her,” he said.
Emilia nodded.
Tessa crossed her arms. “Yeah, and I’m still trying to decide if both of you are losing your minds.”
Maxwell didn’t smile.
“I wish that was it.”
Something in his tone made Tessa go quiet.
“What did you see?” she asked.
Maxwell hesitated, then stepped closer to the glass cabinet.
“I saw a reflection move,” he said. “But there was no one there.”
Tessa frowned. “That’s not possible.”
“That’s what I thought,” he replied.
Emilia glanced at the glass.
For a split second
She thought she saw something.
A shadow.
Not behind them.
Inside it.
She stepped back.
“Did you see that?” she whispered.
“See what?” Tessa asked.
But Maxwell was already staring at the glass, his expression darkening.
“It’s getting worse,” he said quietly.
Silence stretched between them.
Then Tessa spoke, slower now. “Okay let’s say this is real. What do we do?”
Emilia hesitated.
Then one name came to mind.
“Naomi.”
Tessa nodded slightly. “Your cousin?”
“She’s observant,” Emilia said. “And she’s seen something already I know it.”
Maxwell exhaled. “If this is spreading, we can’t ignore it.”
“But what is it?” Tessa asked. “Reflections? Shadows? Something else?”
No one answered.
Because none of them knew.
Emilia’s gaze drifted back to the glass cabinet.
This time,
She was sure.
Something moved.
Not like a reflection.
Not like a person.
Something darker.
Something watching.
Her breath caught.
“We’re not alone,” she whispered.
Tessa frowned. “What do you mean?”
Emilia didn’t respond immediately.
Because deep down,
She felt it,
Whatever lived in the mirrors was starting to notice them too.
And soon,
It wouldn’t just watch anymore.
- Writer
