1 I

The mirror is ancient looking. It doesn't even have a paint. It's just a made of plain woods that seems rotten, but still hard.

Natalia is examining the mirror, looking at every part of it. Geraldine, Natalia's mother, look at her daughter saying, "We're going to buy this mirror, honey," Natalia pouted. The mirror look so old, but the stand were firm, it can never be pulled by her, she can't broke it easily unlike their previous one. But that's good for her though, Natalia is girly girl who loves to stare at her reflection. Glaring at herself makes her glad as she compliment herself when nobody's looking, she thought people will think that she's crazy when she talks to herself. She can't stop that mannerism, so she better just do it when nobody's around.

"Good morning, Ma'am," the saleslady approached Geraldine. "Today, we're selling this mirror with 50% discount. I guarantee you that this is so strong, though it was made the year 1666."

Natalia raised a brow. The mirror is elder than her great grandmother. She wouldn't like to keep that kind of thing.

"1666? Isn't that mirror cursed, bewitched, or what?" she asked the saleslady and turn to her mother, saying, "Mom, I don't want to see this mirror in the house!" she yelled.

"The decision's mine, Natalia. And I made my choice, we're going to buy this treasured mirror. And I promise, you won't throw it when you saw a pimple on your face."

The latter just rolled her eyes. She know she can do nothing about it anyway.

They bought the mirror. The staffs delivered it to their house right after they bought it. When they got home, she quickly unpackaged it. Indeed, she doesn't like the look of the mirror but her reflection is the deal here. She's ought to see her face ever since she broke their previous mirror this morning.

"So beautiful..." Geraldine look at her daughter who seems to enjoy looking at the mirror. "I thought you didn't like that?" she asked.

Natalia look at her mother with wide eyes, matching her mouth that can almost form a perfect circle while her hands is covering it. "I was talking about my reflection, Mom."

Back on business, she stare back at her reflection. She smiled and even talked to her reflection as if it's another person. "Yes, I know I'm beautiful. Thank you for the compliment."

She showed a huge smile but Geraldine suddenly appear and covered the mirror with a blanket. Natalia was shocked with her Mother's act. She's definitely a killjoy. Why would a mother interrupt her only daughter for making fun?

"Stop talking to the mirror. You're reflection doesn't have a life. She won't respond unless you foolishly do. No go to your room and sleep!"

"But Mom-"

"No more buts, young lady. You should stop doing that. If anyone caught you doing that, they might think I raised a kid with a mental illness."

"But you didn't."

"Then prove it. Now sleep or else, you won't see your face for a week or two."

Caught off guard, she irritatedly marched towards her room. It's still eight in the evening and it's too early for her to sleep. So instead of closing her eyes, she opened her Twitter account just to have fun looking at the post.

She was busy scrolling up and down when she suddenly noticed a tweet. "Don't stare at your reflection's eye for too long, it may have it's own life," she read.

She's shocked with the post. For a person who stare at the mirror for too long, it surely is a bluff for her. But still, she felt goosebumps when she read it.

Then she realized, she never stare at her own eyes in the mirror. She just stare blankly as she think about the tweet, then her phone suddenly closed then her reflection on the screen showed up. She saw her eyes.

Terrified, she suddenly get up from her bed and she turn on the lights.

She scared herself, there's no way she could possibly sleep in the dark by now. As the light embraces her in the room, she sleep tightly.

Natalia is used to a seven-hour sleep. That's the limit of sleep in her body, she couldn't sleep longer nor shorter. As she open her eyes, she got irritated by the light. But then she suddenly remember what happened last night so keep the it open.

It's three in the morning, she felt thirsty all of a sudden, so she went down to the kitchen to get some water, and of course, she turn on the lights in every possible hall she may pass in the house.

From the kitchen, she noticed the mirror on the living room. It's still covered by blanket. She want to see her reflection at this very moment but the Tweet keeps entering her mind. But she cannot let herself be terrified, she have to prove what she have read was wrong.

Slowly, she walk near the mirror, then she take off the blanket, her heart is trembling in fear as she raise her sight to look at her reflection.

"The lights were all open, so why should I be scared?" she thought. But then another thought come into her mind, what if they run out of electricity?

Nevermind those thoughts, she look at her reflection in the mirror, she's so beautiful according to her. She loves to show a smile even though she can only see it. She look at her reflection's eyes, she smile for a seconds but then she removed her smile. Goosebumps possess her when her reflection didn't stop smiling and even manage to show a smirk.

She shook her head, thinking thinking she just rapt. Then she look back at her reflection, it came back to normal, it follows her every move. She's frightened. She can't think of anything but running away but her toes were frozen-not when her reflection run away before she does. Then a loud scream conquer the house.

×

The next morning, Natalia hugged her mother so tight as she cry while telling her what happened. She said that the saying was true, her reflection is now alive.

Well, she told her what happened last night. But she's crying the whole she's telling her.

"Natalia. What are you saying? Maybe you're just dreaming, you're reflection can never have a life," her Mother said as it tries to pull her towards the mirror to see her reflection. She tried to fight, but her mother was too strong, she closed her eyes when reached the mirror.

"Natalia. Open your eyes so you can see your reflection being a copycat over you." She didn't want to open her eyes but her mother insisted, so she opened it and she look from the foot, to the eyes. Then she quickly loose the look.

"Cover this mirror before you leave, Mom," she plead. So her mother does. And when her mother leaves, she's all alone in the house. She's just sitting when somebody called her, and then she look at her back and see another girl.

She froze. This can't be real. She think that she must be dreaming. She hoped that she's just really dreaming but seconds passed by and the girl is still there.

"Who are you?" she managed to asked even though her voice is trembling out of fear.

The girl who called her is exactly look like her. Disregarding their faces' emotions, it's like looking at the mirror.

They were staring at each other. Natalia look so scared while the latter seems enjoying it.

"Hi, I'm you."

"No! This can't be real! You can't be real! You can't be me!" Natalia shouted at the girl who claims to be her. "How can you be me? Are you my reflection in the mirror? How did you get out there? Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Your life," the girl answered. "Just call me Natasha so it won't be ironic."

×

Meanwhile, Geraldine cannot focus on her work. She keeps on thinking about Natalia. Her daughter seems so scared when she left her in the house.

Nobody's there to take care of her. Yes, she'll be coming back for lunch, but her motherly instinct is telling her to go home right this moment. And so she did without doubt.

When she went home, she saw her daughter at the living room, sitting at the couch while looking at their photographs. She felt relief, her daughter seems fine.

Quickly, she sits beside her daughter and give it a hug. Then she felt something, Natalia's body is cold. She could feel the chill when she hugged her. "You're so cold, Natalia."

"I didn't noticed it, Mom. Maybe I should check the thermostat," her daughter stand up and checked the temperature in their house. The house seems warm for her but why is Natalia cold? And did she just checked the thermostat? She don't do that, why does she do it so suddenly.

Minutes passed by. Aside from being cold, she noticed that she doesn't look at the mirror often. She's just stating at the photo album saying things that she can't even hear.

The latter is just checking each and every picture, envying the real Natalia for having good life while she's just living as her imitation.

"Aren't you going to check yourself in the mirror?" Geraldine asked. But she doesn't get any response from her daughter. She wasn't this usually quiet, unless she's alone in her room. "What do you want for lunch?" she just asked.

"Dinuguan..." her daughter respond. She was shocked. Why would Natalia eat blood?

"Natalia. We're Protestant, why would you eat blood?" she asked her. The latter closed the album then look at her. She realized that her daughter is very pale.

"What? I didn't say anything Mom. I'm full," her daughter said.

Geraldine thinks that her daughter is weird today, or is she just not in the mood to be herself? But concern is what possess her in the moment. Natalia might be sick.

"You need to take a rest," she said. She help her get up and head to her room. Natalia let her mother-who thinks it's weird. She's just so stubborn, and now she's not.

When they reached the room, Geraldine let her daughter lie in the bed, and then she kissed her forehead before she leaves her room and go to her work.

×

Natalia was sad when Geraldine left, she just felt how great it is to be loved by a mother, sad for her. Then someone get out from her bathroom.

"Enjoying my life, Natasha? How could my mother thought I was you. Anyway, since I just need somebody to guard the house while I'm bathing, and now that I'm done, you may now get lost!"

She felt mad.

×

Geraldine is uncomfortable and cannot focus on her work just like this morning, but she tried to concentrate for her job's sake.

While working she can't stop thinking about her daughter, she could be freezing by now. So she call her but her daughter's not answering the phone. She tried for multiple times but she got no response. So she just left a voice mail. "Honey, you can sleep in my room if you like to. So I can take care of you when I'm there."

Two more hours and she could finally go home. And when that two hours has come, she hurries up so the could finally check Natalia.

When she got home, she turn on the lights in the living room, she quickly noticed the mirror, it's broken. The pieces of the broken mirror where on the ground and there's a knife.

She hurries up to check her on her room but she's not there. Geraldine concluded that she received the voice mail so she went to her room. So she went there, and she noticed her daughter, smiling, probably waiting for her to come back.

"Why is the mirror broken again?" she asked Natalia.

"I sent my reflection back to the mirror, Mom. Then I broke it so that she can't get back and steal my life." Geraldine felt goosebumps with her daughter's words. She thought that Natalia's really sick.

"There, there," she caressed her daughter's hair. "Sleep tight and tomorrow will be fine," she kissed her forehead.

She smiled before standing and is about to get out when her daughter spoke.

"Mom, can you check if there's a monster under my bed?"

She kneeled down to check under the bed. She found her own daughter trembling in fear saying, "Mom. Somebody else is in the bed."