The pool glowed as the moonlight bled into the small cavern from a hole in the ceiling. The water guided the silver beam in a dance across the walls and on the face of a girl who was crouched stiffly next to the edge. She was staring cautiously at the pool and had been for a while, fighting a small battle in her head to lean forward and look. There was a hollow void in her chest that kept her from moving, just staring at the pool with an empty expression, but she found herself building up the courage to start leaning forward. She took a deep breath, her chest aching painfully as she did so, before slowly moving forward, her reflection creeping into her view.

Shivers ran up her spine like icy cold fingers, and she began to shake as she loomed over an image of a girl she didn't recognize who seemed to be staring blankly back up at her. The girl gently touched her face, still feeling the thin, slightly protruding skin of scars all the while watching the girl in the pool do the same.

"N-no," she gasped and covered her mouth with a quivering hand as she felt warm tears start to stream down her face. "No, she...she isn't me. It lies!"

The girl slashed through the image, water crashing onto the sides of the pool and onto the surrounding rock. Her sobs echoed throughout the cavern with the slight lapping of the waves.

"Why are you crying, child?"

The girl gasped and hastily recoiled from the water, her eyes darting around the space looking for the source of the voice until her eyes landed on a woman with long silver hair, dressed in white robes on the far side of her.

"W-who--? Wait," the girl looked over the woman carefully but relaxed a little when she realized who it was. "You must be an elder."

"I am," the woman answered.

"I apologize for my reaction before."

"You still have not answered my question. Why are you crying?"

The girl looked down as though slightly ashamed, her eyes fixated on the wet stone of the cavern. "I don't recognize the reflection. That girl...she can't be me."

The woman approached her cautiously, coming to the other side of the pool, the glow gently reflected off her features. The shadows created a dark leering expression on her face, which made the girl slightly afraid to explain, but she decided that it would be better to grant the woman's wish.

"The girl in that pool, she can't be me because she looks completely different! She doesn't seem broken or worn. She isn't marked with scars which are constant reminders of all her mistakes. She's actually beautiful and...that isn't me. S-she isn't me." The girl's voice cracked, barely managing the last sentence. She sniffed and kept her head low, her eyes still fixated on the ground in an attempt not to start crying again.

The woman gave a soft sighed, "Look into the pool."

"Excuse me?"

"Look into the pool again; only this time, don't get angry and disturb the water."

"Why?" The girl glanced up at the pool before shaking her head. "No, I can't."

"Do as I say, child. Look into the pool, and let me explain."

For a moment, the girl continued to concentrate on the ground, but eventually, she started to crawl to the edge of the water. She hesitated, her body shaking more vigorously than before until she squeezed her eyes shut to try and control herself. Her throat felt tight, and the empty pain in her chest felt crippling enough to make her want to curl into a ball and hold her knees up to her chest to try and ease the pain. The water gently lapping the edges caressed her fingertips as she found herself at the edge. All she had to do was open her eyes.

"It's okay, just open them. It's going to be alright," the woman said reassuringly, crouching next to her.

"I-I...," she forced her eyes to open and, once again, a girl she didn't recognize stared back at her. The reflection showed a girl with smooth, flawless skin, long wavy brown hair, and gentle hazel eyes. There was a crown that encircled her head made from golden twigs and leaves with light pink buds that acted in the place of precious jewels. The girl in the reflection gave a small smile at both the girl and the woman.

The woman smiled and spoke tenderly, "The pool shows us who we truly are, the undistorted view that is raw and perfect. Life experiences and difficulties blinded you and your own self-hatred prevents you from recognizing your own reflection. The same girl in the reflection, the girl you call beautiful, is you. The crown on her head represents that you have been forgiven, redeemed from everything you have done. You don't have to carry the burden of your scars anymore. You are beautiful."