Ariana barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the smile from the mirror.
Her smile.
No… Nova's smile.
By morning, she wasn't sure if she had dreamed the whole thing or if it had truly happened. Her brain wanted logic. Her heart wanted to forget. But her body—her body still buzzed with the same electricity she felt onstage.
Like something alive was still moving inside her.
Maya picked her up for breakfast, talking non-stop, excitement still spilling from her lips.
"Girl, you have no idea—everyone is talking about you! I think you have a real chance with Liam. He doesn't pick just anyone. This could be your break!"
Ariana nodded, staring out the window. Buildings blurred into streaks of color. Her reflection on the car glass seemed… off. Slightly delayed. Like it moved a fraction of a second after she did.
She blinked.
When she looked again, it was normal.
"You sure you're okay?" Maya asked. "You've been quiet all morning."
"I just didn't sleep well," Ariana muttered.
Which wasn't a lie… but wasn't the truth either.
At the café, Ariana could barely eat. Every sound seemed too loud. Every light too bright. And every time someone looked at her, she felt… watched.
Not by the people around her.
By her.
The other one.
The second her.
Nova.
Ariana tried to ignore it, but a wave of pressure rolled over her—not painful, just heavy. Like someone pressing a hand against her chest from the inside.
Then she heard it.
Not with her ears.
Inside her mind.
A soft, amused whisper:
"Relax. You're making this harder on yourself."
Ariana froze. Her fork slipped from her hand, clattering onto the plate.
"Ariana?" Maya blinked. "What's going on?"
Ariana forced a smile. "Nothing. I—I think I'm just tired."
But her heartbeat betrayed her.
Later that afternoon, she stood in front of her bedroom mirror, staring at her reflection, waiting for something—anything—to happen.
For a moment, it didn't.
Then the lights dimmed.
Her reflection's posture shifted.
Ariana hadn't moved.
Her reflection lifted its chin higher.
Shoulders back.
Eyes colder.
Not Ariana.
"Why do you keep running from me?" the reflection whispered in her mind.
Ariana stumbled backward, panic squeezing her throat. "Leave me alone."
"You don't want that," the reflection said, smiling. "You want exactly what I am."
"No," Ariana choked out. "You're not real."
The reflection clicked her tongue. "Oh, but I am, Ariana. I'm as real as the voice you used last night. As real as the confidence you pretend you don't have."
Ariana shook her head violently. "Stop. Stop talking—"
"You created me," the reflection interrupted, eyes glowing with something fierce. "I'm everything you wished to be. Strong. Stunning. Untouchable."
The air felt thick.
Electric.
Alive.
"You're not ready for me," Nova whispered. "But you will be."
The lights snapped back to normal, and Ariana collapsed onto her bed, shaking.
One thing was clear:
Nova wasn't just in the mirror anymore.
She was in Ariana's head.
Growing.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ariana feared Nova wouldn't just whisper.
She would take over.