Valerie the Vain

Not all twin sisters are willing to do the same things together. Just take Kelly and Rachel, for example. Kelly was always concerned about her looks and focused on her social life. Rachel was more adventurous, and she was so unconcerned about her looks that she was often mistaken as anyone but her twin. If their backs were turned towards you, you'd never guess that the slim brunette with her hair covering her entire back and the curvy girl with the purple bob were twins. The seventeen-year-olds haven’t done the same thing together willingly since they were eleven, and Kelly wasn't planning to let that change.

Rachel, on the other hand, would often try to convince her sister to do something with her. She initially suggested things that she wanted to do like watching scary movies and going for a hike, but she also took Kelly's interests into consideration. Not even a trip to a bakery or an at-home spa day could get Little Miss Perfect to budge. When Rachel asked what she needed to do in order for them to be sisters again, Kelly did not hold back.

"It would be nice if I had a twin sister who actually looked and acted like me," the self-absorbed twin said without missing a beat.

"Kelly, I shouldn't have to change my appearance to get you to love me," Rachel said with a small quiver in her voice.

"Well, I don't want to be fat and ugly like you."

Rachel gave up after that conversation.

-

Every morning since the day she got her first iPhone, Kelly would wake up and immediately check her feed. The casual scrolling on this particular Saturday morning started off the way it normally did with the daily aesthetic inspiration and styling tips. Kelly finally stopped and landed on a video from one of her favorite influencers, Kate Tastrophe. Kate would normally post about her everyday life and the newest beauty products that her followers just had to try. Even her cat Gigi would make an appearance from time to time. When Kelly saw Gigi sitting up straight and tall by Kate's bathroom sink, her pearly whites spread across her mouth.

"Hello, my pretty rascals!" Kate said as she held her phone to capture herself standing in front of her mirror. "I know that I haven't done videos like these in years, but I just feel the need to do this for old times' sake. I discovered this urban legend called Valerie the Vain. You need to face away from your mirror and hold up your camera to look at your reflection. Then, you must look into your phone reflection's eyes, say "Valerie the Vain" three times, and look up at the mirror reflection of the back of your head. Legend has it that you'll see Valerie herself, and she'll grant you a wish."

The influencer then turned around so that her golden curls were exposed in the mirror. She held her phone as far away from her face as possible, showing off the blue bow on the back of her white dress in the reflection. Her sapphire eyes stared directly into the camera as she chanted for Valerie in a pillowy soft voice. Kelly couldn't care less about the supernatural, but she couldn't help but keep a watchful eye on the mirror. Kate slowly turned around to look at the mirror, only to scream abruptly. Kelly consistently rewound the clip, but she couldn't find anything. What was Goldilocks the Influencer screaming her head off for?

"Did you see that?" Kate asked. "I don't know if you will see it because I was told that only the summoner can see Valerie. She did not look good. Maybe she should summon herself and wish for a makeover. Anyway, my wish is for all of you pretty rascals to have a great day."

Kelly was dumbfounded. That was it? What was even the point of that? Granted, this wasn't the first time that Kate did something out of the ordinary, but even this seemed out of character for a respected influencer. The comments were unsurprisingly full of doubt and criticism. You had your usual dose of, "I didn't follow you to see this BS," and the classic, "UNFOLLOWING." Other accounts asked genuine questions about Valerie herself. One person asked where this legend originated from, and another person asked if Kate even did it right in the first place. Kelly kept scrolling until one comment caught her eye.

"Just so you guys know, Kate actually did the ritual wrong, meaning that she lied about seeing Valerie. She was supposed to turn off the lights with only a candle or flashlight to assist with vision. And yes, we're all supposed to see something in the mirror. You can argue that it's digital editing all you want, but we're all supposed to see a face. And if you're wondering exactly who Valerie the Vain is, she was a would-be influencer and model who was unalived after her face was smashed into a mirror. She will only grant you a wish if she doesn't think that you're prettier than her. If she does, though, then she will smash your head into the mirror. If she’s doesn’t, then she will happily assist someone less fortunate than her. With that being said, we either should've seen Valerie for a split second, or we should've seen her in the reflection as Kate was shoved into the mirror."

Most people would expect Rachel to be the twin who'd jump headfirst into this little ritual game. After all, she was the one who'd listen to commentary on true crime and disturbing movies as she attempted to fall asleep. If anything, Kelly would take all of this information to Rachel and ask if she wanted to try it in her spare time. That is, if she was actually interested in being a true sister to Rachel.

And yet, Kelly was the first of the twins to try it.

-

As soon as Rachel left that day to catch a movie with some friends, Kelly went to the bathroom that they shared. Dad had just left for brunch with some coworkers and Mom was sunbathing by the backyard pool. That left Kelly with enough time and privacy to summon the ghost of a failed influencer. She locked the door, only to change her mind in case something were to happen.

Feeling the need to be perfect as usual, Kelly decided to check her angle before turning off the lights. She pulled out her phone and opened up her camera. Switching the camera from photo to video, she turned around and held her phone as far away from her face as possible. She peaked at the mirror and saw the white bow on the back of her head. After assuring herself that this was what she wanted to do, she lit the match.

The candle flickered on the sink counter as Kelly turned off the lights. She reassumed her position. Her eyes stared back at her from the phone. This is the only way I can get Rachel to be like me, she thought to herself. There was no hesitation in her delivery.

“Valerie the Vain. Valerie the Vain. Valerie the Vain.”

Despite the fearless delivery of the chant, Kelly was scared to look behind her on her phone screen. Gathering up the rest of her courage, she looked up at the back of her head. She nearly dropped her phone at the sight of the pale girl staring back at her from the mirror. Her dark eyes were inches away from Kelly’s head, piercing through her icy blonde hair. Her pink tank top was stained with blood, as were the small shards of glass sticking out of her face and chest. The sight of her was enough to make your life flash before your eyes.

“Don’t move,” Valerie hissed. “You called me because you have a wish. What is it?”

“My twin sister refuses to be like me,” Kelly attempted to say without fear. “I just want her to look and act like me.”

“I see. Is she prettier than you?”

“No, she’s quite ugly in my opinion.”

“Poor thing. As an influencer, I strive to assist those less fortunate than myself. I would happily assist your sister, but there is one little dilemma.”

“What’s that?” Kelly tried not to shudder as the ghost trailed a boney finger up her arm and onto her shoulder. She could feel the tip of the fingernail.

“Your sister didn’t summon me,” Valerie replied with the most sinister smile that Kelly had ever seen. “The prettiest of the twins summoned me. You are so beautiful. Come to think of it…”

Fear froze over Kelly as she felt herself being turned around to face the mirror. The sight of her next to Valerie finally made her shudder. The deceased influencer gently took hold of the bow in Kelly’s hair.

“You’re as beautiful as the model who murdered me,” Valerie snarled.

It took a heartbeat for the ghost to tighten her grip on the bow and slam Kelly’s face into the mirror.

-

Since Rachel always turned off her phone while in a movie theatre, her phone had blown up with multiple missed calls and messages by the time she turned it back on. Several hours had passed, and she was now seated by her twin’s hospital bed. If Kelly hadn’t unlocked the bathroom door, her mother probably wouldn’t had gotten her to the hospital in time.

Mom entered the room with some sodas and snacks she got from the nearest vending machines. She handed a soda and a bag of chips to Rachel as they watched the patient sleep on.

“It just seemed so unlike her,” Mom sighed as she opened a bag of cookies. “I’d figured that you’d be the one to summon a ghost. Why would she do that?”

“What kind of ghost did you say she tried to summon?” Rachel asked.

“It was hard for her to speak as her face tried not to bleed out, but she said that the ghost was named Valerie the Vain. Supposedly, she’ll grant you a wish if you’re not prettier than her.”

“I guess I’d have better luck with her.”

“No, we’ve had enough rituals in our house for one day. Besides, you’re beautiful the way you are. Go ahead and drive home, hon. I’ll take care of your sister if you’ll take care of your Dad. I’m afraid to know what he’s doing in the kitchen right now.”

Just as Rachel got up to leave, Kelly suddenly woke up with a jolt. Her face was so bandaged that she could hardly speak.

“Sweetie,” Mom said as calm as she could, “I know you can’t really talk right now, but you said that you used your phone to summon Valerie. Do you have a photo or video of her?”

Although it hurt to nod her head, Kelly nodded like there was no tomorrow. Rachel grabbed her sister’s phone and let her unlock it. She opened up the camera roll and clicked on the latest image, only to find a screenshot of a sale on lipstick.

Kelly’s heart sank so far that she could’ve flatlined. She forgot to hit the record button.