Archive of Our Own

"Samantha! Come up here!" A voice drifted through the hall and down the stairs, reaching Samantha's ears downstairs.

"Coming!" She called back, putting her book down and getting up off the couch. Sam walked to the stairs. "Where are you, dad?"

"Your room!" He replied. Sam headed up the steps and down the hall. Her dad was standing in her doorway. "I have a present for you." He said, stepping aside to let Sam into the room. She looked around, not noticing anything right off the bat. Until she looked towards her closet.

"Oh, dad!" Sam exclaimed, walking towards it with a smile. "It's so beautiful!" She touched her hand to the frame of the mirror, tracing the etchings in the wood.

"I know how you like antique things, and when I saw that - it had your name written all over it." He came up behind her and gave her a hug. "Happy Birthday, love bug."

"Thank you dad." Sam turned herself around in her dad's embrace to give him a hug of her own. Her dad kissed her head before releasing her from his hug.

"I'm glad you like it." He said. "You have your mother's taste."

"I miss her." Sam replied, looking up at her dad. He nodded at her, his smile faded.

"I do too, Sam. I do too."

"Hello?" Sam picked up the phone.

"Hey birthday girl!" Came an enthusiastic reply. Samantha smiled.

"Hi Julia. What's up?"

"What's up? What's up?! Girl, we need to do something for your birthday! It's like a week long celebration, remember?" Julia replied. Sam giggled.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I'm gonna come over, and we're gonna have fun!" Julia said. "Your dad home?"

"No." Sam paused. "Well, he'll be leaving soon." She corrected. "He's got a work thing, and he'll be gone until some time tomorrow."

"Perfect." Sam could tell by the tone of her voice, Julia had a smile on her lips.

"Jules...? What are you planning?" Sam asked curiously.

"It's a surprise for the birthday girl." Julia giggled mischievously. "I'll be over soon." The line went dead as Julia hung up the phone. Samantha hung up as well.

"Dad!" She called out, heading up the stairs to his room. "Hey." Sam stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "Julia wants to come over. I think she's got a birthday present for me, or something. I hope that's OK?"

"Of course, honey." Her dad said, folding a shirt and putting it in a small suitcase. "She can even spend the night if she wants." He put a pair of pants on the clothes pile in his suitcase, then zipped it close. "It would make me feel a little better, knowing you won't be here by yourself."

"Well, you know I would be fine on my own." Samantha replied. "But I could use the company." She smiled as her dad turned to face her. He stared at her for a moment, almost like he was lost in a daze. "Dad?" Sam said after a few moments.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized. "You just..."

"Remind you of mom?"

"Yeah." Her dad let out a soft laugh and looked down. "Sorry."

"No, it's OK." Sam reassured him. "I take it as a compliment. Mom was beautiful." Her father nodded.

"Indeed she was." He agreed. There was a moment of silence between them, each of them reminiscing about Catherine. "I should probably get going. I'm driving, and it's about an hour and a half away. Not too far, but you know how traffic can be." He said.

"A shit show?"

"Samantha..." Her father gave her a stern look.

"Sorry, dad." Sam smiled, though. Her dad shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Walk me out, snuggle bear." Sam and her dad - with his suitcase in hand - headed down the stairs together.

"Have a safe trip. Please drive carefully." Sam said, giving her dad a squeeze.

"Always." He replied, kissing the top of her head. "Have fun with Julia. No parties." He joked. Sam laughed and they released each other.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Open up, birthday girl!" Julia's voice called from outside. Samantha briskly walked to the door and flung it open. To her surprise, Julia wasn't alone.

"Jules - !" Her voice caught in her throat when she saw the person standing next to her. "D-Daniel! H-Hey there." Sam cast a brief look of panic Julia's way, who responded with a silent smirk. So this is the present...

"You gonna invite us in?" Julia asked, stepping over the threshold without waiting for an answer.

"Oh, uh, yeah. C-Come on in." Sam stepped aside and waved Daniel in.

"Hey, Samantha." Daniel said as he stepped inside. She closed and locked the door after him.

"Samantha, darling. Would you like your present now?" Julia asked, fishing something out of her messenger bag before slinging it into a nearby chair.

"Oh, I'll..." Sam was kind of at a loss for words. Daniel being here really threw her for a loop. He made her so weak in the knees; his piercing brown eyes, chestnut brown hair that always had a movie like windswept quality to it, and that tall muscular frame...

"Earth to the birthday girl!" Julia's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry." Sam apologized. "Um, yeah. I'll open it now." She smiled and took the present from Julia. The trio stood there while Sam tore off the wrapping paper. "Is this...?!" Sam looked at the visible part before tearing off the rest of the wrapping paper. "Jules!" She exclaimed in excitement. "Oh my god! I love it!"

"I knew you would." Julia gave her a light punch on the arm.

"That's pretty cool. We should try it out." Daniel interjected. Sam looked at him.

"You're into this kind of thing, too?" She asked with a hopeful smile.

"Oh yeah. I love occult stuff and I believe in ghosts and everything." He replied. "The mystery of what happens to us after we die... The afterlife. I've always found it fascinating."

"Me too!" Sam exclaimed with excitement. Probably a little too much. However, Daniel didn't seem to mind. She looked back down at the Ouija board in her hand, tracing over the engraved letters.

"I found it at an antique store, and it had your name written all over it." Julia said. Sam looked at Julia before suddenly pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you so much!" She released Julia. "Let's try it out now! It'll be fun!" The three of them headed upstairs and into Samantha's room.

"Nice mirror. I don't remember it the last time I was here." Julia said.

"Mhmm! Dad got it for me yesterday at an antique store."

"You like antiques, huh?" Daniel asked. Sam looked at him and nodded.

"Something I picked up from my mom." She pulled some candles out of a drawer and lit them, placing the around the Ouija board that was on the floor in the center of the room. "Maybe we'll be able to contact her with the board."

"Oh! She's... I'm sorry." Daniel apologized. Sam shook her head.

"It's alright." She reassured him. "Maybe I can get some answers tonight."

Samantha, Julia, and Daniel all sat around the Ouija board - each with two fingers placed on the planchette.

"Is there anyone here that wishes to communicate with us?" Sam asked, concentrating on the board. Several seconds passed, but the planchette didn't move. "I ask again. Is there anyone here that wishes - " Before she could finish, the pointer twitched under their fingers. Julia gasped softly, and a smile spread across Sam's lips.

YES

"Oh my god...!" Julia exclaimed in a whisper. "This is so cool!" Sam smiled at her.

"Who wishes to communicate with us? Tell us your name." The planchette began to move again.

C...A...T...H...E...R...I...N...E

"M-mom?" Sam felt tears sting in her eyes as her voice cracked. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked to see Daniel giving her a comforting smile. She nodded, silently thanking him. "I...I really miss you. So does dad."

L...O...V...E...Y...O...U

"I love you too, momma." Samantha choked back a sob, but didn't stop the few tears that fell down her cheeks. She took a deep breath to compose herself. "Momma, why..." Sam felt a lump in her throat, and swallowed hard. "Why did you...kill yourself?"

"She killed herself?" Daniel asked, concerned. Sam nodded slowly, casting a brief glance his way. "I'm so sorry..."

M...U...R...D...E...R

"Wait, what??" Samantha wiped away her tears, feeling her heart starting to pound. "What do you mean, murder?" The pointer moved frantically on the board.

D...E...M...O...N

"Mom, I don't..." Sam stammered, looking between Julia and Daniel in a panic.

"A demon murdered you?" Daniel spoke up. The planchette shot across the board.

YES

Sam felt her hands starting to shake, and she resisted the urge to pull her hand off the pointer and sob into her hands.

"Take a breath, Sam." Julia instructed her, noticing her friend's panic and near hysterics. "Breathe." Sam nodded and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly before repeating the process two more times.

"What... How did it happen?"

M...

The planchette suddenly circled the board several times, then stopped in the center.

"Mom?" Sam's voice cracked. For several seconds, nothing happened. "Mom??" She asked again, urgency prevalent in her voice.

S...H...E...I...S...M...I...N...E

The second the pointer stopped moving, all the candles went out - plunging the room into darkness. At the same time, there was a loud sound from somewhere in the room with them. Sam and Julia screamed. Not a moment later, the lights flicked on.

"Everyone OK?" Daniel asked, standing next to the switch. Sam wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Y-yeah. I think so." Julia said. Sam had never heard Julia sound so unsure about anything before. Sam picked up the board and put it on her bed.

"Mom..." She whispered softly.

"Oh, Sam!" Julia suddenly exclaimed. Sam turned around and saw Julia pointing at something. She followed her finger until her eyes rested on the mirror. There was a huge crack right down the middle.

"Oh no!" Sam rushed over and gently touched the glass, tracing her finger along the crack. "Dammit..." She mumbled under her breath. A sudden pain made her hiss and recoil from the mirror. A drop of blood slowly seeped from the broken skin of her finger. Sam put her finger in her mouth and sucked the blood off. Her eyes wandered back to the mirror. A barely noticeable spot of blood was visible on the crack. Before Sam realized, it had seemingly disappeared before her eyes.

"You OK?" Julia asked, coming up behind her. Sam stared at her in the mirror. Something was...off. Wrong. Julia had an eerie smile on her lips, head cocked to the side, grinning too big. What scared Sam the most, was the huge knife in Julia's hand. She froze in terror, unable to wrap her mind around the sudden turn of events. In one swift motion, Julia put the knife to Sam's neck and slid it across her skin.

"Jules!" Sam was able to choke out, holding her hands up to her neck as blood poured from her would and she gasped for air. Her chest quickly became slick as it was covered in crimson. She turned to face her friend, only to find her and Daniel still standing in the same spots. Sam looked at them in confusion before taking her hands away from her neck. They were clean; no blood or anything. She quickly turned towards the mirror and saw only her normal reflection.

"Sam? What's the matter?" Daniel asked, taking a tentative step towards her.

"I...You..." Sam stammered, looking between Daniel and Julia. "I...don't know."

"Uh, let's go downstairs and maybe get something to drink. Or eat, yeah?" Julia suggested, taking Samantha's hand in hers and gently rubbing her thumbs on the back of her friend's hand. Sam nodded with a vacant look on her face.

"Y-yeah." She agreed. "Just...give me a minute. I need a minute. OK?"

"Sure. I'll get some snacks ready. Don't be too long." Julia said before giving Sam a tight squeeze. After a moment, Julia headed out of the room and down the stairs.

"You sure you're OK?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'll be down in a minute." Sam replied with a weak smile. Daniel took a step toward her, then a step back - almost like he was doing some kind of solo two step dance. He rubbed his hands together before taking a step forward and quickly kissing Sam on the cheek. She gasped, unprepared for what had just happened. Daniel quickly left the room.

Sam couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips. She felt her cheeks get warm, her mind temporarily forgetting all the weird things that just happened as she gently touched the spot Daniel had kissed. She absently turned around, finding herself facing the mirror again. The smile instantly faded and she dropped her hand to her side.

"Mom?" Sam asked in disbelief, seeing her mother in the mirror. She was dressed in her favorite white nightgown, her hair flowing freely around her shoulders. Sam turned behind her, expecting to see her mother standing there. But she was alone. She turned back to the mirror, her mother still standing there.

Sam got down on her knees in from of the mirror, the reflection of her mother stepped closer. Suddenly, her mother's appearance changed; her forearms were covered in blood, running down her hands and creating pools of crimson underneath her. Slowly, Catherine reached her hand out. Hands shaking, Sam reached up and hovered her hand in front of the mirror. Catherine took a few shaky steps forward before collapsing to the ground.

"Mom!" Sam gasped. Her mother's body twitched, her limbs contorting into strange positions. The sound of cracking bones assaulted Sam's ears. "Fuck, mom!" Catherine suddenly skittered towards the mirror, then disappeared out of sight. Sam's eyes scanned the mirror, looking for any sign of her mom. "Momma..." Tears rolled down her cheeks, hot and wet.

Suddenly, a figure popped up in the reflection - right in front of Sam's face. A twisted, grotesque visage with an eerie grin baring razor like teeth, and eyes that seemed to have slitted pupils. Sam opened her mouth to scream, but something was covering her mouth. The thing in the mirror... It's hand was coming out of the mirror. She could feel its claws digging into her cheeks, breaking skin.

The...thing started to change in front of Sam. Its skin changed to a fair white color. It was beginning to look more human. Hair grew from its head; a dark brown color, and flowed down to the middle of its back. The eyes changed to a lovely shade of green. Suddenly, Sam found herself staring at her own reflection. The thing leaned forward, its head coming out of the mirror and staring right into Sam's eyes. Sam let out a terrified muffled scream before she found herself being pulled into the mirror.

It took Sam's eyes a minute to adjust, as everything around her was black. A faint light seemed to shimmer off in the distance, and Sam ran towards it. There was no sound, no footsteps, nothing. However, she could hear herself breathing. She had no idea where she was, but hoped the light could provide answers.

"Hello?!" Sam called out, once she reached the light. There was no echo... No response. The light turned out to be a pane of glass. It seemed to just be...floating in the nothingness. Sam walked closer to it, and saw her room on the other side. "W-what...?" Her hands trembled as she reached up and touched the glass. She saw...herself standing on the other side.

"Daniel! Come here for a minute!" The fake Sam called out, looking right at Sam and smiling. She put her finger to her lips and winked. Sam panicked and banged on the glass.

"What are you doing?!" She screamed, pounding with all her might. Daniel appeared in the doorway, and Sam felt a lump form in her throat. "Daniel! No!! That's not me!" Sam screamed, trying in vain to break the glass - to get back to her world.

"Hey, Sam. I'm...sorry if I was too forward. I just - " The fake Sam cut him off by pulling him to her and roughly kissing him.

"Stop it!" Sam cried. The fake Sam moved her arm into view, and Sam saw a knife in her hand. "Wait, please don't do this!" Sam watched in horror as the thing masquerading as her plunged the knife straight into Daniel's neck. "Nooo!!" She wailed as she watched his eyes snap open in surprise as blood poured from his mouth. He let out a gurgle that sent droplets of blood spraying onto fake Sam's face. The thing smiled as it pulled the knife out. A stream of blood squirted out of Daniel's neck and he fell to his knees. He held his hands to his neck, putting pressure on the wound. But it didn't help. He looked up at the fake Sam, who held the knife up to her lips. Her tongue shot out and darted over the blade - quick and snake like. Daniel fell to the floor, his blank eyes staring straight at the mirror; not seeing the real Sam, but the horrible thing that had taken her place.

"What was that? Everything OK?" Julia called out. Sam heard her footsteps approach.

"No, Jules! Don't come up here!" Sam cried in vain. She punched and kicked the glass. "Run, Jules! Please!!" Her knuckles started to bleed and more tears slid down her cheeks. She watched in horror as Julia entered the room and took in the sight of Daniel dead on the floor.

"What the fuck, Sam?!" She screamed, kneeling down next to Daniel and attempting first aid. The fake Sam knelt next to Julia and swiftly stabbed the knife into her side. Fast and brutal, the knife went in and out more times than Sam could count.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!!" Sam screamed hysterically, feeling like she was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Why..." She sobbed, taking in the gruesome sight of Julia laying dead next to Daniel. Blood pooling on the floor underneath them both, and Julia's intestines hanging out of her side. Sam dry heaved, trying to vomit. But nothing came up. She slid down to her knees, hoping this was all just a bad dream. She would wake up soon, and everything would be OK. It had to be.

"Samantha! Sorry to crash your party! I made a mistake. That work thing is in two days! Haha!" Her father's voice called out from downstairs. Sam snapped her head up and looked at her imposter pleadingly.

"God, please no... Please don't!" She begged. The thing smiled its eerie toothy grin at her before heading out of the bedroom and down the stairs. "Daddy..." Sam sobbed, covering her ears and letting out a series of blood curdling cries of anguish - hoping to drown out the sound of her father's scream.