Elise stood in front of the mirror, her toothbrush paused mid-air. The reflection staring back at her was the same as always—tired brown eyes, a faded hoodie she practically lived in, and hair that never stayed in place. But this morning, something was different.
A crack.
It started at the corner of the mirror, a thin, jagged line like a lightning bolt frozen in time. She ran her fingers over it, but the glass was cold and smooth. The crack wasn't on the surface.
It was inside.
She tilted her head, studying it. Had it been there before? No—she was sure it hadn't. Elise spent so much time in front of this mirror each morning that she'd have noticed. She stepped back, her skin prickling.
"Elise!" her mother's voice shattered her thoughts. "You're going to be late!"
She shook her head, grabbed her backpack, and shot one last glance at the mirror before heading out the door. Something about that crack—it unsettled her in a way she couldn't explain.
The day began like any other: slow, gray, and tedious. Elise sat at the back of the classroom, her head ducked low, doodling in the margins of her notebook. Math droned on in the background.
"Elise? Elise Carter?"
Her head snapped up. The teacher, Mr. Denton, was standing over her desk, holding out her graded test.
"You're going to need to work harder," he said quietly, just loud enough for the other students to hear. "This won't cut it."
Elise's cheeks burned as she took the paper. A big, red 45 glared back at her, circled at the top. A few stifled giggles erupted from the front row.
She stuffed the paper into her bag, pretending not to notice the glances and whispers. She was used to it. Over the years, she'd perfected the art of invisibility—head down, mouth shut, existing just enough to keep the world at bay.
The final bell rang, and Elise breathed a sigh of relief. She gathered her things and slipped out of the classroom.
But as she walked down the empty hallway, a strange sensation prickled the back of her neck.
Someone was watching her.
She spun around, her heart pounding. The hallway was empty, save for the rows of lockers and the faint hum of the janitor's vacuum in the distance.
She shook her head. "Get a grip, Elise," she muttered under her breath.
The walk home felt longer than usual. The sky was overcast, a blanket of gray that mirrored her mood. When she finally reached her house, she dumped her bag by the door and trudged upstairs to her room.
Her desk was a mess of crumpled papers and half-finished sketches. Elise dropped into her chair, powering up her laptop. The glow of the screen lit up the room as she scrolled through social media. Pictures of classmates laughing, posing, living lives she felt completely removed from.
A notification popped up: "Weekend party at Jake's! Everyone's invited!"
Not everyone, Elise thought bitterly.
She closed the laptop and sighed, rubbing her temples. Her gaze wandered to the mirror across the room—and her stomach flipped.
The crack had grown.
It now stretched diagonally across the glass, like a jagged scar splitting the surface in two. Her pulse quickened.
She hadn't touched it.
"Elise, dinner!" her mother called from downstairs.
"Coming!" she replied, her voice trembling slightly.
As she stood to leave, something caught her eye.
The reflection in the mirror.
It wasn't moving.
Her heart slammed against her ribs as she turned back to the mirror. Her reflection stood perfectly still, staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes.
Elise blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Was she imagining things? The reflection tilted its head, ever so slightly.
Her stomach twisted.
"Elise!" her mother called again.
She bolted out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Dinner was a blur. Her parents chatted about work and bills while Elise pushed her food around her plate. She couldn't stop thinking about the mirror. Maybe it was a trick of the light. Maybe she was just tired.
"Elise, honey, are you feeling okay?" her mom asked.
She nodded quickly. "Yeah. Just tired."
"Well, eat up. You've been looking so pale lately."
Elise forced a small smile and shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.
Back in her room, she hesitated by the door. The mirror loomed across from her bed, the crack now seeming sharper, darker. She approached it cautiously, her palms damp with sweat.
"Okay," she whispered to herself. "Just... look."
She stepped in front of the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her, moving in perfect sync. She waved a hand, and it waved back. She breathed a sigh of relief.
But then—
The crack pulsed.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but Elise saw it. A faint shimmer, like light bending through water. Her reflection froze, its expression hardening.
"Elise," it whispered.
Her blood ran cold.
She stumbled back, her heart hammering in her chest. The mirror went still, her reflection now perfectly normal.
"Elise?"
The voice came from outside her door.
It creaked open, and her mother peeked in. "Are you okay? I heard you talking to someone."
"No," Elise said quickly. "I mean, yes. I'm fine."
Her mom gave her a lingering look before nodding. "Okay. Just let me know if you need anything."
The door clicked shut, and Elise sank onto her bed, staring at the mirror.
The crack was still there, jagged and unmoving. But now, it felt like a warning.
A warning of what?
She didn't know.
But she was determined to find out.
YOU ARE READING
Shattered Reflections
Mystery / ThrillerElise, a quiet high school student, wakes up every day to find her mirror cracked in new, unexplainable ways. At first, she brushes it off, but when she starts seeing glimpses of events that haven't happened yet-and tragedies she could prevent-her l...
