Only i can hurt you

Chapter 18-The First Task

From an unknown number.

“The first task. Find what reflects you. You have 30 minutes. After this, the time will always be less.”

My heart pounded as I stared at the message. Find what reflects you.

The only thing that made sense was a mirror. But which one? There were three in the house—my stepmother’s vanity upstairs, the old cracked one in the hallway, and the tiny one in my room.

I grabbed my phone, the timer already ticking down for 30 minutes. Every second felt like it was hammering into my chest.

I ran to the hallway first. The cracked mirror stared back at me, splitting my reflection into jagged pieces. For a moment, I thought this was it—but nothing happened.

Panic clawed at me. Wrong one.

I rushed upstairs, my ankle throbbing with every step. My stepmother’s vanity mirror loomed tall, framed in gold. I leaned in, breath fogging the glass. For a moment, silence.

Then—ping.

Another message appeared on my phone.

“Good girl. You found it. But next time, you won’t be so lucky. 20 minutes.”

Relief hit me, but only for a second. My hand brushed the edge of the mirror—and something crinkled.

Behind the mirror, stuck with black tape, was a folded note.

I tore it free with shaking fingers.

"Look closely. You look like her. Don’t lie—you hate it."

I froze, breath caught in my throat. He was talking about my mother. The resemblance I carried. The resemblance I sometimes wished I didn’t.

The paper slipped from my hand as a shiver ran down my spine.

This wasn’t just a game anymore.