That morning, Amara woke up earlier than usual. Ever since what happened in the old shed the night before, she hadn't been able to truly calm her mind. The sentence that had appeared in the mirror kept coming back to her.
"Don't believe everything you hear."
The sentence left her confused.
Was that warning meant for her mother?
Or maybe for someone she hadn't met yet?
Amara sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Alina's blue bracelet, which she had placed on the table.
"Who are you, really?" she whispered.
There was no answer.
Only the sound of birds outside the window kept her company in the quiet morning.
After getting ready, Amara went downstairs to the dining room. Rina had already prepared breakfast, but the atmosphere between them felt different.
Usually, her mother was very talkative, but today Rina was mostly silent.
"Mom," Amara called.
Rina turned toward her.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you look scared when you saw that box?"
Rina stopped serving herself food.
"I was just startled."
"Because of Alina's name?"
Rina didn't answer right away.
Amara knew her mother was hiding something.
"I just want to know what really happened."
Rina sighed.
"Sometimes there are things that are better left unknown."
"But I've already seen the shadow, Mom."
That sentence made Rina fall silent immediately.
"You're still seeing it?"
Amara nodded.
"It showed up last night too."
Rina looked at her daughter's face worriedly.
"Amara, promise me something."
"What?"
"If something happens, don't face it alone."
Amara nodded slowly.
"I'm not alone. I have Dika."
As if summoned by his name, the sound of a motorcycle came from the front of the house.
A few seconds later, Dika appeared in the doorway.
"Morning."
Amara looked at him.
"You're early."
Dika smiled.
"If I'm late, you'll end up going into an empty house alone. I still want to live."
Amara let out a small laugh.
Rina only gave them a faint smile as she watched them.
"Be careful."
"Okay, Mom," Amara replied.
The two of them finally left for Alina's family's old house.
The house stood at the edge of the village, not too far from Amara's home. But the closer they got, the quieter everything became.
Tall trees lined the road.
The villagers' houses grew few and far between.
Dika, who was driving the motorcycle, kept an eye on their surroundings.
"This place is kind of creepy."
Amara looked ahead.
"Are you scared?"
"Nope."
"You're lying."
"A little."
Amara smiled.
A few minutes later, they arrived in front of a large house that looked like it hadn't been inhabited for a long time.
The paint on its walls was beginning to peel.
The front yard was overgrown with weeds.
The iron fence was covered in rust.
Amara got off the motorcycle.
"This is the house?"
Dika nodded.
"I've passed by here before, but I've never gone inside."
Amara approached the fence.
Something about the place felt familiar.
As if she'd seen it before.
She looked up at the second-floor window.
And suddenly, her body stopped moving.
Behind the windowpane...
there was the shadow of someone.
"Amara?"
Dika's voice brought her back to her senses.
"Do you see that?"
Dika looked in the same direction.
"See what?"
Amara looked at the window again.
It was empty.
"It's nothing."
They opened the gate, which turned out to be unlocked.
The iron gave a long, creaking groan.
As they entered the yard, Amara felt that the air around the house was different.
Heavier.
They walked toward the front door.
The door was slightly open.
Dika looked at Amara.
"Are we sure about going in?"
Amara nodded.
"We've come this far."
They entered slowly.
The inside of the house was far messier than Amara's grandmother's house.
Old furniture was covered in dust.
Photographs still hung on the walls.
But one photo caught Amara's attention.
A photo of a little girl.
Alina.
A little boy stood beside her.
Amara moved closer.
"Who is he?"
Dika looked at it too.
"Maybe her little brother."
Small writing appeared beneath the photo.
"Alina and Raka."
Amara read the name.
"Raka..."
Suddenly, her head began to spin.
A shadow appeared.
Not in the mirror.
But directly in her mind.
A little boy was running through this house.
Someone's voice rang out.
"Raka, don't go too far!"
Then everything disappeared.
Amara staggered.
Dika immediately grabbed her hand.
"What's wrong?"
"I saw something."
"What?"
"A little boy."
Dika looked at the photo again.
"Raka?"
Amara nodded.
They continued searching.
In the back room, they found a bedroom that still looked neat.
Unlike the other rooms.
There was a notebook on the table.
Amara picked it up.
The first page bore a name.
"Alina."
They looked at each other.
"It's her diary."
Amara opened the next page.
The handwriting inside was still clear.
Today I saw someone in the mirror again. I'm scared, but Grandma says I don't need to be afraid. He only wants to show me something.
Amara read slowly.
Dika stood beside her.
"She saw the shadow too?"
Amara nodded.
The next page contained another entry.
I'm starting to know who he is. He isn't a ghost like people think. He's part of the past that hasn't been resolved.
Amara stopped reading.
"What does that mean?"
Before Dika could answer, they heard footsteps outside the bedroom.
They immediately fell silent.
The footsteps drew closer.
Someone stopped right outside the door.
Dika grabbed whatever object was nearby to defend himself.
The bedroom door slowly opened.
But it wasn't a stranger who appeared.
It was an old man.
"Who are you?"
Amara and Dika were startled.
The man looked at the book in Amara's hand.
"You found that book?"
Amara stood up.
"Who are you, sir?"
The old man looked at Alina's photo on the table.
"I'm the last person who saw Alina before she disappeared."
Amara held her breath.
"Who are you?"
The man answered quietly.
"My name is Arman."
He looked toward Amara.
"And if you've found that book..."
"...then the shadow has chosen you."