That’s when I realized the scariest part wasn’t the silence or the empty streets. It was how easy it would be to stay here and stop trying to get back home.
I turned a corner and almost ran into myself.
Or at least, the version of me with perfect posture, a silver glint in his eyes, and a smirk that made my stomach tighten.
“Welcome,” he said. His voice was mine, but warmer, smoother. “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”
I stepped back. “What is this? Where are we?”
“This,” he said, sweeping a hand at the faded buildings around us, “is your home away from home. The Mirror Realm.”
“Mirror Realm,” I repeated. “Like reflections?”
“Exactly. This place is an echo. And I’m the better version of you. They call me Etan.”
“Better?” I scoffed. “You kidnapped me.”
He smiled like I’d just proved his point. “I gave you an escape. Out there, you keep your head down, draw in your sketchbook, watch Jessica from across the room without saying a word. Here, you could have… everything. Confidence. Freedom. Her.”
My chest tightened. “Leave her out of this.”
Etan tilted his head. “She kissed me first, you know.”
I clenched my fists, but my body felt sluggish, like the air was thick syrup. “I’m getting out of here.”
He stepped closer, his voice soft and coaxing. “Why? This place can be perfect. No awkward silences, no missed chances. You could stay where it’s safe. With the other her.”
For a moment, I almost believed him. Then, I caught sight of my reflection in a dark shop window, pale, tired, and fading at the edges. I realized if I stayed here much longer, I might disappear completely.
I slammed my palms against the nearest pane of glass, a shop window warped by the strange air of the place, and shouted Jess’s name. No sound carried. Only my own reflection looked back at me, lips moving out of sync, eyes flicking toward something over my shoulder.
When I turned, I caught a glint of silver disappearing into the dark. Then he was gone, stepping into the glass like it was water, leaving me alone in the silence.
Chapter 15
Etan
Slipping back into the real world was always a rush.
One step and the air changed. It was warmer, heavier, alive with smells and sounds the Mirror Realm could never fake. The grey drained from my skin before I’d even cleared the hallway. My lungs expanded like they’d been empty for years, drinking in air that carried layers of scent: floor polish, pencil shavings, perfume from a passing cheerleader, the sweet scorch of something overbaked in the cafeteria ovens.
Nate was still pounding at the glass behind me when I left. His voice didn’t carry, but I knew what he was saying. He was begging or warning Jess, maybe both. His fists struck the barrier with the desperation of someone who still believed it would matter. I almost admired it. Almost.
Down the corridor, the school hummed with life. Students jostled past, lockers slammed, and a phone blared tinny pop music. Every glance and laugh brushed against me like a current, feeding that quiet hunger under my ribs.
I moved through the crowd without touching anyone. I felt them, though. The subtle shift of their attention when I passed, the hitch in someone’s breath, or the quick flicker of eyes tracking me. I was stitching myself into this place, thread by invisible thread, until tearing me out would mean ripping the whole fabric.
And Jess… Jess wasn’t immune. She wanted to hate me, and maybe she did, but her gaze lingered just long enough to tell me she felt the pull too. I could taste it in the air between us sweet, sharp, like the moment before lightning strikes.
I paused at the glass trophy case by the gym. My reflection winked back at me, but it wasn’t alone. Just for a second, Jess’s reflection joined mine, her brow furrowed, lips parting like she was about to speak.
I smiled. “Soon.”
Because I wasn’t just going to survive here. I was going to make her wonder which side of the glass she really wanted to be on.
Chapter 16
Nate
