The reflection didn't wave like a friend.
It waved like it knew something Ethan didn't.
And then it stopped. Tilted its head. And smiled—a slow, wrong kind of smile.
Ethan slammed the bathroom door shut.
The reflection kept moving—through the closed mirror.
He backed away, heart pounding.
Then everything froze.
The lights stopped flickering. The clock stopped ticking. Even the hum of the refrigerator ceased.
It was like the world held its breath.
And in that silence, the doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Ethan turned toward the door, drawn forward like a thread was pulling him.
He placed his hand on the knob—and this time, it turned.
But when he opened the door, the hallway was empty.
Except—
At the far end stood himself.
Same face. Same clothes. Same confusion.
The other Ethan raised a hand.
So did he.
The hallway flickered like a damaged video file. The walls warped, stretched, and snapped back into shape.
And then—
The other Ethan spoke.
"Do you remember yet?"
The words hit Ethan like a punch to the chest.
"What?"
But the other him was already walking away, leaving only a folded paper on the ground where he'd stood.
Ethan picked it up. Unfolded it.
You're asking the wrong question. It's not 'Who am I?'
It's 'Whose memory is this?'
He stared down the empty hallway, the words echoing in his skull.
He walked back inside. The room had changed again.
Photos on the wall he didn't remember taking.
A toothbrush that wasn't his.
A sweater he never bought.
Something was wrong with this life—and he wasn't the only one who knew.
He picked up the original note again.
You're in my dream. Wake up.
Then he looked in the mirror once more.
This time, his reflection didn't copy him at all.
It stared at him—then slowly raised one finger.
Pointed behind him.
He spun around—
—and found nothing.
Empty room. Quiet. Normal.
But his phone buzzed.
New notification:
"Mira has sent you a message."
He didn't know any Mira.
But the message read:
"If you're seeing doubles, you're not dreaming anymore. You're remembering. Find the stairs."