La Otra Mirada Novels & Stories

He pointed upward. “They thought they were watching us.” A pause. “But we’ve been watching them.” The Mirror Seraphina suddenly raised her hand. The sky became reflective. Every eye became visible. But behind each eye there was a person. Someone sitting somewhere. Reading. Watching. Waiting. Some smiled. Some cried. Some were confused. Some were frightened. Sophia stared. “They’re real.” Eden nodded. “And now they know we can see them.” The largest eye screamed. “CLOSE THE MIRROR!”

From her fingertips, shadows slithered outward. “Step into the mirror, beautiful one, and we will destroy all your troubles forever,” she whispered. “Who…who are you?” My voice cracked. Her grin widened. “The you your mother’s blood has suppressed all these years with the spirit of light. With the spirit of Eliora’s werewolves. I am your other self. The one born of pain. Betrayal. Envy.” My blood turned cold. Recognition stirred. I had heard stories of this relic: The Mirror of Seven Faces. I never knew why it bore that name, until now.

Then, I pressed both palms against the glass and whispered the activation words: “Aikan’zarr elst vele’.” The mirror flickered once… then rippled like liquid mercury before stabilizing. A scene came into view, a real-time image of one of the brothel rooms. Baevera Eldareth and her first client. They had already begun. Or, rather, he had. Baevera lay beneath him like a corpse. Heavy-lidded, desire-filled eyes watching him as he worked himself into a frenzy. The Moonmirror had no sound, but it did not need any. The image was clear enough.

The mirrors whispered in unison, with hundreds of voices of Camela blending together: “Yours…yours…nothing was yours…” Vincent screamed in fury, attacking the glass. Shards fell like rain, cutting into his skin. But behind each broken mirror, another reflection stood waiting. From all the reflections, Camela’s sorrowful voice rose in sync: “Then why didn’t you kill me?” One mirror near the center began to glow more brightly than the others. Inside it stood Camela, dressed in her wedding gown looking tattered and stained with blood, her scar glowing faintly white on her chest.

I did a good job, too, because it lay hidden there until my sophomore year when one phone call stripped those masks away, laying bare the Truth so I could see myself for what I was. *** As maybe you can imagine I avoid mirrors as much as possible. Can’t be managed all the time, obviously. I do have to shave, comb my hair and brush my teeth occasionally. There’s also the rear-view mirror in my cab, too. That’s somehow the worst. It focuses on my eyes. Everyone’s heard it by now. It’s used in countless stories, poems and movies when someone wants to sound insightful. Eyes are the windows to the soul. Cliché, but remarkably apt. I hate looking into my eyes. They’re dead and flat, which spooks m

I reminded myself yet again and again that he wasn't mine to keep. I was torn. I needed a place to breathe. I got up from the sofa and headed for the bathroom. I sealed the door when I got in finally feeling alone. I walked up to the mirror and splashed.my face with water. The water might just be what I needed after all. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the movement the water made as it trickled down my face. "Boy trouble I see." A voice whispered. I widened my eye in surprise and was even more surprised when I saw the figure in the reflector was Lilith.

He is affecting her in a way that he wanted to. Janine wanted to look away. She wanted to push him away because that’s the right thing to do. But Porter’s stare was enough reason for her to not think straight. “Janine Kwon,” he breathed. “I am willing to be your other man. I’m willing to be yours even if I know you are not mine.” He closed his eyes and held Janine’s face.

I suddenly heard an angry voice, and I jerked my eyes opened, staring back at the reflection on the mirror, but was shocked, to see the reflection of another me, standing behind me, with his eyes all black and dangerous. I batted my lashes, to be sure I wasn't hallucinating, but was terrified, as I saw my other image, glaring hard at me, through the mirror. I gulped down nothing, as I turned slowly to confirm the reflection on the mirror, but froze on my spot, as I was welcomed with my own image, glaring hard at me, looking all angry...

IN THE SYNTAX QUARTER, “ Did you see what I see?” Victoria asked Luna and Jacob who was with her in the living room watching an action movie. “ What?” Luna and Jacob asked. “ It felts like Devon is glowing, I even noticed the little smile on his face.” Victoria gossiped. “ And why is that?” Luna asked in a frown. “ It felts like he is happy.” Victoria said and grinned widely. “ What’s wrong with that, everyone can be happy.” Luna said.

The reflection didn’t move. Ariana’s breath caught. “No…” The reflection smiled. Her heart slammed violently against her chest. “That’s not me.” The reflection tilted its head. But the smile— It didn’t feel human. “You always say that too.” Ariana stumbled back. “Get out of my head.” The reflection stepped forward. Out of the mirror. Into the space with her. And now— It was her. Same face. Same eyes. Same everything. But different. Colder. Sharper.