Chapter Seven: The Fairy, the Hag, and the Mirror

A voice in her head proposed that the thunder in her chest might have been a warning, but Selin ignored it. Like she ignored the sweat that built up in her forehead. And the fact that the makeup she worked so hard on probably looked gross right now. So with quick, quiet steps, she took the book under her arm and walked to her room. She dropped her heels near the bed. And massaged her feet with one hand before flopping down on the bed. She lay on her stomach, flipping through the pages until she found the page she was on.

She read from the top, trying to make sure that it wasn't all in her head. That she didn't just imagine what she read. And even when her heart beat with anticipation and her fingers trembled the more she read, she knew that she couldn't just rush it.

"When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she looked around. Tall stones, which varied in shapes and sizes, were splattered around in unorganized patterns. The one in front of her had engravings of words, numbers, and apple blossoms. They reminded her of the big painting her mother had in her bedroom. She hasn't been allowed to go in there ever since her mother fell sick. She wanted to ask who the grave belonged to, but when she heard her father sobbing, she stayed silent,'" Selin took a deep breath. She was reading too fast. She had to calm down.

"'You said we would come to see mama today, but I didn't see her yet and it's getting dark,' She said. 'You won't be able to,'. She wanted to ask him why, but his grip on her hand tightened. He pulled her away from the stone and walked her to their carriage.'"

"'She spent the next day rummaging through their large home for her mother. Opening many doors before moving on to the next. And when approached by all the fancy-looking women in black who tried to talk to her, she escaped from between their skirts and ran off. She went on like that for a few days until she realized what it all meant. Disease and plague had taken her mother away from her. Alara-'" Selin froze. This was where her breathing got uneven. This was where pieces of the puzzle broke apart and formed an entirely different one. Selin stared at the name. She blinked. Then blinked again. But it was still there. She hadn't imagined it.

"Alara, " She repeated. She felt weird saying it. And it hasn't even been long since she's heard it. Claire said it casually, a hint of sadness only after she finished talking. Selin didn't feel weird hearing it. She was used to people referring to her mother by her first name. Her father did it all the time.

But it wasn't the name that made her uneasy. It was the context behind it.

Selin listened to her mother talk about it with a friend once. She was ten and in that awkward phase where she wanted to be an adult. So she sat with her mother when friends came over for tea. Though, it was never just tea. And Selin always ended up drinking milk with her Tres Leches cake.

What she remembered from that conversation, was that her grandmother had a conception dream a month before labor. Selin couldn't recall what happened in it because it was long and random. But during that conversation, her mother told the friend that her mother died when she was a child. Small enough that she couldn't read yet. And that her father inherited a large house with so many doors. They were small, unimportant details. But when Selin's mother passed, Selin tried to keep these tiny details from fading away.

Now, she wasn't reading to find out why it was on her father's desk. Or to feel some of the warmth she had felt long ago. She was reading to know who the author was. Because it certainly wasn't her mother. Not the same handwriting that signed her permission slips. Or the one that wrote down new recipes in a notebook. This wasn't her mother. And yet the author knew so much about her. Even the smallest of details.

She picked up the book again, searching for something to find the author with. But a knock interrupted her mid-page, followed by a weak attempt to open the locked door. Selin flinched. When she realized what was going on, she stuffed the book under her pillows and got off her bed. She looked around, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

"Selin?" Fuck, Ravenna was a genius at reading people.

She could wait, Selin assured herself. Don't panic.

Ravenna knocked on the door a few more times. Selin hissed, looking through her messy makeup area until she found a wipe. She started to remove her makeup. She had to think fast. She didn't want Ravenna snooping around and asking questions. She was pretty sure the guilt of stealing something from her father's office showed on her face. That and the anxiousness she felt at the idea that a stalker wrote that book.

"Selin? Are you there?"

Her mind was too busy panicking over her appearance to answer that. She threw the wipe in the bin and undid her braid. She tried to get herself to calm down before opening the door. When she did, she didn't bother putting on a smile. She was never really good with those and it would make her look even more suspicious. Ravenna stared at her, eyebrow slightly raised. Then, she tilted her head to look inside. Selin stepped out and shut the door behind her.

"I was texting someone. It couldn't wait,"

"Hm," She hummed, unconvinced.

Ravenna moved so her shoulder leaned on the wall. She crossed her arms beneath her chest and studied Selin. She hadn't removed any of her makeup or jewelry, but Selin could tell that the party was over by how quiet it was. She looked away from the hallway entrance to look at Ravenna. When their eyes met, Selin snapped out of her short trance and noticed that Ravenna was still looking at her. Selin shifted. She was unsure if Ravenna was expecting an apology after the outburst this morning.

Selin wanted to ask but Ravenna cut her off with a swift 'come'. She didn't wait long for an answer, walking with the confidence that Selin would follow. Selin asked why.

"I want to show you something," Ravenna replied, stopping near Cebrails room. Selin didn't want to get her angry again, so she didn't protest and followed her in.

Ravenna led her to a box on the bed. She took out an oval mirror and made it lean on the box for Selin to observe. It looked old and rusty but was put together enough for it to look intriguing. It was like something one would find in a thrift store tucked behind all the other goods. Darkened gray flowers and vines danced around the edge and some rebelled. A large flower sat on the top like a crown- or monarch. The vines, being the subjects, crowded the space around it and bowed gracefully. In some corners, the paint was peeled or scratched off, revealing the rusted colors of the metal underneath.

As much as Selin despised this woman, she couldn't deny that her sense of style was incredible.

"I don't get it. What do you want?" She asked. Ravenna had her fingers on her lips- something Selin figured was what she did when she was thinking.

"To look."

"What am I supposed to look at?" Seeing Ravenna so quiet made her uncomfortable. She never thought she could ever miss her voice.

"This mirror. It's been passed down in my family for some generations now, " She explained, her voice uncomfortably low, "it might even be yours one day,"

"I don't want it," Selin replied, a bit too fast.

"I didn't want it either, but look how it turned out," She smiled. This was scarier than Selin expected. When Ravenna noticed Selin, she let out a chuckle, "We're going to be family one day. So let's get used to sharing things. I want to share this with you,"

"Is this some sort of apology?" Selin questioned, but to her dismay, she was ignored.

"First, I'll share my great grandfather's story," She started, "His mother arranged for him to meet my great grandmother. He thought she was beautiful, but he was too anxious to commit to the relationship or engagement. He wanted to know what kind of woman she was first. He was walking back from their third date when he was stopped by an old man who said he could help. He sold him this mirror and told him that it had been cursed to reveal the truth for whoever craved it-"

"How?"

"It's a curse. And it can only be done once on an object. The magic remains depending on how strong the sorcerer is," She explained, eyeing Selin with a glimmer in her eye. Some would interpret it as pride."I want to share this experience next. I want you to look at the mirror and tell me what you see,"

Selin hesitated. Ravenna was acting too kind. At first, Selin guessed it was an apology. She dismissed that idea once she remembered who she was talking to. Afterall, Ravenna didn't do anything if it wasn't planned or calculated. This couldn't be any different.

Selin gave up and stepped closer to the mirror. She looked at it long and hard, not expecting anything to happen. When she felt like it was enough, she turned to face Ravenna. But then she froze. Ravenna's eyes were wide. She was paler than usual and her lips were parted. She glanced at Selin.

"You didn't see anything?" She looked like she knew the answer, but was just making sure. A hopeful look in her eyes.

"No,"

"Oh. I thought you'd see something."

"Do you see anything?" She didn't believe in magic, but seeing Ravenna acting so strangely made her curious. "Hey, what do you see when you look in the mirror?" She rephrased it, her voice more considerate.

"A hag," The older woman whispered, her eyes glued to the mirror.

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Alara: Water fairy in Turkish mythology.