Part 1: Shadows in the Glass Room
The Glass Room was quiet, its tall windows stretching from floor to ceiling, reflecting the gloom of the evening sky. Ishita stood alone, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared at her reflection. The room was empty now, the desks neatly arranged, the whiteboard blank.
But it didn’t feel empty.
Her reflection didn’t feel like hers anymore.
She tilted her head slightly, watching her double mimic her movements. Her polished shoes squeaked softly against the floor as she stepped closer to the glass, her breath fogging the surface. Behind her reflection, the room seemed darker, its corners stretching unnaturally deep.
“I’m still here,” a voice whispered behind her.
Ishita froze, her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, she turned around.
Nothing.
The room was empty.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she flinched. Pulling it out, she stared at the screen.
No number. Just a message.
“Look closer.”
Her gaze snapped back to the glass, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her reflection stood motionless, but the room behind it began to shift. Shadows crawled across the walls like ink spilling over the surface. The edges of the room warped, stretching, twisting.
And then, in the glass, she saw him.
Aryan.
He stood behind her reflection, his figure faint, almost transparent. His face was pale, his expression unreadable. But his eyes—those dark, piercing eyes—were fixed on her, filled with something she couldn’t name.
She spun around, her shoes scuffing loudly against the floor.
The room was still empty.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she clutched the edge of the nearest desk for support. The sound of her own breathing filled her ears, drowning out the silence. She didn’t dare look back at the glass.
The door to the Glass Room creaked open suddenly, and she jumped.
Rudra stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. Sanya stood behind him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face pale.
“We need to talk,” Rudra said.
Part 2: The Confrontation
They sat in silence at one of the desks, the tension in the room thick enough to choke. Rudra leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly on the table. Sanya sat beside him, her eyes darting nervously between Ishita and the door.
“I know what you did,” Rudra said finally, his voice low and steady.
Ishita raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a faint smile. “You’ve been saying that for days, Rudra. Do you have proof, or are you just here to waste my time?”
Rudra slammed his hand on the table, making Sanya flinch. “Don’t play games, Ishita. You were the last person to see Aryan alive. I saw you with him that night. And now…” He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table.
Ishita’s blood ran cold. It was the note from her locker: “I KNOW EVERYTHING.”
Her fingers twitched, but she kept her expression calm. “So? Anyone could have written that.”
“But not everyone leaves threads behind,” Sanya said suddenly, her voice trembling. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small, frayed piece of fabric. “We found this near the forest path. It matches your blazer.”
Ishita stared at the fabric, her mind racing. It was impossible—she had been so careful, so meticulous.
“What were you doing in the forest that night, Ishita?” Rudra pressed, his eyes narrowing. “Burying something?”
Ishita leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. “You’re reaching, Rudra. Do you really think I’d do something as stupid as that?”
“I think you’re a liar,” Rudra snapped.
“And I think you’re desperate,” Ishita countered, her voice cold. “You’re so desperate for answers that you’re willing to accuse me without evidence.”
Sanya opened her mouth to respond, but a sudden flicker of light caught their attention.
The lights in the Glass Room dimmed, flickering erratically. The air grew colder, and a low hum filled the space, vibrating through the floor.
“What the hell…” Rudra muttered, glancing around.
The shadows in the room seemed to grow darker, pooling in the corners like ink. The glass windows reflected their distorted figures, the reflections warping and shifting as if they were alive.
And then they heard it.
Laughter.
Low and soft at first, then growing louder, echoing through the room.
Rudra shot to his feet, his chair screeching against the floor. “Who’s there?”
The laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by silence.
Sanya clutched Rudra’s arm, her face pale. “This isn’t funny,” she whispered.
“It’s not me,” Rudra said, his voice tight.
Ishita sat frozen, her eyes locked on the glass. Her reflection stared back at her, but something was wrong. It wasn’t mimicking her movements anymore.
Behind her reflection, Aryan’s figure appeared again, clearer this time. He smiled coldly, his head tilting slightly to the side.
“Ishita…”
His voice was a whisper, but it filled the entire room.
Rudra and Sanya turned to look at her, their faces pale with fear. “What is this?” Rudra demanded. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Ishita said, her voice barely audible.
The laughter returned, louder and sharper, echoing from the glass. Aryan’s figure stepped closer, his smile widening.
“Did you really think you could bury me?”
Ishita stumbled back, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “You’re not real,” she whispered. “You’re not real.”
Aryan’s reflection pressed a hand against the glass, his eyes boring into hers. “Are you sure?”
The glass shattered.
Part 3: The Revelation
The sound was deafening, the shards of glass exploding outward like a thousand tiny knives. Rudra and Sanya screamed, shielding their faces as the air filled with a cold, biting wind.
When the chaos subsided, the room was still. The glass was intact, the windows unbroken.
But Aryan was gone.
The three of them stood in silence, their breaths heavy and uneven.
“What the hell just happened?” Sanya whispered, her voice trembling.
“I don’t know,” Rudra said, his face pale. He turned to Ishita. “But you do, don’t you?”
Ishita didn’t answer. Her hands were shaking, her mind a whirlwind of fear and confusion.
The room felt wrong, as if it were tilting slightly, the walls pressing in on them. The shadows were deeper now, darker.
And then her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out with trembling hands, her eyes widening as she read the message.
“I told you I was watching.”
Her stomach dropped. She looked up at the others, her voice barely a whisper. “We need to leave.”
But before they could move, the door slammed shut, locking them inside.
The lights flickered again, and the laughter returned—louder, more menacing.
Aryan’s voice echoed through the room, cold and sharp. “You can’t escape the truth, Ishita. None of you can.”
The shadows closed in, swallowing the room whole.
And then there was nothing.
Epilogue
The next morning, the Glass Room was empty. The desks were neatly arranged, the whiteboard blank. There was no sign of Ishita, Rudra, or Sanya.
But in the reflection of the glass, three faint figures could be seen, standing silently, their faces frozen in expressions of fear.
And on the desk, a single note lay untouched.
“I’m still watching.”
