The clock struck 12 noon.
The sound echoed through the empty corridors of Riverdale high school. Astha stood frozen outside the old storeroom door - the same door that had been locked for years. The sunlight from the broken window formed a sharp beam across the floor, pointing directly at it.
Her heart pounded.
Yesterday, she had discovered that the mysterious note - "meet me at 12 noon. Truth hides where shadows don't."- was written in her own handwriting.
But she didn't remember writing it.
With trembling fingers she pushed the door.
It creaked open.
Inside, dust floated in the air like tiny ghosts . Old desks were stacked against the walls . Torn charts hung loosely. And in the centre of the room, placed neatly on a table, was a mirror.
A single mirror.
Astha stepped closer . Her reflection stared back at her - pale , confused, afraid.
Then the mirror cracked.
A thin line appeared across the glass without anyone touching it .
She gasped and stepped back .
Behind her reflection, in the mirror I saw
Something impossible.
Someone was standing behind her.
She spun around.
No one.
My breath grew heavier. Slowly, she turned back to the mirror.
The figure was still there .
It looked exactly like her.
Same face. Same uniform. Same scar near the eyebrow.
But the reflection wasn't copying her movements.
It was smiling.
A cold smile.
" You finally came", the reflection whispered.
I stumbled back . "Who are you?"
The reflection tilted it's head. "I'm the part of you that remembers."
Remembers what?
Suddenly, flashes filled my mind - a car , heavy rain, loud brakes screeching, someone shouting the name .
And then darkness.
Her hands shook.
She remembered now .
One year ago . The accident.
Her best friend Shanaya had been in the car with her .
But everyone said Shanaya moved to another city after the accident.
That was the story.
That was the lie .
"She didn't move away,"it whispered. "She never left".
Tears filled Astha's eyes. "No .... That's not true..."
The reflection raised its hand - but Astha hadn't.
" You survived," it said softly. "She didn't"
The room suddenly felt colder.
Astha collapsed to her knees.
All this time...her mind had protected her from the truth. The notes, the shadows, the feeling of being watched - it wasn't someone else.
It was her guilt.
The mirror shattered completely.
And in the broken pieces, she saw only herself.
Alone.
But as she wiped her tears and stood up, something strange caught her attention.
Among the shattered glass pieces, one shard reflected something different.
A school corridor.
With Shanaya standing at the end of it.
Smiling.
And this time -
She was not alone.
Behind Shanaya stood a tall shadowy figure Aastha had never seen before.
The clock outside struck 12 again.
But it was no longer noon.
It was midnight.
And Astha realized -
The story was never about guilt.
It was about something that was still waiting..
Outside.
In the dark.
To be continued ✨