"Well, before that miraculously happens, you should tell us who you are."
The woman leaned back against the chair, her eyes gleaming.
"I'm your mother."
Ray noticed Sarah's trembling hand. He rested a hand on her shoulder.
"We should let the police question her."
She shrugged his hand off.
"I have to know why she wanted to kill my mom, Ray! I just have to."
The woman raised an eyebrow. Ray staggered at the pain in her voice.
"So you don't know?"
Both of them leaned forward.
The woman's eyes danced, like that of a child that knows more than its friends.
"The end is coming for us all. And only those with bloody hands will see it." Her voice was cold, chilly even.
Sarah jerked back as if she had been struck.
"What end?" Ray asked, his voice shaking.
"The end of the Reflections."
The police sirens wailed just then. Ray sank into the chair beside Mrs. Tolen. Hearing police sirens were a reminder of the trauma he'd barely survived.
"What do you think they'd do with her?" Sarah asked.
Mrs. Tolen just stared at her Reflection seated across her.
A knock on the tore broke through the silence.
Ray moved fast, reaching it in quick strides. The room was suffocating.
A tall officer with bulging eyes stood there. Instinctively, Ray shifted to the side just in case the man might share the same fate with the mailman.
The officer's gaze flicked over the dead body on the ground.
"Homicide?"
Ray raised a brow. "I don't know. He was murdered."
The man patted his shoulder. "That's a homicide, son." Looking down the hallway, he asked, "Is it only you at home?"
It took a while before he registered the man's words.
"No." He mouthed.
The officer brushed past him and walked into the living room. Other officers followed suit, sparing Ray a brief glance as he stood there.
He could hear their collective gasps as they saw both women.
He closed the door and returned to the room.
The officer had removed his notepad at this point, glancing between mother and daughter as he took Sarah's account.
"Where were you when this was happening?" He asked Sarah's mother.
No response came from her. She just stared at her feet, shivering despite the warmth of the room.
"Get the lady a blanket." A stout officer said to one of the juniors.
Ray studied the badges and medals on the lead officer's uniform.
Impressive. He had wanted to be an officer when he was a boy. Now, he wasn't so sure.
"So she," The tall officer pointed at the Reflection, "killed him?" He pointed at the door that led back to the hallway where the dead mailman was sprawled.
Sarah nodded.
"God…" The man whispered under his breath as he shook his head. "Take her away, team."
Then, as if something suddenly snapped, the duplicate started kicking and screaming. "She has to die! She has to die! She has to die!" She kept yelling.
Some officers jerked away.
"We'll keep in touch. When and if there's a trial, you'll all be summoned to give statements." Then softly, he said to Sarah, "Take care of your mom. She's in quite a… shock."
As long as they kept mirrors far away from her, there was no way she'd escape.
Ray and Sarah stood side by side as they watched the men drag her away in cuffs.
Then, Sarah turned into Ray's shoulder and began to cry. He was stunned at first - Sarah barely ever cried.
Her mother was still in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth open.
She shook with every sob, clutching his shirt so tight that he whimpered.
He guided her to a seat.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.
She shook her head.
He patted her back.
"Call your brothers." Mrs. Tolen said out of nowhere.
Sarah's head snapped up.
"Tell them to come home. We're moving cities."
His hand on her back tightened.
Moving cities? That would mean that he would never see Sarah again.
"I'm not leaving, Mom."
The woman shrugged the blanket off her shoulders and stood to her feet.
"This isn't the time to argue. You heard her, didn't you. She wants me six feet under. We don't know what'll happen next. She might not even be the only one after my life."
Ray's mind went back to the time his mother had died. The murderer had been completely identical - in actions, voice and thought processes.
"I don't think she was wearing a mask."
"I don't care if she's a witch! We're leaving."
Sarah wiped her tear-streaked face.
"Running away won't solve our problem."
"Staying here won't either."
He averted his gaze. The conversation didn't concern him.
"Go if you want, I'm staying here."
"Sarah Jane Tolen, get up, go upstairs and get your things. Now!"
Mrs. Tolen turned to Ray as if just remembering he was there.
"This is all so sudden, dear. You saw what happened to your mother, didn't you. I'm the only parent my kids have. If I die, they'll have no one. I don't know where it is safe, but we can no longer stay here." She paused. Her eyes watered. "Go upstairs and say your goodbyes. I'll drop you off at your house before we leave for the airport."
With that, she turned and entered the kitchen. The air still smelled like meatballs.
"She's overreacting, Ray. Tell her. I'm not going anywhere unless you and Kirby would be there."
He didn't know what to say. A world without Sarah sounded worse than gray.
"How are you sure they won't know exactly where you're travelling to? They seem to know a lot about us, not just looking like us."
Her eyes went blank. "That cop. She must have known there'd be an investigation for her to show up there, right?"
"Even Jory. Even my mom. She could've gone shopping, but she didn't. And they all knew somehow."
She shuddered.
"Do they know we're talking right now?"
He shrugged.
"Might and might not."
"Promise me you'll always call."
"I smashed my phone."
She cracked a sly smile. "You've got it bad. When I say bad, I mean much worse than the rest of us."
A grin played on his lips. "I hate seeing my reflection on any surface now. If not for my dad, I would have thrown the refrigerator out long ago."
"Then write letters. Even if it's outdated and all, there are still people who do it."
He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'll get a new phone. I suck at writing letters."
She ran a hand through her hair, giving him a watery smile.
"I've got to tell Kirby. He has to hear it from me. Do you think he's home?".
Ray glanced at the ticking clock. It was past six in the evening.
"The odds are he'd be home."
"Mom!" She called out. "I'm going to see Kirby!" She didn't wait for a response - she just dashed out of the house without her coat.
Ray grabbed his and pulled it on before tugging hers off the rack. As he stepped outside, he saw his father's car pulling up.
His face was drawn and distant, his eyes focused but blank.
"Ready to go?"
Ray glanced between his dad and the girl running down the street.
"Not yet. Sarah is moving cities."
The news seemed to cut through the old man's thick skin.
"Tonight?"
"Yeah. Her mother was attacked by a Reflection this afternoon."
His dad slid out of the car.
"Is she alright?"
He managed a nod. "She's inside if you want to talk to her."
Darrick rushed inside the house.
The sky was darkening and the streetlights were glaring down on him. Windows were alive with soft orange lighting.
He didn't run. He didn't want to.
Sarah had become a tiny blur due to distance.
His eyes searched the road for mirrors. Ray searched all the faces he passed, half expecting to see his own eyes staring back at him.
People had parked cars around the curb, blocking the path. He had to make a full detour before he could continue his journey. When he looked up, he didn't see Sarah anymore. Her coat was still hanging over his arm.
Maybe she already got there, she told herself.
Kirby's house stood at the end of the road. It was a welcoming sight with the wide lawn and lush side garden. He could see Kirby's parent's car parked outside.
Ray hesitated before he rang the doorbell. The porch was freshly swept, although a few stray leaves found their way there.
The door opened on the second ring.
Mrs. Garsel stood there, wearing her apron.
"Ray, dear. Come in." She stood aside for him to pass.
He didn't stir.
"Is Sarah here?" He asked.
She looked down at the coat he clutched in his hands and shook her head.
"Was she supposed to be here?"
His instincts hadn't been wrong.
"Give me a second."
Blood pulsed in his ears as he dashed off towards where he had seen her last.
He was supposed to protect her.
If anything happened to her…