Chapter 7 – Cracks in the Mirror
Morning sunlight seeped through the window blinds, casting slanted lines across Ava's face. She sat upright in bed, eyes wide open, clutching the sheets like they were the last barrier between her and madness. Her breathing was shallow, quick. Another nightmare. Another glimpse of Chloe.
She'd seen her again — in the dream. Same long black hair, same piercing gaze, same blood-stained hands. Chloe never spoke in the dreams. She just watched, like a ghost waiting for something. Or someone.
Ava ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm herself. The dreams were becoming frequent. Vivid. Too real.
Her mother knocked gently before peeking into the room. "You're going to be late again."
Ava nodded without looking up. "I'll be quick."
"You okay?" her mother asked, hesitant.
Ava forced a smile. "Fine."
But she wasn't fine. She hadn't been since Chloe's death. Nobody was. The entire campus had mourned. A candlelight memorial. Speeches. Silence. But now, the world was moving on.
Ava wasn't.
---
The halls were noisy as usual, but Ava walked through them like a ghost herself. People nodded at her, some offered sympathetic smiles. Others whispered behind her back.
"She's still not over it?"
"She talks to herself now."
"She swears she sees Chloe in the mirrors."
She ignored them. Or tried to.
In psychology class, she caught herself staring at her notebook for too long. Her pen moved, but she wasn't aware of it. When she glanced down, she saw what she'd written:
Chloe is watching. Chloe is waiting.
Her hand trembled.
Jessy nudged her lightly. "Hey. You okay?"
She nodded too quickly. "Yeah, just… distracted."
"Wanna skip lunch today? We can walk around instead."
She hesitated. "I… sure."
Anything to get away from the whispers.
---
They walked past the field and toward the wooded path near the back of the school. The trees were dense enough to muffle the school noise. Ava liked it here. It reminded her of the times Chloe and she used to sneak out and just talk about everything and nothing.
Jessy glanced at her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"No."
"You sure? You've been… different."
She stopped walking. "I keep seeing her, Jessy. Chloe. She's dead, but I keep seeing her. In reflections. In crowds. I hear her voice sometimes."
Jessy didn't speak for a moment. Then he said gently, "You know that's not real, right? It's grief. It's messing with your mind."
"I'm not crazy."
"I didn't say you were."
"But everyone else thinks so."
Jessy reached for her hand. "I don't. I'm here, Ava. Always."
His hand was warm. Comforting. She squeezed it.
---
That night, Ava stayed up late. She flipped through Chloe's old photos on her phone. Chloe laughing at a party. Chloe lying in bed, face smushed into a pillow. Chloe holding Ava's hand tightly after they snuck out one night.
Ava scrolled slowly, her eyes glassy.
Then she froze.
A new photo appeared.
One she didn't take.
Chloe. Standing at the edge of the school forest. Eyes dark. Staring directly at the camera.
The timestamp read: 12:03 AM. That same night.
Her blood ran cold.
She didn't remember taking it. No one had access to her phone.
She dropped the device.
Her heart pounded.
She picked it up again, tapped the photo.
Deleted.
Gone.
Just like that.
---
The next day, Ava rushed to Lana's room.
Lana looked up, surprised. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Can we talk?" Ava asked.
Lana nodded. "Of course."
Ava told her everything. The dreams. The whispers. The photo.
Lana was quiet for a moment before she said, "I don't think it's a ghost."
"What do you mean?"
"I think it's your guilt."
"My what?"
"You were closest to Chloe. Everyone knows that. When she died, something in you broke. You blame yourself."
Ava swallowed hard. "You think I'm imagining all of this?"
"I think your mind is trying to make sense of the pain. That's all."
But Ava wasn't sure. Deep inside, something didn't sit right. Chloe's death was never fully explained. A fall down the stairs? How? Why was she even in the science building that late?
Too many unanswered questions.
Too many things left unsaid.
---
Later that night, Ava sat by her window, watching the trees sway in the moonlight. Her phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
One message:
"You're not wrong. Keep digging."
Her heart stopped.
She read it again.
Then she looked outside.
A figure.
Standing just beyond the tree line.
Gone when she blinked.
She wasn't insane.
She wasn't alone.
And Chloe's story wasn't over.