Chapter 3.
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It didn't long for Max to realize that Noah wasn't Noah.
The signs were continuously showing up over the course of a few days. He threw with his right hand; he cocked his left eyebrow when he was curious (the real Noah always cocked his right eyebrow); and the right corner of his mouth curved higher than the left when he smiled (with the real Noah, it was the opposite).
Basically, Noah was a reflection of the real Noah. He did everything the exact opposite. He was a mirror of Max's little brother.
That's how Max found himself climbing the ladder to the attic on a stormy night two weeks after they broke the mirror. Or at least they thought they broke the mirror.
When Max arrived in the secret room, he found the mirror entirely intact. The glass even seemed cleaner, shinier, instead of dusty and grimy from years in a musty attic.
Max vaguely wondered how long it had been here and why him, his brother, and his friends had to be the unlucky ones to find it.
Max stared into the mirror, gazing at his reflection. He raised a shaking hand above his head and pulled the cord.
He immediately vanished from view, and he slowly touched his fingertips against the smooth glass. He could feel the frigid air on the other side of the surface.
Max would be lying if he said he wasn't scared of what lay on the other side of the mirror.
He couldn't concern himself with his fear. His younger brother was on the other side, and although Noah constantly annoyed him, Max would die for him. Or in this case, get trapped in a freezing, strange, creepy, and potentially dangerous world behind the glass of the mirror.
Max pressed his fingers against the glass harder, and finally, his hand melted into the mirror, almost like an arm reaching into a bucket of water. His feet left the ground of the attic, and he tumbled through.
The first thing Max noticed was the cold; he remembered it well. It was the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and poisoned your entire body, making you tremble and shiver and feel like you'll never be warm again. It made the fear and slight amount of hopelessness Max was already feeling triple.
The next thing Max noticed was the blue. He remembered that well, too: A bright blue that almost looked like the color of technological paint on a tablet. Shining and glowing and almost blinding in a way.
Max stood and stared around at the world that he vowed to never return to.
He had to find Noah. Now.
"Noah!" he called before breaking into a sprint.
He hadn't seen his reflection anywhere, and he didn't want to stick around to see the replica of himself, although in terms of personality, they couldn't be more different.
"Noah!" Max yelled louder, running even faster than before. He didn't know how long he had in this world before his reflection realized he was there and saw an opportunity to 'switch,' but he figured that it wasn't long.
It didn't take Max long to find the 'hall of mirrors,' as he called it. Multiple mirrors floated in front of him: people he didn't know mostly, but he picked Noah out within seconds.
"Noah!" he cried, pressing his hands against the cool glass of a rectangular mirror.
Noah whimpered and rubbed his shivering arms.
"It's okay, Noah!" Max called, unsure if Noah could hear him, "I'll get you out!"
Max raised his fist to punch the mirror and shatter the glass, but a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him, using an almost impossible amount of strength. Max knew this person like the back of his hand. Probably because the hand he saw grabbing his wrist was the back of his hand.
"Trying to save Noah?" his reflection mocked. "You see, my brother doesn't want to come back to this world, and honestly, I don't want to stay here. It's time to switch, Max."
"No!" Max shouted, kicking his reflection in the leg and taking him by surprise.
His reflection kneeled over in shock and pain, and Max took that as an opportunity to smack him in the neck, sending him sprawling.
That was when Max experienced his own dose of pain.
His leg lit on fire for a few moments before dulling to an ache that got worse when he put weight on his ankle. His neck burned with pain, and he groaned in sudden agony.
His reflection smirked. "I'm your reflection, Max. Any pain I feel, you do, too."
His reflection noticed Max's distraction and used it to his advantage. He grabbed the back of Max's shirt and tossed him into the mirror with his younger brother.
Arms caught Max as he tumbled through the glass, and Max straightened up to see a shuddering Noah staring back.
"We're trapped," Max realized.
Noah nodded. "N-No wa-way ou-out," he added, his teeth chattering.
Max removed his jacket and wrapped it around Noah's shoulders, although that did little to warm Noah in this frigid world. Noah still appreciated the gesture.
They were trapped, but at least they were trapped together. Nothing scared Max more than being alone for all eternity.
Max was trapped with his brother, and as he huddled with his sibling in the cold world on the other side of the mirror, they promised themselves that somehow they would break out. They had each other; two heads are better than one.
Max, Erin, Zach, and Noah were the ones to find the mirror after the mirror remained in hiding for several decades, and then, Max ended up trapped with his brother on the other side of a mirror while their reflections walked the earth. Maybe they were unlucky, or maybe they were a part of a much bigger plan.
After all, things happen for a reason.
This story will typically be updated every Tuesday. There may be some exceptions, but typically, it will be updated every Tuesday.
Thanks for reading!