Chapter 8: The Reflection Lies
The knocking continued.
"Kavy? Say something."
She could hear the concern in their voice. The hesitation.
They were worried.
They should be.
Kavy licked her lips, her throat dry.
She should answer. Say something normal.
But what if she couldn't?
What if her voice didn't sound like hers anymore?
What if she opened her mouth and something else spoke instead?
A shiver crawled down her spine.
The knocking stopped.
A beat of silence.
Then footsteps, fading away.
They were leaving.
Kavy let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
The voice inside her chuckled. "Good girl."
Her stomach clenched.
No. Not good.
She wasn't listening to it. She wasn't obeying.
She was just… scared.
Her hands shook as she reached for the sink, pulling herself up. Her legs felt weak, like she hadn't used them in days.
The mirror stood in front of her.
She hesitated.
Don't look.
She didn't want to.
But… she had to.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze.
Her breath hitched.
It wasn't her.
Or—it was.
But something was wrong.
Her pupils were too dark, too wide.
Her skin paler.
Her lips redder, as if stained.
She leaned closer.
The reflection didn't.
Kavy froze.
Her chest tightened, air refusing to enter her lungs.
She blinked.
The reflection smiled.
Kavy screamed.
She stumbled back, her heart hammering, her head spinning.
No. No, no, no.
The mirror was lying.
…Wasn't it?
Her breath came out ragged. Her body felt wrong.
Too tight. Too small for whatever was inside her.
She clutched her arms, squeezing them hard.
She needed to feel real.
She needed to stay herself.
Because if she lost that—
She wouldn't get it back.
The voice purred in her mind.
"Why are you fighting me?"
Kavy bit her lip hard enough to taste blood.
Because if she answered—
It meant she was listening.
And if she listened…
She might start believing.