The first time Jessica noticed her reflection not matching her movements, she told herself it was just because she was tired.

While brushing her teeth after another long night of chatting with Sky, she glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror. She lifted her toothbrush, and for a brief moment, her reflection didn’t move with her.

“That’s a bit concerning she mumbled with toothpaste in her mouth.

She blinked hard, splashed some cold water on her face, and looked again. Everything appeared to be normal.

“Too many scary movies, Martinez,” she reassured herself. “Your mind is playing tricks on you.”

But it kept happening.

In the hallway mirror, her reflection seemed to smile just a second too late. On the black screen of her phone, she saw flashes of her face moving by itself. At school, the reflections in the windows looked like they were watching her instead of copying what she did.

“I’m losing my mind,” Jessica wrote in her journal that night. “Either that or I’m stuck in a supernatural horror film. Given my luck, it’s probably both.”

She took a silly selfie and quickly switched to selfie mode to check how she looked live. For a moment, both images matched perfectly. Then the reflection in the camera blinked slowly while Jessica kept her eyes wide open.

“No way. This can’t be real.”

She picked up her phone and called Scott.

“Jess? It’s midnight. Are you okay?”

“Define ‘okay.’” Jessica walked around her room anxiously. “Hypothetically speaking, if someone’s reflection started acting strange, what could that mean?”

There was a pause. “Strange how?”

“Like… not moving exactly when I do or blinking at different times.”

“Jess, are you feeling alright? Have you been sleeping enough?”

“I’m serious, Scott! What could cause that?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe fatigue? Stress? You might want to see a doctor.”

"Maybe I’m being haunted by a spirit that thrives on teenage loneliness and has an odd fixation with roses.”

“…What?”

“Forget it. Go back to sleep.”

“Jessica, wait—”

She ended the call and instantly felt bad about it. Scott would be worried and likely come to check on her. But she wasn’t ready to explain that her online boyfriend might not be entirely human.

Her phone vibrated.

*Sky: You’re scared.*

*Jessica: No kidding, Sherlock. My reflection is acting like it’s alive.*

*Sky: That’s normal, Cinderella. Your soul is growing. Becoming more than just human.*

*Jessica: That doesn’t make me feel any better.*

*Sky: Change is always hard. But think about what you’re evolving into. What we are evolving into together.*

*Jessica: And what exactly are we becoming?*

*Sky: Eternal.*

Jessica looked at the word. Eternal. It should have felt sweet, but something about it made her uneasy.

*Jessica: I need to see you. For real. Video call, now.*

*Sky: I told you, I’m not ready for that yet.*

*Jessica: Why not? We’ve been talking for weeks. If we’re going to be “eternal,” shouldn’t I know what you look like?*

*Sky: You know what I look like from my pictures.*

*Jessica: Pictures can be fake. Video calls can’t.*

There was a long silence before:

*Sky: You don’t trust me.*

*Jessica: I’m starting to doubt it.*

*Sky: After everything I’ve shared with you? After I've opened up completely?*

Jessica felt a familiar ache of guilt. Sky had always been sweet to her. He listened to her worries, dreams, and random thoughts about horror movies and books. He made her feel unique in a way no one else ever had.

*Jessica: It’s not about trust. I just want to truly know you.*

*Sky: You know me better than anyone else, Cinderella. You see my soul.*

*Jessica: But I don’t know your face. Your real voice. Your true name.*

*Sky: Sky is my real name.*

*Jessica: Sky what? What’s your last name? Where do you live? How old are you really?*

There was another long pause.

*Sky: You’re asking the wrong questions.*

*Jessica: Then what should I ask?*

*Sky: Do you love me?*

Jessica's breath caught in her throat. Love. They had never used that word before.

*Jessica: I… I care about you a lot.*

*Sky: That’s not what I asked.*

*Jessica: I’m not sure if I can love someone I’ve never actually met.*

*Sky: You’re breaking my heart, Cinderella.*

*Jessica: Then show me you’re real. Video call me right now.*

*Sky: I can’t.*

*Jessica: Can’t or won’t?*

*Sky: There’s no difference.*

Jessica placed her phone down and walked over to her mirror. Her reflection looked perfectly normal, perfectly in sync. But something felt different in the air around her—thicker and colder.

She picked up her phone once more.

*Jessica: I think we should take a break.*

*Sky: You can’t be serious.*

*Jessica: I really am. I need some time to think.*

*Sky: I won’t let you go, Jessica. We’re connected now. Bound together.*

*Jessica: We’re only tied by WiFi and a chat app.*

*Sky: That’s not true.*

The lights in her room flickered, and Jessica's heart began to race.

*Jessica: Did you just…*

*Sky: I told you we’re connected. You can’t escape this, Cinderella. You can’t escape me.*

Jessica felt her hands trembling as she typed quickly:

*Jessica: I’m blocking you.*

*Sky: That won’t help.*

*Jessica: Just watch me.*

She went to Sky’s profile and pressed the block button. Suddenly, her phone screen turned black—not off, but black, like something was crawling across it.

When the screen lit up again, a new message appeared.

*Sky: You can’t block what’s already inside you.*

Jessica dropped her phone, and it bounced on the carpet before sliding under her bed.

As she reached for it, she heard someone softly calling her name.

“Jessica…”

She turned around, but her room was empty.

“Cinderella…”

The voice was coming from her mirror.

With shaky legs, Jessica stepped closer to the glass. Her reflection stared back at her, but its lips weren’t moving. Even though the reflection didn’t speak, Jessica could hear her own voice calling out to her.

Then her reflection smiled.

And Jessica realized she was in big trouble.