Aarav didn't sleep.
He couldn't.
The phone lay beside him, screen dark now, but it didn't feel inactive. It felt… aware. Like it was waiting.
The room was silent again.
Too normal.
Too still.
His eyes kept drifting back to the mirror, but he avoided looking directly at it. The memory of that unnatural smile was enough to keep his heart racing.
"This has to stop," he said under his breath.
He reached for the phone again.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the screen lit up.
The chat was still open.
No new messages.
Aarav exhaled slowly. Maybe it was over. Maybe whatever this was… had ended.
But then his eyes moved to the top of the screen.
The contact name.
He froze.
It no longer said "Unknown."
It no longer just said his name.
Now it showed a profile.
A profile picture.
Aarav's fingers tightened around the phone.
Slowly… he tapped on it.
The image expanded.
And his heart skipped a beat.
It was him.
No doubt about it.
Same face. Same features.
But something was off.
The photo showed Aarav standing in his room—this exact room—but the angle was wrong. It looked like it had been taken from a corner near the ceiling.
A place where there was no camera.
"No… I never took this," he whispered.
He zoomed in.
Every detail was clear.
The bed. The desk. The chair.
Even the clothes he was wearing right now.
This wasn't an old photo.
This was recent.
Too recent.
A cold feeling spread through his chest.
"If I didn't take it… then who did?"
His eyes slowly lifted from the phone and scanned the room.
The ceiling.
The walls.
The corners.
Nothing.
No cameras.
No devices.
Nothing that could have captured that image.
He looked back at the phone.
The profile picture… changed.
Aarav flinched.
It wasn't the same image anymore.
Now—
It showed him sleeping.
On the same bed.
Same position.
Same blanket.
Aarav's breath caught in his throat.
"That's not possible…"
He hadn't slept.
Not even for a second.
He knew that.
He was sure of it.
His hands started shaking.
"This is live… or something worse…"
The image shifted again.
This time—
It showed him looking at the phone.
Exactly what he was doing right now.
But the expression was different.
In the picture—
He was smiling.
A slow… unnatural smile.
Aarav immediately dropped the phone onto the bed.
"No."
He pushed himself back, creating distance.
"I'm not doing that… I'm not smiling…"
His breathing became uneven again.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Smaller.
Like the walls were closing in.
After a few seconds, he forced himself to look back at the phone.
The screen was still on.
The profile picture was still there.
But now—
It was just a blank grey circle.
As if nothing had ever been there.
Aarav frowned.
"What…?"
He slowly picked the phone up again.
His fingers hesitated before tapping the profile.
This time—
No image.
No details.
Just emptiness.
But something new appeared below the name.
A single line of text.
"Last updated: 2:13 AM"
Aarav stared at it.
Of course.
2:13 AM.
Always the same.
Always stuck.
He went back to the chat.
And right as he did—
Buzz.
A new message appeared.
He didn't open it immediately.
He just stared at it.
His heartbeat loud in his ears.
Finally, he tapped.
"You're starting to notice."
Aarav clenched his jaw.
"Notice what?" he said, frustration mixing with fear now.
His fingers moved quickly.
What do you want from me?
The reply came slower this time.
The typing dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
As if something was thinking.
Watching.
Calculating.
Then—
The message arrived.
"To see what you do next."
Aarav's grip tightened.
"Like a test…" he whispered.
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
And the moment he said it—
Buzz.
Another message.
Instant.
"Exactly."
Aarav's eyes widened.
His thoughts…
It could hear them.
Or predict them.
Or worse—
It already knew them.
A sudden realization hit him.
"This isn't random…"
His voice was low now. Focused.
"This is controlled."
The messages.
The images.
The timing.
Everything.
Like someone—or something—was running this.
Testing him.
Watching every reaction.
Aarav slowly looked up again.
Toward the mirror.
He hesitated.
Then forced himself to look directly at it.
His reflection stared back.
Still.
Normal.
No smile.
No movement.
For a moment, relief washed over him.
Maybe it was over.
Maybe the worst had passed.
Then—
The phone buzzed again.
Aarav didn't break eye contact with the mirror.
Slowly, he raised the phone and glanced at the new message.
"Don't trust what you see."
Aarav's breath slowed.
His eyes remained fixed on the mirror.
And this time—
Very slowly—
His reflection blinked.
A second too late.
Aarav's heart dropped.
Because now he knew—
It wasn't just showing him things.
It was changing them.
And he had no control over what would come next.