Henderson Farm, One Month Later

  The morning sun reflected off the frost covered trees. It bathed the Henderson farm in thin ribbons of light that took Aiko's breath away as she strode to the barn for her morning training session. She practiced the moves that Liam had taught her. The barn door hung open, swaying gently with the wind. Sweat dampened the back of her neck, and her reflection shimmered faintly on every metal surface, lagging half a heartbeat behind.

  Chester was perched on a beam above her, chirring curiously, tail flicking as she pivoted into a spinning kick. When she stopped, breathing hard, the barn fell silent but for the wind through the boards.

  From behind her, a voice spoke softly. “You’re still training like Liam’s watching.”

  Aiko turned. Emma stood in the doorway, arms folded, pajama pants tucked into boots that didn’t match. Her eyes were red, but her warm, crooked grin gave Aiko hope that someday she would find Liam.

  “He’d tell me to keep my guard up,” Aiko said, forcing a smile. “He hated it when I dropped my shoulder after a strike.”

  Emma stepped inside and leaned against a barrel.

  “You miss him.”

  The words hit harder than any punch. Aiko swallowed, staring at the floorboards.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Every day.”

  Aiko remembered the first time she laid eyes on Liam. A lean figure of pure muscle and determination. He roused a reaction in Aiko that she didn’t know she could feel again... hope. Emma crossed her arms tighter and looked away.

  “Sometimes at night, I hear the old radio crackle. Like someone’s trying to talk to me. Mom says it’s static. Annabelle says it’s ghosts, but I know better.”

  Aiko’s gaze drifted to the corner of the barn. A dirt-encrusted, cracked mirror leaned against the wall. Its surface shimmered, like a pond catching the light. She thought she saw Liam’s silhouette, hand pressed against glass. She blinked, then it was gone.

  “Maybe they’re both right,” she said softly.

  Emma’s voice wavered. “He’s really out there, isn’t he?”

  Aiko hesitated, then nodded once. “Somewhere in the lattice. Between worlds. I can feel him sometimes—like a heartbeat through water. He’s not gone.”

  Emma frowned, her small hands curling into fists. “Then why can’t we get him back?”

  “Because the path to him isn’t open anymore,” Aiko said.

  “Why not!”

  “The mirrors are quiet, but they’re watching us and him. And when they wake again…”

  She exhaled.

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Emma stepped closer.

  “Promise you won’t give up.”

  Aiko dropped to one knee, and their eyes met. Her reflection shimmered faintly in Emma’s eyes, silver glinting like tiny stars. “I don’t break promises,” she said. “Not to family.”

  Emma’s lip quivered, and she threw her arms around Aiko’s neck. Aiko hugged her back tightly, eyes burning. She felt the mark on her palm pulse once—soft, like an echo from somewhere far away.

  When Emma finally pulled back, she sniffed. “You’ll find him.”

  Aiko stood, gazing out toward the horizon where the fields met the mist. “I will,” she whispered. “Even if I have to walk through every reflection in this world to reach him.”

  The wind stirred the barn doors, scattering dust and light. For a moment, the shimmer on the mirror wall pulsed—just once—like it had heard her.