We Are Destined ❦ Woosung

8 | Hide and Seek

Nostalgia washed through her as she looked beyond the male inside the mirror, and saw the rolling hills and the trees billowing wildly in the wind.

Why was this place so familiar? Memories niggled at the back of her mind, wanting to be remembered and help her to be the person within them once again. How long had it been since she had forgotten what life used to be like? When the two of them were always together. The twins had been inseparable since birth, and Aera had thought that life would remain like this forever. But the reality was cruel, and as they grew older things took a turn for the worst.

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"Sis, where are we going?" The younger twin panted and tried to catch up to her sister. "We'll be in trouble if mum and dad find out we're gone."

A smile painted the older twin's lips: to Aera, it appeared playful, but if she had looked closer she would've seen the sinister intentions hidden within it. Still pulling Aera by the hand, Myra turned her head back to the front and her strides grew larger as soon as she saw the forest finally appearing before them.

They had been walking for a couple of hours, and now seeing that they were reaching their destination, joy blossomed in Myra's chest. And her eyes darkened slightly, as she urged her sister forward: not allowing her to falter in the slightest.

"Myra, why... why are we here?" Aera's heart tightened in her chest, and fear washed over her anew when she couldn't see anything past the trees. It was completely dark within, and she didn't know if it was her imagination, but she could see glowing orbs seemingly watching them both. "We're forbidden from entering the forest. Father and mother always warn us about going in there. Let's turn back, alright... I won't tell father and mother where we've been... please."

Her sister scoffed at her pleading words, and her grip tightened on Aera's hand, leaving some bruises on the delicate skin. "Stop being such a scaredy-cat. Your big sis only wants to play hide and seek with you, like we used to do in the past. It's your favourite game, isn't it?"

"That... that was when we were kids." Aera stopped herself from rolling her eyes - she was scared to think what the consequences would be if she did such a thing. Her sister's bad temperament was something she knew all too well. "C'mon Myra, we're adults now, why would we play a silly game like that?" A little yelp left her lips, as she felt her bones cracking under her sister's strong grip.

"My...Myra... Ok, let's play." Tears welled in her eyes - the pain was becoming unbearable. "I'll play whatever you want, so let go, ok? It hurts." For a brief moment, she really did think that her sister would let go, but she was sorely mistaken. Myra ignored her completely and carried on towards the forest.

Soon they reached the edge, and Myra waved her hand to make a path that would be easier for them to pass through. As if they had a mind of their own, the trees hopped to the side and bowed slightly as though they were welcoming back their
young mistress. Even the birds in the trees stopped their chirping like they were afraid to disturb the lady walking past them.

All was silent as they strolled through the path, and a cold sweat beaded on Aera's forehead. How much further did they have to walk? She felt like she was going to collapse at any moment, and she was a little relieved that at least she wouldn't fall to the ground with her sister still holding her hand.

They soon stopped at a fork in the path, and Myra released her hold on Aera. Turning to her, she grinned menacingly and said, "you go hide and I'll seek. Count to ten, and then I'll come to find you, ok?"

Fear still gripped Aera's heart, but there wasn't much she could do against her sister. So she could only obediently nod her head, and run off to find somewhere to hide.

She kept running through the forest. Trees swept out their limbs and caught her hair leaving it a tangled mess: they ripped at her dress and scratched her face until blood started seeping out. The pain was bearable, but it still made her tears flow out more.

Why could she never win against her sister? Why was she always afraid of her?

Panting, she really did collapse to the ground, when she saw an abandoned house in a clearing up ahead. It was a little rundown, but it seemed like the perfect place to hide - if you ignored the door falling off its hinges and the broken windows. The glass in the frames glared threateningly in the little moonlight that flowed through the leaves high above the forest floor.

She wrenched open the door and ran inside. Instantly, the smell of decay and damp invaded her senses, making her feel a little nauseous. Yet, she couldn't stop here, she had to hide well so that her sister wouldn't find her straightaway.

As she cautiously made her way upstairs, she avoided the broken or missing steps, and finally, she stepped lightly on the landing floor. It was even more dilapidated up here, and she was a little afraid that the floor might not be able to hold her weight, with how mouldy and old it appeared.

Thankfully, she was able to move through the landing without any mishaps, and she made her way towards the room at the end. There was something about it that was calling out to her, and she couldn't help but be drawn towards it.

Stepping into the room, she was first greeted by a large mirror facing the door. It was beautiful and right away she was mesmerised by it: so much so that she didn't hear the door opening behind her.

"Do you like it?" A sneer came from Myra, startling Aera awake from whatever trance she had been in. "I prepared it especially for you."

When Aera eventually came back to her senses, she felt herself being pushed forward, and her entire body was falling forward as she fell through the mirror's surface.

And that was how she found herself trapped in the mirror, while her sister wondered about outside with Aera's stolen identity.