"Nora?" I ask, a bit unsure. "Could I borrow a knife and... a large mirror, if you have one?"
She raises an eyebrow, looking surprised.
"Are you about to do something dangerous?" she asks.
"Probably not.... I mean, maybe for me? I'm not sure. I'll do it in the garden if it makes you feel better. I don't want to put your children in danger."
"...Alright. Liam, can you grab the mirror in the guest room upstairs?"
He nods and leaves us, and with a sigh, Nora walks to her kitchen to grab one of her knives.
"I just need a small one..." I grimace, seeing the size of that thing.
"Oh."
Was she thinking I was about to butcher someone or what? I swallow my saliva, a bit intimidated by her surprising collection of kitchen knives. I had noticed her kitchen was big and well-equipped, she probably cooks a lot... She brings me a smaller one.
"Here. I hope I get it back. Nate got me this set of kitchen knives last Christmas, I haven't gotten around to using it much yet."
"Yeah, I'll... be careful."
She nods, but to my surprise, she doesn't ask what I'm about to do with it. As we wait for Liam in the kitchen, I feel a bit awkward. I suddenly remember how I cried uncontrollably the first time we met... What happened then? Was it because we are related? Did the Mara inside me recognize Nora somehow? It didn't happen when I met Selena, though, and I met the blonde first. If I followed correctly, they should be equally related to me... I mean, to Mara. So why did I react to Nora more than I did to Selena?
Liam finally comes back with the mirror and Nora follows us outside, looking curious.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"Can you lay it down?"
He nods, and lays the mirror flat on the grass. It's just about my size and rectangular. It should be fine. I grab my phone and search for the pictures I took and added on the way there. I should beat myself up for not studying all that witch stuff earlier; I let Kelsi translate it all for me, not thinking about the fact that I was a witch and she wasn't. Of course nothing would happen if she studied or used those...
"Hey, Mara! What are you doing?"
Ignoring Liam and Nora's worries, I take the knife and cut my finger. Crap, that hurts... but at least there is enough blood. With a deep breath, I start drawing my circle on the lower half of the mirror. I need to check a thing or two on my phone, making sure it's a decent magic circle. Once I'm done, my blood having defined a clear enough shape, I add the three symbols above it from before. From Clarissa's journal and my previous experience, I'm starting to understand how this stuff works. I draw the witchcraft symbols, and with a deep breath, step inside the circle.
Immediately, I feel something happening, as if I was pulled inside the circle. I carefully sit down, Liam and Nora still staring at me in awe.
"Alright... Show me Mara."
As I'm sitting down, I see my reflection, sitting facing me. It slowly starts changing, wavering, turning into something else. My figure and face change. It becomes leaner, paler, prettier. The hair too; the frizz changes into long curls that fall on her shoulders. She is smiling at me with a defiant expression like some naughty child. She tilts her head.
"Hi, Mara," I whisper.
She smiles even more, looking happy. It feels strange. I'm strangely calm, actually. I guess now that I'm getting the hang of it, I'm not afraid anymore... although I know this is dangerous.
"I need you to tell me your story," I say.
Her smile disappears and her expression changes into something sadder. She frowns, looking unsure.
"I want to know her story. Clarissa's story and yours."
“Clarissa…”
Her voice echoes mine strangely.
"That's right. You called me by her name earlier, but you know I'm not Clarissa, right?"
“You have... her face…”
