"Close your eyes again. No, not that hard. Alright... Yeah, I guess that's the best she knows how to do. Plus, I think it's good you have at least one decent parental figure. I mean, if you need, you know she'll be there, so..."
Kelsi's right, it does feel good. I wasn't even that nervous when we talked last night, unlike all the previous times. She keeps going with my makeup, and I'm a bit curious to see what she'll do. I'm almost glad we got kicked out of class, it won't look like I took some time for this before going to see Liam... Crap, now I'm nervous again about seeing him. Will he come on his bike? I hope he does. ...Will it be awkward? Probably. I mean, we still have nothing saying Mara isn't his half-sister, and that's one issue we need to clear up soon...
"Mara?"
"Hm?"
"What was that thing you kept scribbling earlier? It looked like witchcraft symbols."
"Oh..."
Without thinking, I grab one of the lipsticks and draw them on the mirror.
"Hey! That's expensive lipstick!"
"Whatever, I'll buy you another one."
"Plus you have a pen and a notepad in your bag!"
"Kelsi, this," I say, ignoring her plea. "What do those mean? I've had these things on my mind since this morning."
"Huh... The three-moon one means Moon Goddess, the second is the Blessing, I think. The spiral... I don't remember which way which is which, but one is for Rebirth, the other for Spirituality, so either of those."
"Okay..."
"Why am I the one who knows these things better than you, by the way? You're the witch, start studying your basics!"
"Yes, yes... I'll get to learning them. I wonder why these three stuck to me, though."
"You did say you checked the book again this morning, maybe you remembered the prettiest or easiest ones."
"Maybe..."
"Anyway," she says, "do you like your makeup? Should I do more?"
I lift my eyes up, from the symbols to my reflection. However, I don't recognize myself.
Because I'm not staring at myself, not even with the change of makeup. It's that silhouette again, the one with paler skin. I gasp, shocked, and Kelsi chuckles.
"Not bad, huh? You've got pretty skin to begin with, so..."
Kelsi sends a glance toward the mirror, but it looks like she doesn't notice the difference. ...Am I the only one seeing this? It's... disturbing. That reflection is mimicking the slightest of my movements, even the way my chest goes up and down under my breathing, but unlike me, she has a smile on, and a confident look. Who the heck is that... She's even wearing my clothes. Skinny jeans, an asymmetric top with embroidered patterns, and a large dark denim jacket.
"Yeah... Thanks, Kelsi."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just surprised."
Just surprised to see someone else staring right back at me as if she's my reflection. I try to control my breathing, but this is so disturbing. I want to pinch myself, verify this is real, but I don't want to alert Kelsi. She obviously doesn't see that other girl in the mirror, and I am not sure what I'm seeing, either. Why is this happening? The only time I caught a glimpse of her before was when I used the magic circle! I glance down. ...Is it the symbols? Because I drew them on the mirror?
"Alright! Can you wait for me?" asks Kelsi. "I'll just go to the bathroom quickly and then let's leave before we get in the midst of another angry student mob..."
She disappears inside one of the bathroom stalls, and I'm left alone to stare at that strange reflection of myself. No, not myself. Who the hell is she?
I have no idea what to do. I keep staring at her, trying to get a clue. Is this Mara? Or Clarissa? Why does she feel so familiar? I raise my hand, slowly, and she does just the same. She's not me, but she has to follow my movements? Her skin tone is different, she has no scars. Her hair is not black, but dark brown, and... her eyes are blue, or dark gray, something like that. She had thin lips and a larger nose. The more I stare at her, the more her features get clearer, but she still looks... a lot like me. Who the heck is she?
Suddenly, her lips move, and I can clearly read what she's saying.
