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"The way to read a fairy tale is to throw yourself in." - W.H. Auden
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A dreary sky and soft drizzle greeted the twins as the pale grey light seeped through their curtains. The sister rolled out of their beds and descended the staircase in a drowsy haze, their hair still a mess from a long night of deep sleep.

Carolyn plucked a sticky note from the marble kitchen counter with her manicured hand, rapidly blinking her eyes to focus on the elegant handwriting. "Gran won't be home 'til late tonight, she's going into Boston for a work meeting.

Aura yawned as she gently pulled strands of hair back into a messy bun. She rubbed her eyes before looking at the note. Her eyes traveled from the neon pink paper to the stairs. "We could try to find the key to the attic? It's probably somewhere in Gran's office or bedroom."

A smirk appeared on Carolyn's tired features. "You mean put my nose where it doesn't belong? You don't have to ask me twice."

After they finished getting changed, the sisters rustled through drawer after drawer in Silvia's office before walking to the end of the hallway.

They slowly pushed open the door and tiptoed into their grandmother's small, cream-colored bedroom. It resembled a museum with how organized and neat everything was. Not a speck of dust hugged her dark wood dresser or the golden jewelry box that sat atop it.

Aura quickly checked the smaller storage bins that were on the dresser while Carolyn inspected the golden chest.

Its intricate, leafy designs traveled all around the box while gold flowers with small diamonds in the center bloomed around a metal, champagne rose.

Carolyn delicately turned the rose, popping open the box's lid to inspect its contents. Inside was a collection of rings and necklaces with a worn, golden key on top. "Jackpot!" She ripped out her phone from her pocket and hastily typed on the glass screen. "I'm gonna text Bailey to come over. We might need help sorting through whatever Gran has up there."

"Aren't you gonna invite Jewel?" Aura asked.

Carolyn sighed. "She's probably too busy hanging out with Casey to help."

"Cora, please. She's still our friend."

Carolyn quickly tapped on her phone before sliding it back into her pocket. "There."

Less than fifteen minutes later they heard their doorbell ring.

Carolyn jumped down the stairs, nearly slipping on the smooth wood floors to unlock the front door.

Bailey stood on the front porch with a sopping umbrella in hand. "Jewel couldn't make it... something came up with Casey."

Carolyn's posture slumped slightly as she opened the door wider. "I'm floored..."

As Bailey carefully took off her raincoat and boots, she said, "So what do you need my help with?"

"We're about to break into the one section of the house our grandmother has forbidden us from entering our whole lives," Carolyn said with a smirk, holding up the small key in between her fingers. "Care to join?"

The two girls met Aura on the landing in front of the attic door.

With a turn of the key and a quiet click, the door unlocked to reveal a worn-down garret containing an array of cardboard boxes and tarps strung over old furniture. The bleak daylight peeked through the shades of the attic's single window. Carolyn was quick to start wiping the dust from boxes and digging into them to unveil their contents.

Bins of photo albums were stored on metal shelving, a range of dates written in marker on strips of tape stuck to the boxes' fronts.

They rummaged through plastic bins filled with holiday decorations, baby clothes, and old children's storybooks.

In one corner, a small jewelry box sat on top of a pile of rolled-up scrolls of parchment. Carolyn opened the box to be greeted with piles of necklaces and rings laden with pearls and crystals. A gasp escaped her lips when she unrolled one of the scrolls.

A woman Carolyn and Aura had seen a million times in the cold hues of a newspaper article was now painted in vibrant watercolor. Her face was youthful with her pink lips lining a bright smile. The woman's hazel-green eyes contrasted beautifully against her red-tinted, golden blonde hair and the blue background of the painting. The other scrolls had the same subject in different poses and art styles. In the corner of each work "To Felicity, From Anthony" was scribbled in ink. Without hesitation, Carolyn added the scrolls to the pile.

A couple of hours passed when they were almost done searching the attic, having gathered a small pile for their project.

Aura clicked open the iron latches of an aged, walnut chest and pulled out medieval-style dresses of all colors. "Cora, come look at these!"

Carolyn walked over to the trunk, pulling out a flowing, midnight blue dress complete with a black corset and a golden cord to wrap around the waist. She held it up to her body, admiring its silky fabric. "Do you think Mom and Dad liked to go to Medieval Fairs?"

Aura shrugged as she pulled out a taupe dress with a chocolate brown corset. "We should try these on! We could take a picture of us wearing them for the project," she said excitedly, slipping on short umber boots made from leather and satin. "Here, Bailes, come pick out one that you like."

Bailey hesitantly rifled through the frocks before changing into a flowing cream dress. It had long, loose sleeves and a fitted maroon overcoat that tied into a corset at the bodice. She slid on aged leather sandals before the three girls posed for a picture.

They kept the dresses on, twirling across the dusty floorboards and rustling through the never-ending shelving units.

The trio continued to search the attic for any remaining useful mementos. Just as Carolyn reached the last corner left to scour, she stepped on what seemed to be the only loose floorboard. Curious, she knelt down and pulled the piece of wood from the ground, setting it off to the side.

Carolyn glanced back at her sister and friend, a playful smirk on her lips. "Maybe this is where Gran hides her pot." Reaching her hands in, she pulled out a small wooden box filled with foggy glass bottles and vials filled with dried herbs.

Aura met her sister where she sat, looking over her shoulder with her eyebrows furrowed.

Carolyn pulled out a small book with a discolored baby blue cover that was peeling at the corners. Every page had its margins filled with their grandmother's cursive handwriting. Some lines were crossed out with red ink while others were highlighted in neon yellow. "Why would Gran hide this? It's just a book of fairytales."

Bailey walked over to the sisters with her arm full of scrapbooks. "Guys I think we have enough stuff to start on your project."

Carolyn reached into the hole and pulled out a tied canvas pouch. She slid out the small book housed inside and ran her fingers over the dark green, leather-bound cover and the smooth gilded paper edges. She undid the metal clasp and read through the table of contents. "It's the same thing!"

Carolyn flipped through the pages but stopped short when her eyes caught onto three words written in magnificent cursive at the end of one of the stories. "Happily ever after...? That's new." She skipped to the end of every story only to be greeted by the same phrase.

She handed the book over to Aura before pulling out the remaining book from the wooden floor and flipping through its yellowing pages. "I can't read this—I've never seen this language before."

"Guys, come on!" Bailey persisted. "I feel like we might be going through some pretty private stuff of your grandmother's."

Aura ignored their friend and placed the green book to the side before looking over part of the strange text that was written largely across one half of a page.

Together the sisters read, "Spreag na leabraichir."

Suddenly the two fairytale books started to levitate with a golden glow. They whirled around the attic, causing screams to erupt from the twins girls as they dove to the ground. When the blue book came into contact with one of the shelving units, it dropped to the ground. The leather-bound book continued to whirl around the room as it searched for a specific target. It finally dropped to the ground when it bumped into a tall object covered by a thick tarp. The impact caused a corner of the sheet to drop, exposing part of the magnificent golden frame of a large mirror.

Silence fell over the attic apart from the girls' heavy breathing. They stayed on their stomachs for what felt like an eternity.

The twins' faces were as pale as snow, none of the three able to utter a word.

Pushing back her fear, Carolyn stood on her trembling legs and hesitantly approached the mirror that towered over her. She reached up a shaking hand, and, with as much strength as she could muster, tugged the tarp off of the rest of it. The gold rectangular frame, although dusty, was radiant and surrounded crystal clear glass that looked untouched by time. Carolyn stared into her own reflection, her hazel eyes appearing almost gold as she reached out. The second her finger touched the cold glass, it rippled like still water disturbed by a skipping stone. Carolyn jerked away from the mirror, a scream escaping her mouth.

Aura slowly strode over and stood next to her sister. "There's no way..." was all she could mutter. She touched the glass for herself, her finger sending ripples across the surface of the mirror once more. She flinched and backed away, but Carolyn stayed frozen in place.

"It's prolly one of those funhouse mirrors they have at the state fair every year. There's a lot of weird stuff in here," Bailey said, tugging on the sleeve of her dress.

Neither one of the sisters replied. Carolyn took another step forward, but her foot caught on the hem on her skirt, hurling her into the mirror. The glass swallowed her whole before returning to its static state.

Aura's ear-piercing scream resonated throughout the attic. She was about to lunge toward the mirror but was stopped when her friend's hand curled around her forearm.

"Bailey, let go of me!" Aura yelled, trying to squeeze out of her friend's grasp.

Bailey tugged Aura behind her, sending the blonde to the floor. "Call your grandmother. I'll be back soon with Carolyn." She grabbed two cloaks from the trunk of medieval clothes and plucked a warm brown satchel off of one of the shelves.

Fearful thoughts raced through Aura's mind as her breathing rapidly shallowed. Her erratic heartbeat painfully pulsed through her chest as she fought to control her breaths. A cold numbness spread throughout her limbs, making her even weaker. "I'm not doing anything until you tell me where the hell my sister went!"

Bailey rummaged through different boxes, throwing random objects into the bag. "Aura, just call Silvia!" she yelled without looking at her friend. She heard the shuffling of feet before a rapidly decreasing scream filled the room. Bailey whipped her head around to find the mirror's surface rippling with no Aura in sight. "Bloody hell..." She grabbed one more cloak and slung the satchel around her body before taking a deep breath and running into the glass.

Hello lovelies!
So Carolyn pulled an Alice and fell right through the Looking Glass.
Where do you think the mirror could possibly lead?

Until next chapter!
♡ Melody & Rebekah ♡