Snow White and the Gambit

For Carissa White, it was a roller coaster of emotions. A car crash claimed the life of her father, Jameson White, and left his second wife, Danica Mendez, hospitalized but alive. Carissa was close with her father, who nicknamed her "Snow" because she was born on a snowy December evening, and losing him came 18 months after the sudden passing of his first wife, Carissa's mother, Lauren White.

As for Danica, Carissa liked her and was happy that she was in her father's life, even to the point where she assured Jameson that he wasn't moving too quickly after Lauren's passing. Carissa visited Danica during her time in the hospital, which only lasted two days, and everything seemed to be well. Her stepmother, her best friend, was back in Carissa's life.

And then, a day after Danica was released, Carissa heard these words from her stepmother:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

Carissa was bewildered by Danica's strange behavior; she had just witnessed her stepmother talking to her mirror. Even more strange: Carissa heard an actual response from Danica's mirror.

"Dear Danica, there is no doubt. You are the fairest."

Carissa couldn't believe what she saw, but right as she was processing what she believed was a possible psychotic, she was suddenly spotted by Danica, leading to Carissa running off in a panic. The image stayed in her mind for days, even on the day of her father's funeral, though Carissa managed to put her focus on mourning her father. Carissa inspected her look in a mirror, but was stunned by the image of what appeared to be Danica smirking at her...right in the mirror. Carissa backed away in shock, but in her haste, she bumped into Danica--this time in full form standing in front of her.

"Are you OK, Carissa?" asked Danica. Carissa paused to regain her full composure, or at least a majority of it, and after a brief while, she managed to respond to her stepmother.

"I'm OK, just needed to prepare myself."

"I know it's hard," said Danica, "I know you will have all of the right things to say about your father. As Carissa walked away, she surprisingly heard an additional statement from Danica, and it wasn't as genial as her last one.

"Just try not to say too much, right, Snow?"

Carissa managed to give a heartfelt eulogy, all in spite of Danica's biting words towards her, as well as a feeling that Danica was staring holes into Carissa during the entire time. Nevertheless, the hardest part was over for Carissa: saying a proper goodbye to her father. The drive home was a quiet one, as neither Danica nor Carissa uttered a word, though the latter was still consumed by Danica's behavior since the accident. Conversations with mirrors, her seemingly cold demeanor, and even referring to Carissa by her nickname--something Carissa knew that Danica had never done.

Carissa performed an online search for anything that was wrong with Danica--PTSD, personality disorders, anything that could help her avoid the possibility that she feared: the woman in her house was, somehow, not Danica Mendez. She even received a call from someone who had information on Danica, with a meeting arranged shortly afterwards. Just as Carissa was about to leave, Danica appeared to Carissa with two drinks in her hands.

"Care to drink with me?" Danica asked as she presented a glass to Carissa.

"What's the occasion?" asked Carissa.

"No occasion," said Danica. "Well...that's not true. I wanted to apologize. I know I've been a little...off lately. We both lost someone dear to us, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. So consider this appletini my way of saying, 'I'm sorry'." Carissa accepted Danica's apology and took the drink, quickly noticing its extra sweet taste.

"I've had appletinis before," said Carissa, "but they've never tasted this sweet."

"Oh, I put something a little extra special for you," Danica said as Carissa suddenly started feeling woozy, which was followed by Danica taking Carissa's glass before the young woman dropped to the floor.

"Just a small hint of olanzapine...Snow."

Carissa opened her eyes for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, but as she realized, it was only a couple of hours. She found herself in what looked like a secluded cabin, and after fully regaining consciousness, Carissa looked around for anyone, even for Danica, but just as she believed that she was truly alone in the cabin, she suddenly heard a voice from nearby.

"Hello? Someone help me!"

The shouting came from the bedroom, and after Carissa entered, she was taken aback to see who it was.

"Danica?!"

"Carissa?" said Danica. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Wait, what the hell is this?!" exclaimed Carissa. "You can't be Danica! You drugged me and sent me here!"

"That's impossible," said Danica. "I've been held captive here since the accident."

"Say something that only the real Danica would know," the unconvinced Carissa demanded. Danica smiled afterwards, and then gave her answer.

"You love the Toronto Maple Leafs, though I remember Jameson told me that it's because you have a bit of a crush on Mitch Marner."

Carissa blushed over the statement, and later hugged Danica, as only she and her father knew about her hockey crush. She later freed her stepmother and led her outside the house, and it was at that moment that Carissa's cellphone pinged. It was a text message, and it was from her contact who had information on Danica, after which Carissa dialed the number, and heard a woman's voice answering.

"Carissa White?" the woman said, "I'm Sylvia Flores. You contacted me about Danica Mendez. The woman whose picture you sent me isn't Danica, it's her twin sister, Josie."

"So Josie has been posing as Danica after abducting her," said Carissa. "And now she could be somewhere trying to kill us."

"Wait...'us'?" asked Sylvia. "Is Danica with you?"

"Yes," answered Carissa. "I just rescued her." Carissa's call was briefly interrupted by the appearance of Josie, who gave a fiendish smirk towards Carissa.

"Hello, Carissa," Josie said coyly. "Is that Sylvia on the phone giving away our little secrets?"

"Get away from me, Josie!" shouted Carissa. "Danica, help!"

"Carissa," said Sylvia. "Josie's not the dangerous one. You told me she drugged you with olanzapine. That's Danica's medication! I'm her therapist, I prescribed it to her myself!" Carissa reacted with stunned silence, and as Josie continued her smirk, Danica emerged and held her stepdaughter at gunpoint.

"Put down the phone," ordered Danica, "and let's go back in the house."

Carissa returned to the house with her evil and crazed stepmother, as well as Danica's equally fiendish twin sister, Josie. She was still trying to process everything; the woman she saw as someone who filled a void left by her mother's death, the woman she was as more of a sister than a stepmother, was deranged and psychotic, and at the current moment, was trying to kill her.

"Look at her, Josie," said Danica. "She can't believe what's happening to her. Well, believe it, Snow White. It's just like the fairy tale. I truly am your evil stepmother. The only difference is that I have help."

"I trusted you!" shouted Carissa.

"So did your father," boasted Danica. "It made it that much more easier to plunge a knife right into that soft heart of his, before we set up this...'accident'."

"Why would you do this?" asked Carissa.

"Why does anyone do anything?" asked Josie. "One reason: money."

"I gave myself to your father and played the perfect stepmother to you," Danica ranted, "yet despite all of my efforts, he couldn't seem to say no to his precious...Snow. You got everything, but luckily, I was able to convince him to make me your guardian."

"You were trying to gaslight me," said Carissa.

"Video phone screens in the mirrors," replied Danica. "A perfect and fitting illusion for Miss Snow. See, Josie thought that she should just kill you outright. I, however, wanted your last moments to be a pure display of what an insane person truly looks like. Josie was the only one who stood by me when everyone, including our parents, brushed me off as being insane. It's only fitting that I share what's mine with my loving sister, while you are remembered as a crazy little girl who couldn't handle being alone, and decided to take her own life."

Danica cocked her gun while Josie watched with evil glee, but they were later distracted by what sounded like police sirens, getting louder and louder. The sisters also heard an order to surrender themselves, and as for Carissa, she heard a familiar voice that put her mind at complete ease.

"Carissa?!"

The voice she heard was Sylvia's, as she had contacted police and led them to Danica and Josie's location, as Danica had informed Sylvia about the cabin, which was part of her and Josie's childhood memories. Police entered and arrested Danica and Josefina "Josie" Mendez for their roles in the murder of Jameson White, as well as the attempt on Carissa, who expressed her gratitude to Sylvia for saving her. The sisters both ended up convicted for their crimes, and as for Carissa, she had been having sessions of her own with Sylvia in order to process everything that had befallen her. It's a long road, and Carissa knew she had to go through this one day at a time, but at least she had someone she truly trusted in the form of Sylvia.

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Thank you so much for reading this story all the way through; it is my 900th story overall! If you liked it, click the heart and the "subscribe" button; and feel free to comment below! Tips and pledges would be immensely appreciated, as they help support my writing, but no pressure!