The Mirror of Betrayal

Jennifer and I looked at the strange package, confusion in our eyes. She has been my closest friend since we were kids.

"Open it, Alexia," Jennifer said, eyes fixed on the package.

Inside was a diary that contained all my private thoughts, hidden from everyone, even Jennifer. It is my totem. How did Jennifer find it? A chill ran down my spine.

"Why, Jennifer?" I asked, feeling a growing doubt and distrust, my mind clouded with questions and a sense of breach.

"To see from above, to understand us better; I am your confidant after all, remember?" she said, her voice distant, as if she was sharing a secret only she knew.

I moved away from Jennifer, feeling confused and vulnerable. I trusted her, yet she read my private thoughts without permission. I watched her, feeling betrayed. Was she spying on me? Was our friendship a lie?

I looked in the mirror, feeling an unsettling shift within me. The face staring back was mine, but something darker lurked behind the eyes, a shadow empowered by betrayal. Thoughts spiralled in my mind, unsettling and unfamiliar, "I have seen into your thoughts, uncovered your deepest secrets. Betray me by casting me aside? I have been part of you from the beginning. You cannot just dismiss me. I am in control now, you fool. I am the very essence of your betrayal."

A distant voice called, "Jennifer?" I looked back into the mirror and saw myself, but Alexia was no longer beside me.