The mirror should not have changed.
Ananya stood frozen. Her breath was slow, but her heart was racing. The reflection in front of her was… wrong.
It blinked late.
Just a second. But enough.
"I'm tired," she whispered to herself. "It's just my mind."
But the reflection smiled.
And she wasn't smiling.
A chill ran down her spine. Her fingers trembled as she stepped closer. The room behind her was empty, silent… but in the mirror, the darkness seemed deeper. Alive.
"Who are you?" Ananya asked.
The reflection tilted its head.
Not like her.
Slow. Curious.
Like it was studying her.
Then—
It raised its hand.
But Ananya hadn't moved.
She stumbled back, hitting the table behind her. The candle flickered wildly, shadows dancing across the walls.
"No… no, this isn't real…"
But deep inside, she knew.
It was real.
The reflection leaned closer to the mirror surface, its eyes darker now, almost hollow.
"You opened the door," it whispered.
The voice wasn't loud.
But it echoed.
Inside her head.
Ananya shook her head, covering her ears.
"Stop it! I didn't open anything!"
A soft laugh.
Cold. Familiar.
"Then why am I here?"
Her mind flashed back—
The hallway.
The locked door.
The whisper that knew her name.
Her knees weakened.
"I closed it…" she said, her voice breaking. "I
remember closing it…"
The reflection's smile widened.
"You only thought you did."
The candle went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sound.
No light.
Then—
A faint glow returned.
But something had changed.
Ananya slowly looked up.
The mirror…
Was empty.
No reflection.
No movement.
Nothing.
Her breath caught in her throat.
And then—
From behind her—
"I'm not in there anymore."
If the reflection is no longer in the mirror… then where is it standing now?