Shattered Reflections

Chapter 4: The Edge of Reality

The minutes stretched on like hours as Elise stared at her phone, waiting for a response. Every passing second seemed heavier than the last. The air in her room had become thick, suffocating. Her fingers tapped nervously against the phone's screen, but Caleb didn't reply. She told herself it was fine—maybe he was busy, or maybe he hadn't seen the message yet. But deep down, something told her that it wasn't fine. Something told her that she was facing something far more dangerous than she'd realized.

The whispering voice in the mirror had left her unsettled. It was the same voice that had haunted her thoughts for days. But this time, it wasn't just an echo. It felt like a presence—alive, watching, waiting. Every time she looked at the glass, it seemed like the mirror was calling to her, drawing her in deeper.

"Elise..."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she froze. This time, the voice wasn't in her mind. It was real. She looked toward the mirror, but it remained still, its surface reflecting only her room, her own trembling figure. The soft glow of her lamp cast faint shadows along the edges, but the image remained unchanged. No flickers, no distortions. Just her reflection.

Yet, she could hear it again.

"Elise..."

The voice came from behind her.

She spun around, heart racing, but there was no one there. The room was silent, save for the pounding of her own heartbeat.

She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to steady her nerves. This wasn't real. She had to stop letting her fear control her. There had to be a logical explanation for everything—the mirror, the strange reflections, the voices. Maybe it was just stress, or maybe she was overthinking things.

But deep down, she knew the truth. There was something wrong. Something out of place. Something that didn't belong.

And it was getting closer.

Her phone buzzed suddenly, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked down, startled. It was a message from Caleb.

"I'm on my way."

A wave of relief washed over her, though it was fleeting. She quickly typed back, her fingers trembling.

"Thank you. Please hurry."

Her heart slowed a little as she read his response. At least he was coming. But as the minutes ticked by, the unease only grew. Caleb didn't know about the mirror, about the voice, about what was happening to her. How could she explain it to him? Would he think she was losing her mind?

The air seemed to grow colder, heavier, as if the room was shrinking. She could almost feel the weight of unseen eyes watching her from every corner. The mirror's surface glistened faintly in the dim light, and for a brief moment, Elise thought she saw something move in its depths.

Her breath caught. No, it couldn't be. She had to be imagining it. There was no way.

She leaned closer, her hands gripping the edges of the dresser for support. And then, just as she feared, the mirror flickered. The familiar distortion rippled across the glass like a wave crashing over the shore, and before she could pull away, the reflection wasn't hers anymore.

It was Caleb.

This time, he was standing directly in front of her in the mirror, just as real as he was in person. His expression was unreadable, his dark eyes intense and searching. But something was different. His reflection seemed... off. His face was slightly warped, his features sharper, his eyes more distant. It was like he was looking at her, but not really seeing her. There was a coldness in his gaze, an unsettling void that made her skin crawl.

"Elise..." The voice, no longer just a whisper, rang out from the mirror. Caleb's reflection moved, and he smiled—except the smile was wrong. It was too wide, too sinister. And there was something else behind his eyes, something dark and dangerous.

"Caleb?" Elise whispered, her voice trembling. She reached out, her hand hovering above the mirror's surface. "What's happening? Why are you—"

But before she could finish her sentence, the reflection of Caleb vanished. The mirror returned to normal, showing only her own confused and terrified face.

Elise gasped, stumbling backward. She pressed her hands to her forehead, trying to steady herself. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. It had to be another trick of her mind. She was exhausted, overwhelmed. The stress of the past few days was getting to her.

But deep down, a cold, undeniable truth gnawed at her. This wasn't a trick. It wasn't her imagination. Something was happening—something she couldn't explain, but that she knew was real.

She was afraid.

The sound of footsteps outside her door made her jump, and she turned toward it, her heart skipping a beat. Caleb. He was here. She ran to the door, her pulse pounding in her ears.

When she opened it, Caleb was standing there, his expression concerned, his eyes searching her face as if trying to understand what was going on.

"Elise?" he asked softly, stepping inside. "You okay?"

For a moment, Elise just stared at him, unsure of what to say. She wanted to tell him everything—to tell him about the mirror, the voices, the reflection of him that had appeared in the glass. But how could she explain it? How could she make him understand?

"I... I don't know," she admitted, her voice shaking. "Something's wrong, Caleb. I can't explain it, but I feel like I'm losing control. I don't know what's real anymore."

Caleb stepped closer, his gaze softening. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, grounding her in the present. "You're not losing control," he said, his voice steady. "You're just going through a tough time. You don't have to deal with this alone. I'm here, okay?"

But as he spoke, Elise couldn't shake the feeling that something was still off. Caleb's touch was comforting, but his presence didn't feel the same. There was a distance in his eyes, something she couldn't quite place. It was almost like he wasn't really there with her.

The sound of the mirror in her room creaking softly brought her back to reality. She swallowed hard, her pulse racing. She had to face it. She had to confront whatever was going on before it consumed her completely.

"Caleb," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "you need to stay away from the mirror."