The boy didn't sleep.
He couldn't.
Every time he closed his eyes—
He saw it.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
But enough.
That smile.
His smile.
The clock ticked slowly.
2:17 AM.
He sat on his bed.
Lights on.
Breathing uneven.
"…I'm not the first…"
The words repeated in his head.
"…I'm next."
His phone lay beside him.
Silent now.
Too silent.
"…This is fake," he whispered.
"…It has to be."
But even as he said it—
He didn't believe it.
A thought crept in.
Soft.
Uninvited.
What if you just check?
His eyes slowly shifted…
Toward the mirror.
Dark.
Still.
"…No," he said quickly.
He turned away.
But the thought didn't leave.
Just one look.
His fingers tightened.
"…Stop…"
You've done this before.
He froze.
"…What?"
The voice wasn't behind him.
It wasn't in the room.
It was—
Inside.
You always look.
The boy grabbed his head.
"Shut up—"
And every time…
A pause.
You let me in.
His breathing became frantic.
"…No… that's not real…"
Across the city—
Meera stood in her room.
Lights off.
Curtains drawn.
Her phone screen glowing faintly.
She hadn't moved in minutes.
Just staring at the message:
"…don't say his name."
Her lips trembled.
"…Aar—"
She stopped herself.
Her entire body shaking.
"…Why can't I forget you…" she whispered.
The air shifted.
Cold.
Familiar.
"…Because you're not supposed to."
Meera froze.
That voice—
Soft.
Broken.
But real.
"…Aarav?" she whispered.
Silence.
Then—
Her reflection moved.
Just slightly.
A delay.
A smile.
Not hers.
"…You remembered me."
Her heart stopped.
"…No…"
The reflection leaned closer.
"…That's all it takes."
Back in the boy's room—
The mirror cracked.
A thin line.
Then another.
The boy stumbled back.
"…I didn't even touch it…"
The voice inside him laughed softly.
You don't have to.
You just have to remember.
The cracks spread across the mirror.
Like veins.
Then—
A hand pressed against it.
From the inside.
The boy's breath stopped.
"…No…"
The reflection pushed harder.
The glass bent outward.
"…Please…" he whispered.
The voice answered—
You already said yes.
The mirror shattered.
Not outward—
Inward.
Pulling everything with it.
The boy screamed—
But no sound came out.
Because in that moment—
He understood.
This wasn't happening to him.
It was happening through him.
Across the city—
Meera fell to her knees.
Her reflection smiling back at her.
"…You brought him back," it said softly.
Tears streamed down her face.
"…I didn't mean to…"
The reflection tilted its head.
"…You didn't have to."
A pause.
"…You just had to remember."
The sky cracked again.
Wider this time.
And now—
People noticed.
They stopped.
Looked up.
Confused.
"…Do you see that?" someone said.
For the first time—
The world was starting to wake up.
And somewhere—
In the space between memory and reality—
Aarav opened his eyes.
Not fully.
Not yet.
But enough.
"…This time…" he whispered,
"…I won't forget."
🔥 END OF CHAPTER 17