Sharon's eyes opened in the mirror, trapped in a reflection of herself. The boy's face floated beside hers, smiling like he'd won.
"Welcome to forever," he whispered.
She tried to move, but her reflection held her tight. The glass felt like ice, cold and unyielding.
The boy's voice came from everywhere. "You can't escape me now."
Sharon's mind screamed, but there was no sound. She was stuck, a prisoner in glass.
The reflection changed, showing her memories—Emilia laughing, the forest ritual, the knife slicing her skin. The boy's laughter echoed, like he'd orchestrated it all.
_You were always mine_, he whispered.
Sharon's thoughts blurred, like she was dissolving. The mirror seemed to expand, swallowing her.
***
She woke in the mansion's hall, gasping. Was it real? The mirror reflected her face—eyes brown, not black.
But the boy stood behind her, smiling. "It's real, Sharon."
Her heart pounded. "What do you want?"
He leaned closer. "I want you to stay. With me."
The word _stay_ felt like a trap. "No," she whispered.
The boy's eyes flashed black. "You can't leave."
He reached for her, and she saw it—the knife, gliving in his hand.
Sharon dodged, but he was faster. The blade sliced her arm, pain like fire.
She stumbled back, vision blurring. The mirror rippled, like water disturbed.
The boy's face appeared in the glass. "You'll be with me," he whispered.
Sharon's world went dark.
***
She woke in a loop—mansion, mirror, boy, knife. Each time, the pain was sharper. Each time, she was weaker.
The boy's voice came from everywhere. "You'll forget. You'll stay."
Sharon's memories blurred—Emilia, the ritual, the love, the pain. She didn't know what was real.
The loop tightened, like a noose.
***
In the mirror, she saw it—the symbol on her chest, carved like a brand.
_Mine_, the boy whispered.
Sharon's mind screamed. She was losing herself.
The mirror shattered.
***
She woke gasping, on the floor. The mansion was silent. The mirror lay broken, shards everywhere.
Sharon stumbled up, vision blurring. She had to get out.
The front door swung open, like she'd been expected.
She ran into night air, heart pounding. The boy stood on the lawn, smiling.
"You can't escape," he said.
Sharon's breath caught. "I broke the mirror."
He tilted his head. "You broke the glass. Not me."
The shadows around him seemed to move, like they were alive.
The boy reached for her. "Come back."
Sharon remembered something—Emilia's words, scribbled in a book. _Love is the mirror's curse. Break it with love._
She looked at the boy, his black eyes empty. "I don't love you," she said.
The words hung in the air. The shadows around him twisted, like they'd been cut.
The boy's face contorted, like he'd been hurt. "No," he whispered.
Sharon stepped back, hands shaking. "I break the curse. With my love for myself."
The boy screamed, his body dissolving into shadows. The darkness swallowed him.
The mansion's lights flickered, like they'd been held. The mirror's shards on the ground seemed to melt, like ice in sun.
Sharon felt it—the shadow within her, gone. Her eyes were brown again.
She turned to leave, but the mansion's door was locked. The windows were black, like they'd been painted shut.
A whisper came, from inside her. _It's not over_.
Sharon's heart pounded. She looked at her hands, like they belonged to someone else.
The shadows around her seemed to move, like they were waiting.
***
She woke in a hospital, bandages on her hands. The nurse smiled.
"You're okay," she said. "You were found in the mansion."
Sharon's memories rushed back—the boy, the mirror, the curse. She looked at her hands, like they'd betrayed her.
The nurse frowned. "You need to rest."
Sharon nodded, but her mind was racing. The shadows in the room seemed to move, like they were watching.
She slept, but the dreams came—boy, mirror, knife.
***
Years later, she wrote it all down. The story of Horror Love.
She locked the manuscript, like it was a secret.
The shadows in her room seemed to move, like they remembered.
Sharon smiled, eyes on the page. "It's over," she whispered.
The shadows didn't move again.