GRAVEBORN

2\THE MIRROR

There was an old house at the end of Maple Road. It had been abandoned for years, left to rot after the last owners disappeared without a trace. Everyone in the small town knew about the house, but nobody dared go near it, not even kids on a dare. It was the kind of place you only whispered about late at night.

Rachel had just moved to town. She was 14, and she didn't know anyone. Her mom had gotten a new job here, so they packed up and left everything behind. Rachel didn't want to move. She missed her old friends, her old life, but it wasn't like she had a choice. Now she was stuck in a town where everything felt wrong.

On the first day of school, Rachel heard the stories. The kids talked about the house at the end of Maple Road, about how it was haunted, how people had seen things in the windows, even though nobody had lived there in years. Some said they had heard screams coming from the house at night. Others claimed they had seen lights flickering inside, even when the power was out.

Rachel didn't believe in ghosts. But after hearing so many people talk about it, she felt something she hadn't expected—curiosity.

One cold afternoon, Rachel found herself standing at the end of Maple Road. The house loomed in front of her, tall and dark. The windows were broken, the wood peeling, and the yard was overgrown with weeds. It looked like something from a bad dream.

She had ridden her bike here, just to see it for herself. The wind was blowing, making the trees sway and groan. The house stood silent, like it was waiting for something. Rachel told herself she would just look. She wouldn't go in.

But the longer she stood there, the more she felt pulled toward it.

She took a step closer. Then another. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her hands felt sweaty, but she couldn't stop herself. She walked up the cracked path, her eyes fixed on the front door. It was slightly open, as if inviting her in.

Rachel swallowed hard, then pushed the door open with a creak.

Inside, the house was dark. The air smelled damp, and the floor was covered in dust. Everything was silent, except for the wind outside. She stepped inside, her shoes making soft sounds against the wooden floor. There was furniture still in the house—a couch, a coffee table, even a few pictures hanging crookedly on the walls. It looked like the people who had lived here had just walked out one day and never come back.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat as she looked around. It was creepy, but also strangely... normal. She had expected it to feel worse, more terrifying, but it just felt like an empty house.

As she wandered deeper into the house, she noticed something strange. There were no signs of life, no personal things left behind—no clothes, no dishes, nothing. It was as if the house had been waiting for someone, untouched for years.

She found herself drawn to the stairs. They creaked under her weight as she climbed to the second floor. There was a long hallway with doors on either side. Most of them were closed, except for one at the very end.

The door was slightly open, just like the front door had been.

Rachel hesitated, her pulse quickening. She didn't want to go any further, but something—some invisible force—pushed her forward. She walked toward the door, her heart beating faster with every step. The air felt colder the closer she got, like the temperature had dropped suddenly.

When she reached the door, she hesitated. Her hand hovered over the knob. She could feel the chill seeping through the wood. Her mind screamed at her to turn back, to leave the house and never come back.

But she didn't listen.

Rachel pushed the door open.

The room was small and empty, except for a single object in the middle of the floor. A mirror. It was an old, round mirror with a golden frame, covered in dust and cobwebs. The glass was cracked, but still intact.