The autumn wind cut through Jessica's cheerleader uniform as she stood alone in front of the Winter mansion, her white and purple outfit a stark contrast against the darkness. Every sound—from rustling leaves to distant owls—seemed amplified in the tense silence. The full moon cast long shadows across the decrepit structure's facade, its light reflecting off the shattered windows like watching eyes.

  Her fingers traced the brown leather cover of Seren's journal. It should catch Salina's attention in case she hesitates to follow Jessica.

  Kevin's whispered voice crackled from the door. "Everything's ready up there. The circle's drawn, and I've placed the binding charms around all exits.”

  "Good," she replied, touching the crystal pendant she made to protect herself. "This better totally work." The charm pendant's energy pulsed against her skin, responding to her determination.

  A twig snapped behind her. Jessica spun around, heart racing, but saw only shadows between the trees. Then she caught a movement from the corner of her eye—a flash of white and purple identical to her own uniform.

  "I know you're there," Jessica called out, forcing strength into her voice. "We need to talk, Salina."

  The figure emerged with an unnatural grace that made Jessica's skin crawl. Salina's appearance was both familiar and wrong—her usually warm dark eyes now bottomless pools of darkness, her white hair floating as if suspended in water.

  "Talk?" Salina's voice carried an otherworldly echo. "Like you want to beg to come back to your precious squad?" She tilted her head, the movement too fluid to be natural. "You said you want to challenge me. Speak up!”

  "I got your challenge right here, bitch." Jessica held up the journal. "Recognize this?”

  Salina—no, Seren—went perfectly still. "Where did you get that?" The words came out in a hiss.

  "The same place you hide back inside your house." Jessica opened the journal to a marked page. "Under your stupid mirror.”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Seren took a step forward, hunger replacing anger in her expression. "Clever girl. But knowing the truth won't save your friend. Salina agreed to this. She wanted the power I offered when I entered her mind.”

  "You put her mind to sleep after you took over her body." Jessica's grip tightened on the journal. "She never asked to be possessed.”

  “Whatever.” Seren gilded closer, dark eyes fixed on the journal. "I should have destroyed that book before I escaped.”

  "Maybe you should have, dumbass." Jessica backed toward the mansion's entrance. "Come get it if you can.”

  She turned and walked through the door, every step measured despite her pounding heart. The floorboards creaked behind her—Seren was following.

  "You're playing a dangerous game," Seren said, crossing the threshold. "I've ended girls like you before."

  "No." Jessica spun around. "I'm totally not like other girls.”

  Kevin dropped from the shadows above, bringing down the spelled cloth. Jessica lunged forward, helping him wrestle the thrashing form as the enchanted fabric dampened Seren's powers. They struggled up the stairs; the house groaning around them as Seren's rage manifested in rattling windows and swinging doors.

  The prepared room glowed with candlelight, the exorcism circle traced in salt and herbs pulsing with contained power. The ancient mirror dominated on the wall, its surface rippling like disturbed water—the same mirror where Seren came from.

  They tied Salina to the chair at the circle's center. Her eyes snapped open, darting around before fixing on the mirror. Recognition and fear twisted her features.

  "No," she whispered, her voice shifting between Salina's natural tone and Seren's colder timbre. "I won't go back! I won't! Free me!”

  “Sorry, but you no longer have control over me," Kevin interrupted, opening the journal. “We just want our friend back.”

  "You have no right to possess her when she touches your mirror," Jessica added. "Think of this as karma kicking your ass.”

  "I saved her!" Seren snarled, straining against the ropes. "I made her popular!”

  "You didn't make her popular," Kevin said, finding the marked page. "You turned her into a monster like you. Now we're putting you back where you belong for eternity.”

  He began reading the Latin phrases, making the candle flames dance and the mirror's surface writhe. Jessica gripped Salina's shoulders as she convulsed, watching in horror as her friend's appearance flickered between a modern teenager and Victorian young woman.

  Black tears streamed down her face as objects levitate and spin through the air. The temperature plummeted, their breath visible in the suddenly frigid room. Green spectral forms beat against the mirror's surface from within, their silent screams visible in their twisted expressions.

  "It's over, Seren!" Jessica shouted over the chaos. "Get the hell out of my girlfriend's body!”

  Salina's head snapped back as Seren's spirit manifested more fully, using her body like a puppet. "Oh, this isn't over. I have just begun!" She opened her mouth and released a scream that sent Jessica and Kevin flying backward. The binding ropes snapped as she broke free, bolting for the door.

  Kevin groaned as he pushed himself up, blood trickling from his nose. "The charms will hold her. She can't leave the house."

  Jessica helped him to his feet, her expression hardening with determination. "Right, let's hunt down our crazy best friend.”

  They raced into the dark hallway, following the sound of running footsteps and Seren's increasingly desperate attempts to escape. The hunt for their possessed friend had begun, and this time, they wouldn't let her get away. The price of failure was too high—not just for Salina, but for every girl who might come after her if they didn't put Seren back into the mirror.